One of the great things about wine is the seemingly never-ending list of wine regions to choose from and learn more about.

From Chilean white wines to Canadian sparkling wines and everything in between, you can easily spend a lifetime exploring the world through wine.

But there’s also something to be said for returning to familiar, favorite wine regions, especially on long, dark winter nights.

And for me, there’s nothing better than a great bottle of red wine from France’s Bordeaux region.

I’m not alone in this opinion, either. Bordeaux has long been one of the most popular and most revered wine regions in the world.

Why?

I have one word for you – plastics.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. And if you didn’t get the joke, ask your parents about the movie, “The Graduate.”

No, that single word is “consistency.”

Some wines and wine regions can be hit and miss. But Bordeaux consistently always hits the mark.

That’s important since there seems to be a never-ending list of wineries worth checking out in Bordeaux. In fact, there are roughly 7,000 wineries in Bordeaux.

So if you’re not familiar with a Bordeaux wine you find in a store or on a wine list at a restaurant, you should feel free to explore because there’s a pretty good chance the wine will taste great.

I can say this from recent experience. Last month, I tasted close to two dozen different wines from Bordeaux. Most were reds. A few were whites or Sauternes, the region’s distinct dessert wine that you can read more about in a few weeks.

Some cost less than $10 a bottle and made my annual list of the top 10 wines under $10 for 2023. Others cost significantly more and were special occasion wines for Christmas, New Year’s Eve or my dad’s 87th birthday. And in one case, one spectacular Bordeaux wine was created three years before I was even born in 1969. What a treat!

But what impressed me most was the fact that in every single case, every single wine from Bordeaux tasted great. It didn’t matter if the wine was three years old or 58 years old. They all had distinct, delicious flavors and aromas that often lingered long after each sip, especially the Bordeaux red wines that were over 20 years old. All of them were memorable and well worth the wait.

That’s why I thought I’d focus on a few new Bordeaux wines that stood out this past month. I’ve also included a brief explanation about the region, its grapes and some other helpful information.

Hope you enjoy.

MORE ABOUT BORDEAUX

France’s Bordeaux wine region is divided into two main areas – the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The dividing line is the Gironde River. Wineries located on the southwest side of the Gironde River are on the Left Bank. Wineries located on the northeast side of the Gironde are on the Right Bank.

BORDEAUX’S LEFT BANK

The Left Bank of Bordeaux encompasses a number of renowned subregions, such as Medoc, Paulliac, Margaux and Graves. Notably, the red wines produced in these areas usually consist primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes mixed with other varieties.

THE RIGHT BANK OF BORDEAUX

In the Right Bank of Bordeaux, you will find well-known subregions like Pomerol, St. Emilion, Fronsac and Castillon. Here, rather than using Cabernet Sauvignon as the main grape in most red blends, Merlot grapes are predominantly used by most vintners.

BORDEAUX CLASSIFICATIONS

In 1855, Napoleon III (yes, that Napoleon) asked officials to rank every winery in Bordeaux. More than a century and a half later, those rankings remain relatively unchanged. There are five Bordeaux classifications, from First Growth (the highest) to Fifth Growth. For the First Growth (or Premier Cru), there are only five iconic Bordeaux wineries: Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

There’s been a lot of debate over the decades about these rankings. Some wineries and consumers object to them. Even so, Bordeaux’s classification system remains firmly in place and it’s unlikely anything will change anytime soon.

WINE TASTING NOTES

2016 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion ($48 Suggested Retail Price)

Location – Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France

Grapes – 62% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 8% cabernet franc.

Tasting Notes – This Left Bank wine had an advantage over the other wines recommended this week – it has a few extra years under its belt. That often makes a HUGE difference when it comes to red wines from Bordeaux. That’s because those extra years often smooth out any harsh edges and often add an extra layer of nuance and complexity. That was certainly the case with this complex wine. There were layers upon layers of different concentrated flavors and aromas, including hints of blackberry, cherry and roasted almonds. A real winner.

2020 Chateau Dalem ($22 SRP)

Location – Fronsac, Bordeaux, France

Grapes – 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc.

Tasting Notes – This Right Bank Bordeaux wine was new to me when a friend shared it recently over the holidays. I’m glad they did. This straightforward wine didn’t play the games that some beautiful but complicated Bordeaux wines do at a young age. This drama-free wine didn’t have any barnyard aromas, which I love and which often indicate it’s a great age-worthy wine. Instead, this understated, sophisticated wine tasted great right from the first sip, which is often what a lot of us want from a wine, especially if we’re busy cooking dinner and hosting guests.

2020 Chateau Haut-Brisson ($29 SRP)

Location – Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France

Grapes – 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc.

Tasting Notes – I had a good feeling this Right Bank wine from Saint-Emilion would be a good one. Why? Because in many cases, I have found that Saint-Emillion wines strike just the right balance between being powerful and earthy while also having grace and elegance. This big wine hit all those notes as well as having a long, intense finish that lasted at least half a minute. This is a great wine that will age well for years. Then again, why wait when you can enjoy this truly magnificent wine now?

2020 Madame De Beaucaillou ($28 SRP)

Location – Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

Grapes – 66% merlot, 24% cabernet sauvignon and 10% petite verdot.

Tasting Notes – As I explained at the beginning, I loved all the Bordeaux wines that I tasted last month. But if I had to pick a favorite among the younger Bordeaux wines I tasted recently, this one from Bordeaux’s Left Bank was right near the top. Floral, fragrant and bursting with subtle flavors, this delicate, effortless wine tastes delightful right now. There’s not a single hard edge to this wine – just smooth, silky and absolutely sublime.

Cheers!

Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.

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