Bordeaux
MAY 2025
When we hear Bordeaux, we often think 'fancy' as some of the world's finest wines come from this well-known and historic region in France. But tons of delicious, everyday, table wines are produced there as well – and that's what you're getting in this month's club – two of our favorites: a Bordeaux Blanc from around the village of Ladaux in the greater Entre-Deux-Mers region and a Bordeaux Rouge from vineyards 11 minutes southeast of Saint Émilion.
Photos: Vignobles Meynard vineyards and summer evening gathering pictured top & above
A little on Bordeaux:
Bordeaux makes a huge range of wines, including white blends (mainly Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon), red blends (primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cab Franc) and sweet, white, dessert wines as well.
Bordeaux is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the Gironde Estuary and enjoys a maritime climate, so relatively warm average temperatures with plenty of rainy, overcast days. (Fun fact: Bordeaux gets almost as much annual rain as Seattle, but they have fewer rainy days than we do!)
On the Left Bank of the Gironde River (Médoc, St-Estéphe, Pauillac, St-Julien, Margaux & more), the soil is gravelly and Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend. On the Right Bank (Pomerol, St-Emilion & more), the soil has more clay & limestone, where Merlot flourishes. In these areas, you see Merlot dominating the blend.
Photo: Tour de By estate in Médoc (Left Bank) overlooking the Gironde Estuary with the Right Bank in the distance. Such a great photo to give you an idea of the scale of the water around Bordeaux. We direct imported wines from this estate, and they shared this photo with us about 15 years ago.
Vignobles Ducourt
The Ducourt family's original property, Château des Combes, was founded in 1858 in the village of Ladaux in Entre-Deux-Mers. First Pierre Ducourt, then his children and grandchildren all worked the small, several hectare plot. Fourth generation Henri Ducourt with the help of his children, Marie Christine, Philippe & Bernard, began adding properties to the original vineyard. Today they control 480 hectares of vineyards with 14 chateaus in 6 different Bordeaux appellations, one of the largest estates in the area.
Château Briot 2022 Bordeaux Blanc • Bordeaux, France • Reg $16.99 | Mixed Case $13.59
100% Sauvignon Blanc – unusual for a Bordeaux Blanc which normally is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and sometimes Muscadelle. Aromas of fresh grass, hay, dried pineapple with a creamy note. Palate = citrus, lime, pears, tiny note of gravel. Back to citrus on the finish. Great value. Drink now to 2 years. Delicious sipper or enjoy with seafood, rotisserie chicken, pork chop off the grill, asparagus pasta, veggie pizzas.
Vignobles Meynard
This estate unites two, small, family properties: the Maynard family with 23 hectares of vineyards in Castillon-Côtes-de-Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion and the Gauthier Dumas family with 11 hectares in the Bordeaux appellation, with both families cultivating vines and making wines since the 1800s. Jean-François Meynard and Christelle Gauthier form a team to manage the properties with the stated goal of presenting "wines that are both indulgent and delightful, following the cherished Bordeaux tradition."
In 2020, they together made the decision to become certified organic growers, with their first fully organic vintage in 2023.
Chateau Platon 2022 Rouge • Bordeaux, France • Reg $17.99 | Mixed Case $14.39
Classic Right Bank blend of Merlot 70%, Cabernet Franc 15%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%. Aged in concrete tanks. Tasty blackcurrant, plum, dark cherry fruit with some herbal notes. Soft tannins on the finish. Has a spicy, smooth, chocolatey note on the finish despite no oak. Great, classic Bordeaux table wine. This wine is flexible and would taste great with lots of dinners from salmon to a leaner steak off the grill to burgers to pizza.
The photo below is the Vignobles Meynard team enjoying dinner at Restaurant Le Comptoir in Saint-Émilion. Note the spread of dishes!
Vignobles Ducourt in the vineyards with students
A Note from Jens:
Your wine club pick-up tasting is always the 2nd Saturday of the month. Hope you can make it. The wines are great & you'll be able to taste the FLAGSHIP club wines as well – 2 Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero and a Verdejo from neighboring Rueda.
For this wine club, we try to pass through Bordeaux every 12-18 months. It's a classic region, and the wines never fail to amaze! Hope you love these selections. Julie and I had a lot of fun picking them out!
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop
If you are here because you’re curious about our wine clubs: Here’s more general info & online sign-up. You can also peruse the last 12 months of both clubs to get a feel for the themes we pick and the wines we showcase: Portalis EXPLORES (our everyday wine club) & Portalis FLAGSHIP (our signature club).