I must remind myself that France wasn’t always the France that we now know. I am not talking about the Roman Empire or the French Revolution, which of course marked current France’s landscape. I am talking about how some regions, now part of France, used to be loyal to the English crown! As a French-Canadian with both maternal grandparents born in France, I gasp inside! One of these regions specifically includes the Bordeaux wine region.
OK I know of Bordeaux, but I always forget which grapes are grown there!
Red grapes make up 90% of plantings:
· Merlot
· Cabernet Sauvignon
· Cabernet Franc
· Malbec
· Petit Verdot
As for white grapes, in the past post on Bordeaux’s White Grapes, we discussed the main white grapes: Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
The region’s rivers play many roles, including influencing the different soils on each of the banks which led to the grape variety planting choices.
(Hot tip: When I need to remember what is Right Bank versus Left Bank, I picture myself standing in the river facing the ocean. What is to my right is the Right Bank and vice versa for the Left Bank.)
Starting up stream are the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers that eventually merge into the Gironde River, downstream of the city of Bordeaux itself (yes, Bordeaux is a large wine region but there is also a city of the same name). The land north of the Dordogne is called the Right Bank, where Merlot is king, followed by Cabernet Franc. They both can tolerate the higher clay content, and in the case of Merlot it slows down the sugar accumulation by slowing down the ripening, preventing too high of alcohol content in the final wine. Famous Right Bank sub-regions are Pomérol and St-Emilion!
The land South and West of the Garonne and Gironde is the Left bank. On the left bank Cabernet Sauvignon dominates because the soils tend towards more gravel content, which allows Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen better. There are four communes that are the Left Bank superstars: St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien, and Margaux.
The land between the Garonne and the Dordogne is called Entre-Deux Mers, which translates to “Between the two seas” … in this case it is rivers of course … don’t ask!
OK, you know, I get bored easily … come on back to the story!
Once upon a time in a land on the Right Bank there was, and still exists, an estate called Château Falfas. "Château" translates to "castle" or "estate" in English. In the context of wine, specifically Bordeaux, it refers to a wine-producing estate. The building itself can be a farmhouse or an elaborate castle!
During the 14th and 15th centuries, before the estate got its current name, it was owned by the Lords de Lansac. These Lords were loyal to the English crown and their wines used to be exported to the Edward kings (yes, plural, there were three Edwards during that time – Edward I to Edward III).
As I mentioned above, there was a time when portions of current France were ruled by the King of England. This happened about 100 years before the first Edward, when Henry Plantagenet of England married Eleonor of Aquitaine, the daughter of Guillaume X (William X), who was the last duke of Aquitaine. Aquitaine was in Southwest France and included Bordeaux. In fact, Eleonor brought Bordeaux vines to the marriage as her dowry. Her husband eventually became Henry II, king of England.
Eleonor was a very important historical figure in Europe as her previous hubby was King Louis VII of France. He ditched her for many reasons, one of which was not giving birth to a (male) heir (even though we all now know that, genetically speaking, it is “his fault” that no males were born from their wedlock, as males determine the sex of the baby). The marriage was annulled for reason of consanguinity.
That’s a big word! Translation?
They were cousins! (I had to look it up!)
Ew!
Regardless, she went on to have five sons with Henry II, including Richard I (the Lionheart) and John, both future Kings of England. (So there, Louis! Take that!)
OK back to Chateau Falfas, I am thirsty …
The Chateau Falfas changed hands through the years and was ruled under many crowns.
Fast forward to 1988 when the current owner, Véronique Cochran, a winemaker’s daughter from the French Loire wine region, with her American lawyer husband John Cochran, bought Château Falfas. Since John’s passing in 2009, Véronique and their daughters Annabelle and Suzanne manage the estate, which is in a sub-region called the Côtes de Bourg on Bordeaux’s Right Bank. Since Côtes de Bourg is not a big-name sub-region, the wines are more affordable and can be of very good to outstanding quality. A high percentage of Merlot is grown, but Malbec has more importance here too at 10% of its hectares, the highest percentage of any Bordeaux sub-region.
Château Falfas makes a wine of the same name….
Château Falfas 2016 from Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux, France
Style: Old World Full Body Red
Varieties: 55% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, & 5% Malbec
This moderate intensity, well-structured wine has violet aromas and flavors of raspberry, red plum, black plum, black currant, spearmint, and anise with the complexity of cedar, mushroom, polished leather, and earth. It has well-integrated fine grained high tannins.
Best pairings: Red Meats: Grilled Beef Steak Seasoned with Herbes de Provence, Rack of Lamb with Mint Wet Rub, Game Meat, Mushroom Risotto, Cured meats, Aged Hard Cheese: Comté & Gruyère
Serving Temperature: 18 degrees Celsius
Price: ~$47 (incl. Shades of Grape 15% discount & 5% gst)
Serving Tips: Decanting for 1 - 1.5 hrs increased the presence of red fruit and softened the tannins.
I have compiled all my relevant wine recommendations in one place. I will do my best to keep this up to date. This version also has links on where to find the wines in Alberta. I also include the link(s) to the article in which the wine was featured.
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SOURCES:
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