Bordeaux
The Bordeaux region is one of the main wine producing regions in France, both in terms of surface area (11,2000 ha) and volume as well as its national and international recognition. It is, with Burgundy and the Rhône Valley, the wine-growing area which puts France in the international spotlight for the quality of its wines and the dexterity of the expression of its terroir. This appellation area emerged in the 17th century by becoming a platform for commercial exchanges with England. This is how the city of Bordeaux was built around its vineyards and the wine trade, and which gradually established its notoriety as a wine-growing area until it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are five Bordeaux viticulture areas which form a pretty horseshoe all around the Garonne estuary:
The left bank, comprising the Médoc and Haut Médoc as well as their prestigious properties, which produce vintages mainly made up of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from which they obtain their best expressions on stony limestone clays.
We then find to the south of Bordeaux the Graves area, renowned for its white wines composed of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, and its Cabernet whose expression remains unique on these gravel soils. Some winegrowers like Anne Buiatti (Maison Ad Vinam) are giving it new impetus through natural wines, with some of her vintages like the natural red wine L'Allumée, blends of red and white grape varieties.
In the hollow of our horseshoe lies the Bordeaux region par excellence: the Entre-deux-mers vineyard: located between the arms of the Garonne and the Dordogne, the entre deux mers offers us a clay-limestone terroir where Sauvignon, Sémillon and Muscadelle can give the best of themselves.
The next wine-growing area is on the right bank, called the Libournais. Composed mainly of heavy clays, we find the prestigious appellations of Pomerol or Saint-Emilion. It is on this terroir that we find the most beautiful expression of Merlot, a gourmet grape variety which develops blackcurrant notes and characteristic silky tannins. One of the most naturally unique expressions of this side of Bordeaux would be that of the Amoreau family who, with their Le Puy estate and their Emilien and Barthélemy vintages, create elegant and timeless natural Bordeaux wines, produced without the use of chemicals. since 1610.
Finally, the last wine-growing area of Bordeaux will be the Blayais vineyard, a terroir of expression of Merlot which offers us lighter and more consensual wines.
Generally speaking, we recognize natural red wines from Bordeaux for their elegant wine profiles, which can be kept well thanks to their relative tannin composition and the characteristic aging bouquet which give them real singularity.
