Bordeaux Red, Red, Wine - Merlot and Cab Sauv - WSET Class 4 - Part 2

When I backpacked in France over thirty years ago, I really wasn't much of a wine drinker. Even back then, however, I knew that France was ground zero for wine. As mentioned before, I spent a couple days in Burgundy and had some record of my time there. I also spent time in the Bordeaux region, but I have no photos, no pamphlets, no information at all from that time. Perhaps I imbibed a bit too heavily on, what some people think are, the best wines in the world....

This week, we looked at some of the grape varietals in Bordeaux. We looked at both reds and white but the two main grapes that many people associate with Bordeaux are Cab Sauv and Merlot.

In Bordeaux there is the left bank - this is the the west side of the Gironde estuary and of the Dorgdogne  and Garonne Rivers. On the left bank they grow mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot added in. I have really enjoyed the wines form the left bank as they have at least medium tannins and a lot of complexity.

On the right bank they grow mostly Merlot with some Cabernet Sauvignon. These are also good wines as they are a little more fruit forward and are ready to drink a little sooner.

The first tasting at my WSET course tonight was a comparison of two Merlot based wines. One was a Bordeaux right bank wine and the other was a New World Merlot.

I do have to admit I got a little side tracked. Dave, our instructor, talked about elegant and international styles and I think I mixed up the two in terms of Bordeaux and New World. Unfortunately, I chose that moment to announce to the group, boldly, what I thought - and was ultimately way off base. It was especially galling because I really like Bordeaux wines and I knew, deep down, which was which but got sidetracked by my own notes. Oh well!

The following tasting notes are a combination of what I thought that was actually correct and the group consensus which was much more correct that my evaluation.

The first wine was medium ruby and medium intensity on the nose. It was more of a red fruit wine with cranberry, raspberry and plum and had mint on the nose. On the palate there was black cherry, medium body, light tannins, medium acidity and a medium finish. It was rated as Good and was a Chilean Merlot by Torreon de Paredes that had 13.5% alcohol and cost $22. Maybe a wine to have with pasta on a Wednesday night.

The second wine was also a Merlot - a Bordeaux wine from the right bank. It was deep ruby - almost purple - in colour. It had medium plus intensity on the nose and had flavours of cherry, currants, tobacco, black fruit, wet clay, and jam. It was full bodied with medium plus tannins and medium plus acidity. It had a gloriously long finish! It was a 2010 Chateau Fleur Cardinale Grand Cru Classé from St Emilion which had a whopping 15% alcohol and cost $126! It was rated Very Good - almost Outstanding - and I would be happy to drink it with a variety of dishes, so long as I didn't have to pay....

That was the right bank - all Merlot. Finally, we did the left bank - Cabernet Sauvignon - where I did a lot better with my tasting notes....

The third wine was medium ruby - almost purple. It had medium intensity and had a variety of aromas including red currant, plum, mint, herbaceous notes, and some oak. On the palate, there was black fruit, black cherry, and tobacco. It had high acidity, medium tannins, medium body, and medium plus finish. It was rated as Very Good. I liked this one quite a lot and found it was from Graves (same place as Chateau de Callac). It was another Grand Cru Classé, this time from  Pessac-Leognan by Chateau Malartic made in 2013 and cost $90. Did I mention that I liked this one?

The fourth and final one was deep ruby in colour and was medium intensity on the nose with black currants and cassis and an almost earthy note. Tasting, there was black cherry, black pepper, cooked fruit and tobacco. It had full body, medium plus tannins and medium plus acidity. It had a medium plus finish and was rated at Very Good. It was a 2013 Darioush Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon for Napa valley which had 14.8% alcohol and cost $80. Another pricey wine that just may be worth it.....

I enjoyed the class a lot this week. I think Bordeaux wines are possibly my favourite French wines and it was great to taste them and compare to the New World wines.