What are the five Bordeaux varietals?

What are the Bordeaux Varietals? The six Bordeaux Varietals include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and occasionally Carménère. Bordeaux blends are made up of differing combinations of these grapes, all of which bring unique characteristics to their wines.

What are the key red varietals in Bordeaux?

A red Bordeaux blend is primarily composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, with smaller portions of Malbec and Petit Verdot (and very occasionally, Carménère).

How many types of wine are in Bordeaux?

Bordeaux has three main styles: Left-Bank blend (Cabernet Sauvignon dominant), Right-Bank blend (Merlot dominant) and White blend (Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc). Despite their acclaim, quality Bordeaux wines can be found at almost every price-point, some as affordable as $15.

How many grape varieties are permitted in Bordeaux?

Six main varieties, three red and three white, are used for winemaking in Bordeaux. In-depth knowledge of the soils has made it possible to alter the choice of varieties to make the most of the aromatic dimension of the wines.

What are Bordeaux style wines?

The term “Bordeaux style” is typically used to refer to a wine, not directly to grapes, but it implies something about the grapes used to make the wine. In the actual Bordeaux region of France, red wines are blended from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot grapes.

The Wine Grape Varieties of Bordeaux

Is Cabernet Sauvignon a Bordeaux?

A Bordeaux can be a Cabernet Sauvignon but a Cabernet is often not a Bordeaux. Welcome to the complex world of wine names. One of the most common mistakes wine consumers make when order or purchasing wine is not understanding the difference between these two types of popular wines.

Is Zinfandel a Bordeaux?

Zinfandel in Napa tends to be made in a claret style like red Bordeaux. The Russian River Valley generally produces well during warm vintages. Otherwise, the grapes do not fully ripen, leaving the wines with excessive acidity.

How many varietals are there in Bordeaux?

The six Bordeaux Varietals include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and occasionally Carménère. Bordeaux blends are made up of differing combinations of these grapes, all of which bring unique characteristics to their wines.

Why is claret called Claret?

History. The wine from Bordeaux was a dark rosé spiced drink in the Middle Ages. That's why it was called "claret", from the French clairet. It changed to the present dry dark red in the 18th century.

What grape is Claret made from?

Claret is a British term used, unofficially, in reference to red Bordeaux wine. The red wines of Bordeaux are blends, mostly based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The term “claret” is sometimes used—unofficially, of course—to refer to Bordeaux-style red wines produced elsewhere, such as the United States.

What grape is Pauillac?

Pauillac, a commune located between Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Julien on Bordeaux's Médoc peninsula, is home to some of the world's most famous and expensive red wines wines, made predominantly from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. The commune gives its name to the Pauillac appellation d'origine contrôlée.

Is Merlot a Bordeaux?

Along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, Merlot is one of the primary grapes used in Bordeaux wine, and it is the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux wine regions.

What is the most famous classification in Bordeaux?

Different quality classifications apply in various districts of Bordeaux. The most famous is the 1855 classification of the wines of the Médoc. Also applying to the Médoc is the Cru Bourgeois classification, introduced in 1932.

What grape is white Bordeaux?

White Bordeaux is generally a blended wine, mostly of sauvignon blanc and sémillon, with perhaps a few others like sauvignon gris and some more obscure grapes.

Is Beaujolais a Bordeaux?

Bordeaux whites are usually blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Meanwhile, Burgundy's red wines are made from Pinot Noir (the Beaujolais region is technically considered part of Burgundy as well, and the red wines there are made from Gamay), while white Burgundies are made from the Chardonnay grape.

What grape is Beaujolais?

Beaujolais is a light red wine made with Gamay Noir grapes.

Is St Emilion a claret?

Two areas especially worth looking out for, if you like the earthier, juicier style of claret associated with a highish percentage of Merlot, are the Montagne Saint-Emilion and Lalande de Pomerol.

What is St Emilion wine?

Saint-Émilion is most famous for its prestigious red wines, driven by Merlot. In fact, Saint-Émilion is the oldest active wine-producing appellation in the Bordeaux region, with a history dating back to the ancient Romans.

Is Merlot a claret?

Historically, the word "claret" was an English term to refer to the red wines of Bordeaux. And, in general, red Bordeaux is made from a blend of grape varieties, including, most importantly, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. But "claret" has no legal meaning.

What varietals are Burgundy?

In Burgundy, four main grape varieties are grown. The "red" grape varieties are Pinot Noir and Gamay. The "white" varieties are Chardonnay and Aligoté. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the most common.

How many Aocs are in Bordeaux?

There are 362 AOC wines in France. Bordeaux's wine-growing region alone has 65. The AOC system guarantees wines with unique personalities.

What is a Rhone varietal?

Short answer: a Rhone blend is a blended wine made from the grapes whose heritage is in France's Rhône Valley. But to understand why these sorts of wines are referred to in this way, when others are referred to by grape variety, or what a wine is likely to taste like, there's a longer (and more interesting) story.

What grape is Sancerre?

Sancerre itself is a medieval town in the Upper Loire where Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are planted; Pinot Noir is used here to produce Sancerre Rouge and Sancerre Rosé. But it is the white Sancerre, made entirely from Sauvignon Blanc, that is the most famous wine of in this district.

Is Chianti similar to Malbec?

Malbec and Chianti are two exquisite red grapes that have a lot in common but also have a lot of differences. Chianti is a well-known Italian grape that grows in areas such as Tuscany. It was built sometime in the 13th century. Malbec, on the other hand, is a French red wine that originated in the Bordeaux region.

What grape is in Chateauneuf du Pape?

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a historic village between the towns of Orange and Avignon, in France's southern Rhône Valley. It is famous for powerful, full-bodied red wine, largely made from the classic southern Rhône grape trio of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.