Winophilia

First, a brief word on the actual appellation system as it applies to the red wines of Bordeaux.  All Bordeaux wines are entitled to the basic appellation Bordeaux.  Bordeaux Supérieur is a slight step higher.  Bordeaux from districts known for special quality carry the name of their appellation on the label.  While seven appellations—Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Graves, Pomerol and Saint-Emilion—are most familiar to long-time claret lovers, lesser-known districts such as Moulis and Listrac in the Médoc and Fronsac, Canon-Fronsac and Côtes de Castillon on the “right bank” (of the Gironde river) can also produce excellent wines, generally at much lower prices.  In fact, many vineyard owners in the swankier districts have been buying up choice parcels in some of these so-called satellite appellations, and it’s clear that the soils and microclimates in some of these spots are capable of producing superb wine.

All of the best wines of Bordeaux also carry the name of the specific château, or estate.  More than 200 of the finest châteaux of the Médoc, Graves and Saint-Émilion (and Sauternes as well) have been awarded cru classé, or classified growth, status.  The famous 1855 Classification established four premiers crus, or first growths—Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, and Haut-Brion (in 1973, Mouton-Rothschild too was officially declared a first growth)—as well as a host of second through fifth growths. 

Three right-bank wines—Pétrus, Cheval Blanc, and Ausone—are commonly considered to be equivalent in quality to the “official” first growths, and the right-bank appellations of Saint-Emilion has its own system of classification.  Right-bank wines are generally based on merlot, usually with a component of cabernet franc, while wines from the Médoc are typically 70% or more cabernet sauvignon.  Appellations like Saint-Estèphe at the northern end of the Bordeaux region, and the sprawling Graves region on the outskirts of the city of Bordeaux and stretching south and southeast, normally are based on cabernet sauvignon with a large dollop of merlot.

In addition, there are hundreds of crus bourgeoises in the Médoc, as well as the lesser properties throughout the Bordeaux region that are commonly referred to as petits châteaux.  If these thousands of so-called little wines have less pretension to importance, they are also, as a rule, much easier to drink when young.

In my next Ask Mister Wine Guy column I’ll attempt to explain why Bordeaux prices have gotten completely out of hand in recent years.