What is it
about Bordeaux? Who drinks Bordeaux anyway? Bankers and stock brokers
in wine bars? Pretentious wine students? Wine Experts? But let’s not let them have all
the fun. I think it’s amongst the most interesting wine regions on the planet
but I think people can be put-off by Bordeaux. Why
interesting? Well, the subtle and sometimes not so subtle variations from region to region, chateau to
chateau, year to year. The fact that the cépage, i.e. the blend of grape
varieties used, vary often very subtly too (though always with a base of
Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot for you wine trainspotters). The knowing when you find one that is right, it's perfect, somehow. But it is tricky. Why tricky? Well there’s so
much of it. How do you pick? It’s
inconsistent, sometimes insipid, often pricey. Sometimes it just needs a bit of time. It’s a bit of a minefield. So
why bother? Bordeaux can be very disappointing whether it’s a reasonably priced
mid-range or a very expensive one. However, persistence pays off and developing
a taste and a knowledge if you already have the taste is highly rewarding. Bit
like watching Andy Murray, you don’t always get what you want, but it’s always
interesting.
I recently
had the opportunity to assist at a tasting for the Cru Bourgeois 2014 vintage
in a posh place near Pall Mall. Sounds fancy doesn’t it. What is Cru Bourgeois
anyway, why make it sound so elitist? It’s just the way they do it in Bordeaux.
Don’t let it put you off. The fact is, a
Bordeaux tasting is always worth it for anyone with an interest in wine that
goes beyond simply drinking it. It isn’t always easy, especially for a tasting
like this with around 160 red wines. This isn’t Chilean merlot. Within half an
hour the look is not good. Black teeth and soon after a slightly red face. Don’t go on a date after
a Bordeaux tasting. The tannins are the chief culprits. Tannins get a bad rap I
think. Just because they make your teeth go black, they shouldn’t be disparaged.
Found in the skins, they give wines balance, they blend well with the fruit,
hopefully and they even make us hungry as if to remind us that certain wines
just need food, well that’s my theory anyway. Fruit extraction from the grapes has
traditionally been an issue in Bordeaux but improved technology and techniques
have improved consistency and a nice glass of Bordeaux is about as good as it gets (red wines from Burgundy and Piedmonte in Italy aside, such as Barolo and Barbaresco, to my mind at least) if
you looking for plummy yet dry, smooth and supple, elegant wines with good tannic structure and complexity. And
you don’t have to spend a fortune. Cru Bourgeois are not the cheapest, probably
averaging around the fifteen pounds mark. Bordeaux Superior can be a bit
less expensive and a good bet if you don’t want to spend quite so much. They’re
wines to sip, to savour, to think about and to have with lamb or beef or cheese
but only if they work and by that I mean have the right balance between tannin and
fruit. If too dry, tannic or conversely too fruity and new-world in style as sometimes happens these days, just say fair fight and move on to the next one. A slightly decadent approach perhaps but
sometimes, we have to be.
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