Bordeaux Wine

The Bordeaux wine region is made up of 37 parcels of land that are classified separately based on their terroir. I visited two of these parcels, Margaux and Moulis, both of which are in the Medoc region of Bordeaux (a region known exclusively for their red wines). The area is different in that the soil contains a large amount of gravel and stones, allowing for good water drainage.
What I found the most interesting is that in France, is that they insist on letting nature run its course. The soil looked terribly dry, but there are actually laws against watering and fertilizing the vines. While growers can prune the vines, nothing else is done. Our tour guide kept insisting that the poor soil in the region actually made the wine good. While in my previous post I discussed the benefits of France's terroir system, there are also negative consequences in that France is struggling to compete in the international wine market considering other "New World" vinyards do not have laws against irrigation and fertilization.
We visited a beautiful chateau called Chateau Prieure-Lichine. Prieure mean priory in English, the chateau was originally home to Benedictine monks who planted the first vines on the property. The chateau grew four kinds of grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit verdot, and Cabernet Franc which are blended to create the best possible wine. We got a tour of the property and followed the wine process from vine to bottle.



And most importantly a tasting...