Noble Rot brings real stories and people, allowing them to talk in the clearest terms about Bordeaux wines. Nobel Rot shows us some of the darker side of Bordeaux wine production with characters you would normally only find in creatively scripted mystery and thriller novels.

There are points such as the 1855 classification system which has become the base when describing the “quality” of today’s grand cru. He goes into a very delicate subject and explains what happened the last time it was truly challenged. Bordeaux Wine Noble Rot Revolution tastes is amazing!

Some of William Echikson’s statements, opinions and discoveries will have many traditionalists and big wigs squirming in their corporate chairs, which only adds to a great book to read.

While it exposes many challenges being faced by Bordeaux wines and hails a growing number of “garage” operations, it brings forward a clear message of the quality of the environment which produces the very grape which make Bordeaux wine the benchmark of all. These so called garage operations challenges some of the most prestigious chateaux with their not so traditional ways to produce Bordeaux wine.

William Echikson, author of Burgundy Stars, lives in Brussels, where he is bureau chief for Dow Jones Newswires and a wine columnist for Wall Street Journal Europe

Bordeaux is the second largest wine-making region in the world nearly 300,000 acres of vines, among those the most legendary. Its pure reputation is dominated mostly on red wines, especially those from the Médoc, Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and the famous Sauternes areas. The region also produces a wide range of other excellent wines, including dry and sweet whites, rosé and clairet, and a sparkling wine called Crémant de Bordeaux.
 
It is as fate has calculated Bordeaux to produce the world’s finest wines thanks to geographic positioning. The region, located two hours north of the Spanish border, has an ideal climate moderated by the Gulf Stream, kept tempered by the nearby Atlantic Ocean and two surrounding rivers. The great diversity of microclimates and soils (clay, gravel, chalk, limestone) are ideally suited to Bordeaux’s different grape varieties:

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle

The unique blend of Bordeaux Wine
The richness and elegance of Bordeaux wines is the result of subtle blending of these different grape varieties, combined with centuries of experience, knowing the exact amount of grape to blend, the skills of local winemakers and on-going research by oenologists, scientists and technicians.

Bordeaux Wines for all Tastes
With 57 appellations, more than 9,000 wine-producing chateaux, and 13,000 wine growers in the Bordeaux region, it is no surprise you will find sophisticated wines, refreshing wines better when chilled, aged wines and young wines. Though the top-quality Bordeaux wines merit the higher prices they command, there is virtually an endless choice of wines in every price category.

Thanks to its size and enormous choice, Bordeaux produces fine wines for every taste, every mood and every budget. From classified Grand Cru wines to small chateaux’s of lesser known names to top brand names; from dry whites to sweet whites, from lighter to fuller bodied reds, Bordeaux Wine provides the unique quality.

Keep browsing our site, filled with tips, general information and soon you will be geared up to confidently choose what’s best for your occasion. While it is even challenging for a top oenologist to master the diversity of Bordeaux Wines, this also makes opening a new bottle an exciting and privileged occasion.

Most Bordeaux wine tour operators offer similar packages, offering visits to well known and favorite chateaux’s, meals and lodging, ranging from three to six days. One of my favorite packages are Bordeaux Wine Tours 4 Nights 5 days which comes from Off the Beaten Path. Here is a description of what they have to offer and a synopsis of their offering.

Bordeaux Wine Harvest & Culinary
Walking Tour Summary
Our fully escorted five day Bordeaux wine harvest and culinary tour is a unique and rare opportunity for travelers to go behind the scenes of the exclusive world of Bordeaux wine and experience the excitement and activities of the annual "Harvest" period first-hand! There is no better way to discover, learn about and grow one’s appreciation for Bordeaux wine than being in the fields, walking from one historical estate to another, through some of the world’s most famous first growth vineyards and meeting and talking with the producers, cellar masters and pickers themselves while they are in full harvest mode. Unlike other wine producing regions of the world, Bordeaux is a one-of-a-kind place, an "invitation only" world where visits and tasting are by appointment only, and reserved exclusively for those with privileged relationships and connections, especially during the harvest. During our small group, Bordeaux wine harvest and culinary walking tour programs, our guests experience the privilege of our relationships, as they are welcomed to exclusive first growth producers as a group of friends, to learn about the families behind the names, differing trade and vinification practices and the reasons that still make Bordeaux wines the most distinct and special wines of the world!

5-DAY BORDEAUX HARVEST TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Historian Guide
Expert Walking Guide
Professional Oenology Instruction
Wine Tasting & Blending Workshop
2 Evening, Hands-on Culinary Classes
Walking in Graves
Walking in Sauternes
Walking in the Saint Emilion Jurisdiction
Winery Tours & Tasting at First Growth Producers
Chateau Haut Brion on tour departure day
Gourmet Dining Daily
Historical Accommodations

Bordeaux wine, refers to all wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France, two hours north of the Spanish Border. Bordeaux is the second largest wine region in the world with nearly 300,000 acres devoted to vines, 57 appellations, 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, and 13,000 grape growers

With an annual production of over 700 million bottles, Bordeaux produces large quantities of everyday wine as well as expensive wines. Although the reputation of Bordeaux is based on its few prestigious red wines and the sweet white wines from Sauternes, Bordeaux also produces large quantities of ordinary table wines, including white wines, rosé wines, and a sparkling wine, called Crémant de Bordeaux.

Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, Malbec. Two other types have slowly seen their existence diminish, the Malbec and Carmenere. On the other hand, white Bordeaux is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.

The Bordeaux region has an excellent environment for growing vines. The ecological foundation of the region is generally limestone, meaning that the soil is full of calcium, and the natural paths of the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers irrigate the land. Combined with the oceanic climate from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, giving humidity to the atmosphere, creates a desirable environment for grapes to flourish.

The Bordeaux wine region is divided into sub regions including Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Médoc, and Graves. In 1855, a classification system, known as The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, ranked the wines into five categories according to price. The first growth red wines (four from Médoc and one, Château Haut-Brion, from Graves), are among the most expensive wines in the world, although in wine competitions they tend to be beaten by less expensive wines from various countries in blind taste tests. See, for example, the St. Catharines Wine Tasting of 2005, the Berlin Wine Tasting of 2004 and The Wine Rematch of the Century.

There is a plethora of possibilities to live out a dream tour, visiting some of Bordeaux’s world famous chateau’s. Flying directly into Bordeaux from many foreign departures are much more accessible today, to begin your Bordeaux Wine Tours. The TGV (Train Grand Vitesse) will also get you to Bordeaux in three hours time from the center of Paris. The facility to leave Paris to take on a Bordeaux Wine Tour has become a great getaway from the City of Lights. Even a drive down is quite simple five hour trot.

While wine tasting would be the featured activity, the southwest of France also offers many other attractions not well know to the less well traveled. One of the longest white sand beaches stretches across three counties all the way down to the Spanish border, countless acres of pine tree forests line the coast and neatly manicured bike trails which lead to pristine, secluded beaches. Amongst all this lay many little villages where an open palate will experience sensations never before imagined. From November until April, you can be greeted by either cold, rainy weather one day and the next with warm blue skies. It’s also a good chance that you’ll find sunny days the rest of the year, which makes this region perfect for wine making.

There are several Bordeaux Wine Tour specialists which all offer great packages ranging from 3 to six days, tours focusing solely on the Bordeaux area and others which will take you further south into the Landes and Pyrenees Atlantique region.

On a personal note, I found it a great compromise to take a three day Bordeaux Wine Tour and then wander by myself towards some of the smaller, up and coming Chateaux’s, which I found produces some astonishing cuvees.