Introduction
Fine wines can be produced from wine regions cross the globe, but nowhere does it on such a grand scale as Bordeaux. Some 123,000 hectares of vineyards produce an average of 782 million bottles a year, which equates to around 2.2% of world production.

With around 57 different appellations (AOCs) to choose from, Bordeaux produces all manner of wine styles, from dry white, medium and sweet, rosé, red and even a little sparkling. Forty years ago, there was an even split between white and red, but with changing fashions, it now makes about 89% red, 9% white, with the balance accounted for by rosé.

The region itself has not been without its problems, some wholly justified. In the past, wines have been dilute and thin, not helped by excessive yields. In the lesser areas, vignerons have attempted to grow unsuitable varieties. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon in cooler clay soils, with dire results.

Moreover, Bordeaux has often been too slow to react to changing tastes and fashions. With the exponential growth in Rosé, Bordeaux would benefit greatly by exchanging its lesser quality reds for more fruit-focussed and fresher pink wines.

The region today is not without its problems. For the general public, the French Chateaux names and the plethora of AOCs simply cause confusion. Moreover, Bordeaux can be associated with an elitism and stand-offishness that does little to endear itself to the general public. Part of the reason is associated with the futures market, but then these “investment properties” only account for around 5% of the market.

That leaves a lot of wine for the rest of us, and Bordeaux, it must be said, has done a great deal to improve quality, not least through its pioneering research establishments. The wines can offer real complexity with different combinations and flavours, and certainly deliver on price.

The key points to remember, though, are:

Firstly, that Bordeaux wines are blends. The reds are principally Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and the whites Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. In fact, Merlot is now the most important red grape variety, not just in Bordeaux, but now accounts for 33% of world production.

The other feature is that Bordeaux wines are meant to be accompanied by a meal. If the wines are little too under-fruited or tannic, it’s because this style works better with food. Wines bursting with fruit flavours can overwhelm or even spoil a dish; and firm tannins and good acidity simply cut through any fattiness associated with, say, red meat.

If there is a quality associated with Bordeaux, then it’s balance. The everyday wines, at their best, are light and refreshing, yet can more than hold their own when confronted with a sumptuous meal.

THE WINES

WHITES

1. Ch. Fontenille 2006 Entre-Deux-Mers (£6-£8 Tesco Online)
Entre-Deux-Mers is the AOC for Bordeaux white, but the crisp herbaceous style of Sauvignon Blanc associated with, say, the Loire Valley (in particular Sancerre), are something of a rarity. Most are blends, with Sauvignon ameliorated by Semillon, Muscadelle and even Sauvignon Gris, which flatten the Sauvignon and add layers of complexity.

The Fontenille is blended as follows: 30% Semillon, 30% Muscadelle, 25% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Sauvignon Gris. It’s unoaked. Fresh-tasting and crisp with flavours of lime and tropical fruit and hints of white grapefruit. Reveals a little complexity and generally pleasant. (CHP 15, Bin Ends 3 votes).

2. Chateau Le Thil Comte Clary Pessac-Leognan 2002 (£11.99 Corney & Barrow)
The Graves region lies to the south of Bordeaux, and whilst at one time was best known for its whites, is now generally a reliable source of good-value reds.

The northern part of the region, stretching out into the Bordeaux suburbs, is known as Pessac-Leognan, which benefits from the best gravel soils and easily produces the finest wines. In fact, in this location, it is the whites, in some cases, that fetch higher prices than the reds.

This example is a 50/50 blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, fermented and matured in oak. It’s light and polished, showing a little maturity, with marked flavours of toast, spice, passion fruit, stewed apple and white grapefruit. The finish is long, and it screamed out for fish with creamy rich sauce. Personally, the wine of the night and very keenly priced.
(CHP 17, Bin Ends 4 votes)

3. Chateau de Sours 2007 AOC Bordeaux Rosé (Majestic £9.99)
60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Using their indigenous red grapes, Bordeaux can produce excellent Rosé, and this is just one good example, although over-priced by £2-£3 a bottle.

Still crisp and fresh, some gentle plum fruit showed through, with a pleasing bitterness on the finish, like a good G&T. The finish, though, was a touch short, but nevertheless enjoyable.
(CHP 15, Bin Ends 3 votes).

REDS

4. Chateau Bel-Air Perponcher 2005 AOC Bordeaux (£6.50 Wine Society)
Most AOC Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur wines come from the Entre-Deux-Mers (EDM) region, so-called because it’s a land-locked section between the two great rivers, Garonne and Dordogne. It’s neither Right nor Left Bank, but shares more attributes with the former.

As a sub-region, the term EDM is used exclusively for white wine, so any reds are simply labelled Bordeaux. Generally, the term “Superieur” means higher alcohol levels, achieved through more restrictive yields. The soils here are cooler clays, so Merlot predominates.

Chateau Bel-Air Perponcher is one of several properties owned by the Despagne family, who have a reputation for high quality and well-priced red, white and rosé wines. This particular example is a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, spending 7 months in barrique, with a further 7 months in vat.

From a superlative vintage, this had classic Merlot characters of plums and leather, wrapped in a silky texture. Made in a light, elegant style, I found this had pleasing structure and balance. (CHP 16+ Bin Ends 2 votes).

5. Chateau de la Garde 2006 Bordeaux Superieur (c£7.50 Sainsbury)
85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
This has higher alcohol, denoted by “Superieur” and spends around 15 months in oak. In the past, I’ve found this to be a more commercial, flashier wine. In this example, there was a good mix of raspberry and plum fruit, tight mouth-puckering tannins, giving way to a mocha finish, that was a little light and short, reflecting a lesser vintage. (CHP 15+, Bin Ends 3 votes).

6. Chateau Barreyres 2005 Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois (£8.49 Sainsbury)
The Haut-Medoc is the classic Left Bank region, located to the north of Bordeaux City, and is traditionally noted for its Cabernet-based wines because here, it thrives in the warmer gravel soils. Over the past 15 years, though, changes have been made, altering the composition by increasing the volume of Merlot, creating a lusher, softer and more “crowd-pleasing” style.

Owned by Castel, Chateau Barreyres is a traditional property, using a 50/50 Cabernet/Merlot blend. It’s light, elegant and under-fruited with earthy, juicy plummy flavours, underpinned by soft ruffled tannins. The palate was silky and the wine was refreshing and easy to drink. Just good, old-fashioned claret - lovely! (CHP 17, Bin Ends 12 votes)

7. Chateau Reysson Reserve du Chateau 2002 Haut-Medoc (£9.99 Tesco)
This blend was made with 80% Merlot, creating a highly atypical Medoc. 2002 was not the easiest of vintages, with a cool summer only rescued by a miraculous September.

I found this fully, or arguably over-extracted, with flavours of stewed black cherry, coffee, vanilla and toast, finishing on a bitter note. In trying to produce a flashy New World style, I thought it was just a horrid mess. (CHP 13, Bin Ends 2 votes)

8. Chateau Fourcas-Dumont 2003 Listrac (£11.99 Connollys Wines)
Listrac is one of the six Left Bank communes within the Haut-Medoc AOC, and perhaps the most junior, particularly compared to St. Julien, Pauillac or Margaux. The commune is located more to the west, closer to the forest than the Gironde estuary, and where the soils are more sandy, and the climate a little cooler.

The wines here are solid, rather than superb and generally tend to be on the rustic side. This is a blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, and was from the heatwave 2003 vintage.

There was a good depth of fruit, with plums, cassis and leathery, earthy characters. On the big side, I found spice, but it was a touch hot and rustic, lacking a little polish. Almost gawky, reflecting, in my view, an over-rated vintage. (CHP 16+, Bin Ends 17 votes).

9. Tesco Finest Sauternes 2004 Yvon Mau (Tesco £11.99 ½ bottle)
Sauternes is located in the southern-most part of the Bordeaux region, south of Graves. Here, the Garronne and its tributary, the Ciron, help create the autumnal mists essential for the development of botrytis. This is a beneficial fungus or mould, which shrivels the grapes and concentrates the sugar levels.

Here, the grapes can only be hand-harvested, with the pickers going through the vineyards between 3-4 times (up to a maximum of 7), selecting only the infected bunches. Naturally, it’s a costly process.

The principal grape used for Sauternes and Barsac is the thin-skinned Semillon, which is blended with smaller percentages of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Typically, the Tesco Finest version comprises 85% Semillon, 13% Sauvignon and 2% Muscadelle.

Supremely complex, with flavours of honey, mandarin, apricot, barley-sugar and caramel. Viscous, spicy and lingering, but just drying out on the finish. Delicious.
(CHP 17, Bin Ends 12 votes).

Conclusion
The greatest obstacles to Bordeaux wine are a lack of understanding both of the French language and culture. The language can act as a barrier, with the difficult-to-pronounce Chateaux names, and hard to fathom AOCs. The wines, invariably blends, are also primarily designed to match cuisine, and are not stand-alone beverages.

Tonight’s tasting confirmed that Bordeaux would do itself no harm by increasing its production of Rosé, but significantly that there is exceptional value to be found in its everyday wines costing between £5 and £15 a bottle. Bordeaux requires this consistency to instil confidence into an ever-demanding, but thirsty British consumer, who will easily be led to look elsewhere if the reliability is not guaranteed.

(1689 words)
 Coming Up:

Tuesday, 31st March 2009
EXPLAINING RIOJA
This will be a great opportunity to understand all the
nuances of the Rioja brand, from simple Rioja, Crianza, Reserva,
Gran Reserva and High Expression.
Become an expert on oak-aged Tempranillo
(£10 per head)

Tuesday, 28th April
PINOT-PHILIA
For those of you familiar with the award-winning comedy film
“Sideways”, Pinot Noir is a grape variety with an almost cult following.
Like the lead character, Miles, it’s sensitive, difficult and, at times, infuriating.
We will have a look at how it fares from various locations across the globe
(£10 per head)

Tuesday, 2nd June
(one week later than usual because of my holiday
and Bank Holiday)
AUSTRALIA
Guest speakers from Hereford have been invited to give a presentation
of “boutique” Australian wine.
(£10 per head)

Tuesday, 30th June
(I’m sure you can manage two tastings in a month!)
A TASTE OF AUSTRIA
For a relatively small and little-known wine-producing country,
Austria produces a host of bright and fruit whites and reds.
Get to know your Gruners from your Rieslings, and
Tell the difference between Blaubergers and Blauer Zeltgeits.
(entry £10-£15 per head)

FRIDAY, 10th July 2009
Put this date in your diaries ...
The now traditional Bin Ends Barbecue,
To be held at the home of Barbara & Derek Lamb
In Quinton, Birmingham
Tickets and further details will be available shortly,
So please ... watch this space

THERE WILL BE NO “BIN ENDS” TASTING IN AUGUST
But over the holidays, please sharpen your taste-buds for ...

Tuesday, 22nd September 2009-03-10
Once again, we welcome Wine Educator Laura Clay
Who will be bringing along a selection of Portuguese wines
For us to sample and talk about.
(£10 per head)

Please note my website link:
www.clives-wines.com