Grape Varieties
Traditionnally,
Bordeaux wines are a blending of wines that is to
say coming from a cleverly reflected association of
various grape varieties. Here are the red and white
grape varieties the most cultivated in our area.
|
|
The Red Grape Varieties
|
1. The Merlot
It is an early grape variety that can give its
qualitative potentiality in most of the Bordelais
soils. It is the typical grape variety of the Saint-Emilion
and Pomerol wines. The Merlot endows the wine with
a very deep colouring, the alcoholic richness, the
suppleness and the mellowness thanks to its more rounded
and less aggressive tannins than the Cabernet-Sauvignon.
The Merlot also develops more quickly.
|
|
2. The Cabernet-Sauvignon
The Cabernet-Sauvignon is the most used grape
variety in the Medoc but plays also an important part
in the Graves wine.
The Cabernet-Sauvignon endows the wine with a brilliant
and deep robe, it is very aromatic, rich in tannins
that allow a long preservation. Close of that one,
we get wines typical from Bordeaux by their bouquet,
their richness, their complexity, their harmony.
|
|
3. The Cabernet-franc
Traditionnal grape-variety from Bordeaux, the
Cabernet-Franc usually proves to give better qualitative
results in the Libourne area than in the Medoc. In
favourable situations and with a fitted conduct, the
Cabernet-Franc offers less “racy” wines
than the Cabernet-Sauvignon but rich in alcohol and
polyphenols and whose aptitude to the ageing and finesse
are always appreciated. The excessive yield and the
insufficiente ripeness bring about the production
of light coloured wines and unfit for a long preservation.
|
|
|
The White Grape Varieties
|
1. The Sauvignon blanc
It is a grape variety which in good condition
of culture, always gives fragant wines however different
depending on the soils, with a richness in elevated
sugar, a very good aromatic potential and ability
to preservation.
|
|
2. The Sémillon
This is the most cultivated white grape variety
in Gironde, more particularly in areas producing sweet
wines where it forms the three quarters of the planted
grape varieties. In dry white wine, in the actual
perspective pointed out above, the Semillon is an
excellent grape variety as soon as we avoid the excessive
production that deprives it of all its qualitative
interests in decreasing its alcoholic and aromatic
richness. This grape variety turns out to become richer
and nicer as it gets older, more subtle and more gorgeous.
|
|
