Bordeaux Grapes - All About Bordeaux Blends + Whites from Bordeaux, France

This is a clip from our Bordeaux episode that explains all about the wines made in the region. Here we go. The big deal in Bordeaux is blending, and that's how most of the wines here are made, by blending different grapes together. 100% variety of wines are pretty uncommon. There are five grapes used in Bordeaux red wines, and each lends a different characteristic to the wine. They allow each winemaker to have a unique style by blending the way that fits their personality, like a painter does with a color palette. As far as flavors go, Red Bordeaux to me is super distinct. The soil lends to a dusty, graphite minerality that's really unique to Bordeaux. I haven't found it elsewhere, and personally it's my favorite part of the wine. Its fruit character is usually in blackcurrant and plumland, and violets and herbs are common as well. You even get a lot of oak aging with Red Bordeaux, which provides cedar and chocolate, or sometimes cappuccino notes. So how do we compare the two sides of Bordeaux? I like to say it's similar to Golden Retrievers versus Labradors. Both dogs, both very similar, but different enough that you probably have a preference between the two. The left bank versus right bank comparison is also similar to Napa versus Sonoma. The left bank is a bit more famed, the estate's a bit more grand, while the right bank is a little more rugged, there's a lot more space, and the wineries feel more like farms. Let's start with the left bank, which remember are Cabernet Sauvignon based blends. The reason it's Cab Sauv is because the left bank has well-draining, gravelly soils that the grape tends to like better. These blends are usually at least 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot playing second fiddle, and Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot rounding out the back. These wines are known for being tannic and powerful, capable of aging for decades in the right vintages. The right bank has clay soils, which lend itself better to Merlot. In fact, Verdot as a whole makes about twice as much Merlot than it does Cabernet Sauvignon, even though the Cab Sauv tends to get more of the spotlight. Right bank blends are usually Merlot based, with some Cabernet Franc. They're known to be a bit softer, as the tannin structure is a bit lower, and the fruit character is a bit higher. Because of this, they're usually more approachable younger. If you were hoping for something other than red, you're in luck, because an increasing amount of wine coming out of Bordeaux is sparkling, rosé, white, and dessert. However, there are two historic types of wines worth paying special attention to, the first being Bordeaux white blends. These are white wines made from blending Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. And fun fact, Sauvignon Blanc is originally from Bordeaux. These blends are the perfect combo of fresh, fruity, and acidic. You get that fresh acidity from the Sauvignon Blanc that's rounded out by the smooth, honeyed Sémillon. Think lemon-lime, chamomile, lemon curd, grapefruit, wet rocks, and honey. Finally, there's no way we can't talk about Bordeaux's world-famous dessert wines, many of which come from Sauternes. These are Sémillon based, but are affected by Botrytis, a type of fungus that removes the water content of the grapes on the vine while leaving the sugar, and thus producing super sweet wine. The wines taste like honey, ginger, orange marmalade, and beeswax all in one delicious bottle. They're honestly a life-changing wine experience and should be on every wino's bucket list.