Hi , login or create a new account below

An oeniphile's cheat sheet for breaking down Bordeaux...

Although Bordeaux's popularity in Roman times was that of an important city of trade rather than of a vineyard-packed region, by the Middle Ages this would all change.

By then, vines (possibly initially brought to the area from Rioja, Spain, some say) were bursting forth from the soil, with the resulting beverages shipping to England, Ireland, Scotland and the Channel Islands and giving the outside world its first taste of what would become one of, if not the, most important wine regions in the world.

It is also the place upon which many wine-producing areas would thereafter model their own wines.

What is Bordeaux, though? It would be nearly impossible to extol all of its virtues, but there are some basic truths that can be put forth in a simplified nutshell. While its name suggests everything from a state of mind to a singular, definable entity that is practically an empire unto itself, in many ways

Bordeaux is nothing if not the sum of its parts. With the occasional exception of the whites, Bordeaux are more often than not blends.

Appellation d'Origine contrôlée regulations (AOC, or AC, for short) recognize 14 varietals that can be called Bordeaux, but in all likelihood you won't see more than eight of them on your average (or even above-average) wine list: reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, while whites range from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon to Muscadelle.

As you might guess by the tipped balance of the above, reds make up the bulk of Bordeaux wines - about 83 percent - with whites filling out the remaining 17 percent.

Located in the southwestern portion of France, Bordeaux is greatly influenced by its maritime climate (the translation of its name is "along the waters").

The ocean influenced climate is further moistened by the Atlantic-feeding Gironde River, as well as its fork-tailed split, which become the rivers Dordogne and Garonne.

Vineyards fall to the left and right bank of the Gironde, as well as east and south of the smaller watery arteries where you'll find Graves and Sauternes, and in between the Dordogne and Garonne, which is known as Entre-Deux-Mers ("between two seas").

On the gravelly soils of the left bank, the major districts are the Haut Médoc and Médoc, and, further south, the commune of Pessac-Léognan, which are made up

of important Bordeaux-producing towns such as Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. It is here that Cab is king, dominating not only what is grown in the vineyards but also what is predominates in the blend. On the right bank, Merlot is the main varietal blended in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.

"The top chateaus produce wines with compelling and luxurious aromatics, intense fruit concentration and refined tannins," Price says. "I enjoy many, many wines from both sides of the river, but my heart lies within the magical vineyards on the right."

To the left of the Garonne lies the district of Graves, where Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the reds and the white varietals Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grow as well.

In the Entre-Deux Mers and a little further south and east in Sauternes, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are grown (and, in Sauternes, make some of the most sought after and scrumptious sweet white wines known to the world).

But with more than 3,000 chateaux producing all these beautiful Bordeaux, at Macau, Price says, there is one name that seems to beckon eastward the loudest:

"Chateau Lafite [Rothschild] is by far the most popular wine requested by our guests," she marvels.

"I have never experienced anything like it - the demand is absolutely astounding, comparable to the overwhelming demand for Louis Vuitton bags."

Her loyalties, however, lie on the beloved right in Pomerol: "Le Pin and Lafleur would be my personal favorites," she says. "They are wildly expensive, incredibly scarce and extraordinarily delicious!"