A Quick-Start Guide to Bordeaux Wines

The Timeless Terroirs of Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a wine lover’s dream. Nestled in the heart of southwest France, Bordeaux unfolds across 110,000 hectares of rolling, vineyard-clad hills. A bustling hub of winemaking, this region is home to nearly 9,000 producers across 57 unique appellations.

Here, the Atlantic Ocean dictates the rhythm of life, offering a maritime climate with moderate winters and warm summers - although this is becoming increasingly unpredictable with shifting global temperatures. 

Despite these rising challenges, this renowned region produces over 600 million bottles of wine each year, ranging from your cosy everyday table wine to reds celebrated by wine connoisseurs worldwide.

Left Bank Bordeaux

The wines from Margaux are celebrated for their silkiness, floral perfume and unrivalled elegance. Home to First Growth Château Margaux, the area’s pebble-rich soils encourages deep root growth, which results in high-quality grapes.

Home to Lafite, Latour and Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac is hallowed ground in Bordeaux. Benefitting from the natural drainage provided by its gravel soils, its wines offer an enviable balance of power, finesse, concentration and vivacity.

Saint-Estèphe is Bordeaux’s northernmost commune, and the wines from the area are known for their savoury, earthy character and tannic profile, resulting from a slightly cooler microclimate and a gravel/clay mix in the soil.

Saint-Julien has a fairly uniform gravel surface, including a complex clay and limestone soil layer that makes its wine production quite diverse.

Located southeast of the city of Bordeaux, Graves takes its name from the deep, gravel-rich soils of the region. It’s renowned for its dry whites made from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, as well as the sweet wine Sauternes.

Inside the Classic Bordeaux Blend

Replicated the world over, the classic Bordeaux blend is made from a combination of the region’s four leading red grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot – though Malbec and Carmenère sometimes make a cameo.

On the Left Bank, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blends, which boast alluring notes of blackcurrant, cedar, graphite, liquorice and mint. The best examples are capable of ageing gracefully for decades and often don’t come into their own for at least ten years.

On the Right Bank, Merlot is the mainstay, often combined with Cabernet Franc for added freshness and a hint of bell pepper. Merlot blends are wonderfully plush and opulent with soft, silky tannins, offering notes of juicy cherry, plum and fig. The best can age for decades.

White Bordeaux wine, or Bordeaux blanc, is a dry white wine usually made from the dynamic duo of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Underrated on the world stage, Bordeaux blanc delivers a lot on the flavour front with its appealing notes of lemon, pineapple, peach and freshly cut grass.

Sauternes - the region’s sweet wines - are also made from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon grapes that have been affected by ‘noble rot’, leading to flavours of apricots, honey, peaches, dried pineapple, marmalade and baking spices.

How to serve Bordeaux

To truly appreciate the complexity, it’s worth paying a little extra attention to how you serve French Bordeaux wines.

Temperature is key – Start by getting the temperature just right. A Bordeaux is best enjoyed at around 16-18°C. Too warm and the alcohol becomes pronounced. Too cold and you’ll mask its intricate flavours.

Decant before serving – Bordeaux wines, especially the reds, benefit greatly from decanting. This allows the wine to breathe, softening the tannins and letting the layered flavours blossom. Gently pour the wine into a decanter and let it rest for at least an hour.