Bordeaux

Bordeaux is often divided into two stylistic camps: the Left Bank, which includes the Médoc, Graves and Pessac-Léognan, and the Right Bank, home to St Émilion and Pomerol. On the Left Bank, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, thriving on gravel-rich soils that favour late ripening. The wines are powerful, structured and age-worthy, often blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and sometimes Petit Verdot. Key communes here include:

St Estèphe – dense and dark, often with pronounced blackcurrant

Pauillac – known for cedar, graphite and classic structure

St Julien – refined and richly fruited

Margaux – elegant, perfumed and graceful

Merlot takes the lead on the Right Bank, especially in Pomerol and St Émilion, delivering plush, approachable wines with generous fruit. Soils here are more mixed, with clay and limestone creating diverse expressions—richer and softer in Pomerol; more structured and minerally in hillside St Émilion.

By the mid-18th century, individual châteaux were gaining renown, culminating in the 1855 Classification, which ranked the Médoc’s top estates into five growth tiers. The First Growths—Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Haut-Brion and (since 1973) Mouton Rothschild—remain among the world’s most prestigious wines. Beyond the classified growths lie excellent Crus Bourgeois and numerous petits châteaux producing authentic and accessible Claret.

The sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, particularly from Château d’Yquem, are among the world’s finest. Here, autumn mists encourage botrytis (noble rot), which concentrates sugars in Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes, creating wines of incredible complexity and ageing potential. Bordeaux also produces dry whites, often Sauvignon-led, especially from Graves, Entre-Deux-Mers, and Pessac-Léognan—home to elite wines like Haut-Brion Blanc and Domaine de Chevalier.

Fine Bordeaux is often sold En Primeur, or as futures, in the spring after harvest. Wines are offered via négociants, who distribute them globally. Pricing depends on vintage quality and demand—especially high in exceptional years, where global interest remains unwavering.