Viva le France!

Wine Lovers,



This entry is not about a wine value priced for you to go out and buy, but about a bottle of wine I had the absolute pleasure to pour over my lips, down my throat and into my stomach and most importantly, one to cherrish in my memory bank forever!



I had the (Arguably) best wine on the planet (Certainly one of) a 1982 Grave Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan, Grand Cru!! Wow, still vibrant and beautiful with a soft silky feel in the mouth and fresh fruit on the finish! After 28 years it is still magnificant and youthful! This is French wine making history in a bottle! 1982 was also classified as a "vintage" year in the Bordeaux Region in France!



Let me tell you a little about Bordeaux and I will attempt not to get too "geeky" for you.



Many will tell you it is the greatest wine region in the world. Many other spots can stake a claim to the title, but only Bordeaux has the history, the mystique, the fame and centuries worth of world class wines in all three categories: White, Sweet and of course Red! The region produces around 70 million cases of wine per year, which accounts for almost one quarter of all production annually in France. Located in southwestern France around the city of Bordeaux, Bordeaux is comprised of 56 smaller appellations that line the banks of the Gironde Estuary river and its tributaries the Garonne and the Dordogne. Already famous in the 14th century, though winemaking in Bordeaux dates back to Roman times. The true fame of Bordeaux began in the 12th century when Henry Plantagenet, heir to the thrown of England, married Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, thus creating a place to export Bordeaux to England. The English have long been one of the most important export markets for Bordeaux. The first single estate wine mentioned in English literature was Château Haut Brion. Shelterd by forest land, and with a moderate temperature due to the rivers nearby, Bordeaux wines are blessed with a number of natural flavors. It is in the soil that the fame of Bordeaux is created. Rocky gravel and sand on the left bank of the Gironde, and with clay and limestone on the right. Bordeaux wines can vary greatly in style, price and quality. It is a common misconception that all Bordeaux is great, when in reality the most famous wines make up a tiny percentage of overall production. Bordeaux is known for red wine with over 80% of total production today. As recently as the 1960s more white wines were produced than red. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the major players, with Cabernet Franc also playing a key role. Petite Verdot and decreasingly Malbec are also permitted in the Bordeaux reds, which are made up of a blend of two or more grapes. White wines are primarily a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémeillon, though Muscadelle is also permitted. Beautiful and seductive sweet wines are produced from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. These are some of the greatest dessert wines in the world! Getting the grapes to ripen fully can be a little tough because of sun exposure, spring frosts, drought and fall rains during harvest. Unlike Napa Valley where the growing season is more or less perfect and long. While a great Bordeaux can be a wine-life changing experience, (Like what I just experienced) the prices have continued to rise to the point of lunacy! Bordeaux is sold on futures, meaning that the wine is sold before it has ever left the winery. Bordeaux has always been expensive, but prices as of late are enough to make even a millionaire squirm. The mediocre wines are over priced, the good wines available to only those with deep pockets and do not blink at spending more than $100 on a bottle of wine, and the best wines have put themselves in a market that only the wealthiest can even think about!

The bottle in question at this very moment is worth between $700-800! The new release is listed at $500 a bottle! Too rich for my blood... but certainly worth drinking should you have the pleasure!

Cheers!
J