Dourthe N°1 Saint Emilion 2019

Grape Variety

Bordeaux Blend

A Bordeaux Blend is a blended red wine that contains only those varieties that are authorized for use in the red wines of the Bordeaux region of France.  Bordeaux is the most famous and highly coveted wine blend in the world. Like many wines with a long history, there’s a lot to learn, so we’re here to just cover the basics.

• Red Bordeaux blend is primarily composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, with smaller portions of Malbec and Petit Verdot.
• White Bordeaux blend is primarily made of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, with a splash of Muscadelle in the mix

While there are both red and white Bordeauxs, the name Bordeaux is primarily associated with the red wine blend. Red Bordeaux is a red wine that is always made from blending Cabernet Sauvignon wine and Merlot wine together, though the proportion of each depends on the location of the winery that made the wine.

• Left bank blends : tend to be higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity. They are powerful, rich wines that are said to age a bit better than wines from the Right Bank.
• Right bank blends : tend to be softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Because Merlot is the dominant grape, they are much more juicy and usually ready to be drunk much earlier than Left Bank Bordeauxs, and they’re often less expensive.

St-Emilion

St-Emilion is a region of smallholdings.  The co-operative is of great importance and vinifies over 20% of entire crop to a consistently pretty high standard.  Merlot is the dominant grape in the clay-rich soils with significant plantings of Cabernet Franc on limestone lending support.

The grapes of St-Emilion are the plump Merlot and the Cabernet Franc.  Cabernet Sauvignon can have problems ripening in this climate less tempered by the ocean especially in its damper cooler soils

When to drink – Straightforward St-Emilion is enjoyable from the word go and even ambitious wines are bursting with fruity richness from around four years of age.  Don’t plan to keep too many bottles beyond their tenth birthday although the best wines from the limestone slopes around the town of St-Emilion itself have more structure and longevity.

Best Vintages of St-Emilion : 2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1998, 1990, 1989, 1985, 1964, 1961, 1959, 1955, 1953, 1950, 1949, 1947 and 1945.