During Vinexpo, the world’s premier wine trade exhibition from June 17–21 in Bordeaux, Wine Enthusiast will be at the booths, on the ground and in the chateaus. Vinexpo continues through Thursday. So join us and check back daily.

Best barrel bed in Bordeaux
A charged weekend began Friday at Château La Mission Haut-Brion with the Dillon family owners Duchesse de Mouchy (Joan Dillon) and her son Prince Robert de Luxembourg. A new barrel cellar (probably one of the most expensive and sumptuous ones a barrel has ever seen) was the reason for the party. Of course, the wines of La Mission were great but the surprise star of the evening was the white Laville Haut-Brion 1989. For a change of pace, some Napa Valley vintners including Michaela Rodeno of St. Supery joined an informal party in the far eastern reaches of the Gironde on Saturday with biodynamic wine from Jean-Michel de Robillard and a chamber orchestra that is still “in training.” 

Tour de France
Despite a lightning and thunder extravaganza, Domaine de Chevalier in Pessac-Leognan, always awarded “best party of the week” by the global select invited, wines from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and 2000s were “tasted” with abandon. And who wouldn’t? Jaboulet Aîné, Domaine Leflaive, Olivier Leflaive, Pol Roger, Zind-Humbrecht, Faiveley, Château de Fuissé, Alphonse Mellot and Domaine de Chevalier. In fact, it is called the Tour de France. It’s an informal get-together of friends and wine and Chevalier owner Olivier Bernard’s other passion, jazz. Jaboulet’s La Chapelle 1983 was a big hit with the Wine Enthusiast. Each year the group invites another winery and this year it was Sassacaia. Unfortunately, Marchese Niccolo Incisa della Rocchetta was called away at the last minute. But the whisper was that the marchese had horses running in Milan and opted out. And, as an aside from Vinexpo, though he lost the Derby, Jess Jackson (Kendall-Jackson) got the roses at the Preakness. Does this bring a whole new meaning to “sweaty saddles” as a wine descriptor?

Goliath gutted by the Gauls  
This woman is:
1. a martian 
2. a martini 
3. miserable
 
Leave it to the French to stymie the power of Goliath. It’s not often that one of the world’s largest and most influential wine companies runs into a brick wall. But, after having spent beaucoup bucks on a prestigious lakeside pavilion at Vinexpo, Gallo’s wines got held up by a single French customs man at the French border. But it wasn’t a Mondovino revenge. Fosters (Australia) and Wines of South Africa were among others that spent the weekend languishing on the French Belgian border. This was Gallo’s first time as a big presence at Vinexpo. Will it be the last?

Just spell my name right
There is the axiom that any press is good press, just spell my name right. Not sure this applies to Alain Juppé, mayor of Bordeaux, who was supposed to make a national political comeback in the French elections on Sunday. President Nicolas Sarkozy had appointed him Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment; he just had to win a Senate seat. Well, dramatically socialist Bordeaux (chateaus excepted) had other ideas, so Juppé got the boot. But, the consummate politician, Juppé still showed up on Monday morning for the official opening of Vinexpo. And then dodged the press with a side door exit.
 
Wine: the Dating Game
Have you ever considered using wine as a love tool? Who hasn’t. But Soif de Coeur (Thirsty Heart) has gone for the looking-for-love category of wine buyer. A Bordeaux-based company launched a new appellation wine with blue and pink labels and an invitation to sign on to a dating service. The concept, launched this week,  is to buy the wine (only in France at the moment, for 3 euros), drink the bottle, revealing the secret log-in code on the back of the label, sign into the dating Web site and find your soul mate (or at least one who likes 3 euro wine). The wine can come from anywhere on the west coast of France. There is no such designation for the date. It appears to be targeting the heterosexual market, and this may be one time when being left out is a preferred option. 

Breaking news
At times like these there is an incredible range of wines to taste. And then go to dinner and to drink. Who wouldn’t want to sip a practically unlimited range of 25+/- year old Burgundies, Bordeaux and other wines from around the world? But a Canadian wine merchant revealed the secret at a dinner in Pessac-Leognan on Sunday. Go ahead, get glasses with all the wines you want to taste at dinner. Taste, swallow and then taste again and spit back into the glass. That ends the drinking of that wine (for non-wine fanatics, honestly, it does). Of course, this heretofore never revealed tactic will probably result in heart attacks in some classified growth chateaus.

Despite the fact that the southern French balaclava-clad grape growers had threatened bodily harm if French President Nicolas Sarkozy didn’t make the state give them more money for their grapes, so far, nothing has happened. But security is tighter than in previous years at Vinexpo. Some chateau owners contacted were surprised when asked. Then again, many of their chateaus survived the revolution of the late 1700s that made France what it is today.

Bordeaux and value? That can’t be right. The name of Bordeaux conjures up grand chateaus, with wines that command equally grand prices.

Well, think again. Bordeaux currently represents some of the best value in the world. These are finely crafted wines, showing individuality and great flavors that work better with food than any high-alcohol fruit bomb. And all these attributes can be found, very often, for under $25 a bottle. Now that’s value. (See sidebars for selections of producers to look for.)

First, some demystifying. The celebrity crus classés of Bordeaux represent no more than 10% of the region’s production and the properties that command the astronomical prices are an even smaller portion. So few estates, so few wines, and yet they have skewed the image of Bordeaux to the point that many wine lovers automatically assume that all Bordeaux wine is beyond their budget, certainly for a Tuesday night supper.

But once out of the stratosphere, there is so much to choose from. Many of the crus classés themselves sell for under $50, as do most of the other estates in the major appellations of the Médoc—what are called the crus bourgeois.
Below $25, there is another extreme value category that offers exciting wines from appellations that are not so well known (but ought to be), like Côtes de Castillon, Lalande de Pomerol, Montagne St-Emilion, Côtes de Blaye, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Haut-Médoc and Graves. The best growers in these appellations can equal the top classed growths in their attention to detail.

Another category that is often dismissed is branded Bordeaux—blended wines bottled by Bordeaux merchants under brand names. While some garner little interest, there are several well made, reliable, enjoyable wines that sell for around $12.

At these prices, it is hard for winegrowers to make a living. We should applaud those who operate in the lesser regions of Bordeaux, producing delicious wines. Take the Despagne family, based in the heart of the Entre-deux-Mers, a beautiful region that is so often the source of basic Bordeaux.

The Despagnes’ wines are anything but basic, a testament to their winemaking practices. Basaline Despagne, commercial director of Vignobles Despagne, says, “We spend as much money in winemaking as the crus classes. Girolate [a 100% Merlot wine] is as expensive to make as any grand cru.” Yet they are still value priced, Despagne says. “It’s hard to put our prices up because we are still seen as Bordeaux. Last year, we were able to increase the price of Château Mont Pérat for the first time in 12 years.”

The arrival of quality wines from Bordeaux at these exceptional price points is relatively new. Many of the wineries on our list of the 40 Best Bordeaux Buys are now available to wine drinkers in the United States, thanks to competition, investment in viticulture and winemaking, technical and managerial know-how, the change of generation and more openness in the world.

Another factor is the succession of good to great vintages that Bordeaux has seen, certainly since 2000. With the sole exception of 2002 (and even that vintage produced some delicious white wines), every vintage of this new century has offered good wine. And the late 1990s saw three vintages—1995, 1996 and 1998—of considerable quality. These wines can still be found.

“I think Bordeaux produces great value,” says Stuart Randall of Brooklyn, NY-based Bayfield Importing. “We explain that this is the French version of Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, and then let the bottle speak for itself. There’s been an explosion of prices in California, and that has left an opening for Bordeaux. I think Bordeaux is coming back.”
Fabulous fringes of Bordeaux

The sheer variety of Bordeaux can seem overwhelming. But don’t let that prevent you from exploring some of the lesser-known estates on the borders of the region. Here, from the right bank of the Gironde Estuary to the left, are a few areas on the fringes of Bordeaux whose wines are worth seeking out.

In the north-east of Bordeaux, the two cities of Bourg and Blaye are conveniently paired, with ancient neighboring vineyards facing the great estates of the Médoc across the Gironde estuary. Of the two appellations—Côtes de Bourg and Côtes de Blaye—the former is more consistent, but more expensive. Merlot dominates, producing wine with red fruits and firm tannins in youth. Names in Bourg to look out for are Château Brulesécaille, Château Fougas, Château Haut-Macô and Château Roc de Cambes. Blaye’s reds used to be light, almost claret, but there has been an impressive change among top properties. The region also produces white wines, whose progress has been less marked. In Blaye, seek out Château Mondésir-Gazin and Château les Jonqueyres.

Far to the eastern border, in Côtes de Castillon and Bordeaux Côtes de Francs, château owners from neighboring St-Emilion have started buying and developing vineyards and then working them in the grand cru style of top St-Emilions. While more expensive, the wines of Stéphane Derenoncourt’s Domaine de l’A, Stephan von Neipperg’s Château d’Aiguilhe, Thierry Valette’s Clos Puy Arnaud and Juliette Bécot’s Château Joanin Bécot have set an example for others to follow, forcing some of the more traditional estates to smarten up their acts. In the value category, expect wines with a strong dominance of ripe Merlot that age more quickly and delicately, with some of the smoky, perfumed character of St-Emilion.

Just north of the high-priced, high-reputation vineyards of St-Emilion and Pomerol are what are known in the Bordeaux wine business as satellites: villages that are allowed to add the illustrious names of the neighbors to their own in order to push up their price and notoriety. Look for Montagne St-Emilion, Lussac St-Emilion, Puisseguin St-Emilion, St-Georges St-Emilion and, just next door, Lalande de Pomerol.

There is a mixed bag of quality from these villages. As in Côtes de Castillon, owners from St-Emilion and Pomerol have purchased estates and are setting the pace. If you don’t mind paying over $25, Château Faizeau and Château la Couronne in Montagne, and Château la Mauriane in Puisseguin demand attention.

Just above Bordeaux city, in the Entre-deux-Mers region, is the Premières Côtes de Bordeaux. The potential here is obvious; steep clay-and-gravel vineyards with great exposure, on a smart slope about 60 miles away from the ocean. No wonder top consultant Denis Dubourdieu chose Château Reynon, located there, as his home base. The renaissance there is still patchy, so following estate names is the best guarantee. Along with those in the 40 Best Bordeaux Buys, look for Château Suau, Château Lezongars and Château Carsin.

On to the left bank of the Gironde: the Médoc and the Graves. The best value wines in the Médoc, although mostly above $25, are the crus bourgeois. Their quality varies enormously. The classification into categories, which began in 2003, (exceptionnel, supérieur and just crus bourgeois) was helpful, based as it was on tasting. But a recent court action saw the whole new system thrown out, with a return to the chaotic situation that was in place since 1932. So buy crus bourgeois by chateau name, not by classification. Apart from that, the best values are in the Médoc and Haut-Médoc appellations.

The Graves, home to Bordeaux’s oldest vineyard, is a disappointment—with the exception of the Graves subappellation of Pessac-Léognan. Sure, there are values, but not enough for a region that has just the right soil and the right climate. Lack of investment and urban sprawl on the edges of Bordeaux city are to blame here.

Bordeaux’s International Fair is a huge exhibition of culture and cuisine which is visited by 300,000 visitors over the ten days.

Businesses come to the fair to display and sell their wares, with four separate areas within the exhibition to separate the huge number of stalls.

There will be an international area, emotions and spare time area, life and house zone and an agricultural area for you to explore.

The international area offers delightful aromas of Moroccan spices and Colombian coffee along with Egyptian furniture and Brazilian dance.

Life and house involves a number of items for a living space and the agricultural area gives people the opportunity to understand Bordeaux’s agriculture and wine industry.

The exhibition is open from 09:30 local time to 19:00 local time and is ideally positioned close by to roads and airports.

When it comes to France’s winemaking rules and regulations, it seems the thought is "less is more." In theory, the name of the producer, region, classification and vintage on the label should be enough to tell you everything there is to know about what’s inside the bottle. But some French winemakers have decided to dispense with the rules and traditions.

Up until the early 1900s, Bordeaux winemakers often added small percentages of Northern Rhône Syrah to their wines if they had a difficult vintage. In 2004, Château Palmer in Margaux made an experimental cuvée (only 100 cases), called Historical 19th Century Wine L2004. It’s a blend of 85 percent 2004 estate fruit from Palmer and 15 percent Syrah from Hermitage.

"Most of the great names of Bordeaux used to have a little bit of wine from the north of the Rhône to improve the color and depth of the wine," explained Palmer winemaker Thomas Duroux. "They had to do this sometimes since they had difficult vintages. We now know how to deal with difficult vintages. But I was very curious to understand what would happen if we did [this] with the wine we have today."

The wine will only be available in select restaurants in the United States, said Duroux. He tried to make the wine again in 2005, but it didn’t work since the Bordeaux component was already so concentrated from the strong vintage. "In 2004 it worked very well. In 2005 with 15 percent of Syrah, it doesn’t really change. To change it I’d have to put in more Syrah," he explained, adding that he’ll probably try again with the 2006 vintage, since the overall quality is considered lower. A little Syrah might help a lot. "It’s just experimental stuff," he said. "Maybe also a little controversial."

Of course, this wine will probably be out of reach for most, since there’s so little of it. For everyone else, there’s winemaker Alexandre Sirech. His new wine, Les Deux Terroirs, is a non-vintage Merlot-Syrah blend of grapes from several parts of France.

Born in Bordeaux, Sirech was a wine sales rep by the time he was 18, and later had a long, on-and-off career with spirits giant Pernod-Ricard. At one point he was working with the company’s Cuban arm, in charge of young and old rums that were regularly blended in order to maintain a consistent product. It was then that Sirech realized he could do the same thing with wine.
"I wanted to make the most pleasurable wine possible for less than $20," said Sirech. "Vintages have limitations, so I decided to blend regions as well as vintages." His first bottling of Les Deux Terroirs was 90 percent 2005 Merlot from the Bordelais and 10 percent 2003 Syrah from southeastern France (under French law, Sirech is not permitted to say if any components came from official AOC regions, such as a certain part of Bordeaux, the Rhône or the Languedoc, for example).

Though Sirech’s first cuvée was only just over 800 cases, the next blend and bottling was five times as large. Part of that bottling is now available in the United States. In a blind tasting held in Wine Spectator’s New York office, which included several Merlot-based blends from different regions around the world, Les Deux Terroirs scored 85 points.

Sirech simply tastes wines after they’ve finished malolactic fermentation, and decides whether or not they’ll suit the style he strives to maintain. If he does, he buys the wines. "I have complete freedom," he said. "If Gigondas is great next year, I can use that." He starts with a 50-50 blend of Merlot and Syrah, and modifies it until the blend tastes like the previous bottling. Different parts of the blend are fermented in new oak, old oak or stainless steel. "I want a consistent flavor and structure profile with each cuvée."

Good a wine as either Sirech or Duroux might make, the bad news for both is that since they operate outside the regional rules with these particular wines, they automatically get the lowest French designation, "vin de table," on the label. Neither winemaker can list the appellations the wine came from on the label, either. Les Deux Terroirs can only display the varieties–Merlot and Syrah–and France. Duroux even had to take the drawing of Château Palmer off his front label, since vin de table cannot, by law, have an illustration of a particular place on the label.

But the strict rules haven’t stopped Sirech from doing his best to make a good, consistent house wine that’s reliable in restaurants and at retail alike. Because Sirech’s wines can vary so radically in composition from year to year, the back label of Les Deux Terroir indicates the bottling year as well as the peak drinking period. The 2006 cuvée, for example, suggests the wine be opened between 2007 and 2010. He’s also explored making a white blend, but that’s proven to be more difficult. "It’s a Sauvignon Blanc-Chardonnay blend, but I’ll only release it if it’s good enough," said Sirech. "Right now, the product is good, but the price is wrong."

So for the moment, Sirech remains squarely focused on the red Les Deux Terroir–and keeping it consistent. "I’ll only increase the volume to the point that quality can stay strong," he said.

Les Deux Terroir will be available in New York, Florida and Illinois at the end of May 2007.

Mere mention of the name "Bordeaux" is enough to make any wine lover’s spine tingle. It evokes visions of seductive white wines and beautifully complex reds, as well as stately chateaux and pedigreed vineyards. Sadly, the thought of Bordeaux can also make one’s wallet feel instantly lighter. Think of the wines that cost up to thousands of Euros a case! Imagine the economic toll of nights spent in luxurious chateau hotels, and of wine-based beauty treatments in posh spas.

But maybe, I asked myself recently, maybe Bordeaux doesn’t have to cost the proverbial arm and a leg. Might it be possible, I wondered, to find an array of appealing yet affordable Bordeaux wines? Furthermore, could one realistically contemplate a visit to Bordeaux on a reasonably priced budget?

These questions are the reason I find myself now on the TGV whisking from Paris down to Bordeaux (with 25 trains a day to and from Paris, and 140 flights connecting it to various other cities, Bordeaux is certainly accessible). My goal is to spend a handful of days in the city of Bordeaux sampling wines, eateries, and accommodations, all in a reasonable mid-price range.

Arriving in town on a Sunday night — not a great time to go anywhere in France since most restaurants are closed on Sunday — I check into my hotel, then head out to the streets to look for a place to dine.

I could hop on Bordeaux’s spiffy and efficient new tramway, which covers most of the city. Installed in 2004, the high-tech tram is efficient, inexpensive, and non-polluting. It has greatly reduced downtown traffic congestion, and since it operates on an underground power supply, there are no ugly cable systems overhead. But instead, I think I’ll walk. For those of us who like both the exercise and the expediency of getting about on foot, Bordeaux is an idyllic city, with plenty of car-free zones, and easy to navigate with the help of a basic map.

I saunter through town slipping easily from one neighborhood to the next. Bordeaux is divided into several different districts, each with its own charm. Saint-Michel is very cosmopolitan, with a colorful outdoor market on Saturday mornings and a flea market on Sundays. Narrow, cobbled streets characterize Saint Pierre. The Grands Hommes district (known also as The Triangle) is lined with elegant boutiques and townhouses, while the Chartrons, the former heart of the Bordeaux wine trade, features magnificent architecture.

By chance, I happen upon Chez Paulette, a delightful little bistrot embellished with walls covered with pictures. The somewhat funky decor is well matched by a menu that sums up the essence of bistro cuisine with items such as gratineed pigs’ feet, porcini mushrooms (cepes) baked in a deep dish to luscious perfection, delicately sauteed sweetbreads. One simple measure of good bistrot cooking is the success of the omelettes, and Chez Paulette turns them out classically golden on the outside with a voluptuously soft interior. Tender and tasty white asparagus is a Bordelais favorite, especially when accompanied by refreshing local Sauvignon-Blanc/Semillon white wine. The wine list at Chez Paulette offers good and affordable selections such as Domaine de Grandmaison, Chateau Coufran, and L’Abeille de Fieuzal, none of these more than 30 Euros.

It’s less than a 15-minute walk back to the Hotel de Normandie. Situated in the heart of the historic section of the city, the Normandie’s windows look out over the tree-lined Esplanade des Quinconces. With the exception of the spacious "Grand Confort" rooms on the top floor, guest rooms are generally smallish, but they are clean, serviceable, and modestly priced, ranging from EU 55-120. But what the Normandie is really all about is location. From here, it’s a two minute walk to the famed Grand Theatre, and less than 5 minutes to the banks of the Garonne River. Most conveniently for any wine lover, a scant block separates the hotel from the CIVB (the Conseil Interprofessionnel de Vin de Bordeaux — the Bordeaux Wine Council).

Around mid-morning the next day I make my way over to the 18th-century building that houses the CIVB, and head upstairs to the Ecole de Vin for a quick Bordeaux primer with Gabrielle Shaw. Shaw, a British Master of Wine, offers classes geared either to wine professionals or to interested amateurs, ranging from a two hour general introductory seminar to four-day intensive courses. Under her tutelage I brush up on Bordeaux’s important wine regions, including the Medoc (home of some of the most impressive chateaux and prestigious Classified Growths), the Blaye and Bourg districts (known for picturesque villages, Romanesque churches, and vine-covered slopes overlooking the Gironde River), Saint Emilion (as famous for its eponymous medieval town as for its fine, elegant wines), Entre-Deux-Mers (Bordeaux’s largest winegrowing region, named for the two rivers, the Garonne and the Dordogne, that mark its borders), and Graves (stretching bucolically along the west bank of the Garonne to the Landes pine forests).

With appetite fueled by a late-morning wine tasting at the CIVB, I stroll over to the bustling Place de Quinconces for lunch. A decade ago it was a challenge to come up with more than a handful of Bordeaux restaurants that were worthy of a great wine capital, but that picture has improved considerably. At the popular Bistrot de Quinconces, I order a glass of Chateau Tour de Mirambeau from Entre-Deux-Mers, a fresh and lively white wine that is a perfect partner for a dozen oysters shimmering in their shells before me (Bordeaux’s Arcachon oysters, raised on the coast due west of Graves, are notoriously sweet and plump). Sticking with the sea motif, the oysters are followed by a filet of carrelet, a diminutive Atlantic fish with the pure white flesh and delicate flavors of sole.

I devote the next couple of days to simply roaming around Bordeaux. This is a town that has impressively reinvented itself, evolving through the 1990s from a gray and sullen provincial outpost into a dynamic, welcoming metropolis. In addition to the fine new tramway, other municipal improvements include the creation of new parks and the renovation of public squares. Bordeaux’s elegant 18th-century buildings have been restored and buffed clean to reveal the pale, golden stone that had been obscured by centuries of grit and grime.

Bordeaux’s praiseworthy museums include the CAPC, where contemporary art is exhibited in a cavernous former colonial warehouse. The hulking old stone building provides a spectacular setting for the art, and it also houses an attractive cafe that is a great place to grab a bite to eat while resting one’s feet after a morning spent plodding around museums. In temperate weather the museum’s roof provides a restful haven as well as stunning views over the city.

I while away another couple of hours at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, with its varied collection of furniture, glass, ceramics and metalwork displayed in a pristinely preserved 18th century mansion set at the back of a cobbled courtyard. Just up the street from the museum on the tiny rue Bouffard, is an exceedingly agreeable Bed & Breakfast named Une Chambre En Ville. I spend my last couple of nights at the B&B to get a feel for what it’s like to stay in this section of town. Although it’s right in the center of the city, rue Bouffard is a fairly quiet street lined with antique stores (the double-paned insulated windows at Une Chambre further guarantee a quiet night’s rest.) The five guest rooms are stylishly furnished, and although a couple of them are small, mine (the Bordelaise Suite) is large and airy. (Rooms range from EU 79 to 89).

Heading further into the center of town, I pop into Thierry Lalet Dessert, a tiny shop where mouth-watering pastries are displayed jewel-like in glass cases. At Saunion, fine candy makers since 1893, I sample lightly salted chocolate meant to be enjoyed with wine. I also drop in at Jean d’Alos, the finest cheese store in Bordeaux (Jean d’Alos is widely recognized as one of the country’s finest affineurs). I make my way over to bustling Baillardron to sample caneles (unique to Bordeaux, caneles are little fluted cakes, caramelized on the outside, with a soft interior lightly flavored with vanilla and a hint of rum). At L’Intendant, a retail mecca for wine lovers, I climb the spiral staircase that corkscrews up four floors lined with shelves holding thousands of bottles of wine.

Among my favorite eateries in the city’s historic district is the informal and inexpensive Jool D. Le Bistrot de L’Huitre, where I slurp up oysters garnished Bodeaux-style with sausage, washed down with Clos de Beau Site Graves. For heartier fare I spend my last evening at La Tupina, where the substantial cuisine of Gascony reigns. At La Tupina the decor is casual, and both the menu and wine list cover a wide range of options and prices. Just walking past the open fireplace where ducks, chickens and steaks sizzling over the flames release heavenly aromas into the atmosphere is enough to make one fairly swoon with anticipation. Foie gras, rich and voluptuous, is garnished with nothing more than a sprinkling of coarse salt. Wild boar has been patiently braised in a pungent wine and herb infused potion, and garlic-spiked lamb spent a day simmering to silken tenderness. Fried potatoes that are utterly addictive accompany steak, grilled to perfection with a crisply browned exterior and juicy pink interior, the gastronomic equivalent of a habit-forming drug.

Since I can’t possibly go straight back to my hotel and bed after indulging so at La Tupina, I cross over the bridge on this balmy evening for one last look at Bordeaux in all her twinkling nighttime splendor. There is no better vista of the city, either after dark or by light of day, than from the opposite bank of the Garonne, looking across the dark water to the graceful procession of tawny buildings curving along the quay. And this splendid view costs absolutely nothing.