Regional Spotlight: Bordeaux

The name Bordeaux is derived from bord de l’eau (Basque for “along the water”) and illustrates the region’s long and complex history as a port of trade. Inhabited as early as the 1st Century BC, it wasn’t until the 12th Century CE, when the Duchess of Aquitaine married the future King of England, that Bordeaux began its ties with England that made the wine region so famous. British royal taste for early Bordeaux solidified the illustrious reputation of these wines, and the region’s rapid development and export market was, in large part, because of the proximity of the vineyards to the port from which the wines would be transported. Investment in the growth of the city of Bordeaux mirrored this early development: nearly a millennium later, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2007.

Bordeaux is the birthplace of grape varieties like Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon (which is a cross between Cab. Franc x Sauv. Blanc), Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It’s from here that international winemakers, eager to capitalize on the notoriety of some of these most popular varieties, took clippings and planted them in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Canada… the list goes across the world. And some of those countries have since created their own thumbprint with these varieties (Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, anyone?!). Back in Bordeaux the most sought-after sub-regions, whose vineyards lay along the Left (west) and Right (east) Banks of the Gironde river, became synonymous with quality: St. Éstephe, St. Julien, Paulliac, Margaux, Pomerol, St. Émilion…

Based in the famed Margaux region, Michel Théron is best known for his commitment to biodynamics. His belief in observation – getting to know and listening to the vines to understand how to help them express terroir – has earned him serious clout and respect the wine world over, and the resulting quality of the Clos du Jaugueyron wines is apparent. Electric and approachable in their youth, the very small portfolio of Clos du Jaugueyron offers absolutely pure expressions of Left Bank Bordeaux, and exemplifies the lesser-known, yet still classic wines being produced outside of Bordeaux’s 1855 Classification System.