Bordeaux - a wine to savour and a city worth visiting

Bordeaux, both the wine and the city, are shaking off their stuffy image and attracting new admirers, writes JOHN WILSON

BORDEAUX IS CRISP white linen tablecloths, crystal decanters and silver service. It epitomises a certain traditional style of fine dining, a celebratory drink to bring out for special, slightly formal occasions. It is a food wine, providing a perfect backdrop to plainly roasted red meats. If you are looking for something to accompany your spring lamb, there are few better choices than a good claret.

I am a big fan of Bordeaux and yet, like many who have worked in the wine trade, I have a love/hate relationship with the region. The system of selling means that you rarely meet the people who own the property, much less those who tend the vines or make the wine. The top châteaux, once in the hands of a quirky nobility, are now big business, and much more likely to be owned by a corporation that has few roots in the area. You can understand why; when a château can sell 250,000 bottles a year at prices that reach in excess of €500 a bottle, there is plenty of money to be made.

Despite the recent economic downturn, I cannot predict that things will revert to the 1980s, when even the great wines were affordable. Bordeaux is a focus of interest to the wealthy everywhere, including the new elites of China, Russia and elsewhere, as well as the more traditional markets such as the US and the UK. Ireland, once a fertile ground for Bordeaux, is far less important these days.

By contrast, the other side of Bordeaux, the petit châteaux, small properties based in far less salubrious parts of Bordeaux, usually labelled simply Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieur, are facing a crisis. The world does not know their individual names, and they must compete with a host of other regions both in France and world-wide. Quite often too, the style of wine does not suit the modern palate. Their production is often small, and they must rely on the negociants or brokers to market their produce. Many sell at rock-bottom prices. Some are still very poorly made, and the costs involved in improvement are often beyond the owners.

All is not lost, however. Somewhere in between, there is a large group of very good properties which offer high-quality Bordeaux at affordable prices. One area that has been of great interest to me for a couple of years is the côtes of Bordeaux, often referred to simply as the côtes, which consists of five different appellations, all bar one lying on the “right bank” – the area to the east of the Gironde. Four of these, the Côtes de Francs, Blaye, Castillon and Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, have come together to form one single Appellation, Côtes de Bordeaux. The last côtes, Côtes de Bourg has so far opted to stay out, partly because it is already very well known in some markets.

I can see why the others came together to form one umbrella name; the plethora of different appellations in Bordeaux can be very confusing to consumers (and to many in the trade, too). But I would worry slightly. There are certain differences between them. Côtes de Castillon is right beside Saint Émilion, and the wines taste very similar to, and sometimes better than its neighbour’s produce. Next door, Côtes de Francs also produces some wines comparable to those of Pomerol or St Émilion. Both of these appellations have seen heavy investment from the owners of some very posh châteaux in Pomerol and St Émilion. In style they can be quite different to the lighter, juicier Blaye and premières côtes.

Last year, I had the opportunity to visit each of the côtes, and conduct in-depth tastings of a wide range of wines. There is no doubt that there are some great wines being made here, wines with real depth and structure that will age nicely for a few years, and some for a decade or more. Given the price of the top châteaux, the canny buyer will certainly seek them out.

These are not new regions. Some can lay claim to producing Bordeaux’s finest wines when over the river, the Médoc was just a marsh. Parts of Blaye and Bourg were first planted with vines by the Romans, who knew a thing or two about terroir, and where to grow grapes. The key to the côtes lies in the soil and aspect. Most of the best sites are on south-facing hillsides with limestone soils.

The Côtes de Bourg is a very attractive area, with picturesque gentle hills running down to the cliffs along the Gironde. There are many summer houses nestled in the solid limestone rock used to make the Grande-Théâtre in Bordeaux city. That same rock provides a perfect soil in which to grow vines.

I was very impressed with the wines I tasted here. The best had an excellent purity of damson fruits, backed up by a solid structure that will repay a few years in the cellar. This is one of the few areas on the right bank that can ripen Cabernet Sauvignon properly, so the wines have more structure and greater longevity.

The Côtes de Blaye is another very pretty region, full of rolling hills and attractive châteaux, as well as the impressive Citadelle in Blaye. This region produces some of the best dry white wines of Bordeaux. The reds tend to be lighter, softer and juicier than Bourg, but still very good. Côtes de Castillon starts right at the border of St Émilion. This is a continuation of the same limestone plateau that produces some of the greatest wines of St Émilion. I tasted some cracking young wines here.

The Côtes de Francs is tiny, with less than 1,500 acres of vines. It has attracted a huge amount of inward investment both locally and internationally. The wines are impressive, but very different to neighbouring St Émilion and Castillon, rounded and full of blackcurrants, but with a solid mineral core – perfect for ageing.

The Premières Côtes de Bordeaux lie some distance away from the other côtes, on the southwest corner of the Entre-Deux-Mers, facing Péssac-Léognan and Graves. The unifying element once again is the limestone, sometimes with shallow, overlaying soils. It means that the wines are often better than those of neighbouring Entre-Deux-Mers.

Having spent years visiting the city of Bordeaux, and travelling around the vineyards of the Médoc, I can highly recommend a visit to the city, now transformed into one of the most beautiful in France. The côtes may not have the grand châteaux of the Médoc, but this is a charming area, well worth exploring for a few days, and very popular with cyclists.

BOTTLES OF THE WEEK

Château Haut-Rian, Cuvée Prestige, Côtes de Bordeaux, 13%, €12.80I have written about the wines of Haut-Rian before, but this was my first opportunity to taste the 2009 Prestige, a wine made only in the better vintages. It is a superb wine and fantastic value. Smooth, elegant, ripe cassis and blackcurrants with a smidgen of new oak, and very good length. If only all less expensive Bordeaux was as good as this. Stockist: Wines Direct, winesdirect.ie

Château Tour de Guiet 2005, Côtes de Bourg, 13.5%This is a very fine wine, classically Bourg in its structure and body. The nose has ripe cassis and blackcurrants. On the palate, concentrated firm dark fruits, good length and a solid tannic structure. I would suggest decanting it shortly before dinner, and certainly would recommend drinking it with food. Stockist: Wicklow Wine Company, wicklowwineco.ie

Château Manoir du Gravoux 2006, Castillon, Côtes de Bordeaux, 13.5%, €15.99-€16.50This has a light, fragrant, sweet nose, with elegant ripe fruits, and a dry finish. Fully mature now, and probably not for keeping too long, but this would go down nicely with a simple roast of lamb, pork or beef. Stockists: Redmond's, Ranelagh; Global Fine Wines, Rathfarnham; Morton's, Galway; Daly's World of Wine, Tyrone and jnwine.com

Château Puygeraud 2007, Francs, Côtes de Bordeaux, 13.5%, €26/£21.40Puygeraud is owned by one of the great winemaking families of Bordeaux. This has concentrated, ripe, lightly peppery cassis and plum fruits, good structure and a fine tannic finish. A very good wine to serve with red meats. Stockist: jnwine.com

TWO UNDER €12

Aldi Bordeaux Superieur 2009, Benoit Valerie Calvet Jacques Lurton, 13%, €6.99I tasted two Bordeaux from Aldi, both inexpensive, but found I preferred the cheaper wine above to the single-vineyard Médoc at a euro more. Bordeaux meets the new world? This has a decent ripe nose, rounded sweet dark fruits, and a little tannin. It is light, supple and very drinkable, certainly at this price. Stockist: Ald i

Château Manon La Lagune 2007, Blaye, Côtes de Bordeaux, 12.5%, €7Light, soft plum fruits with a leafy vegetal touch. Fully mature now, this is well-priced and would go down well with milder red-meat dishes. Stockist: Supervalu

Beer of the week

The Rev James Ale, 4.5%, €3.49 for a 500ml bottle From the Brains brewery in Cardiff, an undemanding medium-bodied ale with toffee and woody aromas. The palate is similar with a nice refreshing hoppy finish. Stockists: JJ Harlow’s, Roscommon town; Deveney’s, Dundrum; Redmond’s, Ranelagh; Martin’s, Fairview; The Drink Store, Manor Street, Dublin.