Taste the Bordeaux "Vintage of a Lifetime"
— Wine Spectator's assessment of the 2000 Bordeaux vintage.

Our first three wines of the evening consist of a white and two reds, one unoaked and the other oaked, all from the Côtes de Blaye on the Right Bank. For contrast, the next four hail from districts on the Left Bank. These wines are well known to Bordeaux aficionados for their consistent quality over many years, and four of them scored 90 or above in the Wine Spectator. The 2003s are some of the best Bordeaux in their price category and are drinking well now.

For dessert, nothing is better than a rich, silky Sauternes. The Lamothe-Guignard on our tasting card is produced in the same region as the much more famous (and prohibitively expensive) Château d'Yquem. The climate in this region has just the right combination of humidity and warmth for the Semillon grapes to develop the fungus botrytis cinerea (see below), which gives the wine its wonderful honeyed flavor.

There is much to learn about this important wine region, but we also know that many of our members have had the opportunity to travel to Bordeaux themselves and have much to share. At our October program we are providing a 15-20 minute break, during which time guests can mingle with others and talk about their experiences or the wines or just relax. Of course, there will be wine to enjoy during the break.

Our speakers and hosts for the evening are Wine Society members and local wine shop owners, Emile and Stephanie Ninaud. Their frequent visits to Bordeaux and their love of these wines will be evident as they share with us the story of this region.

Wines for the evening will be paired with food bites from one of the hottest restaurants in the ever-popular Belltown area, Le P'tit Bistro. The chef is still putting the finishing touches on the menu, so watch for it soon. Or sign up for an e-mail update at events@seattlewinesociety.org .

A Bit About Bordeaux
Bordeaux produces some of the world 's most expensive and sought-after wines. Its vineyards cover nearly 250,000 acres and produce about 660,000 bottles of wine a year, depending on the weather.

At the October program, our knowledgeable and experienced speakers, Emile and Stephanie Ninaud, will skillfully guide us through the complexities of Bordeaux. In the meantime, here is some very general background.

Separated by the Gironde estuary, Bordeaux is divided into two large areas, broken down into the major wine districts. The Left Bank (to the west) is home to Medoc/Haut-Médoc, Graves/Pessac-Léognan, and Sauternes. The Right Bank (to the east), is home to St-Émilion, Pomerol, Côtes de Blaye, Côtes de Bourg, and Fronsac.

In the middle is the region known as Entre-Deux-Mers (literally, "between two seas "). In general, the soil on the Left Bank is gravelly (hence the name "Graves") and well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, the predominant grape here. The soil on the Right Bank tends to be clay and limestone, where Merlot thrives and predominates. As a result, the wines from the Right and Left Bank can differ greatly.

Bordeaux is best known for its red wines, with the principal blending grapes being Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with Petit Verdot and Malbec also allowed. For its white wines, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are the major grapes used, sometimes with lesser additions of Muscadelle.

Then there is the Bordeaux classification system which was set back in 1855 and remains virtually unchanged today. At that time, the 61 leading châteaux in most of the districts were ranked from First through Fifth Growth. Unfortunately, not every district uses the same system or terminology (and Pomerol, for one, was never classified). Confusing indeed. And the wines are not cheap either. But for value, Bordeaux is teeming with a seemingly endless supply of smaller, humbler châteaux. The Medoc alone has hundreds of decent and quite affordable crus bourgeois wines to choose from.

Amidst all this complexity, one thing can be counted on: the wines of Bordeaux are legendary and we are in for a treat at our October program when we sample some excellent examples of the "vintage of a lifetime."

Sauternes
One of the finest sweet wines in the world, Sauternes owes its existence to the fungus, botrytis cinerea, somewhat more appetizingly known as Noble Rot. When this fungus infects the grapes, it shrivels them, concentrating the sugars. Each grape is hand selected and carefully picked at optimum infection level and made into the luscious, nectar-like dessert wine.

Belltown's Little Bistro
Food bites for our Bordeaux program will be provided by Le P'tit Bistro, a charming French restaurant and creperie located in Belltown. Grenoble natives Danielle and Laurent Baldini opened Le P'tit last year with a goal of bringing to Seattle diners the types of food found in little regional village restaurants across France. They serve lunch and dinner and also feature an extensive and tantalizing array of crepes on the menu. Visit them at 2616 Second Avenue (206-728-4141). Or check them out at www.leptitbistro.com.

Back to the Top
Back to the Home Page