Three types of grapes are most commonly used in the majority of a Red Bordeaux style wine; Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Two other species of grapes are also used, but less today than in the past. Finding the right amount to blend will make the difference between a memorable experience wanting more and, one we would try to forget about. White Bordeaux style wine uses Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.
There are many types of Bordeaux style wine all around the world, all trying to emulate the bouquets and colors found in Bordeaux wine. Bordeaux wines have been the reference of greatness for centuries and while California, Chile, Australia and dozens of others have made great leaps of progress, traditionalists always find their way back to their beloved Bordeaux.
Bordeaux, located two hours north of the Spanish border, lay in the southwest of France, an area whose soils are generally limestone. This and the fact that the Atlantic Ocean and a couple rivers surround the entirety of Bordeaux, bringing the right amount of humidity and climate, are all elements which have contributed to making Bordeaux the Mecca of wine.
Officially, there are 9,000 wine producing chateaus which make up the face of Bordeaux Wine. There are an unaccounted number of “garage” style producers who have come up with some incredible blends over the years. Bordeaux style wine has been the benchmark for many aficionados looking to create their own blends. Once again, finding the right balance between the different grapes, adding oxygen, including woodchips, ageing in barrels or iron vats and many more techniques exist.
It would be unfair to say that a bottle of Opus One tastes better than a Chateau Haut Brion. Both have their unique smell, flavor, colors and connoisseur. Playing devils advocate here but, since wine stocks in California originally came from France, could a bottle of Opus One be considered a Bordeaux style wine, vice-versa as vines were re-sent back to France after the terrible disease that nearly wiped out all French stock.  The best wines in the world are Bordeaux styles wine.

Quite simply when Bordeaux: A Consumer’s Guide to the World’s Finest Wines first came out in 1985, it almost instantly became the “only voice” and “the Bible” of Bordeaux wines. It’s author Robert Parker has since then become the single handed most important person in wine reviews.
Since its first launch there have been several revisions made to the original Bordeaux: A Consumer’s Guide to the World’s Finest Wines most notably a complete guide of vintages from 1961 up until 2001. Parker has also updated some rankings to delight to some and dismay to others. 
Parker begins with an overview of each year, which includes insight into growing conditions and yields, notes on anticipated maturity, general price ranges, and lists of best wines. The heart of the book is the chapter "Evaluating the Wines of Bordeaux," in which he meticulously reviews wine producers of every appellation. Organized geographically, the chateaux are listed in alphabetical order, and entries include contact information, vineyard size, details about the wine-making style, and a general evaluation of the chateau’s wines. Best of all, each entry includes extensive tasting notes on important vintages, all of them featuring Parker’s celebrated rating system — in which every wine is assessed on a scale ranging from 50 to 100. In later chapters, he also offers essential information about the elements of a great Bordeaux wine, practical travel information about the region, a glossary of wine terms, and more.
An invaluable guide for consumers, Robert M. Parker, Jr.’s Bordeaux provides all the information amateurs and connoisseurs alike could possibly need in their search for that perfect bottle.

About the Author
Robert M. Parker, Jr. has been the author and publisher of The Wine Advocate for nearly a quarter of a century. In 1999, Parker became the first wine critic to ever receive La Croix du Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (The Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honor), France’s highest honor, conferred on him by President Jacques Chirac. In 1993, President Mitterand had given him France’s other national honor, knighthood in the National Order of Merit. He won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional in 1998, and he is now the author of thirteen books, including Burgundy, two editions of The Wines of the Rhone Valley, and six editions of Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide. He lives in Parkton, Maryland, with his wife Patricia, his daughter Maia, and numerous basset hounds and English bulldogs

 Bordeaux and its surrounding has so much to offer, besides its world renowned wines which still rests above any other. The longest stretch of white sand beach in Europe is nearby, the Pyla sand dune which will have you thinking you’re in Egypt is a mere trot down the coast, fine dining and shopping are also right at your finger tips.

When visiting, you would certainly take a tour and visit the worlds best distilleries of fine whiskies and schedule in a couple rounds of golf. Lucky for golf enthusiasts, Bordeaux offers well over a dozen great golf courses which you can fit it during or around your Bordeaux wine tour.

There are tailor made services of Bordeaux golf wine tours available to cater to each and every persons taste, budget and time allowances. There are also many Bordeaux wine tours which would allow you ample time to get in 18 holes in the morning and leave you ample time to visit at least two Chateaux Grand Cru and lunch at a great restaurant.

Some of the courses I would suggest are:

Golf de Bordeaux lac which offer two courses with different styles of play. It is favorite to many visitor because of its diversity.
La Jalle: An old-style course on level grounds which traverses some nice wooded areas. This course demands concentration as roughs lay deep, easily adding a shot or two to your score card.
Les Etangs: an American style course, with rolling countryside and water hazards (out of bounds area still with relatively few trees. This is the very course where the French Junior Championships take place.

Golf de Bordeaux-Camerac The only 18-hole course on the right bank of Bordeaux, which lay between the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers. The course is laid out in the middle of a forest of century old trees, surrounded by vines, half way between Bordeaux and Libourne. Just a 15 minutes drive from the city center of Bordeaux but count on at least thirty in early morning traffic

Golf du Médoc another club offering two different courses. Many prestigious European events, such as the French Open in 1999 have taken place on the famous “Parcours des Châteaux”. This course is perhaps the closest thing to a traditional Scottish links course. You always feel privileged hitting the ball here, playing deep within nature and its natural surroundings.
The “Parcours des Vignes”. A great course to play but watch out for hidden bunkers and water hazards which make for many a challenging shot. It would be described as a typical course of the region as it’s surrounded by pine trees and more which enhance the aesthetic beauty of the course.

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.