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Bordeaux 301: Meet the Family

FILED UNDER: Buying & Choosing Wine, Grapes, Know Your Bordeaux, Rosé Wine, White Wine, Wine 101

You + Bordeaux. It’s official.

Looking back it’s hard to believe how quickly you went from total strangers to a match made in heaven! You stumbled across the grape suitors’ profiles in May and made your selection. By June you’d been on a date or two and had gotten to know one another’s styles. Now, it’s time to meet the family!

The Bordeaux wine region can be broken down into a few key sub-regions often referred to as ‘families’ because they offer a distinct style of Bordeaux wine. Here is a list of where to find yours. Look for the below sub-regions or AOCs on the wine label.

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Wine Style 1:
Citrusy and crisp, light-bodied white

On the label: Bordeaux, Entre-deux-Mers, Cotes de Bordeaux

Examples: Mouton Cadet, Chateau Bonnet, Chateau Villa Bel Air, Dourthe

Price Range: $8-20

When to drink: 1-3 years old

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Wine Style 2:
Creamy and lemony, complex and full-bodied white

On the label: Graves, Pessac-Léognan, and Médoc area Chateau

Examples: Chateau Carbonnieux, Chateau Olivier, Smith-Haut-Lafitte

Price Range: $20-90+ (depends greatly on AOC and producer)

When to drink: 3-8 years old (more you spend, longer it should age)

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Wine Style 3:
Dry, berry-laden, sometimes herbal, rosé

On the label: Bordeaux Rosé

Examples: Rose de Clarke (Many famous Chateaux release an affordable rosé!)

Price Range: $7-20

When to drink: 1-2 years old

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Wine Style 4:
Sweet, onctuous, full-bodied golden dessert wines

On the label: Sauternes, Barsac, Cadillac, Cérons

Examples: Chateau Haut-Mayne, Chateau Sablettes, Chateau d’Yquem

Price Range: $15-100+

When to drink: 1-10 years old or more

YOUR BORDEAUX 301 HOMEWORK
Class dismissed! Check out this month’s Re:Mix recipe here for a little summer fun. See our creamy peach tart dessert. Enjoy!