50 | living wine
Seeing & tasting 1. Bordeaux
RED
The largest wine appellation in the world feels like a good place to start any round-up of French red wine. In fact, around 80% of Bordeaux wine is red, primarily Merlot and Cabernet In 2019 France was Sauvignon, supported by Cabernet Franc, the second largest wine Malbec, Carménère and Petit-Verdot. producer in the world (after A key part of understanding reds from Bordeaux is the idea of ‘left bank’ (Medoc Italy) and two-thirds of her and Graves grown to the left of the production is red or rosé. Gironde estuary and the Garonne river) Having previously looked versus ‘right bank’ (from appellations on the opposite sides) and north of the at white wine regions, this Dordogne river. The left bank has a time Caro Feely focuses on layer of gravel (over limestone and clay) major producers of reds. which was carried from the Pyrénées on a glacial melt millions of years ago, while the right bank has limestone and clay, people associate Burgundy more with hence cooler than the gravel. Cabernet reds. In the 15th century the Dukes Sauvignon prefers warm conditions, of Burgundy stopped other regions therefore it tends to be the primary red grape on the left bank, and Merlot prefers using the Rhone river to get their wines up to Paris and in doing so made the slightly cooler limestone, so tends a great monopoly for Burgundy in the to be the primary red grape on the right Parisian market – a smart move. bank. Going to the vineyards and seeing They also declared that only Pinotthe terroir up close helps us to appreciate Noir and Chardonnay should be these differences. used, helping to create the styles of Burgundy Burgundy we know today. Burgundy represents around 7% of the North of Beaune lies the ‘Côte de Nuits’ total French AOC vineyard area and and the ‘Route des Grands Crus’, with produces around 0.5% of global wine famous villages of Nuits-Saint-Georges, wine production (based on averages of Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny 2010 - 2014) but significantly more in and Gevrey-Chambertin, where some value at 3%. It has 84 AOCs – ‘protected of the best Pinot-Noirs in the world are designation of origins’ or PDOs. Only produced. Vosne-Romanée is home to 30% of this production is red but many the world’s most famous Grand Cru
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vineyards, including the hallowed Romanée-Conti, La Tâche and Richebourg.
3. Northern
Rhône Valley
The northern Rhône is a narrow valley which produces less than 5% of the total Rhône Valley’s wine, but what it produces usually carries a high price tag. The area stretches from the hallowed appellation of Côte-Rôtie in the north to Hermitage and its larger, relatively less prestigious (although still prestigious), neighbour Crozes-Hermitage in the South. Northern Rhône reds are made from Syrah (Shiraz).
4. Southern
Rhône Valley
The southern Rhône produces large quantities of Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages and the Provence wine appellations. Reds are made from Grenache, Syrah (Shiraz), Cinsault, Mourvèdre and rosés from all the red grapes, but primarily Grenache. The best known commune appellation is Châteauneuf-du-Pape, between Orange and Avignon, producing rich, spicy, herby reds made from up to 18 different varieties, including several white grapes (traditionally it was 13 but the 2009 ‘cahier des charges’ for the appellation lists 18). Other famous appellations include Gigondas and Vacqueras both similar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
