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Bordeaux
Bordeaux is of the most famous and largest wine producing regions in the world. With over 120000 (Australia has 173000 total) hectares of vines, 57 different appellations, the region produces around 850 million bottles a year. Over 85% of production is red wine. The history of wine production in Bordeaux appears to have begun sometime after 48 AD. The Roman's established vineyards to cultivate wine for the soldiers during their occupation of St. Émilion.
The Bordeaux is divided in two by the Gironde River, each side of the river is generally referred to as the “Left Bank” and “Right Bank”. The Left Bank is Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, whereas the Left Bank is known for Merlot based wines. The appellations on the Left Bank are Médoc, Pessac-Léognan, and Graves. Within Medoc are the famous communes of St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien; and Margaux. The top producers of Medoc and Graves wines are classified under the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, where the estates where list from 1st to 5th “Growths”. The famous First Growths are Chateau Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Haut-Brion and Mouton-Rothschild. Also included in the 1855 Classification are the amazing dessert wines of Sauternes and Barsac. Châteaux d'Yquem and Rieussec being the well known, of the highest quality and most expensive. These wines are produced from predominantly Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.
On the Right Bank are the famous St Emillion and Pomerol, producing outstanding wines on clay based soils. In 1955 these wines were first classified according to quality with the following classes Premiers grands crus classés A, Premiers grands crus classés B and Grands crus classés. The estates within this classification is now updated and reviewed every 10 years.
Under these classifications are the Bordeaux Supérieur and Crus Bourgeois wines.
The major reason for the success of winemaking in the Bordeaux region is the excellent environment for growing vines. The geological foundation of the region is limestone, leading to a soil structure that is heavy in calcium. The soil of Bordeaux is composed of gravel, sandy stone, and clay. The region's best vineyards are located on the well drained gravel soils that are frequently found near the Gironde river. Bordeaux is strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, making it a Maritime climate, with temperate short, mild winters, quite hot summers, long autumns and a high degree of humidity.
Bordeaux is known as the home of Cabernet Sauvginon and Merlot based blends. Often included in the Cabernet Sauvignon blends are Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The Right Bank Merlot blends usually include varying proportions of Cabernet Franc.
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