Bordeaux Bargains Health Article

Whenever i have a hankering for a nice Bordeaux, I grab my trusty Magic 8 Ball and head for my favorite wine shop. Hmmm. This one has a nice label and is only $12. Is it any good? Very doubtful. Well then, what about the one with Rothschild on the label? That must be good, right? My reply is no. How about the one labeled "Bordeaux Supérieur"? Ask again later.

OK, I don't really use a Magic 8 Ball to choose a red Bordeaux wine but I know a lot of people who feel they might as well do just that. Short of ponying up $100 or more for a premier cru (vineyards officially recognized as having the best soil and thus ordained "first growth" by the French government) from a somewhat familiar sounding château like Margaux, Lafite-Rothschild or Latour, how does one go about picking out a decent Bordeaux at an affordable price?

Let's start with geography. Roughly speaking, France's Bordeaux region is divided in two by the Gironde River. On the "left bank," you'll find most of the big boys, including those just mentioned, with their Donald Trump price tags. These are big, heavy cabernet-dominated blends that almost demand a decade or longer in the bottle before they really show themselves. My advice? If you happen to come across a '95 or '96 Latour in the "closeouts and discontinued" bin of your local purveyor, go for it. Otherwise, forget about it unless you've already decided that your children can pay for their own college educations.

The better bargains are to be found on the east, or "right bank," near St.-Émilion and the neighboring areas of Côtes de Bourg, Côtes de Castillon and Fronsac. Some of the best-value Bordeaux wines come from these appellations, though even here it can be difficult to know what, exactly, you're paying for, since the labels can be incredibly confusing. How do you know if you're drinking cabernet sauvignon or merlot? You don't. Beginning with the 2005 vintage (which won't be available for a couple more years), wines from the St.-Émilion region can put the varietal of the grape on the label, but until then, just know that you're usually getting a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc (with possibly small amounts of malbec and petit verdot added as well).

Also, don't expect Bordeaux wines to taste like their New World cousins, even if made from the same grape. The French aren't really big on fruit-forward wines. Instead, people often talk about the woodsy, "green leaf" taste in Bordeaux wines as opposed to California "fruit bombs." But realize that oftentimes a poorly made domestic wine will hide behind a big grapey mouthfeel and lots of alcohol to disguise its lack of complexity; in comparison, the French cousins often seem austere, yet leave behind more ghostly hints of forest and herb and earth. In short, they seem, to me, more cerebral. Plus, I like the fact that they're usually lower in alcohol.

Probably the best thing you can do to select a value Bordeaux is become friends with your local wine merchant. He or she can make appropriate suggestions for sampling. That's how I came across the wines of Terra Burdigala. This is an interesting wine company out of Bordeaux that makes its own wines and distributes others that use sustainable farming practices. Terra Burdigala—which is the ancient Roman name for the region of Bordeaux—uses only organic manures and grasses to balance the vineyards' nutritive requirements and avoids chemical fertilizers and weed killers.

Terra Burdigala is an agent for a growing list of Bordeaux winemakers who share its sustainable-farming values. While some of these wines can be a bit difficult to find, my recommendations for 2001-2004 vintages (left) have good distribution. For other Bordeaux bargains, visit http://bordeauxwinebureau.org/top_100.html.

Bordeaux You Can Bank On

Les Charmes de Château de Pic, Côtes de Bordeaux (2003; $13)

Fruit forward with moderate tannins and leathery finish.

Château Manoir du Gravoux, Côtes de Castillon (2003; $18)

Fruitier than a traditional Bordeaux with lots of black cherry.

Château Mont-Pérat, Côtes de Bordeaux (2003; $19)

Chocolaty, silky wine made primarily from merlot grapes.

Les Cimes, Montagne Saint-Émilion (2002; $20)

Medium-bodied with wild strawberry and cherry character.

Château Peyroutas, Saint-Émilion (2001; $25)

Subtle, chocolate flavor with a slight woodsy taste.

Château Haut-Corbin, Saint-Émilion (2002; $25)

Blackberry and apricots with enough tannin to handle a steak.

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