VISIT BORDEAUX, NEW AQUITAINE

Regional appellations

Bordeaux Rouge, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux Rosé, Bordeaux Clairet and Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge or blanc which correspond to the administrative borders of the Gironde department. The appellations Crémant de Bordeaux Blanc, Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé and Fine de Bordeaux are among them.

Sub-regional appellations

They evoke a territory such as Entre-deux-Mers, Graves, Médoc, the First Côtes de Bordeaux or a canton such as Côtes de Bourg.

Communal appellations: the most prestigious

For the sake of highlighting their differences, some owners wanted to be individualized. This is how the communal appellations, often the most prestigious, appeared: Saint-Estèphe, Pomerol, Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Sauternes, Loupiac, Barsac.

What was the ambition of the1855 ranking: to be the most prestigious of course !

Before the official classification in 1855, no talk of “Crus Classés”, “Grands Crus Classés”… but lists were circulating on the Place de Bordeaux, pointing to the most highly rated wines, a valuable compass for merchants keen to drive up wine prices.

It was during the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855 that these secret exchanges of information took an official and decisive turn.
The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and the Chambre Syndicale des Courtiers de Bordeaux had no difficulty in drawing up the famous list, which consecrated 60 Médoc châteaux, a Grave and only one, the Château Haut-Brion, and 26 sweet white wines from Sauternes and Barsac. A Napoleonic track record that would give wings to these rare privileged winegrowers whose prices soared even more. Since that date, apart from once when Château Mouton-Rothschild moved up a rank, moving to the 1er Cru Classé category in 1973, the 1855 classification has remained unchanged.
It was only later that the other appellations took the plunge with the wines of Grave in 1953, Saint-Emilion two years later which choose a revision of the classification every 10 years.

Pomerol: no classification for the prestigious appellation

In Pomerol, neighboring Saint-Emilion, there is no classification between the crus, which has not prevented these wines from achieving a sacred reputation and very enviable prices. This means that when it comes to hierarchy, the price is just as important as a distinction. The ‘Petrus’ case is a shining example.

Which grape variety for which terroir in Bordeaux?

Terroir and grape variety are inseparable. The terroir evokes a unique balance between different natural elements that neighbor and sublimate each other such as the texture of the soil, the microclimate, the exposure of the plot… all this adapted to the selected grape varieties involved in the development of Bordeaux wines without forgetting Men and their choices, their know-how. The birth of a great wine thus preserves its part of mystery and that’s a good thing!

Learning about vinification, blending and aging

Our luxury wine tours in Bordeaux Châteaux will make you understand how, from the vine stock, the grape is transformed into a wine which dazzle you in a glass. Because the art of tasting cannot be improvised, our tasting courses will awaken all your senses and help you put your impressions into words through sensory analysis involving sight, smell and taste.