Part II · Terroir

Bordeaux

[bor-DOH]

World-class structured reds from the Médoc and Right Bank; Sauternes sweet whites.

The Region

Bordeaux is the world's largest fine-wine region, defined by the Gironde estuary and its gravelly Left Bank — home to Cabernet Sauvignon-led blends from the Médoc — and the clay-limestone Right Bank, where Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominate around Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Sauternes, in the south, produces the planet's most celebrated sweet white from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle afflicted by noble rot.

History

Bordeaux's wine trade dates to Roman times but flourished under English rule (1152–1453), when claret was shipped to England. The 1855 Classification, commissioned for the Paris Exposition, ranked the Médoc's châteaux into five growths — a hierarchy still largely intact. Phylloxera, two world wars, and modern replanting reshaped the region, which remains the benchmark for structured red blends.