Grand Vin de Bordeaux

[plonk]

Well, it looks good on the label, this "Grand Vin de Bordeaux", but does it really indicate that this wine is of better quality? (I'm still in the early stages where I try to read and understand the labels) [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/cool.gif[/img]

[Innkeeper]

A better indicator of the quality of Bordeaux is the AOC. If it says Appellation Bordeaux Conrolee it means that the grapes and wine come from anywhere and everywhere in the entire Bordeaux region. If the middle word is Haut Medoc, Medoc, or St Julien, these are indicators of tighter and tighter AOCs, and usually higher and higher quality.

[plonk]

Thank you, Innkeeper! I've got a bottle of "Chateau Bel Air" (2000) with the Bordeaux AOC, so this means that the grapes can come from anywhere in the Bordeaux region. But it also says "Mis en bouteille au chateau" - is this also important?

[Innkeeper]

You bet, and it is usually reliable.

[Tastevin]

Hello Plonk. Actually there is more than one Chateau Bel Air. I would be interested in knowing what else it says on the label please. T.

[plonk]

Hello Tastevin,

well, not much. Except the information I already gave there's the word "Perponcher", I've got no idea what this means. And at the back of the bottle there's a Korean label which isn't surprising because I live in Korea. The body of the wine is marked as "full".

[Tastevin]

Thanks Plonk. Okay, the correct name of the wine you have is 'Chateau Bel Air Perponcher', made from the Merlot grape variety by the Despagne family. What fond memories that brings to mind;
I was fortunate to spend a few days there in early 2000. Head of the family, Jean-Louis Despagne, has been making wines from estates in the Entre-deux-Mers (an area in Bordeaux) for a considerable number of years. If they are available in Korea, I suggest you also try Château Tour de Mirambeau (red and white), and the dry white Château Bel Air Perponcher. T.

[plonk]

Hello Tastevin,
thanks for this information - I think I saw the white Chateau Bel Air also in the shop where I got the red, but I'm not sure about the other one you mentioned. I'll check.

[This message has been edited by plonk (edited 04-13-2004).]