Bordeaux

Ancient & Medieval

• Romans discovered the Bituriges Vivisci tribe and prosperous town of Burdigala (Bordeaux)
• Originally prized for tin and lead; became well-settled Roman territory — the vine followed
• After Roman dissolution: invasions by Vandals, Visigoths, Franks → region faded into obscurity

First Golden Age: English Connection

• 1152: Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet (Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Maine)
• As King Henry II of England, he established firm economic ties between England and western France — lasting 300 years
• 1306–1307: Bordeaux shipped 24 million gal / 900,000 hl of wine to England

• Building tensions → Hundred Years War
• 1453: Battle of Castillon — France reclaimed Bordeaux, expelled the English

Dutch Influence (Post-1453)

• The Dutch became heavily involved in Bordeaux wine trade
• Wanted white wine to distill into eau de vie and sweet white wines for the table
• In the 1600s, the Dutch drained the Médoc Peninsula — raising gravel beds and reclaiming viable vineyard land

Second Golden Age: The Châteaux Era

• 1700s: Expansion of Bordeaux wine market to new Dutch and British colonies
• Wealthy merchants began building luxurious châteaux with surrounding vineyards (precedent: Haut-Brion)
• The term château became synonymous with "winemaking estate"
• Estates remained intact through French Revolution (unlike Bourgogne) due to private ownership

19th Century Challenges

• 1852: Napoléon III's pro-mercantile attitude helped reestablish ties with England
• 1855: The famous Classification of 1855 for the Universal Exhibition in Paris
• 1852: Powdery mildew arrived
• 1865: Phylloxera arrived
• 1880: Downy mildew arrived
• 1956: Deep freeze killed one-quarter of vine stock — Malbec especially hard hit; replaced with Merlot

Third Golden Age: The Parker Era

• Émile Peynaud, Professor of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux, encouraged vignerons to use fruit from young vines under a second label — boosting quality of the grand vin
• 1982: Robert Parker launched Wine Advocate and touted the 1982 vintage
• High scores refocused world attention on Bordeaux → third Golden Age
• Score-driven prices climbed throughout early 2000s; speculation turned wine into a commodity
• 2009–2010: En primeur was oversold; prices stagnated; châteaux now hold more production and diversify sales

Geography

• Located in the Gironde département, southwestern France
• Stretches 63 mi / 100 km north to south; 78 mi / 125 km east to west
• Divided by three rivers:
  • Gironde Estuary — formed by confluence of Garonne and Dordogne
  • Garonne River — flows through city of Bordeaux
  • Dordogne River — defines Right Bank
• Left Bank: Médoc Peninsula south to Graves-Sauternes area
• Right Bank: Blaye to Castillon (Libournais)
• Entre-deux-Mers: "Between Two Seas" — between Dordogne and Garonne

Climate

Type: Maritime

• The Atlantic's Gulf Stream warms and regulates temperatures
• Les Landes forest — almost 2.5 million ac / 1 million ha of pine — protects vineyards from ocean winds, storms, and sand dunes
• Les Landes is the largest man-made forest in western Europe (planted 18th–19th century)
• Summers are warm but often cloudy due to oceanic influences
• Winters typically not severe, but freezes can occur

Climate Variations

• Areas nearer the Atlantic (Médoc, Haut-Médoc) have more moderate temperatures
• Eastern and southern appellations (Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux) have more continental influences
• Humidity is a problem — engenders rot
• Other hazards: frost in spring, hail in summer
• Irrigation was historically unnecessary and illegal; now some sub-regions have received permission (2022) due to drought

Geological History

• Lies within the French region of Aquitaine (Latin: "well-watered place")
• The last Ice Age and inter-glacial melt (2 million to 10,000 BCE) left extensive river deposits and marine sediments
• Soils are primarily sedimentary: gravel terraces interspersed with sand, silt, clay, and both fresh-water and salt-water limestones

Topography

• Bordeaux is mostly flat
• Elevation peaks at 377 ft / 115 m in Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux (easternmost Right Bank)
• Left Bank elevation: only 100–140 ft / 30–43 m above sea level
• Right Bank: string of small hills from Blaye to Castillon, interspersed by plateaus and deep valleys
• Entre-deux-Mers: significant slopes ideal for vineyard sites

Warm vs. Cold Soils

• Gravel → wines with firm tannins and structure
• Sand → opulent, soft, fruit-forward wines
• Iron-rich clay → noticeable texture (Pomerol)
• Limestone → pronounced acidity, lean, polished tannins

Historical Context

• 1841: Principal grapes cited as Cabernet, Carmenère, Gros and Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec, Tarney-Coulant
• 1874: Grapes listed (in order of importance) as Malbec, Cabernet, Merlot, Verdot, Syrah
• Carmenère succumbed to vine diseases of the 1800s and was not replanted
• Petit Verdot fell out of favor due to ripening difficulties
• 1956 freeze: devastated Malbec → replaced by cold-hardy Merlot

Area Under Vine (CIVB 2019)

Training & Density

• Two primary training methods:
  • Taille médocaine: Looks like double Guyot but with shorter canes
  • Single or Double Guyot
• Médoc: High density — 4,000 vines/ac (10,000 vines/ha)
• Côtes: Moderate density — 2,000–2,400 vines/ac (5,000–6,000 vines/ha)
• Regional Bordeaux AOCs: Lower-density plantings

Climate Change Adaptations

• Switching to drought-resistant rootstocks
• Introducing late-ripening, heat-tolerant varieties
• Investigating disease-resistant hybrid varieties
• Rethinking leaf removal (may now need leaves to protect clusters from sunburn)
• Delaying winter pruning of young vines to delay bud break and avoid April frost damage

Weather Hazards

• 2013: Hail damaged 50,000 ac / 20,000 ha
• 2017: Severe frost robbed region of ~40% of potential crop
• 2018: Another hailstorm wreaked havoc on 17,544 ac / 7,100 ha

Dry White Wine

• Wide range of quality levels
• Entry-level: Bright, fresh wines fermented in stainless steel with no MLF (to preserve aromatics)
• Top-end (Pessac-Léognan, Graves): Often barrel-fermented and aged on lees for richer textures and creamier flavors

Sweet White Wine

• Usually made from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc; sometimes a small addition of Muscadelle
• Moelleux (semi-sweet): Can be handpicked; R.S. of 1.2–4.5% (12–45 g/l)
• Liquoreux (sweet): Handpicked berry by berry or partial cluster through multiple passes (tris); R.S. >4.5% (45 g/l); botrytis-affected grapes mandatory
• Harvest spans 6–8 weeks (mid-September to November, sometimes December)
• Rule of thumb: one vine of botrytized grapes yields one to three glasses of wine

Red Wine

• Bordeaux is renowned for development and use of technology in winemaking
• Fermentation: 8–10 days; maceration on skins can last 15–21 days or longer
• Entry-level: Ferment and mature in concrete or temperature-controlled stainless steel
• Premium: Ferment in concrete or stainless steel, then age in barrique
• Tannin management improved through extended maceration and punch-down (pigeage) or pump-over (remontage) rather than rack-and-return (délestage)
• Many apply micro-oxygenation to soften tannins; oak influence has been reduced

Grand Vin & Second Labels

• A château often produces more than just its grand vin (primary product)
• Second and third labels: Best lots go to grand vin; softer, more approachable lots go to second/third labels
• These labels have a less structured blend, spend less time in cellar, and are designed for earlier consumption

Rosé & Clairet

• Two lightly pigmented wines: rosé (pink) and clairet (light red)
• Clairet: same winemaking as red but with 24–36 hours maceration; made by saignée
• Rosé: Even shorter maceration time; also typically saignée
• Bordeaux rosés are always finished dry (unlike some Loire pink wines) and are truly pink (unlike orange-tinged Rhône rosés)

When to Drink Bordeaux

• Petits Châteaux, Cru Bourgeois, Côtes: Best consumed within 5–7 years (may last a decade in good vintages)
• Classified growths: Should be held a decade before opening
• Sweet whites: Can age gracefully for decades; stellar vintages may hit the 100-year mark
• Semi-sweet whites, rosés, clairets: For immediate consumption
• Top dry whites: Can age gracefully for decades, developing notes of toasted coconut, roasted hazelnut, beeswax

The Médoc is a triangular peninsula north of the city of Bordeaux, along the left bank of the Gironde Estuary. Soils are gravel mounds atop limestone; Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate. All Médoc AOCs are red only.

The Four Communal AOCs of the 1855 Classification

Inland Médoc Communes

Graves = "gravel" in French. The first vineyards in Bordeaux were planted here. Located south of the city, stretching 36 mi / 60 km southeast to Langon. Like Médoc: gravel mounds along the left bank of the Garonne; in Cérons, gravels mix with clay, marl, limestone, sand.

The Sauternais (Sweet Wine AOCs)

The southernmost portion of Graves. Soils are so poor that only vines and trees can survive. A special macroclimate promotes botrytis: the cool Ciron River flows through the Les Landes forest into the warm Garonne, creating morning mist.

All three AOCs share the same minimum sweetness (4.5% / 45 g/l) and grape varieties: Sémillon [P], Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle.

"Between Two Seas" — refers to the tidal rivers (Dordogne and Garonne). Complex alluvial soils; some slopes are pure gravel; plateaus and hillsides have clay, sand, and limestone. Majority dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc; most AOCs make dry and sweet whites. Red blends are Merlot + Cabernets and bottled as Bordeaux AOC.

Sweet Wine AOCs Across the Garonne

Three appellations directly across from the Sauternais share the same macroclimate but with less morning mist:

Other Entre-deux-Mers AOCs

• Graves de Vayres (1937): Gravel beds from Isle River; dry white, red, semi-sweet white
• Premières Côtes de Bordeaux (1937): Semi-sweet to sweet white only
• Côtes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire (1937): Dry white, semi-sweet white, sweet white

The principal city on the right bank of the Dordogne is Libourne. Libournais reds are predominantly Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends with little Cabernet Sauvignon. Wines are silken in texture, less powerfully structured than Left Bank counterparts. The Libournais comprises 10 red AOCs.

Saint-Émilion Satellites

Four appellations surrounding Saint-Émilion, all awarded AOC in 1936:

• Lussac Saint-Émilion
• Montagne-Saint-Émilion
• Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion
• Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion

Wines boast the same flavors and aromas as Saint-Émilion but with a more delicate structure.

Côtes = coast/slope. Most are located on the right banks, southwest-facing, on clay and limestone soils. Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends prevail.

In 2009, the Bordelais debuted a new umbrella AOC: Côtes de Bordeaux.

Blaye & Bourg (Associated with Côtes but Independent)

• Blaye AOC (1936): Red only; mix of sandy gravel, clay, limestone; 50% minimum Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and/or Cabernet Sauvignon
• Bourg / Côtes de Bourg / Bourgeais AOC (1936, dry white 1941): Dry white and red; Merlot = 65% of red plantings; Sauvignon Blanc = 40% of whites; Colombard is a primary white grape here