Bordeaux
The blend isn't a compromise. It's architecture.
France · 44.84° N · 0.58° W
Tours & tastings in Bordeaux
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What Bordeaux teaches: blending
Bordeaux is never a single grape. Every great bottle is an assembly: Cabernet Sauvignon for structure, Merlot for flesh, Cabernet Franc for perfume, all balanced differently on each bank of the Gironde. The Left Bank leans on Cabernet and gravel; the Right Bank on Merlot and clay. Learn that split and half the wine list snaps into focus.
The wines
Structured reds built to age, from village-level claret to the First Growths. The whites of Pessac-Léognan and the sweet wines of Sauternes are the region's quietest overachievers. They are the greatest wines nobody orders.
Where to go
Start at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux city, the world's most ambitious wine museum. Then head north into the Médoc for the postcard châteaux: Lynch-Bages in Pauillac runs polished visits, and Château Margaux receives by appointment. South of the city, Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Léognan pairs serious Cabernet with a vinotherapy spa, which is exactly as Bordeaux as it sounds.
Eat
La Tupina, in the old town, has been cooking southwest French classics over an open fire for fifty years. Order the duck. Order everything, actually.
Getting there
Fly into Bordeaux-Mérignac or take the two-hour TGV from Paris. The city makes the best base; the vineyards radiate out from it.
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Learn Bordeaux in five minutes
Bordeaux is one of twelve places in the Grape Atlas. Free, no certificate, no snobbery.
Start the lessonBordeaux, quick answers.
What wine is Bordeaux known for?
Blends, above all. Reds built on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, plus the dry whites of Pessac-Leognan and the sweet wines of Sauternes.
What is the difference between Left Bank and Right Bank?
The Left Bank leans on Cabernet Sauvignon and gravel soils; the Right Bank on Merlot and clay. That split explains most of the style difference.
When is the best time to visit Bordeaux?
May to June or September to October, when the weather is mild and the vineyards are either flowering or being harvested.
