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75-516: Malesan is a Bordeaux wine brand owned by Groupe Castel . It is produced as a red, rosé and white wine. Malesan was originally owned by Bernard Magrez , and was bought by Castel in 2003. In 2007, at 1.06 million cases (12.7 million bottles), Malesan was the second most selling Bordeaux brand behind Mouton Cadet . This winery -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine ( Occitan : vin de Bordèu ; French : vin de Bordeaux )

150-550: A Malbec vineyard at almost 1500 m (5,000 feet) elevation in the Gualtallary sub-district of Tupungato , the Adrianna Vineyard . He was also the first to develop a clonal selection of Argentine Malbec. High-altitude Mendoza has attracted many notable foreign winemakers, such as Paul Hobbs, Michel Rolland , Herve Joyaux-Fabre, Roberto Cipresso and Alberto Antonini . Today, there are several Malbecs from

225-584: A broad generalisation, Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux's second-most planted grape variety) dominates the blend in red wines produced in the Médoc and the rest of the left bank of the Gironde estuary . Typical top-quality Châteaux blends are 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot. This is typically referred to as the "Bordeaux blend". Merlot tends to predominate in Saint-Émilion , Pomerol and

300-748: A budget-priced La Moneda Reserve Malbec from the UK supermarket chain Asda won the Platinum Best in Show prize in a blind tasting at the Decanter World Wine awards. The grapevine was introduced to Australia in the 19th century and was mostly a bulk wine producing grape. The particular clones planted in Australia were of poor quality and highly susceptible to coulure, frost and downy mildew. By

375-524: A few years ago in the area. It was not until 1993 that the Viu Manent vineyard became the first Chilean winery to produce, bottle and market 100% Malbec wines produced in the country, from the vineyard they had for more than 100 years in the city of Santa Cruz in the Colchagua where this variety was found. In 2016, a hundred-year-old Malbec plantation was also discovered in the city of San Rosendo , in

450-411: A major market, now imports more wine from Australia than from France. Amongst the possible causes for this economic crisis are that many consumers tend to prefer wine labels that state the variety of grape used, and often find the required French AOC labels difficult to understand. Christian Delpeuch , president emeritus of Plan Bordeaux hoped to reduce production, improve quality, and sell more wine in

525-567: A period of ageing (commonly a year). The traditional Bordeaux barrique is a 225-litre oak barrel. At some point between pressing and bottling the wine is blended. This is an integral part of the Bordeaux wine making process, as scarcely any Bordeaux wines are varietals ; wine from different grape varieties is mixed together, depending on the vintage conditions, so as to produce a wine in the château's preferred style. In addition to mixing wine from different grape varieties, wine from different parts of

600-592: A period to refer to all red wine rather than to the claret style specifically. The export of Bordeaux was interrupted by the Hundred Years' War outbreak between France and England in 1337. By the end of the conflict in 1453 France had repossessed the province, thus taking control of wine production in the region. As part of the Auld Alliance , the French granted Scottish merchants a privileged position in

675-584: A plusher texture and riper tannins. The wines tend to have juicy fruit notes with violet aromas. In very warm regions of Argentina and Australia, the acidity of the wine may be too low which can cause a wine to taste flabby and weak. Malbec grown in Washington state tends to be characterized by dark fruit notes and herbal aromas. An exception to this in Washington State is Malbec grown in the high desert Lake Chelan AVA terroir. Malbec grapes grown in

750-541: A significant portion of Malbec vines in Bordeaux, allowing many growers a chance to start anew with different varieties. By 1968, plantings in the Libournais were down to 4,900 hectares (12,100 acres) and fell further to 1,400 hectares (3,460 acres) by 2000. While Malbec has since become a popular component of New World meritages or Bordeaux blends, and although it is still a permitted variety in all major wine regions of Bordeaux , its presence in Bordeaux has dwindled;

825-488: A slang term for blood. Many of the top Bordeaux wines are primarily sold by receiving the related payment in advance, the so-called selling en primeur . Because of the combination of longevity, fairly large production, and an established reputation, Bordeaux wines tend to be the most common wines at wine auctions. Market reports released in February 2009 showed that the market had increased in buying power by 128% while

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900-417: A smaller proportion of Sauvignon blanc. Other permitted grape varieties are Sauvignon gris , Ugni blanc , Colombard , Merlot blanc , Ondenc and Mauzac . Recently permitted by Bordeaux wineries, three new white grapes have been added: Alvarinho , Petit Manseng , and Liliorila. In the late 1960s Sémillon was the most planted grape in Bordeaux. Since then it has been in constant decline although it still

975-628: Is also permitted in the Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) of Côtes du Brulhois . In Le Midi region of the Languedoc , it is permitted (but rarely grown) in the AOC regions of Cabardès and Côtes de Malepère . There is a small amount of Malbec grown in the middle Loire Valley and permitted in the AOCs of Anjou , Coteaux du Loir , Touraine and the sparkling wine AOC of Saumur where it

1050-404: Is an entirely different variety. The Malbec grape is a thin-skinned grape and needs more sun and heat than either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot to mature. It ripens mid-season and can bring very deep color, ample tannin , and a particular plum-like flavor component which adds complexity to claret blends. Sometimes, especially in its traditional growing regions, it is not trellised but

1125-581: Is blended with Cabernet Franc and Gamay in some regions such as the Loire Valley . Other wine regions use the grape to produce Bordeaux-style blends . The varietal is sensitive to frost and has a propensity for shattering or coulure . Malbec is very susceptible to various grape diseases and viticultural hazards—most notably frost , coulure , downy mildew , and rot— but the development of new clones and vineyard management techniques have helped control some of these potential problems. When it

1200-657: Is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Gamay. Still, as elsewhere in France, Malbec is losing acreage to other varieties—most notably Cabernet Franc in the Loire. Though the grape was historically a major planting in Bordeaux , providing color and fruit to its blends , in the 20th century it started to lose ground to Merlot and Cabernet Franc . This was due, in part, to its vulnerabilities to so many different vine ailments (coulure, downy mildew, frost). The severe 1956 frost wiped out

1275-475: Is granitic, which causes the malbec of the area to contain a special minerality, in addition the influence of the coast and the mountains give acidity and freshness to the Chilean malbec, these conditions cause an important difference in its par Also, Chilean Malbec tends to have a fresher and more fruity flavor, because it is not harvested as ripe as other Malbec productions in the world. Prior to Prohibition in

1350-438: Is instead cultivated as bush vines (the goblet system). In such cases, it is sometimes kept to a relatively low yield of about 6 tons per hectare. Wines produced using this growing method are rich, dark, and juicy. As a varietal, Malbec creates a rather inky red (or violet), intense wine, so it is also commonly used in blends, such as with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to create the red French Bordeaux claret blend. The grape

1425-555: Is not afflicted with these various ailments, particularly coulure, it does have the potential to produce high yields. Malbec seems to be able to produce well in a variety of soil types but in the limestone based soils of Cahors it seems to produce its most dark and tannic manifestation. There are distinct ampelographical differences in the clones of Malbec found in France and in Argentina, with Argentine Malbec tending to have smaller berries. A comparative research study conducted by

1500-691: Is planted in the Lake Chelan AVA where it has consistently produced wines of exceptional quality. Other AVAs in the United States producing Malbec include the Ohio appellation of Grand River Valley, the New York appellations of North Fork of Long Island and Finger Lakes ; the Oregon appellations of Applegate Valley , Rogue Valley , Southern Oregon , Umpqua Valley and Willamette Valley ;

1575-433: Is popular in other places. Following harvest, the grapes are usually sorted and destemmed before crushing. Crushing was traditionally done by foot, but mechanical crushing is now almost universally used. Chaptalization is permitted, and is fairly common-place. Fermentation then takes place, usually in temperature controlled stainless steel vats. Next the must is pressed and transferred to barriques (in most cases) for

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1650-761: Is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France , around the city of Bordeaux , on the Garonne River . To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde ; the Gironde department, with a total vineyard area of 110,800 hectares, is the second largest wine-growing area in France behind the Languedoc-Rousillon. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of wine, ranging from large quantities of daily table wine to some of

1725-494: Is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon , a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat effects of climate change on viticulture in Bordeaux, though only for those wines designated as Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérior. These newly approved grapes are Marselan , Touriga Nacional , Castets , and Arinarnoa. As

1800-834: Is the dominant red variety in Cahors where the Appellation Controlée regulations for Cahors require a minimum content of 70%. Introduced to Argentina by French agricultural engineer Michel Pouget in 1868, Malbec is now widely planted in Argentina. Grapes from this region produce softer, less tannic-driven wines than those from Cahors. There were once 50,000 hectares planted with Malbec in Argentina; now there are 25,000 hectares in Mendoza alone, in addition to production in La Rioja , Salta , San Juan , Catamarca and Buenos Aires . Chile has 2,361 hectares planted with Malbec,

1875-547: Is the most common of Bordeaux's white grapes. Sauvignon blanc's popularity on the other hand has been rising, overtaking Ugni blanc as the second most planted white Bordeaux grape in the late 1980s and now being grown in an area more than half the size of that of the lower yielding Sémillon. Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of

1950-482: The Baja California region of Mexico . At one point Malbec was grown in 30 different departments of France , a legacy that is still present in the list of local synonyms for the variety, which easily surpasses 1000 names. In recent times, however, the popularity of the variety has been steadily declining with a 2000 census reporting only 15,000 acres (6,100 hectares) of the vine, which are mostly consigned to

2025-761: The Biobío Region , which was brought to the area by French settlers at the end of the 19th century, which had also been blended with other vines from the area. Currently, the largest amount of Malbec production in Chile is located in the Maule Region , however there are also important plantations of the strain in the Biobío regions and in the Colchagua Valley area. The Terroir of the Maule Region

2100-498: The Gironde , but the French navy escorted them safely to the port of Bordeaux to protect them from Huguenot privateers. In the seventeenth century, Dutch traders drained the swampy ground of the Médoc so it could be planted with vines, and this gradually surpassed Graves as the most prestigious region of Bordeaux. Malbec was the dominant grape here, until the early 19th century, when it was replaced by Cabernet Sauvignon . In 1855,

2175-1008: The Idaho appellation of the Snake River Valley ; the Texas appellations of Texas High Plains and Texas Hill Country ; the Virginia appellations of Monticello and North Fork of Roanoke ; the North Carolina appellation of the Yadkin Valley ; the Michigan appellations of the Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula ; the New Jersey appellation of the Outer Coastal Plain and

2250-566: The Uco Valley . These districts are located in the foothills of the Andes mountains between 800 m and 1500 m elevation (2,800 to 5,000 feet). Argentine vintner Nicolás Catena Zapata has been widely credited for elevating the status of Argentine Malbec and the Mendoza region through serious experimentation into the effects of high altitude. In 1994, he was the first to plant

2325-427: The phylloxera epidemic . Argentine Malbec wine is characterized by its deep color and intense fruity flavors with a velvety texture. While they lack the tannic structure of French Malbecs, being more plush in texture, Argentine Malbecs have shown aging potential similar to their French counterparts. Argentina's most highly rated Malbec wines originate from Mendoza 's high altitude wine regions of Luján de Cuyo and

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2400-456: The Argentine wine industry shifted its focus to premium wine production for export. As the Argentine wine industry discovered the unique quality of wine that could be made from the grape, Malbec arose to greater prominence and is today the most widely planted red grape variety in the country. As of 2003 there were over 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of Malbec in Argentina. The Mendoza region is

2475-555: The Bordeaux region. Henry Plantagenet became King Henry II of England in 1154, and within his so-called Angevin Empire Bordeaux developed a long-lived export market for its wine in England. At this time, Graves was the principal wine region of Bordeaux, and the principal style was clairet . This accounts for the ubiquity of claret in England, though the anglicized term "claret" came to be used by English-speakers for

2550-640: The Catena Institute of Wine and University of California, Davis , examined the difference between the phenolic composition of Malbec wines from California and Mendoza, Argentina. Sixteen vineyards in California and twenty-six blocks in Mendoza were selected based on their uniformity and regional representativeness. The study concluded that there are distinct flavor and compositional differences in Malbec wines produced in Mendoza and California. Malbec

2625-423: The French agronomist Michel Pouget to bring grapevine cuttings from France to Argentina. Among the vines that Pouget brought were the very first Malbec vines to be planted in the country. During the economic turmoil of the 20th century, some plantings of Malbec were pulled out to make way for the jug wine producing varieties of Criolla Grande and Cereza . The grape was rediscovered in the late 20th century as

2700-515: The French style of Malbec common in the Libournais (Bordeaux region) as a "rustic" version of Merlot, softer in tannins and lower in acidity with blackberry fruit in its youth. The Malbec of the Cahors region is much more tannic with more phenolic compounds that contribute to its dark color. Oz Clarke describes Cahors' Malbec as dark purple in color with aromas of damsons , tobacco, garlic, and raisin . In Argentina, Malbec becomes softer with

2775-485: The Gironde. These rivers define the main geographical subdivisions of the region: In Bordeaux the concept of terroir plays a pivotal role in wine production with the top estates aiming to make terroir driven wines that reflect the place they are from, often from grapes collected from a single vineyard. The soil of Bordeaux is composed of gravel , sandy stone, and clay. The region's best vineyards are located on

2850-555: The Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico. The red grapes in the Bordeaux vineyard are Merlot (62% by area), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Cabernet Franc (12%) and a small amount of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère (1% in total). The white grapes are Sémillon (54% by area), Sauvignon blanc (36%), Muscadelle (7%) and a small amount of Ugni blanc, Colombard and Folle blanche (3% in total). Because of

2925-483: The United States , Malbec was a significant variety in California used mainly for blended bulk wine production. After Prohibition, the grape was a minor variety until it experienced a surge of interest as a component of " Meritage " Bordeaux-style blends in the mid-1990s. Between 1995 and 2003, plantings of Malbec in California increased from 404 hectares (1,000 acres) to more than 2,830 hectares (7000 acres). While

3000-473: The United States. However, two years after the beginning of the program, Mr Delpeuch resigned, "citing the failure of the French government to address properly the wine crisis in Bordeaux." Delpeuch told journalists assembled at the Bordeaux Press Club "I refuse to countenance this continual putting off of decisions which can only end in failure." "Delpeuch said he was shocked and disappointed by

3075-1265: The appearance of Californian varietal Malbec is increasing, the grape is still most widely used for blending. In California, the American Viticultural Areas (AVA) with the most plantings of Malbec include Napa Valley , Alexander Valley , Paso Robles and Sonoma Valley . Other regions in California with some plantings of Malbec include Livermore Valley , Atlas Peak , Carmel Valley , Los Carneros , Ramona Valley , Central Coast , Red Hills Lake County , Chalk Hill , Clear Lake , Diamond Mountain District , Russian River Valley , Dry Creek Valley , Rutherford , El Dorado , San Lucas , Santa Clara Valley , Santa Cruz Mountains , Santa Lucia Highlands , Santa Maria Valley , Santa Ynez Valley , Howell Mountain , Sierra Foothills , Knights Valley , Spring Mountain District , St. Helena , Lodi , Stags Leap District , Madera , Suisun Valley , Temecula Valley , Monterey , Mount Veeder , North Coast , Oak Knoll District , Yorkville Highlands , Oakville , Paicines , Clements Hills , Fair Play , Willow Creek , North Yuba , and Yountville . Seven Hills Winery planted

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3150-439: The châteaux of Bordeaux were classified ; this classification remains widely used today. From 1875 to 1892 almost all Bordeaux vineyards were ruined by phylloxera infestations. The region's wine industry was rescued by grafting native vines onto pest-resistant American rootstock . The major reason for the success of winemaking in the Bordeaux region is the excellent environment for growing vines. The geological foundation of

3225-423: The failure of his efforts—and by the lack of co-operation from winemakers and négociants themselves—to achieve anything concrete in terms of reforms to the Bordeaux wine industry over the last 24 months." The future of Plan Bordeaux is uncertain. Malbec The grape became less popular in Bordeaux after 1956 when frost killed off 75% of the crop. Despite Cahors being hit by the same frost, which devastated

3300-479: The first growths of the 1855 classification, and often sell for even higher prices. Bordeaux wine labels generally include: Claret ( / ˈ k l ær ɪ t / KLARR -it ) is a name primarily used in British English for red Bordeaux wine. Claret derives from the French clairet , now a rare dark rosé , which was the most common wine exported from Bordeaux until the 18th century. The name

3375-470: The first malbec strains would be exported from Chile to Argentina, specifically to the Mendoza region. At the end of the century XIX, French winemakers began to expand Malbec plantations to other regions of the central-south zone of Chile, however they mixed them with other varieties, so the production of Malbec gradually faded over the years, as was the case in the Maule Region , since centenary Malbec vines that had been mixed with other vines were discovered

3450-712: The first vines of Malbec planted in Oregon state in the late 1990s in their Windrow vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley . Since the turn of the 21st century, several wineries have been experimenting with 100% varietal Malbec as well as using the variety in Meritage blends. In Washington state it is grown predominately in the Columbia Valley and the sub-AVAs of Walla Walla Valley, Rattlesnake Hills , Red Mountain , Wahluke Slope , Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley . Elsewhere in Washington State, Malbec

3525-401: The generally humid Bordeaux climate, a variety of pests can cause a problem for the vigneron . In the past, this was counteracted by the widespread use of pesticides, although the use of natural methods has recently been gaining in popularity. The vines are generally trained in either single or double guyot. Hand-picking is preferred by most of the prestigious châteaux, but machine-harvesting

3600-482: The glacial soils found within the Lake Chelan AVA produce wines possessing ripe raspberry - black fruit aromas and flavors with moderate acidity and tannins. The C R Sandidge Purtteman and Tsillan Cellars estate vineyards are known to produce stellar Malbec wines. The French ampelographer Pierre Galet has documented over a thousand different synonyms for Malbec, stemming in part from its peak period when it

3675-717: The high altitude, Colorado appellation of the Grand Valley . Additionally, there are some plantings in Missouri and Georgia outside of federally delineated appellations. The success of Malbec led some producers in Chile to try their hand at the varietal. Grown throughout the Central Valley , Chilean Malbec tends to be more tannic than its counterpart and is used primarily in Bordeaux-style blends. In 2016

3750-431: The largest appellation producing fine wines, and the strong foundation of the pyramid of Bordeaux wines, Bordeaux AOC & Bordeaux Supérieur AOC today account for 55% of all Bordeaux wines consumed in the world. Plan Bordeaux was an initiative introduced in 2005 by ONIVINS , the French vintners association, designed to reduce France's wine production in order to improve profitability for the remaining producers. Part of

3825-463: The leading producer of Malbec in Argentina with plantings found throughout the country in places such as La Rioja , Salta , San Juan , Catamarca and Buenos Aires . The grape clusters of Argentine Malbec are different from its French relatives, having smaller berries in tighter, smaller clusters. This suggests that the cuttings brought over by Pouget and later French immigrants were a unique clone that may have gone extinct in France due to frost and

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3900-796: The main places are Colchagua Valley in O'Higgins Region , Maule Region and Bio-Bio Region . In California the grape is used to make Meritage . Malbec is also grown in Washington State , the Rogue and Umpqua regions of Oregon , the Grand Valley AVA of Colorado, Australia , New Zealand , South Africa , Brazil , British Columbia, the Long Island AVA of New York , southern Bolivia , Peru , northeastern Italy and recently in Texas and southern Ontario , Virginia, and in

3975-569: The market. In November 2011 the president of the Union des Maisons de Négoce de Bordeaux announced an intention to use the term claret de Bordeaux for wines that are "light and fruity, easy to drink, in the same style as the original claret when it was prized by the English in former centuries". "Claret" is also sometimes used as a colour name to refer to the dark, purplish-red colour of Bordeaux wine . In Britain and Australia, "claret" has also been

4050-650: The mid to late 20th century, many acres of Malbec were uprooted and planted with different varieties. By 2000, there were slightly over 1,235 acres (500 hectares), with the Clare Valley and Langhorne Creek having the most significant amount. As newer clones become available, plantings of Malbec in Australia have increased slightly. Other regions with some plantings of Malbec include Northern Italy , New Zealand , Brazil , South Africa , British Columbia , Ontario , Peru , Bolivia , Mexico , Southern Indiana , and Israel . Wine expert Jancis Robinson describes

4125-488: The only significant plantings are in the regions of the Côtes-de-Bourg , Blaye and Entre-Deux-Mers . While acreage of the Malbec is declining in France, in Argentina the grape is surging and has become a "national variety" of a sort that is uniquely identified with Argentine wine . The grape was first introduced to the region in the mid 19th century when provincial governor Domingo Faustino Sarmiento instructed

4200-452: The other right bank appellations. These Right Bank blends from top -quality Châteaux are typically 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. White Bordeaux is predominantly, and exclusively in the case of the sweet Sauternes , made from Sémillon , Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle . Typical blends are 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon blanc. As with the reds, white Bordeaux wines are usually blends, most commonly of Sémillon and

4275-478: The plan was to uproot 17,000 hectares of the 124,000 hectares of vineyards in Bordeaux. The wine industry in Bordeaux has been experiencing economic problems in the face of strong international competition from New World wines and declining wine consumption in France. In 2004, exports to the U.S. plummeted 59% in value over the previous year. Sales in Britain dropped 33% in value during the same period. The UK,

4350-409: The prices had been lowered for the very best Bordeaux wines. Syndicate des Vins de Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur is an organization representing the economic interests of 6,700 wine producers in Bordeaux, France. The wine lake and other economic problems have increased the salience of the winemakers' association, whose members are facing increasing costs and decreasing demand for their product. As

4425-521: The region is limestone, leading to a soil structure that is heavy in calcium. The Gironde estuary dominates the regions along with its tributaries , the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, and together irrigate the land and provide an Atlantic Climate, also known as an oceanic climate , for the region. Bordeaux lies at the center of the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers, which flow into

4500-426: The region scoring over 95 points in Wine Spectator and Robert Parker 's The Wine Advocate . Although Carménère is the emblematic strain of Chilean wine and other varieties of strains such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot noir among others are harvested in the country, Malbec has experienced exponential growth in its production during the last decades, due to the discovery of hundred-year-old vines of

4575-403: The request of Emperor Napoleon III for the Exposition Universelle de Paris . This came to be known as the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, which 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. The first growths are: At the same time,

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4650-441: The southwestern part of the country. Its stronghold remains Cahors where Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) regulations stipulates that Malbec must compose at least 70% of the blend, with Merlot and Tannat rounding out the remaining percentage. Outside of Cahors, Malbec is still found in small amounts as a permitted variety in the AOCs of Bergerac , Buzet , Côtes de Duras , Côtes du Marmandais , Fronton and Pécharmant . It

4725-532: The sweet white wines of Sauternes and Barsac were classified into three categories, with only Château d'Yquem being classified as a superior first growth. In 1955, St. Émilion AOC were classified into three categories, the highest being Premier Grand Cru Classé A with two members: In the 2012 classification, two more Châteaux became members: There is no official classification applied to Pomerol . However some Pomerol wines, notably Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin , are often considered as being equivalent to

4800-495: The term. Claret is occasionally used in the United States as a semi-generic label for red wine in the style of the Bordeaux, ideally from the same grapes as are permitted in Bordeaux. The French themselves do not use the term, except for export purposes. The meaning of "claret" has changed and now refers to a dry, dark-red Bordeaux. It has remained a term associated with the English upper class and consequently appears on bottles of generic red Bordeaux to raise their status in

4875-435: The trade of claret. This position continued largely unchanged after the Treaty of Edinburgh ended the military alliance between France and Scotland. Even when the by then Protestant kingdoms of England and Scotland, both ruled by the same Stuart king by this point, were trying to militarily aid the Huguenot rebels in their fight against Catholic France in La Rochelle , Scots trading vessels were not only permitted to enter

4950-440: The variety, as well as the year-on-year increase in hectares planted for its exclusive production in the country. It is currently estimated that in Chile there are 2,361 hectares dedicated exclusively to the production of Malbec. The history of malbec in Chile begins in 1841, when a group of French winemakers brought the vine to the country, along with other varieties to be planted in the Quinta Normal of Santiago , later in 1853

5025-420: The vineyard is often aged separately, and then blended into either the main or the second wine (or sold off wholesale) according to the judgment of the winemaker. The wine is then bottled and usually undergoes a further period of ageing before it is released for sale. The Bordeaux wine region is divided into subregions including Saint-Émilion , Pomerol , Médoc , and Graves . The 60 Bordeaux appellations and

5100-511: The vineyards, Malbec was replanted and continued to be popular in that area. Winemakers in the region frequently mixed Malbec with Merlot and Tannat to make dark, full-bodied wines, but have ventured into 100% Malbec varietal wines more recently. A popular but unconfirmed theory claims that Malbec is named after a Hungarian peasant who first spread the grape variety throughout France. French ampelographer and viticulturalist Pierre Galet notes, however, that most evidence suggests that Côt

5175-431: The well-drained gravel soils that are frequently found near the Gironde river. An old adage in Bordeaux is the best estates can "see the river" from their vineyards. The majority of land facing riverward is occupied by classified estates . Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon , Cabernet Franc , Merlot , Petit Verdot , Malbec and Carménère . Today Carménère

5250-406: The wine styles they represent are usually categorized into six main families, four red based on the subregions and two white based on sweetness: The vast majority of Bordeaux wine is red, with red wine production outnumbering white wine production six to one. There are four different classifications of Bordeaux, covering different parts of the region: The 1855 classification system was made at

5325-457: The world's most expensive and prestigious wines. The vast majority of wine produced in Bordeaux is red (sometimes called "claret" in Britain), with sweet white wines (most notably Sauternes ), dry whites, and (in much smaller quantities) rosé and sparkling wines ( Crémant de Bordeaux ) collectively making up the remainder. Bordeaux wine is made by more than 5,660 producers or châteaux . There are 65 appellations of Bordeaux wine. Viticulture

5400-660: Was anglicised to "claret" as a result of its widespread consumption in England during the period in the 12th–15th centuries that Aquitaine was part of the Angevin Empire and continued to be controlled by Kings of England for some time after the Angevins . It is a protected name within the European Union , describing a red Bordeaux wine, accepted after the British wine trade demonstrated over 300 years' usage of

5475-404: Was growing in 30 different departments of France . While Malbec is the name most commonly known to wine drinkers, Galet suggest that Côt was most likely the grape variety's original name and the frequent appearance of Auxerrois as a synonym suggests the northern reaches of Burgundy as being the possible home of the varietal. In Bordeaux, where the variety first gained attention, it was known under

5550-462: Was introduced into the Bordeaux region by the Romans , probably in the mid-1st century CE, to provide wine for local consumption, and wine production has been continuous in the region since then. During the 12th century, the popularity of Bordeaux wines in England increased dramatically following the marriage in 1152 of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine , whose Aquitaine lands included

5625-402: Was the variety's original name and that it probably originated in northern Burgundy . Due to similarities in synonyms, Malbec is often confused with other varieties of grape. Malbec argenté is not Malbec, but rather a variety of the southwestern French grape Abouriou . In Cahors, the Malbec grape is referred to as Auxerrois or Côt Noir; this is sometimes confused with Auxerrois blanc , which

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