Bordeaux Cru Bourgeois

  

There is Bordeaux red wine and then there is Bordeaux red wine.  By that, I mean classified growth wines from the Medoc and Cru Bourgeois Medoc wines. 

What is the difference?  Well, besides price, which for the classified growths is scary, the princely classified wines are ensconced in the preferred terroir of St.  Estephe, Margaux, Pauillac and St. Julien. While moderately-priced Cru Bourgeois red wines come from the lesser terroirs of Medoc, Haut-Medoc, Listrac-Medoc and Moulis-en-Medoc.

That classification is not my opinion. It is the rankings set down by official Bordeaux agencies in 1855 of Medoc classified growths, and in 1932 of Cru Bourgeois. In the 170 years since 1855, there has only been one official change to the classification, while the official ranking of the Cru Bourgeois wines has been updated numerous times. 

I was reminded of the chasm of difference between the two levels of Bordeaux red wines  recently when I read about the 2025 classification of  Cru Bourgeois Medoc wines. Before 2025, the previous ranking was in 2020, a decree that the new revised classification will be released every five years.  

Today, 246 Cru Bourgeois properties are ranked below the classified growths.  When the classification was first drawn up in 1932, there were 444 estates.  Over the years, for numerous reasons, including the economy and going out of business, the number was reduced almost by half. 

As of 2025, Cru Bourgeois wines are now ranked by a blind tasting panel in three tiers: Crus Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois  Superieur, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.  Additionally, the estates must practice sustainable viticulture, with the highest levels for Superieur  and Exceptionnel.  

Cru Bourgeois red wines are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, with the addition of Merlot and/or Cabernet Franc.  Aging in oak, plus more updated vineyard practices and wine making, are  practiced mostly by estates in the upper two levels, that are more able to afford higher overhead.

With so many estates spread over a large area, plus subtle differences in terroir, the flavors of Cru Bourgeois wines can be difficult to describe.  But, expect most of the wines  to have a flavor profile favoring the black currant side of Cabernet Sauvignon. Also, there could be a textural plumpness, depending on how much Merlot is in the blend.  And tannin is there for structure but is not raw and astringent.

Since 1932, Cru Bourgeois members have moved up or down in the rankings and even dropped out.  And there are a few estates that have decided to not join the official classification.  

As of 2010 classification, six of the original Exceptionnel chateaux - de Pez, les Ormes de Pez, Poujeaux, Chassse-Spleen, Siran and Potensac - have decided to form Les Exceptionnels group to market their wines separate from the classification.

Here are the numbers for 2020 and 2025:

             2020                                                 2025

Cru Bourgeois, 179                                 Cru Bourgeois, 170

Cru Bourgeois Superieur, 56               Cru Bourgeois Superieur, 36

Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, 14         Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, 14 

Although there was no change at the top Exceptionnel level, the two lower levels saw reduced numbers, with the largest at the Superieur tier, resulting in a total of 220 members in 2025, down from 249 five years ago.

There is a wide range of prices for Cru Bourgeois, even within each of the three levels. For example,  Ch. Carbon La Pelouse, Haut-Medoc Exceptionnel is $27 and Ch. Belle Vue Haut-Medoc Exceptionnel, varies from $18 to $25.  Others include Ch. Saransot Dupree Listrac-Medoc Superieur, $44 and Ch. Lagrave, Cru Bourgeois, $30.  

Shop around, but if you like the Bordeaux taste, make your next wine purchase Cru Bourgeois.

Photo courtesy Jancis Robinson

 

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Alsace in Anderson

                                                                          Wikipedia

Until recently, interest in wine was making slow but steady progress.  But then, anti-alcohol advocates spoiled the party with a scare campaign and wine sales slowed to a crawl.  Of course, it wasn't all because of anti-alcohol.  There were those saying the problem might also be changing lifestyles and the emergence of a new generation interested more in other beverages.

To be sure, finding innovative ways to attract more wine drinkers has become more challenging, but not impossible.  So, what to do?  How to overcome shifting interests by adjusting the focus to something different?

Showing the curious what you do best is a proven strategy, proposed by a small group of wineries in western Mendocino's Anderson Valley.  Husch Vineyards, Navarro Vineyards, Handley Cellars and Lazy Creek Vineyards banded together in 2006 to form a  festival promoting aromatic white wines, that say Anderson Valley. 

An idea was hatched to feature Alsace-style aromatic white wines the Anderson Valley is known for -- Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc -- at the Anderson Valley Alsace White Wine Festival, now known as the Anderson Valley International White Wine Festival.

Aromatic white grapes don't do well in warmer parts of California.  But in Anderson Valley,   the climate is just right, with warm days to ripen the grapes, and cool nights to develop clearly defined varietal character and crisp acidity.

The harmonization of these conditions come together along the valley's 16-mile long  narrow corridor that opens in the west to the cool Pacific Ocean.  Morning fog and cool daytime breezes, drawn in by inland warmth, balance the growing conditions for grapes to make aromatic white wines. 

                                                  

Riesling is the leading white grape in Germany's northern Rhine and Mosel valleys, and across the Rhine River in the Alsace region of France.  By one measure, Riesling is the world's greatest white grape, no contest.  Other folks claim the greatest is Chardonnay. But Riesling is more versatile, capable of making stunning dry, off-dry and sweet wines, something Chardonnay can't claim. 

Anderson Valley wineries have continuously shown an ability to make all of these styles.  Riesling can be dry or sweet and do it with charm. At its most characteristic, Riesling has ample peach and apricot flavors, with mineral and citrus peel notes.  And with maturity, Riesling displays characteristic petrol accents. 

 Anderson Valley Riesling: Greenwood Ridge Vineyards, Toulouse Vineyards, Navarro Vineyards. 

                                          

 Gewurztraminer is more aromatic than Riesling, with upfront exotic spice and lychee notes. Americans, though, are not that familiar with the scent of lychee outside of Asian food scenes.  More often, people say Gewurztraminer reminds them of the smell of roses.

Gewurztraminer started out as Traminer in Italy's northern Alto Adige region, moved north to Germany, then west to Alsace, across the Rhine in France.  Much later, the grape was brought to the U.S. west coast. 

Anderson Valley wineries show a stronger preference for Gewurztraminer than Riesling. Over the years, Navarro Vineyards, among others, has made award-winning dry and late-harvest Gewurztraminers.  

Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer: Handley Cellars, Husch Vineyards, Toulouse Vineyards, Fathers & Daughters Cellars, Navarro Vineyards, Philo Ridge Vineyards. 

                                                

Pinot Gris smells like honey, ripe pears and exotic spices.  Although not as well known as either Riesling or Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, in the same family as Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc, is made by a handful of Anderson Valley wineries. 

Anderson Valley Pinot Gris: Lichen Estate, Breggo Cellars, Toulouse Vineyards, Long Meadow Ranch, Handley Cellars, Navarro Vineyards.

                                                  

Pinot Blanc is often mistaken for Chardonnay.  And, with a little oak, it does smell and taste like Chardonnay, although Pinot Blanc is not as popular.  Sans oak, Pinot Blanc smells like apples, melons and sometimes with an earthy note.

Anderson Valley Pinot Blanc: Navarro Vineyards, Handley Cellars.  

The two-day Anderson Valley International White Wine Festival, February 15-16, will be held at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville.  The Grand Tasting, at which more than 40 wineries will pour their white wines, will be on Saturday, with winery open houses, on Sunday. 

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Walla Walla

                                                                                                                 Richard Duval image

 Walla Walla.  To the indigenous Salantins, the name means "place of many waters."  But, to wine people everywhere, Walla Walla means some of Washington state's best wine. 

Located in southeastern Washington, on the border with Oregon, Walla Walla shares top-wine honors with Woodinville, in the western part of the state, near Seattle. The two regions are separated by miles of high desert, farmland and the Cascade mountain range.  Eastern Washington is also known for wheat farming and the famous Walla Walla sweet onions.

Walla Walla's 120-plus wineries are mostly scattered around the city of Walla Walla and in a corner of Oregon.  The Walla Walla AVA (1984) is a two-state appellation; Walla Walla in Washington, Milton-Freewater in Oregon.  Walla Walla AVA itself is within the much larger Columbia Valley AVA. 

Milton-Freewater was granted its own AVA in 2015 and has since gained wide attention for a particular geologic formation.  The Rocks District, a sub-appellation of Milton-Freewater, is in an ancient dry riverbed covered with large smooth stones, similar to the vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in France.  The Rocks has built a solid reputation for distinctive Syrah.

Walla Walla is red wine country.  More than 80% of varieties planted in the AVA are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.  Most of the remaining 20% is Cabernet Franc and small plantings of other red grapes.  White grapes, led by Chardonnay, account for just a small percentage of the total plantings.

                                 

Like most vineyards in eastern Washington, irrigation is necessary in Walla Walla AVA  vineyards. The eastern part of the appellation, though, tends to be at higher elevations, with  cooler daytime temperatures, permitting dry farming, a rarity for vineyards in Washington.

The other major concentration of Washington wineries is centered around the city of Woodinville, northeast of Seattle.  Woodinville hosts 130 wineries that draw grapes from throughout the vast Columbia Valley.  Being near Seattle makes it easy to visit Woodinville wineries, although the distance from a big city hasn't stopped wine lovers from making the trek to Walla Walla.

Walla Walla History 

Some settlers moving west along the Oregon Trail in the 19th century decided to stay in eastern Washington, finding the land around Walla Walla good for farming.  In the 1850s, grape vines were added to the crops, for eating out of hand and making wine.  Vineyards expanded and by the 1880s, growers were hoping to ship grapes and wine to Seattle by train.  But the transcontinental railroad had bypassed Walla Walla, dealing an economic blow to the nascent wine industry.  Prohibition dealt another setback, and it was nearly 40 years before the wine industry began to recover. 

Today, fans of the diverse range of Walla Walla wines, owe a debt of gratitude to Gary Figgins of Leonetti Cellar, who is credited with being the first to plant vinifera vines in the area, in the early 1970s.  Leonetti went on to win acclaim for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Walla Walla wine got a further boost from L'Ecole 41, Woodward Canyon, Waterbrook Winery and Seven Hills Winery in Oregon, all of them iconic Walla Walla AVA wineries.

By 2008, a long list of new wineries came on line, sparking interest in different wines, such as those made from Rhone varieties, the odd Italian grape like Sangiovese, and Tempranillo, Spain's most distinguished red variety.  

The Rhone Rangers, started in California, raised interest among Walla Walla winemakers, in Rhone-style wines, especially for Syrah.  Prospective Rangers in the Walla Walla AVA, like Rotie, a small producer that took its name from Cote Rotie, a Northern Rhone Valley wine, embraced the Rhone wine concept.  

Walla Walla Wines

Walla Walla is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends, incorporating Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Besides Syrah, a handful of wineries are working with other Rhone grapes, like Viognier and Roussanne. 

The following dozen Walla Walla-area wineries are listed by location:   

East of the city: Figgins, Walla Walla Vintners, Leonetti Cellars. 

West of the city: L'Ecole No. 41, Long Shadows Vintners, Woodward Canyon. 

South of the city: Pepper Bridge Winery, Doubleback, Patterson Cellars.  

Milton-Freewater: Atelier Freewater, Rotie Cellars, Watermill Winery.

On your next trip to the wine store, look for the Washington wine section and Walla Walla. It's worth the search.  

 

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