Bordeaux: The Art of the Blend
Gary Cummins, Cooper Wine Consultant
What is Bordeaux?
The word “Bordeaux” has multiple meanings;
Bordeaux is the name of a city, the ninth largest in France. Bordeaux can also refer to the municipal region around the city. And, of course, Bordeaux refers to a wine region.
The Bordeaux wine region is the largest in France and one of the biggest in the world. In the fine wine arena, there are many regions whose names ring out more loudly than any others. Names which are hallowed. These are regions which demonstrate the very best of what the country’s wine culture produces. Places like Spain’s La Rioja and Italy’s Barolo, where wine is the principal industry and it flows through the veins of the people who live and work there.
However, one name resonates louder than most. It is revered above almost all others in the world, having influenced almost the entirety of “New World wines” and having dictated the nature of fine wine as a concept, an idea and an image throughout the centuries and across the globe. That name is, of course, Bordeaux.
What makes Bordeaux so distinctive and prized by wine consumers?
The quintessential style that sets Bordeaux apart from the rest of the world’s wine regions is its soil types, the selection of grape varieties grown, and the specific production methods in the area.
White Bordeaux are comprised of two primary grapes, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Sauternes, the unctuous dessert wine from Bordeaux is also produced from these two grapes varieties.
Red Bordeaux grapes are primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot depending on the location of the property in the region. Additional traditional grapes used in blending are Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmeniere.
Bordeaux Specials NOW at Cooper
Three Very Affordable Opportunities to explore Bordeaux Reds here at Cooper Wines & Spirits!
2018 Chateau Pey LaTour
90% Merlot / 5% Cabernet Sauvignon / 5% Cabernet Franc 
A generously layered, seductive wine offering red raspberry and blackberry fruits both on the nose and palate, hints of red plum, autumn leaf, savory herbs, underlying mineral notes on the palate. Well balanced, elegant, terroir driven, the 2018 Chateau Pey La Tour is both a solid introduction to the flavors of Bordeaux in addition to being a great value. This estate focuses on sustainability in in the vineyard with environmentally sensitive practices.
Regular Price $17.99 Mixed Case Price $14.39
2019 Chateau La Croix Meunier (Saint Emilion)
85% Merlot / 15% Cabernet Franc 
This rather bold, youthful wine shows an intense notes of flint, minerals and chalky elements on the nose mixed with restrained notes of cherry, blueberry. The flint and mineral notes carry over to the palate. Initially fruit notes are restrained, but with an hour decant notes of dark plum, red berry, damp earth with hints of anise, sandalwood come forward. A wine that rewards with patients in the glass or with a solid hour in a decanter.
Regular Price $26.99 Mixed Case Price $21.59
2018 Chateau Senejac (Haut Medoc)
59% Cabernet Sauvignon / 29% Merlot / 7% Cabernet Franc / 5% Petit Verdot 
The wine reveals a pure expression of the Haut-Medoc terroir. A distinctly expressive nose exhales scents of black fruits and spices. In the mouth there’s juicy soft and black fruits with nuances of blueberry, black currant, hints of tobacco, vanilla with fine grained but slightly dominant tannins. Immediately approachable the depth of flavors unwind with time in the glass or a brief decant.
Regular Price $30.99 Mixed Case Discount $24.99
