Bordeaux, in southwestern France, is one of the most famous, prestigious and prolific wine regions in the world. The majority of Bordeaux wines (nearly 90% of the production Volume) are the Dry, medium and Full-bodied red Bordeaux blends for which it is famous. The finest (and most expensive) are the wines of the great châteaux of Haut-Médoc and the right bank appellations of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. The former focuses (at the highest level) on Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter on Merlot.
The legendary reds are complemented by high-quality white wines made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. These range from dry whites that challenge the best of Burgundy (Pessac-Léognan is particularly renowned) to the Sweet, botrytised nectars of Sauternes. Although Bordeaux is most famous for its wines produced in specific districts or communes, many of its wines fall under other, broader appellations. These include AOC Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur and Crémant de Bordeaux.
The Bordeaux Red appellation represents more than a third of the total production. The official Bordeaux wine region extends 130 kilometres inland from the Atlantic coast. 111,000 hectares of vineyards were registered in 2018, a figure that has remained largely constant over the previous decade. However, the number of winegrowers has consolidated; in 2018 there were around 6,000, compared to 9,000 a decade earlier.
Château Angélus 2021 was released this morning (23 May) at €265 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, according to Liv-ex, up by around 2% on the opening price of the 2020 vintage last year. Merchants were offering Angélus 2021 for £3,120 (12x75cl in bond). Decanter’s Georgie Hindle scored Angélus 2021 95 points, praising its ‘exceptional finesse’. She said the wine represents an excellent effort, following a Bordeaux 2021 growing season that presented many weather challenges. This vintage of Angélus contains ...
The project began life in 2019 as a Facebook group, created by Graves-based winemaker Jean-Baptiste Duquesne of Château Cazebonne. The positive reactions from both the public and fellow winemakers that followed prompted the group to pursue official recognition. ‘The idea started with me and with my friend Laurent David of Château Edmus in St-Emilion. He gave me the idea of the name “pirate”,’ Duquesne told Decanter. ‘So in December 2019, I created a Facebook group called Bordeaux Pirate to show ...
Favia will get a new winery as part of the move from its base in Coombsville to a 34.8-hectare (86 acres) vineyard estate in the Oakville American Viticultural Area (AVA). It’s part of a new partnership agreement between the star husband-and-wife duo behind Favia, winemaker Andy Erickson and viticulturist Annie Favia-Erickson, and their long-standing friends, the Huneeus family, who own the Oakville site and already have a portfolio of wines, including Quintessa. ‘This started as a conversation ...
