Nigel Lelew on Wine

Mid Sussex Citizen Star Wine Buy Chateau Plaisance 1996, Montagne Saint-Emilion Somerfield £7.49 Take hold of a bottle of this Merlot dominated blend from the world-renowned area of Saint-Emilion and after a respectable time to allow the wine to breathe, pour some of the contents into a glass. The aroma is a soft mix of dark red fruit and mint, which comes from the oak ageing that some of the wine has had. In the mouth, the smoothness of the Merlot takes over, leaving an overall impression of warmth, length and balance ... delicious!

Bordeaux is about two-thirds the way down the west coast of France at the estuary of the Gironde and the Garonne as they join together and flow into the Atlantic. Many of the best known names of Bordeaux are strung out along these rivers in the hinterland behind one of the great wine capitals of France, and indeed the world.

Rather curiously the British have developed their own word for red Bordeaux wines. Claret has no legal standing, but nonetheless we use the development of the medieval term 'vins clairet' to mean red wine from Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is predominantly a red wine producing area, although there are white wines too which should not be forgotten. Three main grapes dominate the ingredients list for the reds. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, along with a smattering of Malbec and Petit Verdot. But don't expect the label to tell you ... France, and especially Bordeaux, hasn't exactly embraced the move towards clearer labelling yet!

The flavour of the reds very much depends on the amount of each grape in a particular blend. The rich cassis fruit Cabernet Sauvignon with its sometimes harsh tannins and the plum fruited smooth Merlot allows Bordeaux winemakers to mark their own style. The addition of one or two of the minor grape varieties gives almost infinite taste possibilities. Add to this framework the different soils and conditions across Bordeaux and the possibility for each wine to age in some kind of oak and I think you get the picture that Bordeaux reds can be as individual as the Chateaux they take their names from.

Don't lets forget the whites. Here in Bordeaux there really are only two white grape varieties used. Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are blended together to create some of the Bordeaux's classic whites. The fruity freshness of Sauvignon Blanc and the fuller, fatter, more rounded taste of Semillon get intertwined in the blends to give a range of white tastes ... have you got the picture yet!

Well that has been a very, very brief introduction to Bordeaux, which I hope has tickled your taste buds. That has just been an aperitif though, as we will return to Bordeaux some time soon and that’s a promise!

If you have any comments or questions please e-mail me at nigel@vinrouge.co.uk