Top 100 wines of Médoc - Page 4

Discover the top 100 best wines of Médoc of Médoc as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Médoc and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Médoc

Bordeaux's Médoc is an area of coastal lagoons, sand dunes and pine forests located on the 45th parallel. It is also a global wine powerhouse, and home to four of the world's most prestigious wine villages: Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Julien. The estates located in these villages produce some of the most expensive bottles in the world. The region has also provided all but one of the châteaux included in the official 1855 Bordeaux wine classification (Haut-Brion).

The Médoc vineyards cover about 16,000 hectares, including the various small appellations. Approximately 5500 hectares of vines are classified for the production of AOC/AOP Médoc wines. Wedged between the Atlantic coast and the wide Gironde estuary, the Médoc is in fact a peninsula. It stretches 80 kilometres (50 miles) to the northwest, from the city of Bordeaux to the Pointe de Grave.

Discover the grape variety: Cabernet franc

Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.

Food and wine pairing with a wine of Médoc

wines from the region of Médoc go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of spaghetti bolognese, blanquette of lamb or rabbit in white wine (casserole).

Organoleptic analysis of wine of Médoc

On the nose in the region of Médoc often reveals types of flavors of cherry, game or bay leaf and sometimes also flavors of star anise, dried herbs or tobacco leaf. In the mouth in the region of Médoc is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.