With more than 7,000 chateaux, France’s Bordeaux region is the most important wine producing region in the world. As well as being the basis for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot-based wines everywhere, Bordeaux wines are acknowledged to be among the world’s best reds—according to experts and amateurs alike.
The wine region of Bordeaux is comprised of many smaller areas and encompasses both banks of the Gironde estuary in southwest France, as well as the land bordering the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers, which split off from the Gironde in the southern Medoc area. Generally, Bordeaux's best red wines are from seven major (and well-known) appellations: Pauillac, Saint-Estephe, Saint-Julien, and Margaux in the greater Medoc region, Graves to the south of the city of Bordeaux—in the region’s center, and Saint-Emilion and Pomerol toward the east. The large Graves region, as well as being the birthplace of claret, is home to many of the best dry whites. Premium sweet wines are made in Sauternes and Barsac, which are also within the Graves appellation but toward the south.
In understanding the multitude of Bordeaux wines, experts tend to talk about the right and left banks of the Gironde River. Generally, red wines from the river’s left bank, especially from Bordeaux’s Medoc region, are based on Cabernet Sauvignon, mixed with varying amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and, occasionally, a spot of Petit Verdot and Malbec. These reds are known to be firm and dry, with a substantial tannic spine, and are frequently austere in their youth. They are also among the world’s longest-lived. The Graves’ gravel and sand soil content contribute to more texture early and roasted accents of hot stones, smoke and tobacco.
The softer Merlot grape is the foundation for right bank wines, mostly to the town of Libourne’s eastern side. These wines are fleshier in general than wines from the left bank and are more pliant. They are also accessible at an earlier age—though the best of them can improve in bottle for decades.
Wine Spectator, 97 points: This is so vivid as it brims with pastis-soaked plum, blackberry, black currant and blueberry paste flavors, all carried by a perfectly integrated brambly spine. Tar and ganache notes give the finish an extra kick while...
Vinous, 96 points: An exotic, heady wine, the 2016 Sansonnet is a total stunner. Crème de cassis, lavender, bittersweet chocolate, menthol, licorice, graphite and sweet spice saturate the palate in an explosive, stunningly beautiful...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: (WA91-93 points) The 2016 Clos du Roy has a tightly wound bouquet with abundant black fruit waiting to unfold once in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded but firm tannin, engaging blackberry and bilberry...
Vinous, 96 points: Readers will find a rich, flamboyant wine in the 2016 Barde-Haut. There is not a ton of subtlety here, but I am not sure that matters all that much given how immensely pleasing the 2016 is. Crushed rocks, graphite...
jamessuckling.com, 96 points: Very attractive, plush and rich red and dark-fruit aromas with beautifully integrated oak and youthful, spicy complexity. The palate has lush, seamless and velvety tannins that are elegant yet powerful and deliver a silky...
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: There’s a very bright and ripe array of dark berries and plums with an earthy edge, as well as nuances of sweetly fragrant black truffle. The palate has a very supple and fluid core of ripe dark plums with a very sleek...
Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: This second wine of Château Haut-Bailly offers a softer reflection of the power of the top wine. Generous tannins are already integrating with the rich fruits that come through strongly. The juicy blackberry character to...
Vinous, 97 points: The 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a thrilling wine. Dense and beautifully layered, the 2016 is also quite a bit richer than it usually is. Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and structure pulse through the wine. The red-toned...
jamessuckling.com, 96 points: This is so attractive. It has a very rich and ripe array of dark berries and dark chocolate with a long, succulent and smooth palate that delivers so much flavor and freshness. The palate has intensity and depth with very...
Decanter, 100 points: I was excited to retaste this wine after loving it so much at en primeur, and it has more than lived up to its promise. They seem to have poured layers of muscular black fruit into the glass in a display of Pauillac...
jamessuckling.com, 97 points: A dense and layered red with ripe plums and blueberries, as well as hints of wet earth and moss. Full-bodied, velvety and layered with fantastic fruit and creamy, velvety tannins. Plush and deep. Great wine. Try from 2023.
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Very ripe blueberries here, married to delicate, smoky-oak and baking-spice character. Concentrated and succulent with a wonderful, mineral freshness at the long, energetic finish. A very flexible food-wine. Drink or hold.
jamessuckling.com, 99 points: Incredibly perfumed aromas of roses and violets, as well as blue fruit and lavender. Full-bodied and powerful, yet so full of finesse and vibrance. The height of elegance! Such depth of chalk and dark berries. It goes on...
Vinous, 96 points: The 2016 Prieuré-Lichine is all class. Floral, silky and nuanced to the core, the 2016 is a wine of pure and total seduction. Freshly cut flowers, vibrant red fruit and creamy tannins all add to the wine's undeniable...
Vinous, 95 points: The 2016 La Marzelle is fabulous. Rich, sumptuous and flamboyant, the 2016 exudes depth in every dimension. Raspberry jam, espresso, mocha and new leather all meld together in a full-bodied wine that is full of character...
Showing 15 of 82 wines
Dear Customer We are having problems processing your request. Please contact our sales office between 9 AM and 5 PM (PST) for further assistance at 1.888.859.4637.
All of my orders and business with you guys have been very professional and top notch. You have a great selection, your prices are fair, and Michel Dechodt does a great job at keeping me informed on new arrivals.
-Frank B., May 2019
Please close this tab