bordeaux, an exceptional wine

Bordeaux wine is a French wine produced in the wine region of the same name, located in Gironde.

It is a red wine that can be white or rosé.

Bordeaux wine is the most famous and renowned of French wines.

There are many different grape varieties to make Bordeaux wine. We will see how to choose your Bordeaux wine, which are the best grape varieties and which are the appellations to privilege.

How is Bordeaux wine produced?

The Bordeaux wine is a product that is an integral part of the French cultural and historical heritage. It is a noble product, which is an alcoholic drink made from a mixture of fermented grapes and grape must (juice).

There are different types of wines: red wines, dry whites, rosés, sweet wines and creams.

The term "wines" refers to all products made from grape varieties present in France.

Bordeaux wines are red wines made from the Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety.

They have a very deep color with purple and black reflections.

Their aromas are rich in tannins with various spicy, fruity and woody notes depending on the type of soil, the vintage and the blend used to make the Bordeaux. The clarets are known to be robust and structured with a good aptitude for cellar aging thanks to the Cabernet Franc (50% minimum).

When Merlot is the majority in the composition of a blend it will be softer while if it is Cabernet Sauvignon that dominates it will be richer in tannin which gives it an aptitude for aging superior to 50%.

What is the difference between red and white Bordeaux wine?

Bordeaux white wine is a wine made from black grapes, i.e. grapes that are not pressed to make juice.

It is a blend of several grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle.

The red wine of Bordeaux is obtained thanks to the direct pressing of the grapes: the skins and the pips are removed from the must. The must is then fermented before being aged in barrels for an average of 12 to 15 months. This fermentation is done thanks to the natural yeasts present on the skin of the grape. Before bottling, this type of wine undergoes a carbonic maceration which allows to extract the tannins and to obtain a stronger color.

The blending of grape varieties is difficult because each has its own aromatic profile (red fruits, exotic fruits, floral notes?).

Which typical Bordeaux wine variety is merlot?

Merlot is the typical grape variety of Bordeaux wine.

It is very widespread in France and throughout the world. Indeed, it is present in about sixty countries and represents 50% of the Bordeaux wine production.

Merlot is a grape variety that produces wines with great volume, intense aroma and soft tannins.

It adapts perfectly to the climate, hot and dry in summer and cool in winter.

Merlot produces elegant, tannic but easy-drinking red wines during the first three years after harvest. However, wines made from Merlot can be more complex and difficult to store than those made from other grapes.

What is the vintage of the most famous Bordeaux wine?

The Bordeaux wine is the most famous in the world.

It is part of the best wines appellation, just like Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The Bordeaux wine has a very old history which goes back to the Middle Ages. In the 13th century, it was already renowned for its long-lasting properties and its taste, which was much appreciated by royal courtiers. In 1855, the first official classification of Bordeaux wines was created. It allowed to identify the different appellations and the great wines that have made the reputation of Bordeaux for almost 200 years.

The main appellations: - The Bordeaux appellation is the most famous and prestigious in France. - The appellation Saint Emilion is one of the first great classified growths of Bordeaux.- The appellation Pomerol is one of the best French appellations.- The appellation Margaux can be qualified as an excellent growth.- The appellation Haut-Médoc is a great classified growth in 1855.- The appellation Graves is one of the best French appellations.- The appellation Saint Julien is an excellent growth but cannot be considered as a great growth.The great classified growths are : - Château Lafite Rothschild (1868) - Château Latour (1887) - Château Margot (1908) The other grands crus are : - Château Beychevelle (1975) - Château Figeac (1982)- Chateau Palmer (1990)-Chateau Palmer The Closerie des Millésimes is your privileged partner to invest in this buoyant wine market.

Under what conditions should Bordeaux wine be stored and served?

The Bordeaux wine is a very cultivated grape variety in France, especially in the Bordeaux region. This wine is characterized by its high alcohol content and its purple color.

It must be stored in optimal conditions to claim a long conservation.

The ideal temperature is between 10°C and 13°C, while the shelf life can be up to 20 years.

When you choose to enjoy a good glass of Bordeaux, you should make sure that the bottle is always fresh, whether it has been stored in the refrigerator or not. However, if you have a quiet and dark place to store your bottle, this condition will not be necessary (cellar, storeroom). Finally, you should not forget that red wine is a natural product that matures slowly. In order to keep its optimal quality and to claim a long conservation, it must be stored in suitable conditions: air-conditioned or not air-conditioned cellar. If the conditions are respected (constant temperature), the Bordeaux wine will have an excellent shelf life of up to 15 years or more!

Which Bordeaux wine will best accompany a red meat dish?

You are a great lover of Bordeaux and you want to buy a good bottle to accompany your meal.

You have decided to take the time to go there with your family or friends and taste several wines, but which one will be the perfect match for your dish? We will try to answer this question based on gustative and qualitative criteria.

The visual aspect The first element that we notice when choosing a wine is its visual aspect. Indeed, it is important to have a good eye to distinguish the main characteristics of the wine: its color, its brightness, the type of tannins (astringency) and its sparkling aspect (effervescence). However, the color should not be the only element to remember.

It is also necessary to observe the presence of white traces on the capsule or in the glass.

The presence of this type of trace can indicate that the wine has been oxidized and therefore spoiled by the oxygen contained in the ambient air. Finally, do not hesitate to rotate the bottle so that the aromas are fully expressed.

The smell Once the bottle is opened, we immediately observe if the smell of the wine corresponds to the consumer's expectations: fruity, woody, peppery or even animal? However, some people are more sensitive to floral aromas while others are more attracted by fruity or woody aromas.

Bordeaux wine is the best known French wine, and one of the best known in the world. The Bordeaux region is the main wine-producing region of France, with about 70 % of the national production. However, in the 1990s, it lost its leadership position in the French wine market. However, it is still the leading producer of still wines and the second for sparkling wines.