Old World Wine Regions

Malbec, Petit Verdot, and even Carmenère are other red Bordeaux varietals that figure into the cepage or blend of at least some Bordeaux châteaux. And what remains unknown to many consumers is that Bordeaux is also one of the planet's largest and greatest sources of white wine, principally from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

Bordeaux, meaning beside the waters, refers to the region's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the broad estuary, the Gironde, for which the entire viticutural department (the equivalent of a county or state in the United States) is named. Bordeaux, the region as well as the department's leading city, lie at the center of the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers, which flow into the Gironde, which redoubles Bordeaux's effort to live up to its name.

The wines of Graves appear to be the first Bordeaux wines to be exported, with archeological evidence that Roman garrisons in Britain were the happy recipients of Bordeaux's quintessential wines. And by the early 12th century, Graves was the most sought after wine in England and beyond for its quality as well as its proximity to the city and port of Bordeaux itself, which lie just a few kilometers from Graves.

Today, the northern section of Graves called Pessac-Léognan must battle the urban sprawl that has broken out of the confines of the city of Bordeaux and spread to the nearby suburbs of Talence and Pessac. A little south of these towns lays the pastoral heart of Graves, a pretty, rural country that includes La Brède, where vineyards mingle with pastures and pine forests. Here, life remains wedded to the land and the joys of the vine.

Graves is rightly famous for both its red and white wines. At their best, the red wines of Graves are unsurpassed for their aromatic beauty as well as their smooth, rich flavors. Earthy fragrant aromas that resemble cedar, a classic cigar box scent, black currant, and tobacco emanate from red Graves and form a bouquet that is frequently described as enchanting and profound. Moreover, fine red Graves is often the most supple of Bordeaux on the palate. It is also the most flavorful and easily appreciated of all Bordeaux reds.

The Médoc contains hundreds of excellent wines and individual châteaux, some of which were deemed worthy of classified growth status in 1855. This was the last official classification of the wines of the Médoc. Although many fine wines are made throughout the Médoc, several communes stand above the rest, literally and figuratively. Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac, and St. Estèphe are by far the most important communes of the Médoc because of the consistent greatness of their wines. Nearly all of the classified growths of the Médoc hail from these four hallowed communes. And for many critics and connoisseurs, Pauillac is the greatest of the great for it contains Latour, Lafite, Mouton, Pichon-Lalande, and a coterie of other noble red wines.

Margaux

The name Margaux conjures more images of greatness than any other appellation in Bordeaux, and none of those images are associated with the economical or ordinary. Indeed there is nothing commonplace about the wines of the Margaux appellation nor would anyone, short of a billionaire, ever accuse the wines of Margaux of being inexpensive.

Margaux is the largest and most sprawling of the great communes of the Médoc, encompassing a little over 2,800 acres. It is situated in the southern Médoc just down river from the city of Bordeaux, which makes Margaux the nearest of the Médoc appellations to Bordeaux itself. In reality, the Margaux appellation includes five separate communes, each of which is entitled to bottle its wine as Margaux: Arsac, Cantenac, Labarde, Margaux and Soussans all qualify to bear the illustrious Margaux name.

A classic, fragrant perfume and an elegant, supple style are what distinguish the wines of Margaux from those of other Bordeaux communes. In addition, Cabernet Sauvignon rules the roost in Margaux, constituting up to 90% of the cepage in some Grand Vin like Château Margaux. Yet, in spite of the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon employed in the commune, the wines of Margaux nearly always retain an elegant suppleness that can be found nowhere else. At the same time, Margaux wines possess a true propensity for aging, which allows the finest wines of the appellation to develop tremendous complexity and texture – second to none – for decades. Exemplary bottles of Château Margaux from such illustrious vintages as 1900 and 1921 still exist, and there is currently no shortage of lesser known growths whose wines are worth seeking out after a decade or more in bottle.

Interestingly, there are two distinct districts of St. Émilion, each possessing a special terroir. Both districts produce compelling red wines, but of a different sort. Typically, the côtes or hills upon the escarpment yield the fullest, slowest to mature wines of St. Émilion. Here the soil is nearly all limestone and the resulting wine is more apt to act like a great Cabernet based wine of the Médoc. The other distinct district of St. Émilion lies on the plateau adjoining Pomerol, where the soil is comprised of sand and gravel. Here the wines tend to be fleshier and quicker to mature. Each style is authentic St. Émilion, which allows the savvy consumer double the pleasure.

Clearly, Burgundy is much more than a single wine or one great vineyard: it is a special place, a land almost entirely devoted to wine in one fashion or another. However, what remains surprising to many wine drinkers is that Burgundy is both red and white wine, the best of which come from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir exclusively. With a few rare exceptions, the finest Burgundies emanate from the region's core, the Côte d'Or, which begins on the fabled Côte de Nuits, just to the south of Dijon, and flows all the way south to Santenay at the tip of the Côte de Beaune. The Premier and Grand Cru wines from these illustrious hillsides are worth their weight in gold. Salut!

Although Champagne can be still or sparkling, white or red, and even rosé, the wine the world has come to know as Champagne is always sparkling. So synonymous now is the name Champagne with sparkling wine that the nomenclature has been applied generically and indiscriminately to any wine that bubbles, much to the regret of the Champagne producers themselves. Authentic Champagne comes only from the Champagne district of France and meets all the approved legal requirements and standards of production, including absolute adherence to the painstaking Methode Champenoise, which requires that secondary fermentation take place in the bottle for sparkling Champagne.

The magic of Champagne (the bubbly kind at least that now encompasses the overwhelming majority of wine produced in Champagne) comes from encapsulating the bubbles in the very bottle in which the wine starts its life. In the old days, long before the advent of technical wine equipment, temperature control, and central heating, the slow fermentation of grapes in the cool Champagne autumn was often interrupted by winter's chill. With the onset of winter, fermentation would stop completely or at least appear to cease, so the wine was bottled and prepared for distribution. However, the following spring temperatures would rise and the fermentation process would begin anew. This delayed completion of fermentation is known as secondary fermentation. Secondary fermentation produces the beautiful bubbles and tiny streams of carbon dioxide that have come to enchant several centuries of well wishers and hedonists. What began as serendipity is now one of the wine world's highest art forms.

Since the 17th century several historical personages have contributed to the development of Champagne. None is more renowned than Dom Perignon, the legendary blind monk and cellar master of the Champagne Abbey of Hautviller. Although Dom Perignon is often credited with the development of sparkling Champagne itself, the truth is he probably learned the rudimentary technique in southern France from the Benedictine monks at the Abbey at St. Hilaire. However, Dom Perignon was renowned as a master blender and he is credited with capturing the bubbling magic of Champagne by his introduction of wire wrapped cork stoppers and heavier,

Given the Loire's length, varied terroir, and multitude of microclimates, it is not surprising that this vast region produces a wide array of wines. From the chalky hills on the upper reaches of the river as it bends in sight of Burgundy come several of the world's finest dry white wines in the guise of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon and Quincy – all from Sauvignon Blanc. As the river flows west towards the heart of France, Chenin Blanc predominates and fine, soft sparkling wines and the superlative sweet wines of Touraine and Anjou emerge from green hills in sight of stately châteaux. And by the time the slow moving Loire reaches the sea near Nantes, it becomes the home of Muscadet, a quaffable, fresh, bone dry white wine that is superlative with seafood.

Nearly all of the Loire's greatest wines are white, but one should not miss the growing number of excellent red wines now being made in "the garden of France." Cabernet Franc is the most important red varietal in the Loire, at least in terms of quality, but some very good Gamay based wines can be found as well. Anjou, Bourgeuil, and Chinon are typically the appellations along the Loire most notable for soft, velvety red wines.

Menetou-Salon

Menetou-Salon is an ancient vineyard area along the south bank of the upper reaches of the Loire River in central France. This small appellation of just over 1000 acres was once the personal vineyard of Jacques Coeur, the erudite 15th century banker, councilor and treasurer to King Charles VII of France. Since the 19th century Menetou-Salon has had its own syndicate, and more recently the appellation has expanded and undergone a renaissance in quality.

Today, Menetou-Salon is best known for its fragrant, sophisticated white wines, which resemble those of the nearby appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Sauvignon Blanc is the most important grape variety in the appellation. As an appellation, Menetou-Salon encompasses ten tiny communes, including Menetou-Salon itself. The best vineyards sit upon a bed of limestone that dates to the Upper Jurassaic Period. This unique terroir is known as kimmeridgien.

Although most renowned for its white wines, Menetou-Salon devotes as much as 40% of its production to red wines, most notably Pinot Noir. Quality is uniformly high, due in no small part to the limestone rich soil of the region and a legion of dedicated growers and winemakers who insist upon pushing the envelope on quality.

Muscadet

Muscadet has the only classified vines in Brittany. This large appellation lies near the mouth of the Loire River, just to the south of the city of Nantes. Sèvre-et-Maine, which occupies the hills above the two small rivers from which the appellation draws its name, is the finest part of the sprawling Muscadet appellation. Two grapes, both white, have traditionally been associated with Muscadet: Gros Plant and Melon de Bourgogne. However, Melon de Bourgogne is a far superior grape to Gros Plant and is now the only grape variety allowed in Muscadet wines that bear the Sèvre-et-Maine appellation. Melon de Bourgogne was brought to Muscadet in the 17th century and was once a permitted variety in Burgundy as its name implies. Although rarely complex or profound, the finest wines of Muscadet provide splendid accompaniments to seafood and can hold their own with many more famous and expensive white wines. Truly, the wine wares of Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine constitute presently some of the finest values in French wine.