As the popularity of Bordeaux wine
increased, the vineyards expanded to accommodate the demands from
abroad. Being the land tax beneficiary, Henry II was in favor of this
industry, and to increase it further, abolished export taxes to England
from the Aquitaine region. In the 13th and 14th century, a code of
business practices called the police des vins emerged to give Bordeaux
wine a distinct trade advantage over its neighboring regions.[5]
The export of Bordeaux was effectively halted by the outbreak of The
Hundred Years' War between France and England in 1337[4]. By the end of
the conflict in 1453 France had repossessed the province, thus taking
control of wine production in the region[4].
In 1725, the spread of vineyards throughout Bordeaux was so vast that it
was divided into specific areas so that the consumer could tell exactly
where each wine was from. The collection of districts was known as the
Vignoble de Bordeaux, and bottles were labeled with both the region and
the area from which they originated.
From 1875-1892 almost all Bordeaux vineyards were ruined by Phylloxera
infestations[4]. The region's wine industry was rescued by grafting
native vines on to pest-resistant American rootstock[4]. All Bordeaux
vines that survive to this day are a product of this action[4]. This is
not to say that all contemporary Bordeaux wines are truly American
wines, as rootstock does not affect the production of grapes.
Due to the lucrative nature of this business, other areas in France
began growing their own wines and labeling them as Bordeaux products. As
profits in the Aquitaine region declined, the vignerons demanded that
the government impose a law declaring that only produce from Bordeaux
could be labeled with that name. The INAO or Institut National des
Appellations d'Origine was created for this purpose[4].
In 1936, the government responded to the appeals from the winemakers and
stated that all regions in France had to name their wines by the place
in which they had been produced. Labeled with the AOC approved stamp,
products were officially confirmed to be from the region that it stated.
This law later extended to other goods such as cheese, poultry and
vegetables[4].
The economic problems in 1970s, in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis
marked a difficult period for Bordeaux. The 1980s was a period of
recovery, and a new era in two respects. First, wine critics (rather
than just official classifications) started to have an influence on
demand and prices. US wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s review of the
1982 Bordeaux vintage has generally been considered to have started this
trend, and Parker has remained the most influential Bordeaux critic ever
since. Second, the preferred style of high-quality red Bordeaux has
gradually changed: the wines are more concentrated in flavour, have a
heavier influence of new oak, are more approachable already when young,
and are slightly higher in alcohol. It has been claimed that this is the
style of wine that Parker prefers and gives high scores to (and they are
therefore sometimes called "Parkerized"), while the Pomerol-based
winemaking consultant Michel Rolland writes the recipe for how to make
these wines.
Bordeaux used to have a significant production of white wines, with
Entre-deux-Mers a primarily white wine area. Unlike the style of dry
white Bordeaux favoured today, with almost 100% Sauvignon Blanc and a
heavy influence of new oak, the traditional Entre-deux-Mers whites had a
high proportion of Semillion and were either made in old oak barrels or
in steel tanks. Starting in the 1960s and 1970s, these vineyards were
converted to red wine production (of Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Superieur
AOC), and the production of white wine has decreased ever since. Today
production of white wine has shrunk to about one tenth of Bordeaux's
total production.
Climate and geography
The Bordeaux region of France is the second largest wine-growing area in
the world with 284,320 acres under vine. Only the Languedoc wine region
with 617,750 acres under vine is larger.[6]. Located halfway between the
North pole and the equator, there is more vineyard land planted in
Bordeaux than in all of Germany and ten times the amount planted in New
Zealand.[7]
The major reason for the success of winemaking in the Bordeaux region is
the excellent environment for growing vines. The geological foundation
of the region is limestone, leading to a soil structure that is heavy in
calcium. The Gironde estuary dominates the regions along with its
tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, and together irrigate
the land and provide a maritime climate for the region.[7]
These rivers define the main geographical subdivisions of the region:
* "The right bank", situated on the right bank of Dordogne, in the
northern parts of the region, around the city of Libourne.
* Entre-deux-mers, French for "between two waters", the area between the
rivers Dordogne and Garonne, in the centre of the region.
* "The left bank", situated on the left bank of Garonne, in the west and
south of the region, around the city of Bordeaux itself. The left bank
is further subdivided into:
o Graves, the area upstream of the city Bordeaux.
o Médoc, the area downstream of the city Bordeaux, situated on a
peninsula between Gironde and the Atlantic.
In Bordeaux the concept of terroir plays a pivotal role in wine
production with the top estates aiming to make terroir driven wines that
reflect the place they are from, often from grapes collected from a
single vineyard. [8] The soil of Bordeaux is composed of gravel, sandy
stone, and clay. The region's best vineyards are located on the well
drained gravel soils that are frequently found near the Gironde river.
An old adage in Bordeaux is the best estates can "see the river" from
their vineyard and majority of land that face riverside are occupied by
classified estates.[9]
Grapes
Red Bordeaux, which is traditionally known as claret in the United
Kingdom, is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and
Carmenere. Today Malbec is very seldom used, and Carmenere is used in
tiny quantities. An example of a famous château that uses Carmenere is
Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux.
As a very broad generalization, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend
in red wines produced in the Médoc and the rest of the left bank of the
Gironde estuary. Merlot and to a lesser extent Cabernet Franc tend to
predominate in Saint Emilion, Pomerol and the other right bank
appellations.[citation needed]
White Bordeaux is predominantly, and exclusively in the case of the
sweet Sauternes, made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. As
with the reds, white Bordeaux wines are usually blends, most commonly of
Sémillon and a smaller proportion of Sauvignon Blanc. Other permitted
grape varieties are Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Merlot Blanc, Ondenc and
Mauzac.
In the late 1960s Sémillon was the most planted grape in Bordeaux. Since
then it has been in constant decline although it still is the most
common of Bordeaux's white grapes. Sauvignon Blanc's popularity on the
other hand has been rising, overtaking Ugni Blanc as the second most
planted white Bordeaux grape in the late 1980s and now being grown in an
area more than half the size of that of the lower yielding Sémillon.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style.
In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to
identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from
California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states
and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada,
Israel, and Mexico.
Wine styles
The Bordeaux wine region is divided into subregions including Saint-Émilion,
Pomerol, Médoc, and Graves. The 57 Bordeaux appellations and the wine
styles they represent are usually categorized into six main families,
four red and two white, based on the subregions:[10]
* Red Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur. These are the "basic" red
Bordeaux wines which are allowed to be produced all over the region, and
represent the cheapeast Bordeaux wines. Some are sold by wine merchants
under commercial brand names rather than as classical "Châteaux" wines.
These wines tend to be fruity, with a rather marginal influence of oak
in comparison to "classical" Bordeaux, and produced in a style meant to
be drank young. On about half of the region's surface, this is the only
appellation that may be used. Some producers in those location do
however produce Bordeaux Superieur in a style more similar to the other
red families.
* Red Côtes de Bordeaux. Eight appellations are located in the hilly
outskirts of the region, and produce wines where the blend usually is
dominated by Merlot. These wines tend to be intermediate between basic
red Bordeaux and the more famous appellations of the left and right bank
in both style and quality. However, since none of Bordeaux's stellar
names are situated in Côtes de Bordeaux, prices tend to be moderate.
There is no official classification in Côtes de Bordeaux.[11]
* Red Libourne, or "Right Bank" wines. Around the city of Libourne, 10
appellations produce wines dominated by Merlot with very little Cabernet
Sauvignon, the two most famous being Saint Emilion and Pomerol. These
wines often have great fruit concentraction, softer tannins and are
long-lived. Saint-Emilion has an official classification.[12]
* Red Graves and Médoc or "Left Bank" wines. North and south of the city
Bordeaux, the most classical parts of Bordeaux is situated, and produce
wines dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, but often with a significant
portion of Merlot. These wines are concentrated, tannic, long-lived and
most of them meant to be cellared before drinking. The five First
Growths are situated here. There are official classifications for both
Médoc and Graves.[13]
* Dry white wines. Dry white wines are made throughout the region, from
a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with those from Graves being
the most well-known and the only subregion with a classification for dry
white wines. The better versions tend to have a significant oak
influence.[14]
* Sweet white wines. In several locations and appellations throughout
the region, sweet white wine is made from Semillon, Savignon Blanc and
Muscadelle grapes affected by noble rot. The best-known of these
appellations is Sauternes, which also have an official classification,
and where some of the world's most famous sweet wines are produced.
There are also appellations neighbouring Sauternes, on both sides of the
Garonne river, where similar wines are made.[15]
The vast majority of Bordeaux wine is red, with red wine production out
numbering white wine production six to one[16].
Wine classification
Main articles: Bordeaux wine regions and Bordeaux Wine Official
Classification of 1855
There are four different classifications of Bordeaux, covering different
parts of the region:[17][18]
* The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, covering (with one
exception) red wines of Médoc, and sweet wines of Sauternes-Barsac.
* The 1955 Official Classification of St.-Émilion, which is updated
approximately once every ten years, and last in 2006.
* The 1959 Official Classification of Graves, initially classified in
1953 and revised in 1959.
* The Cru Bourgeois Classification, which began as an unofficial
classification, but came to enjoy official status and was last updated
in 2003. However, after various legal turns, the classification was
annulled in 2007.[19] As of 2007, plans exist to revive it as an
unofficial classification.[20]
The 1855 classification system was made at the request of Emperor
Napoleon III for the Exposition Universelle de Paris. This came to be
known as the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, which ranked
the wines into five categories according to price. The first growth red
wines (four from Médoc and one, Château Haut-Brion, from Graves), are
among the most expensive wines in the world.
The five first growths
The five first growths
The first growths are:
* Château Lafite-Rothschild, in the appellation Pauillac
* Château Margaux, in the appellation Margaux
* Château Latour, in the appellation Pauillac
* Château Haut-Brion, in the appellation Péssac-Legonan
* Château Mouton Rothschild, in the appellation Pauillac, promoted from
second to first growth in 1973.
At the same time, the sweet white wines of Sauternes and Barsac were
classified into three categories, with only Château d'Yquem being
classified as a superior first growth.
In 1955, St. Émilion AOC were classified into three categories, the
highest being Premier Grand Cru Classé A with two members:[17]
* Château Ausone
* Château Cheval Blanc
There is no official classification applied to Pomerol. However some
Pomerol wines, notably Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin, are often
considered as being equivalent to the first growths of the 1855
classification, and often sell for even higher prices.
Commercial aspects
Many of the top Bordeaux wines are primarily sold as futures contracts,
called selling en primeur. Because of the combination of longevity,
fairly large production, and an established reputation, Bordeaux wines
tend to be the most common wines at wine auctions.
Wine label
Bordeaux wine labels generally include [21]-
1. The name of estate -(Image example: Château Haut-Batailley)
2. The estate's classification -(Image example: Grand Cru Classé en
1855) This can be in reference to the 1855 Bordeaux classification or
one of the Cru Bourgeois.
3. The appellation -(Image example: Pauillac) Appellation d'origine
contrôlée laws dictate that all grapes must be harvested from a
particular appellation in order for that appellation to appear on the
label. The appellation is a key indicator of the type of wine in the
bottle. With the image example, Pauillac wines are always red, and
usually Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape.
4. Whether or not the wine is bottled at the chateau (Image example: Mis
en Bouteille au Chateau) or assembled by a Négociant.
5. The vintage -(Image example: 2000)
6. Alcohol content - (Image example: 13% vol) |
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