Consider that either one of US are only billed to live AT LEAST 100 years (a bit more if we perfect our elixir…which very well MAY be Bordeaux inspired, in which case I suggest you read with care) and that there are at least three to four generations in one hundred years. If one were to take it even further and consider the 70 or so generations 2000 years represent, and then think WHO might have been your ancestors 70 generations ago, AND THEN consider just how many people, 70 generations back, would be responsible for YOUR genetic make-up…well then one can understand just how much wine from the area has evolved in that time. A spiral thought to be sure, but a time period like that requires context. Now that you’re aware, having touched upon immortality, it would seem only relevant to mention the age-ability of Bordeaux wine, one of the many enduring qualities that have ensured its replication all over the world, specifically in South Africa as pertaining to our overarching area of interest. But I digress. Let’s start at the beginning. Bordeaux Blends.
Bordeaux Blends Explained
90% of Bordeaux Blends are made with red grapes, specifically Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The other 10% is made up of white Bordeaux Blends, which I have a particular penchant for, usually made from a blend of Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle (South Africa is producing stellar examples as well). Oh and please don’t forget the sweet wines of Sauternes, Thomas Jefferson had an affinity for these, one which became the center of the most publicized wine fraud cases in recent years; involving billionaire American wine collector Bill Koch regarding a 1784 Château Lafite reputedly owned by the late President. Now technically/legally there are 5 particular red grape varietals that can be used in an official Bordeaux Blend, these include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot (traditionally little amounts of Carménère were added, a practice that died out with the Phylloxera Plague). The particular Bordeaux Blends are defined by their terroir and divided into two categories, depending on whether they have been cultivated on either the Left or Right bank of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, which form the Gironde Estuary and eventually run into the Atlantic ocean. Over the years the Left and Right Bank blends have cultivated very exact characteristics that distinguish them from one another. For example the Left Bank, which includes the appellations of Médoc and Graves have gravelly soils and by extension graphite driven red wines, usually Cabernet dominant. Left Bank blends are therefore bolder and more tannic (perfect for ageing) and usually includes a selection of all five Bordeaux varietals. The Right Bank’s red clay soils produce bold, plummy red wines, traditionally Merlot dominant, considered softer than its Left Bank counterparts, with more refined tannins for earlier enjoyment. The grape varietals usually included in a Right Bank Blend are: Merlot (usually 60%), Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is very rare for an actual Bordeaux blend to include all 5 designated varietals, which given the many variables begs the question:
WHY are Bordeaux Blends so sought after?
The answer to that is two-fold:
1. The longstanding prestige of the 1855 Classification System.
2. The versatility of a Bordeaux blend, meaning that if one varietal suffers that season, another can be used to mask it.
The Cornerstones of Bordeaux
The first point came about in 1855 when Napoleon III insisted on a ranking of the top wines to accompany an exhibit of Bordeaux wines at the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris. The ranking was ordered 1 to 5, from First Growth to Fifth. What is interesting is that the 58 properties included in the original list, remain the same 163 years later, except for two formal changes. The enduring quality of this Classification and the power of it has been proven year on year, with the First Growth properties commanding some of the highest prices in wine today. This can be attributed to a number of factors, but the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and the rules surrounding this particular terroir seems to guarantee, in the minds of the wine public, a level of quality, a tried and tested formula for only the very best wine (which the critics seem to agree on). The second point, merely a further guarantee of quality. Given what we know, it seems only natural that the concept of the Bordeaux Blend has been applied so effectively in different countries. For example in Italy, the Super Tuscans are blends of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon with an international following of note. In Australia they have found that while they successfully do Bordeaux Style blends, that their terroir is also particularly suited to blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. South American countries such as Chile and Argentina tend to focus on their strengths, with Carménère and Malbec dominant blends respectively. But it is South Africa and America that excel at the traditional blends, as evidenced by the results of the US wines at the Judgement of Paris Tasting, and our general experience of our South African Blends.
The High Road
In South Africa, the Stellenbosch wine region is known for its Bordeaux Blends, or more specifically its world renowned Cabernet Sauvignon. Though formal Bordeaux Blends only really started being made here in the early 1980’s. Since then the category has been evolving steadily, with big names such as Meerlust, Thelema and MR De Compostella making prime, highly rated examples. Recently, we discovered a small boutique négociant wine producer, The High Road. Following the traditional French business model on which Bordeaux trades. It involves a network of négociants / trading companies, who purchase a certain percentage of a particular property’s annual harvest and then make and sell the wine based on the merits of the terroir it comes from, and their own winemaking techniques. It was co-owner Les Sweiden’s belief in the power of Stellenbosch’s Cabernet Sauvignon, that he insisted on making Cabernet dominant Cape Bordeaux Blends. He has done so winningly through shrewdly selecting fruit from prime Stellenbosch terroir and carefully monitoring the blending process. One of the early critiques of South African Bordeaux was that wine producers created blends using all five varietals merely in an effort to draw a connection to their French counterparts and trade on the Bordeaux name. The High Road’s blends are made in true Left Bank style, utilizing only the required number of varietals for an optimum flavour profile, with one single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon to illustrate the quality of the Stellenbosch terroir. The selectivity of the brand and the freedom and control afforded them by their négociant winemaking model ensures a true Cape Bordeaux. Prime examples we are excited to offer you, without the First Growth price tag, and as a true expression of our fair Cape.
