Get bowled over by the beauties of bold Bordeaux
Print Edition
Isacs is the founder and CEO of EnjoyGourmet, a leading gourmet digital (www.enjoygourmet.com.cn) and print media company in China. He has authored over a dozen wine and food books including the awarded ISACS Guides and other gourmet books and is a wine consultant to governments, wine regions and organizations. He also hosts wine events for leading organizations and companies throughout China. Contact John via jcolumn@enjoygourmet.com.
Great metropolises develop their own distinct identities and this includes classic dishes. Some of Shanghai’s classic dishes of the past are kept alive by dedicated and talented chefs and gourmets. Wine styles, like classic dishes, are neither designed nor constructed for immortality, instead they are temporal reflections of a need to appease, please or accommodate the times. The region of Bordeaux is perhaps bucking this trend and over the past century and a half has remained stylistically remarkably consistent.
1855 Classification
The earliest known classification of Bordeaux was made by Thomas Jefferson, then US ambassador to France, in the late 18th century; however, the most famous classification is the 1855 Classification. In 1855, as part of the celebrations for the Universal Exhibition in Paris, the French emperor Napoleon III asked the Bordeaux region to rank their best and most famous wines. This classification included only wines from the left side of the Garonne River and the noble rot sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac. The official 1855 Classification includes 60 Medoc wines and one Graves wine, the legendary Chateau Haut-Brion.
Since 1855, the classification has been modified only once, when Château Mouton Rothschild was promoted from second growth to first growth in 1973. Despite the fact that some classified chateaux perform above or below their classification, it is incredible that after more than a century and a half these rankings are still a decent indication of the quality of top chateaux. The 1855 Classification still influences the prestige and as a consequence the chateaux on the list are quite pricy. This week I’ll look at three wines on the list that are still relatively good values.
My first pick is arguably the best value of all 1855 Grand Cru Classe wines. Grand Puy Ducasse is a fifth growth wine from the prestigious Pauillac sub-appellation. This is the same appellation that produces the legendary first growth wines Chateaux Latour, Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild. While admittedly Grand Puy Ducasse doesn’t reach the lofty height of those first growths, neither does its price. A blend of about 65 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 35 percent Merlot, this wine offers a substantial, yet elegant Bordeaux experience of dark fruit and spices. Grand Puy Ducasse is an age-worthy wine that, depending on the vintage, can be cellared for 10 to over 20 years.
Another Grand Cru Classe wine that’s still affordable is Chateau Giscours. This third growth chateau from the Margaux sub-appellation is large with 200 acres (0.8sqkm) of 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 percent Merlot, 8 percent Cabernet Franc and 2 percent Petit Verdot vines.
While typically not as elegant or complex as the top Margaux chateaux like Chateaux Margaux, Rausan Segla and Palmer, Giscours nonetheless offers a high-quality, classy Bordeaux experience. The wines tend to be more full-bodied than other Margaux wines with a smooth, weighty mouth-feel.
Another relatively large chateau on the 1855 Classification is Chateau Beychevelle located in Saint Julian. With over 500 years of history, this chateau is one of the most recognized and beloved wines of Bordeaux. The name Beychevelle literally means “strike sail” referring to a time when the ships of the French navy would sail pass and salute the former owner of the chateau, the Duke of Epernon who was also the Grand Admiral of France. The 18th century Louis XV style chateau is one of the most beautiful constructions in Bordeaux.
Depending on slight variations according to different vintages, Chateau Beychevelle is usually about 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 percent Merlot with equal parts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot comprising the rest of the blend. A fourth growth wine according to the 1855 Classification, Beychevelle is an elegant and balanced wine that most wine lovers including myself believe routinely performs above its classification.
Two more classed growth wines also deserve mention. A classy duet of second growth wines on 1855 Classification, while certainly not cheap, also won’t put you in the poor house. They are Cos d’Estournel and Rauzan Segla. The former winery features an iconic Oriental pagoda chai, therefore this Saint Estephe Bordeaux red wine has long been associated with the Orient. When it was classified as a second growth at the Paris World Fair in 1855, the popularity of the chateau soared and in the late 19th century. Today the wine is considered one of the top two or three Saint Estephe wines. The return to greatness for Rauzan-Segla started with the great Margaux vintage of 1983 which I first tasted over 30 years ago. It remains one of the best Bordeaux I’ve ever tasted.
Varieties:
In Medoc the most important variety for top wines is Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot playing a supporting role along with minor contributions from Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Key term:
Chateaux is the plural form of chateau.
Where to buy in Shanghai
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
