This is a place where big, matured wines became famous. But they weren't always as big and dark as we know them today.
Of course, everything was started by the Romans. They started wine producing here and they started exporting those wines to England.
For a long time Bordeaux wines was different. Most wines were coming from Graves. And Medoc was just a marsh. Thanks to the Dutch, Medoc was drained. And many famous chateau was established, such as Latour, Lafite and Margaux.
Even Cabernet Sauvignon wasn't known for a while. Most of the grapes were used-Merlot and Cabernet Frank.
If you wanted to try a wine from that time, you wouldn't recognize it as a Bordeaux wine. English called it claret- light colored and light bodied wine.
But times where changing. England was the biggest buyer of French wines. Sometimes wine had to spend a lot of time in the oak, waiting to be bottled. And English liked a new, aged, more mature and balanced wine.
There where so many wars and revolutions. So many natural disasters. One of them-philloxera!
Little tiny bug wich wiped out almost all of Europe's grape vines.
Before that was black death, taking away people's lives.
During the cataclysms there were a lot of fraud wines made. To keep the quality under control people started to develop wine laws, and they are used still!
Grapes that are permitted to grow here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère.
When it comes to the food-in Bordeaux very popular foie gras, duck, lamb, entrecote, oysters, mussels, fish.
Of course everything cooked with different sauces, wine sauces are very popular.
Now I want to taste most famous wine from the left bank- wine from chateau Margaux
CHÂTEAU MARGAUX 2008
Dark ruby red in the glass.
Exceptional aromas of dark fruit, cherries,spices.
Complex flavors of dark berries, graphite, pepper, leather and oak.
Dry, full bodied with wonderful tannins, balanced acidity, lovely texture.
Long finish full of flavors with coffee and berries.
And pair it with lamb in cherry sauce with butter garlic potatoes.
I hope you liked our first stop in my virtual travel and taste!
There is more to come! Stay tuned!
Cheers!
