The tradition across France, as well as all of Europe, is to label wine according to where it was made. Bordeaux uses a blend of five different grapes and the amount of each grape in any bottle will vary widely across all of Bordeaux and from year to year. Therefore, it is more useful to know which region of Bordeaux it came from as each region (known as an appellation) has a distinct style year in and year out.

Le Wine Buff - Rob Moshein

Many people will be surprised, but there are great value wines in Bordeaux.  Although the classified chateau get most of the publicity there are hundreds of really great, smaller producers offering exceptional quality for price.  I like to keep some of the more reasonably priced Bordeaux always on hand, it's the perfect wine to have with a casual dinner at home or great to grab and go when you are headed to a friend's house for dinner.  I also seek out restaurants serving Bordeaux by the glass; these Bordeaux don't need to age as long as the expensive ones and are really great with food!

Le Wine Buff - Rebecca Chapa

By nature and history, Bordeaux wines are most definitely like themselves.  The French call this phenomenon "terroir", which roughly translates to a "sense of place" in English (there is no direct translation).  That said, many of the most well-liked and famous wines that have built the respected reputation of Napa red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were heavily influenced by the wines from the various appellations in Bordeaux, where these grape varieties were first cultivated and made into wine.  Therefore, there are many similarities that can be found between the wines of Bordeaux and those with which you are familiar from our domestic wine producers, such as those from Napa and Sonoma.  You are bound to find many wines from Bordeaux that will fit your tastes and palate, replete with high value and quality.

Le Wine Buff - Ward Kadel

Absolutely, try these for example:

-Chateau Monbrison $32
-Chateau des Carabins $25

Le Wine Buff - April Bloom

Ageability of a wine is determined by the interplay of many factors. These factors include most importantly tannins (what dries your mouth) and acids (what makes you pucker), and for sweet wines, sugars. Tannins and acid, present in the grape skins and pulp respectively, are preservatives. Put simply the more you have of each, the longer potential life a wine has. That’s why the dry red wines of the Medoc are considered Bordeaux’s most age-worthy wines: it is slightly cooler there so the wines have slightly more acid, and the Cabernet Sauvignon that dominates the blends is inherently more tannic than many other red grapes.  But most Bordeaux wines are ready to drink when you purchase them, no need to wait!

Le Wine Buff - Megan Wiig

Each appellation in Bordeaux is for one specific type of wine that comes from a designated place.  AOC Bordeaux (which can be white, red or rosé) comes from the largest region (all of Bordeaux).  These wines are dry, not sweet (sweet wines have separate designations, or come from different places).  Some smaller, regional designations only encompass part of Bordeaux, such as the northern Medoc region or the central Entre Deux Mers region.  Sometimes, appellations are named after a town (also referred to as commune in French) when wines of that town share a common characteristic and have a decidedly higher quality than the basic, regional appellations.  Pauillac, Margaux or Saint Emilion AOCs (which produce red wines) and Sauternes and Barsac AOCs (which produce sweet white wines) are examples of this type of communal appellation.  A full list of the Bordeaux appellations and their descriptions can be found at www.bordeaux.com.

Le Wine Buff - Mollie Battenhouse