During our extended stay in Bordeaux, we ventured out to taste wines in the Right Bank of this storied wine region for two days. Specifically, we wanted to visit the Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, and Fronsac appellations. We were not disappointed. In the end, we found we preferred these softer wines to the stronger wines we experienced in the Left Bank.
Left Bank vs. Right Bank
I asked Google AI to compare Left Bank vs. Right Bank wine as a way to approach this article. This is what it said:
The “Left Bank” is generally considered more prestigious, with wines primarily made from Cabernet Sauvignon due to its gravelly soil, resulting in powerful, structured wines with high tannins, while the “Right Bank” is known for Merlot-dominant blends with softer characteristics thanks to its clay-rich soil, creating wines that are often more fruit-forward and approachable earlier on; the key difference lies in the dominant grape variety due to soil type on each side of the Gironde Estuary.
A very good summary, I think. While I generally find many Merlot wines from other regions to be a bit boring, the Right Bank offerings have a greater level of complexity, making me appreciate them more.
6000 Wineries
One fact I frequently return to when thinking about wines in the Bordeaux region is the sheer number of wineries. There are 6000 wineries in an area a bit bigger than Delaware, which itself has exactly two wineries. Our visits to the area were a way to begin to wrap our heads around all those choices.
Beyond that, the soils in the Saint-Emilion area vary from sand to limestone to clay to dirt to rock, even within a given vineyard. Still, the soils and weather of the Right Bank work better with Merlot grapes than the Cabernet Sauvignon often found in the Left Bank.
Saint-Emilion Classification
Having been omitted from the 1855 Wine Classification, wineries of the Saint-Emilion area set out in 1955 to gain stature by instituting their own classification system. The implementation of the system has not been without confusion and controversy.
First, while the categories have the same names as the 1855 classification, i.e. Premier Cru Classé and Grand Cru Classé, getting awarded the title doesn’t mean the quality is comparable. So, you can’t really compare the quality of a Left Bank Grand Cru with that of a Right Bank, in part because the base wine styles are different.
On the other hand, the classifications in Saint-Emilion are reevaluated every 10 years. This gives me more hope that they reflect current production quality as opposed to the Left Bank classification, which was done 170 years ago. Yet, the Saint-Emilion classification also had problems in 2006 when it was revealed some of the judges had financial conflict of interest issues with the wines they were judging. The resolution was to get judges from other wine regions to drive the decisions. No system is ever perfect, after all.
Day One in Saint-Emilion
Our wine tasting followed the order given below. Just so you know we didn’t necessarily favor the first wine or the last wine. We also treated ourselves to a fancy lunch on both of these tasting days, but I don’t think that really influenced our tastes.
Chateau Chavin
Chateau Chavin, a Grand Cru Classé was our first stop. We were able to taste both their first and second wines, which we liked a lot.
Château Montlabert
Chateau Montlabert, another Grand Cru Classé, was next. Here we also tasted their reasonably priced first and second wines, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Since the wines are designated simply as “red”, the grape proportions are unknown. We also liked the wine from this winery.
Chateau Bernateau
This is a small family estate completely surrounded by vineyards. Their wines are organic and we tasted more than a few but they didn’t really resonate with us. Their first wines are Cabernet Franc, Merlot Noir, and Petit Verdot.
Château Cadet Bon
Chateau Cadet Bon is a Grand Cru Classé. A small winery with some really big wines. Here we were greeted very casually by the winemaker who took us into his domain. He described how they selected the exact day to harvest the grapes and how he selected a blend to make the wine full but drinkable now.
A was blown away by his process. Every fermentation vat had wine that was slightly different from the next. Variations included which row, time of day picked, maceration time and techinque. The final blend came from barrels with different oak amounts and style from different coopers. So many variables! In the end, we liked the wine from this winery very much, too.
Day Two Tasting On the Right Bank
The second time we visited the Right Bank, we chose to focus on Pomerol and Fronsac. Places we had heard about but did not know anything about. Overall, we couldn’t distinguish these wines between this area and Saint-Emilion.
Chateau du Taillefer
Chateau du Taillefer is in the Pomerol area on the right bank. After our short tour here we were able to taste two of their wines, Chateau Taillefer in Pomerol and Chateau Tauzinat l’Hermitage, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.
Château de la Dauphine
Chateau de La Dauphine is in the Fronsac area near Saint-Emilion. Here we only got a peek-a-boo view of the 18th century chateau itself but we saw much of their new production areas. The wine tasting was good but the wines were very expensive.
Château de La Rivière
Chateau de La Riviere is in Fronsac and had an interesting history. The building intrigued us, so we decided to visit. The castle also has extensive underground cellars, some of which were used to hide Jews during World War II. The tour included the cellars and a tasting.
This was our last day of wine tasting in Bordeaux and we were a bit tired by this point, but we actually liked all three of the wines we tasted. Since we liked almost everything we tasted in the Saint-Emilion area, we concluded that going forward, if we want a Bordeaux wine, we will be choosing something from the Right Bank.
Which varietals of wine do you prefer?
