Looking to try Bordeaux for the first time

All,

I have enjoyed Red Wine for about 10 years, began getting serious about 2 years ago when planning a March 2009 Napa Valley vacation with friends. My likes went from $7-$10 Reds, to $15-$18, and now into the $20-$30 range. My focus now is to back off a little and look for hidden gems at reasonable prices for my daily drinkers, and more age-worthy wines on the pricier ones. From the planning stages of the Napa trip, into the vacation, and up to now I have focused on Napa wines. Occasionally I will drink a Chianti or Australian Shiraz, but for the most part I have a strong affinity for Napa Cabs and Pinot Noirs.

That being said, I feel I need to compare and contrast with French Bordeauxs at some point. So what advice would you give someone looking to expand their wine appreciation, knowledge and enjoyment into French Bordeauxs. My understanding is that the more age-worthy wines are the Bordeaux’s. Does that mean consuming one young would be a bad idea for someone like me?

Any input is appreciated.

-Mike

All,

I have enjoyed Red Wine for about 10 years, began getting serious about 2 years ago when planning a March 2009 Napa Valley vacation with friends. My likes went from $7-$10 Reds, to $15-$18, and now into the $20-$30 range. My focus now is to back off a little and look for hidden gems at reasonable prices for my daily drinkers, and more age-worthy wines on the pricier ones. From the planning stages of the Napa trip, into the vacation, and up to now I have focused on Napa wines. Occasionally I will drink a Chianti or Australian Shiraz, but for the most part I have a strong affinity for Napa Cabs and Pinot Noirs.

That being said, I feel I need to compare and contrast with French Bordeauxs at some point. So what advice would you give someone looking to expand their wine appreciation, knowledge and enjoyment into French Bordeauxs. My understanding is that the more age-worthy wines are the Bordeaux’s. Does that mean consuming one young would be a bad idea for someone like me?

Any input is appreciated.

-Mike

I think the reason you haven't gotten responses to your posting is you have asked a question that one could write books about. Understand that I am not an expert but only a long time wine consumer but I have a bit more time this Saturday morning so I will give you some advice that is worth perhaps even less than you have paid for it. Wine is different to everyone that drinks it and it is great that you are starting to move up the ladder toward the "better" wines. (Better is simply a matter of taste and that too is different for everybody.) But I am sure you know that it is a very long ladder. I have been drinking and discovering wine for over 30 years now and I am still but a child in this. Life is simply not long enough.

You ask about Bordeaux and how to start. A few basics...bordeaux is not a grape like cabernet or pinot noir but rather a blended wine made up of the juice of several grapes. Usually the base is either cabernet or merlot depending on where the wine is made. The percentages of each grape in the blend often vary from year to year. The best bordeaux (first growths) are exceedingly expensive. But there are bordeaux, usually described on the bottles as bordeaux superieur or vin de pays that are inexpensive. (BTW, the terminology on French wine labels is a topic unto itself but know that what it says on a French bottle is to be taken far more seriously than anything said on a new world bottle.) So where to start? If you have a relationship with a local wine vendor, that is a great place to start. Someone that knows what you like is a great resource. Other choices... if you want to get a relatively inexpensive idea of what a great classic bordeaux tastes like then I would try a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th wine from one of the great chateaus. The "great" houses like Chateau Laffite Rothchild all make lesser priced wines than their signature offerings. Look also at reviews and and there is lots of great searchable information on this site. But in the end you just have to jump in...

Good Luck,
Glenn

One piece of advice that I might give would be to find something from the '04 vintage in the $20-$40 price range and most importantly decant the wine (I use a Pyrex measuring bowl) for a least 2 hours. You will probably find some sediment since bottling unfiltered has become fashionable. Carefully pour back into the bottle then cool it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. Now you are in business. Enjoy with NY strip, lamb, baked chicken, burgers, or even a good Caesar's salad. The reason I suggest this price range is that it will either get you a "classified" wine or a Cru Bourgoise (you will soon learn what these mean), but both are signs of quality. The decant is very important and necessary to achieve maximum enjoyment from a Bordeaux. This classified or cru bourgoise wine will most likely be something like 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cab Franc. If you get a "right-bank" wine such as a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru you will have a wine whose make-up is most likely 80% Merlot and 20% Cab Franc. The decant applies here as well.
Give it a spin and let us know how it works. By the way, where are you located? That will affect what kind of choices you have.
Enjoy!

I too think it is also a question of where you live and what is around in the local market. My friends living here in central Alberta and wishing to explore claret would get some advice about popping into my local haunt and trying some of the lesser-name `05s for starters.

Agree with Bob. Starting with some inexpensive '05s is recommended. If you don't have a reliable local pusher, go to a reliable conglomerate like Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck to others). I have yet to find a Bordeaux there in the $10-$15 U.S. range, that we did not enjoy.

[Jenise]

I believe Mike said in another thread that he's in Connecticutt.

I agree with all of the above advice, though I will admit to not being a big fan of 2nds. I'd generally rather have somebody else's best wine even if, in the 1855 classifications, they didn't fare as well.

I'm trying to think of names of reasonably priced Bordeauxs that one could start a newby on that wouldn't have them running to the hills (as I will admit I did the first time I tasted a real Bordeaux--and now look at me, Bordeaux Slut that I've become.) Poujeaux comes to mind, as do wines like the 04 Pique Cailloux, 05 Ormes de Pez and many of the St. Emilions as already described for how approachable the heavy merlot component makes them so approachable. For some reason, at the moment my head is more wrongly flooded with names I'd steer him away from like Cantemerle and Lynch Moussas. I'm thinking more like Meyney, Lagune, Branaire or Talbot--my Costco has the 05 for around $35 right now. I'd really want Mike to start with a good Bordeaux right from the start and not strike out by choosing the wrong lower end wine. Something that no one else has mentioned is the advantages of tasting Bordeaux WITH food--a palate that's calibrated to the sweeter, slicker California styles will probably need food (like what he had for dinner last night) to release the magic.

My suggestion for someone used to Napa valley wines and Shiraz would be to try first a riper vintage like 2000, 2003, 2005 and probably 2009 which won't be available for at least another two years. 2000 and 2005 were very consistent years when it was hard to make bad wine but 2003 with its torrid conditions was much less even with many wines having cooked or candied tastes. More classical vintages like 2001, 2002 and 2004 tend to be leaner, rather more acidic and, in their youth, more obviously tannic in a way which may disconcert someone accustomed to Napa and Shiraz. However, if you like Chianti, their acidity should not be a problem for you.

The top châteaux from 2005 and even 2000 are mostly still too young for full enjoyment but the lesser ones, and fortunately less expensive, should be drinking very well, especially the latter year. Successful 2003s should be drinking well but may be a doubtful proposition for extended keeping. From the 90s, 1999 is lighter in style and variable in quality but the best are delicious and are drinking very well; the top wines from more solid years like 95, 96 and 98 still need more time to reach their peak.

Right bank, Merlot dominated Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Pomerol, Fronsac, etc., tend to be more supple than left bank, Médoc and Graves, and accessible sooner.

Finally a good wine merchant with a decent stock who can guide you honestly through his offerings is an invaluable aid.

Mike
If you can find a winetasting evening covering Bdx, then that can be a great opportunity to explore. It can be challenging exploring Bdx, hence a great question to ask (if not always easy to answer!). In a way I was lucky, before I'd tasted too many Bdx wines, to get to taste some very mature examples, which for me offer great interest. They can take an age to mature, but can (not always though) turn into something really special.

If we go ahead with Bdx blends in the wine focus this month, then I'd definitely encourage you to:
a) Read the Tasting Notes and comments to see whether what appeals to others, appeals to you
b) Join in, with any Bdx you find & want to taste, or indeed other Cabernets/Merlot wines from elsewhere.

regards

Ian

Wow..great stuff everyone!! Thanks for taking the time to offer some advice. I do have a relationship with my local wine shop owner, I will begin there. I will also take the advice of pairing the wine with food for sure...

I will let you know how I make out...probably will not be for a few weeks...

thanks again!

-Mike from CT