Bordeaux Wines
By far the largest, the most important, and one of the best French wine regions, both for high-end wines and for bargains, is Bordeaux. Great reds from the renowned chateaus are what make the headlines, but Bordeaux is so big, that there is plenty of choice. Our Bordeaux wine guide features hundreds of Bordeaux wine ratings.
Within the Bordeaux wine region are numerous appellations, including the famous Left-Bank Médoc communes of St-Estephe, Pauillac, St-Julien Reviews and Margaux, among others. The most famous Right-Bank regions are St-Emilion and Pomerol. The general level of quality has improved dramatically over the past two decades. The reds are fruity, but never overly alcoholic, always with a layer of tannin that makes them superb food wines. The whites are fresh, the best with wood flavors to give complexity. Check the individual Bordeaux wine reviews for specific details regarding style and quality.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the main red grapes; Malbec and Petit Verdot are also used, while Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon predominate among the whites. But most Bordeaux are not single-varietal wines — they are more often Bordeaux-style blends, which make these wines more than the sum of their individual parts.
Château Ausone 2010 Red (Saint-Émilion)
- Cellar Selection
A big, bold wine with unbelievable power and concentration. Low yields and a dominance of Cabernet Franc have produced an immensely concentrated wine. Still very young, this magnificent wine holds the promise of great aging.
— R.V.
(5/1/2013)
Château Ausone 2000 Red (Saint-Émilion)
- $600
Forget all those garage wines, forget the upstarts of Saint-Emilion. When you want real class, you have to turn to Ausone. What a wine - magnificently dense and opaque, hugely rich and sensual. Yet it doesn’t seem in the least decadent - for deep inside the wine is a huge backbone of ripe tannins. Keep for at least 10 years
— R.V.
(6/1/2003)
Château Pétrus 2000 Red (Pomerol)
- $1500
While the first impression with Pétrus is the wood, it is the fruit which gradually shows itself. It is extraordinary, this dense fruit, which simultaneously manages to float with elegance. There is layer after layer of fruit, sometime black, sometimes smoky, sometimes spicy. The wine is not yet totally integrated, still intensely young, with decades to go. But…
— R.V.
(6/1/2003)
Château Latour 2000 Red (Pauillac)
- $450
This is such an expressive wine, with elegance a major factor in its character. It is certainly huge, rich and dense. But there is much more to it. You can peel layers of fruit and tannins away, and still never get to the end of the wine’s complexity. At every stage of its life, it will reveal a new character, but for now it is dominated by powerful tannins and…
— R.V.
(6/1/2003)
Château Margaux 2005 Barrel sample Red (Margaux)
- Online Exclusive
97-99 Barrel sample. Year after year, Margaux makes great wine simply because of its vineyard. This year, with the high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine has stunning, ripe tannins and very pure black currant flavors, but also a denseness from the ripeness of the fruit. It's a classic already, and is sure to age beautifully.
— R.V.
(6/20/2006)
Château Ausone 2005 Barrel sample Red (Saint-Émilion)
- Online Exclusive
97-99 Barrel sample. A superb wine that brings together all the qualities of this vintage. It has great fruit, layers of acidity, dark tannins and a velvety texture, without losing the sense of place that sets great Bordeaux apart.
— R.V.
(6/20/2006)
Château Margaux 2005 Red (Margaux)
For a Château Margaux, this is an especially rich wine. The dense fruit, superripe but not overpowering, and the blackberry jam flavors show the richness of the year. There is wood alongside the juiciness and sweet tannins. Of course, it will age, but it’s so delicious to drink now.
— R.V.
(6/1/2008)
Château Haut-Brion 2005 Red (Pessac-Léognan)
- Cellar Selection
- $1500
A big, virile wine, dominated by dark and firm tannins. The structure comes from powerful black fruits, the wood only showing as dry edge to the tannins. It’s firm, obviously destined for long aging, with initial blackberry fruits powering through the density. A stupendous wine that will last many decades.
— R.V.
(6/1/2008)
Most Reviewed Sub Regions
Most Reviewed Varietals
advertisement
What We're Tasting
NV Langlois-Chateau Brut
A blend of Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay, this is a round…
Facebook Activity
advertisement
Twitter Activity