CHÂTEAU D’AURILHAC

AOC Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois

A relative newcomer that has quickly developed a cult following. The grapes are machine harvested, and the wine is matured in wood for 12 months, with 35 percent
new oak.

RED A flashy, huge, dark, and dense wine with masses of fruit to balance the ripe tannins and extrovert oak.

Cabernet Sauvignon 56%, Merlot 38%, Cabernet Franc 3%, Petit Verdot 3%

5–15 years Second wine: Château La Fagotte

BORDEAUX SUPÉRIEUR ROSÉ AOC

This appellation has a small cast—and Château Lascombe’s Rosé de Lascombes still tops the bill.

ROSÉ As few examples of these medium-dry, medium-bodied wines exist, it is possible to
generalize and describe them as fuller, richer, and having more class than any Bordeaux Rosé AOC wines.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

1–2 years

Types of Grape: VIOGNIER

This individual, shybearing variety was until relatively recently confined to a tiny part of

the Rhône Valley, where it produced the famous wines of Condrieu and Château Grillet. Although this variety crept out to Australia in the 1970s, the real explosion did not occur until the 1990s in Languedoc-Roussillon and California. At its best, Viognier has a lush, aromatic quality, with distinctive peachy character, but it is all too often over-oaked.

CHÂTEAU D’AGASSAC

AOC Haut-Médoc

Cru Bourgeois Supérieur

This is one of the best unclassified wines in the Haut-Médoc. The wine is matured in wood for 15 months, with one-third new oak.

RED Dark-colored, plummy wine, with a lot of soft, ripe fruit.

Cabernet Sauvignon 47%, Merlot 50%, Petit Verdot 3%

4–10 years

Second wine: Château Pomiès-Agassac

BORDEAUX SUPÉRIEUR AOC

Technically superior to Bordeaux AOC by only half a degree of alcohol, yet most of these wines do seem to have a greater consistency of quality, and, therefore, value. All generics are variable, but this one is less so than most.

RED These dry, light-bodied or medium- to fullbodied wines vary a lot but are generally fuller and richer than most red wines using the basic Bordeaux appellation.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

2–6 years

WHITE Dry or sometimes sweet, light- to medium-bodied white wines that are little seen.

Sémillon, Sauvignon, Muscadelle plus up to 30% in total Merlot Blanc, Colombard, Mauzac, Ondenc, Ugni Blanc; the proportion of Merlot Blanc must not exceed 15%

1–2 years

THE CLASSIC GRAPE VARIETIES OF BORDEAUX

Contrary to what one might expect, it is Merlot, not Cabernet Sauvignon, that is the most important grape variety in Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon represents only 27 percent of black grapes cultivated in Bordeaux, whereas Merlot accounts for more than 58 percent. It is nearer the truth, therefore, to say that Cabernet Sauvignon gives backbone to Merlot, rather than to suggest that Merlot softens Cabernet Sauvignon (which is the old adage). Although Château Mouton-Rothschild contains no less than
90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, it is an exception, as even on the Médoc’s hallowed ground, where it is blasphemy to mention the name of Merlot, 40 percent of the vines grown are of that variety. Château Pétrus (see p123), one of the most expensive wines in the world, contains 95 percent Merlot, without any Cabernet Sauvignon at all. Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic grape, quite possibly the greatest red-wine grape in the world, but its importance for Bordeaux is often overstated.
Sémillon is the most important white grape variety grown in Bordeaux. It is significant both in terms of its extent of cultivation and quality. This grape variety is susceptible to botrytis, the “noble rot” that results in classic Sauternes and Barsac. It is therefore considered to be the world’s greatest sweet-wine grape. Sémillon also accounts for most of the fine dry white wines of Bordeaux, but these are relatively few and lack prestige. Sauvignon Blanc plays the supporting role in the production of sweet wines, and is used to a greater or lesser degree for dry
wines. Many of the less expensive dry white wines are pure Sauvignon Blanc varietals.

Types of Grape: SYLVANER

Originally from Austria, this variety is widely planted throughout Central Europe. It is

prolific, early maturing, and yields the dry wines of Franken and Alsace. It is also widely believed to be the Zierfandler of Austria. Sylvaner has a tart, earthy, yet neutral flavor, which takes on a tomato-like richness in the bottle. This grape is now known to be the offspring of the Österreichisch Weiss and Traminer.

BORDEAUX CLAIRET AOC

“Clairet” is a term that refers to a red wine that is light in body and color. It derives from vin claret in Old French, a term of respect; this suggests that Bordeaux achieved a reputation for limpidity before other wines. ROSÉ Rich, dark rosé or failed, feeble red? The best examples of this medium-dry, mediumbodied wine come from the village of Quinsac in the Premières Côtes de Bordeaux.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

1–2 years

THE CLASSIFICATION OF BORDEAUX WINES

Of all the Bordeaux classifications that exist, it is the 1855 Classification that is meant whenever anyone refers to “The Classification.” It was commissioned by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, which was required by the government of the Second Empire to present a selection of its wines at the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris. For their own ends, the brokers of the Bordeaux Stock Exchange traditionally categorized the most famous Bordeaux properties on the basis of the prices they fetched, so they were charged by the Chamber of Commerce to submit a “complete list of classified red Bordeaux wines, as well as our great white wines.” The classifications listed above and to the right give the 19th-century names in the original form as listed by the brokers on April 18, 1855. The frequent absence of the word château has been followed, as has the circumflex in crû, and the use of second crû for red wines and deuxième crû for whites.

ST-ESTÈPHE AOC

The potential of St-Estèphe is exemplified by Cos d’Estournel, which is one of the best deuxièmes crus in the Médoc, but the strength of this appellation lies in its range of crus bourgeois. The area under vine is slightly less than that of Margaux, which has the largest area, but St.-Estèphe has far more unclassified châteaux, and even the best wines are wonderfully cheap.

RED If Pauillac is the stallion of the four famous appellations, St.-Estèphe must be the dray horse. These dry, full-bodied wines are big and strong, yet not without dignity. St-Estèphe demands affection and, with the rich fruit of a sunny year, deserves it. These

most enjoyable, sweet-spice and cedary wines can have lots of honest, chunky fruit. Cos d’Estournel is the thoroughbred of the commune.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

8–25 years (crus classés);

5–12 years (others)

ST-JULIEN AOC

St-Julien is the smallest of the four famous appellations and the most intensively

cultivated, with almost 50 percent of the commune under vine. There are no first

growths, but there are as many as five seconds, and the standard and consistency of style is very high. This AOC overlaps part of the commune of Pauillac, and, historically, châteaux Latour and Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse-de-Lalande could as easily have become St-Julien AOC as Pauillac AOC.

RED These are dry, medium-bodied, sometimes full-bodied, wines that have purity of style, varietal flavor, and can be longlived. Well balanced and elegant, these wines fall somewhere between the lushness that is typical of Margaux and the firmer structure

of Pauillac.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

6–20 years (crus classés);

5–12 years (others)

PAUILLAC AOC

This commune vies with Margaux as the most famous appellation, but is without doubt the most rock solid and consistent of Bordeaux AOCs, while its premiers crus of Latour, Lafite, and Mouton make it the most important.

RED Dark and virtually opaque, great Pauillac is a dry, powerfully constructed wine, typically redolent of blackcurrants and new oak. It might be unapproachable when young, but is always rich with fruit when mature. Although it does not have the grace of great Margaux, Pauillac brings power and style together to produce wines of incomparable finesse for their size.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,

Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

9–25 years (crus classés);

5–12 years (others)

MOULIS-EN-MÉDOC AOC

MOULIS AOC OR

One of the two communal appellations located on the Atlantic side of the Médoc, Moulis-en-Médoc is smaller and potentially more interesting than its neighbor Listrac. Like

Listrac, it has no cru classé châteaux, despite adjoining Margaux, the appellation that

has the highest number of such properties in the Médoc.

RED These dry, medium-bodied, sometimes full-bodied, wines have more power than those of Margaux, but far less finesse.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

5–12 years

MÉDOC AOC

Technically, this appellation covers the entire Médoc, but most wines actually come from

north of the Haut-Médoc in the area that was formerly called the Bas-Médoc. Its vineyards

have undergone a rapid and extensive expansion since the mid-1970s.

RED The best of these dry, mediumbodied wines are similar in style to good Haut-Médocs, although the style is less sophisticated.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

4–8 years

BORDEAUX AOC

As with any large, and thus variable, appellation, the generic Bordeaux AOC is responsible for the good, bad, and ugly wines of the region. Overall, quality is of a decent standard, although the best wines are unlikely to fit the classic descriptions that have made the region famous. Wines carrying the generic appellation may come from any AOC vineyard in the entire Gironde. Some of the most interesting wines are from classic areas where the more specific appellation is confined to a precise style: such as a red Bordeaux produced by a château in Sauternes. If the wine is a brand, it should be ready to drink. If it is a château wine, the address should reveal its origin, and the price will be an indication of its quality and a guide to when it should be drunk.

RED Most are simply dry, luncheon claret styles, made for early drinking and usually softened by a high Merlot content.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

1–5 years

WHITE All medium-dry, basic white bordeaux contain at least 4 grams of residual sugar per liter, and have a certain sweetness. It is by far the most variable appellation category, with many dull wines. If the wine contains less than 4 grams of residual sugar per liter, the Bordeaux appellation must be qualified by “Sec.” These dry whites are also variable, but most of the best wines of the appellation are found among them. They may be sold from December 1 without any mention of primeur or nouveau.

Sémillon, Sauvignon, Muscadelle plus up to 30% in total of Merlot Blanc, Colombard, Mauzac, Ondenc, Ugni Blanc

1–2 years

ROSÉ When made by individual properties, this medium-dry, medium-bodied wine can be attractive. These wines may be sold from December 1 following the harvest without any mention of primeur or nouveau.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot kImmediately

MARGAUX AOC

The best Margaux are potentially the greatest wines in the whole of Bordeaux, but this is an appellation that covers five communes encompassing a great diversity of soil and some of its wines not unnaturally have a tendency to disappoint. Margaux benefits enormously from having a namesake château, which is unique in Bordeaux, and the fact that this property sets the most extraordinarily high standards has done no harm to the reputation and price of these wines generally. The phenomenal success of Château Margaux has, however, unfairly raised expectations of many lesser-quality châteaux in the area, but those critics who widely accuse proprietors of sacrificing quality for quantity could not be further from the truth. There are individual châteaux that overproduce and therefore fail to achieve their full potential, but excessive volume is not typically the problem with this appellation, since it has the lowest yield per acre of the four famous Médoc AOCs.

RED Exquisite, dry, medium-bodied, and sometimes full-bodied, wines that can be deepcolored and fabulously rich, yet they have great finesse and a silky finish.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

5–20 years (crus classés);
5–10 years (others)

LISTRAC-MÉDOC AOC

Significant funds have been invested in a number of high-performance châteaux in this commune, although its heavy clay soil does not have anything like as much potential as the gravel ridges found in the most famous Médoc appellations.

RED These dry, medium- to full-bodied wines have the fruit and finesse of St.-Julien combined with the firmness of St.-Estèphe. The most successful wines tend to have a large proportion of Merlot, which enjoys the Haut-Médoc’s clay soil.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot

5–10 years

HAUT-MÉDOC AOC

This AOC encompasses the Médoc’s four finest communes—Margaux, St.-Julien, Pauillac, and St.-Estèphe—as well as the less well-known Listrac and Moulis communes. Wines produced outside these six appellations but within the Haut-Médoc are not generally as thrilling, although infinitely superior to those of Médoc. Among these very reliable wines are a few great-value crus classés and many high-quality crus bourgeois, but although Haut-Médoc is a name to look out for on the label of châteaubottled wines, it counts for little on a generic.

RED These dry wines have a generosity of fruit tempered by a firm structure, and are mediumto full-bodied.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot,
Malbec, Petit Verdot, Carmenère

6–15 years (crus classés);
5–8 years (others)

Factors affecting taste and quality of Médoc wine

LOCATION
The Médoc lies on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, stretching northwest from Bordeaux in the south to Soulac in the north.

CLIMATE
Two large masses of water on each side of the Médoc—the Atlantic and the Gironde—act as a heat-regulator and help provide a
microclimate ideal for viticulture. The Gulf Stream generally gives the Médoc mild winters, warm summers, and long, sunny falls. The
district is protected from westerly and northwesterly winds by the continuous coastal strip of pine forest that runs roughly parallel to
the Médoc.

ASPECT
Undulating hillsides with knolls and gentle slopes are characteristic of the Médoc. The best vineyards can “see the river” and virtually all areas of the Haut-Médoc gradually slope from the watershed to the Gironde. Marshy areas, where vines cannot be grown, punctuate most communes.

SOIL
Similar topsoils lie over different subsoils in the Médoc. Its topsoils are typically outcrops of gravel, consisting of sand mixed with siliceous gravel of varying particle size. Subsoils may contain gravel and reach a depth of many feet, or may consist of sand, often rich in humus, and some limestone and clay.

VITICULTURE AND VINIFICATION
Only red wines can use the Médoc appellation. Mechanical harvesting is commonplace and all grapes are destalked prior to fermentation in
tanks, or in vats increasingly made of stainless steel. Skin contact lasts for one to two weeks, although some châteaux have reverted to the once standard four weeks.

GRAPE VARIETIES
Primary varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot Secondary varieties: Carmenère, Petit Verdot, Malbec

RECENT BORDEAUX VINTAGES

2003 Unlike in the rest of France, this was not a drought year. In fact, precipitation levels were slightly above average. However, as in other French wine regions, 2003 was a very hot and sunny vintage, with exceptional ripeness. Exceptionally, acidification was permitted, but although initial concerns about low acid musts were widespread, relatively few producers bothered to add acid. This is a great Bordeaux vintage, with good to superb wines produced throughout the region, but favoring the Right Bank and improving the further north the vineyards are in the classic communal appellations of the Médoc. The most concentrated wines will be quite exotic and flamboyant. Great Sauternes were also produced.

2002 Hyped-up immediately after the vintage, when the wines were tasted the following spring, this vintage turned out to be far more variable than anyone had imagined. Essentially, it is a Cabernet year, not Merlot, thus some very high-quality Médocs were produced, particularly in, but not restricted to, Pauillac. The further up the cru classé scale you go, the better the wines are, with Lafite a match for the greatest wines of any Bordeaux vintage. Excellent for Sauternes too.

2001 But for the outstanding 2000 vintage, everyone would have been hyping that of 2001 as one of Bordeaux’s finest vintages
across the board. Homogeneity (relevant to the intrinsic quality of the château, of course) is almost as widespread as in 2000, but the quality, although excellent, is not as great as that special year, while the style is more elegant, less concentrated. Another superb Sauternes vintage, and some of the best dry white cru classé wines produced in 10 years.

2000 God forgave the bordelais their transgressions and excesses of the recent past, and smiled on the world’s foremost red wine
region for the last vintage of the old millennium. He held back the rains until almost everyone had brought their harvest in. The reds on both banks are beautifully colored, high in alcohol, with the weight and plumpness of a truly great year. This is a very special vintage indeed, producing wines of extraordinary concentration, except in Sauternes and Barsac, which were hit by rain during their late harvests—the results are not that bad, with quality equaling that of 1999.

1999 This is the year when almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong in
Bordeaux. It was as if the last vintage of the1990s was a testament to the climatic difficulties that masked this decade, with disease in the vineyards, rain at harvest, and ahuge crop of unripe grapes. Very patchy, but most of the best wines were made in St.Émilion, with some excellent Margaux and St.Julien, and some Sauternes that can vie with the 1998s, though not the 1997s. It is in vintages such as 1999 that the difference in quality between Bordeaux as a whole and that found when tasting at the top 100 or so Bordeaux estates becomes so marked.

LADOIX PREMIER CRU AOC

Premiers crus: Basses Mourottes, Bois Roussot, Les Buis, Le Clou d’Orge, La Corvée, Les Gréchons, Hautes Mourottes, Les Joyeuses,
La Micaude, En Naget, Rognet et Corton. These premiers cru vineyards were expanded from 35 to 59 acres (14 to 24 hectares) in 2000.

RED These wines are decidedly finer in quality and deeper in color than those with the basic village appellation.

Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Liébault
7–20 years

WHITE Prince Florent de Mérode of de Serrigny makes the only white Ladoix Premier Cru I know: Ladoix Hautes Mourottes blanc.
tCapitain-Gagnerot • Edmond Cornu & Fils
• Prince Florent de Mérode • Naudin Ferrand • André Nudant & Fils • G. & P. Ravaut

BORDEAUX’S BEST GENERIC BRANDS

Bordeaux has the greatest reputation for red wine in the world, but as in all regions, ordinary wines do exist. In fact, the majority of wines produced in any region is very ordinary, and Bordeaux is no exception. Remember that more than money separates Mouton Cadet from Château Mouton- Rothschild. While the former might be the most famous of all generic Bordeaux brands, it is merely the blended product of relatively inferior wines grown anywhere within the vast départemental appellation of Bordeaux, while the latter is a selection of one of the finest wines grown on a single estate—a premier cru classé in the small, communal AOC of Pauillac. As a branded generic Bordeaux wine can be a disappointing introduction to the world’s greatest wine region, the following brands are suggested as reliable choices:

DOURTHE NUMÉRO 1
Probably the best, largest-selling branded Bordeaux available.

LA COUR PAVILLON
One of the most reliable and underrated generic Bordeaux wines on the market at the moment. Made at Château Loudenne, this wine always displays good fruit, but possesses enough structure to keep for a while.

MAÎTRE D’ESTOURNEL
This has the same connection to Château Cos d’Estournel as “Mouton Cadet” has to Château Mouton-Rothschild, which is absolutely nonexistent as far as the wine is concerned, but both brands hope to sell on the back of their respective château name. There is however, a fundamental difference between the two, of course: “Maître d’Estournel” happens to be an expressive, early-drinking wine that can also take a few years in bottle, whereas “Mouton Cadet” is mutton posing as lamb.

MICHEL LYNCH
Produced by Michel Cazes of Château Lynch-Bages in an unashamedly up-front, fruity style. Red, white, and rosé are all thoroughly
recommended.

PREMIUS EXIGENCE
Produced by Yvon Mau, the step up between the premium Premius and Premius Exigence is about as big as it can get for two wines sharing the
same brand. The stricter selection of grapes and no-expense-spared handling shows through in the richer, oak-layered fruit.

SICHEL SIRIUS
This is as serious as it sounds. An excellent oakaged generic Bordeaux, it will improve for a further year or two in bottle.