Best Aquitain Beverage Types
Bordeaux region is the largest wine growing area in France that comprises of more than fifty different appellations. Bordeaux wines can range from massively produced everyday table wines to prestigious and expensive vintages. The predominant style is red, but the region also produces sweet and dry whites, rosés and sparkling wines.
Red Bordeaux wines are mostly produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec, or occasionally Carménère. They are soft, elegant and silky, with aromas of dark fruit, truffles, spices, smoke, tar, and leather.
Saint-Émilion is one of the most exceptional appellations in Boudreaux. It is located on the right bank in the Libourne wine region of Bordeaux. Although classic Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Petit Verdot and Malbec can be used in their production, Saint-Émilion wines are mostly made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Often described as approachable and soft, these wines are characterized by powerful aromas of fresh fruit, primarily red berries, which are often accompanied by nuances of spices, cedar, pine, and cocoa. With age, the tannins soften, and the wines tend to evolve aromas of truffles and undergrowth.
This late-harvest dessert wine of Bordeaux is predominantly made with Sémillon, the region's rare golden-skinned white grapes affected by noble rot, though the blends often include Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. The appellations may include Sauternes, Barsac, Cérons, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Cadillac, Loupiac, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, and Côtes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire.
In general, Sauternes wines exhibit pronounced notes of fruit, butterscotch, caramel, and spices, along with floral notes coming from the Muscadelle grapes. Noted for their full body and freshness, Sauternes wines pair nicely with soft cheeses, blue cheeses, washed rind cheeses, terrines, foie gras, and various fruit-based desserts.
THE BEST Sauternes Wine Appellations
Lalande-de-Pomerol is a small French appellation located in Libourne wine region of Bordeaux. The wines produced in the area are primarily based on Merlot, but the addition of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec is also permitted.
Lalande-de-Pomerol wines are typically well-structured, full-bodied, and smooth, with a good ability to age. Their primary aromas include red and black fruits, spices, and violets that may develop into more robust expressions of plums, leather, or truffles.
Considered to be one of the first grape brandy varieties produced in France, Armagnac originated in Gascony, a historic area now divided between the regions of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie. The first written records on Armagnac date back to the 15th century, when it was mainly used as a stomach remedy.
Although the predominant grape is Ugni Blanc, ten different grapes are allowed in its production, and since the 19th century, Armagnac is almost always distilled once. The final blend is then aged in oak casks for a minimum of two years. Maturation provides Armagnac with the signature complex flavor, and while young varieties show vanilla and honey notes, matured versions are typically characterized by the flavor of roasted nuts, licorice, and tobacco.
THE BEST Armagnac Brandies
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Domaine Du Grand Comte
Hors D’age
SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold 2024, 2023
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Domaine Du Grand Comte
Napoleon
SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold 2024, 2023
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Château du Tariquet
Pure Folle Blanche 15 YO Bas-Armagnac
IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Armagnac Gold Trophy 2020
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Chateau de Laubade
Cask Strength 1994 Bas Armagnac
USC- Ultimate Spirits Challenge - Chairman's Trophy 2022
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Armagnac Janneau
Armagnac Chevalier D'Espalet VS
IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold Outstanding 2021
Hailing from Pondesac, Lillet is a fortified wine that is produced with a combination of fruits, peels, and barks that are macerated in neutral alcohol and then combined with wine. The final blend is usually aged for several months in oak barrels.
The drink was first marketed as Kina Lillet—because it incorporated quinine liqueur—and it originally came as a white Blanc version. Following its success in the United States, the company also distributed Lillet Dry—more suitable for use in cocktails and long drinks—as well as the red wine-based Rouge version.
Pomerol is a small wine region in Bordeaux that produces distinguished and highly sought-after red wines. There are several allowed grape varieties, but Merlot is the undisputed star of the region. It is often complemented by Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec.
These renowned wines are aromatic, complex, and elegant. They are usually ruby red with aromas reminiscent of red fruit that tend to develop into heavier expressions resembling truffles, undergrowth, and leather. On the palate, they are dense, intense, and round, with firm, powerful tannins.
THE BEST Pomerol Wine Appellations
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized and celebrated red wine grape varieties. Originating from the Bordeaux region of France, it has spread to virtually every major wine-producing country, becoming a key component of many of the world's finest wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon is renowned for its ability to produce full-bodied, robust red wines with a high level of tannins and significant aging potential. The grape itself is small and thick-skinned, which contributes to its deep color and rich tannic structure.
THE BEST Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Varieties
Malbec is a red wine grape variety that is most famously associated with Argentina, although it originally hails from the Bordeaux region of France. It is known for producing deeply colored, full-bodied red wines with strong fruit flavors and smooth tannins.
The grape has found its ideal growing conditions in Argentina, particularly in the Mendoza region, where it has become the country's flagship grape variety. Malbec wines are typically characterized by their dark, inky color and intense flavors of dark fruits such as blackberries, black cherries, and plums.
VARIATIONS OF Malbec
THE BEST Malbec Wine Varieties
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Hoteles & Viñedos del Valle de Guadalupe
G&G By Ginasommelier Gran Reserva Malbec 2019
Concours Mondial de Bruxelles - Grande Médaille d'or 2024
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Merlot is one of the most widely planted and popular red wine grape varieties in the world. Originating from the Bordeaux region of France, Merlot is known for producing soft, elegant, and fruit-forward wines. It is often used both as a single varietal wine and as a blending grape, particularly in Bordeaux blends where it is typically paired with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet France.
Merlot wines are generally medium to full-bodied with moderate tannins and acidity. They are known for their smooth, velvety texture and approachable style. The flavor profile of Merlot often includes dark fruit notes such as black cherry, plum, and blackberry, along with hints of chocolate, vanilla, and spices.
THE BEST Merlot Wine Varieties
Best Aquitain Beverage Producers
AWARDS
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The Scotch Whisky Masters - Gold
2024
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The Brandy Masters - Gold
2023, 2022
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The Liqueur Masters - Gold
2023
BEST Bardinet Spirits
AWARDS
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SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold
2023
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IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold Outstanding
2021
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IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold
2020
BEST MARIE BRIZARD WINE & SPIRITS Liqueurs
Château Le Pin, one of the world’s most renowned wine estates, is owned by the Thienpont family, specifically by Jacques Thienpont, who acquired the property in 1979. Château Le Pin, or simply Le Pin, is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol.
The unusually small estate is located on the Right Bank of France's Gironde estuary in the commune of Pomerol in the hamlet of Catusseau, and its wine is frequently one of the world's most expensive red wines.
Château Lafite Rothschild is the result of a rare harmony of nature, which it alone controls and which continues to be created from vintage to vintage, for over a thousand seasons. On the plateau of Lafite’s mythical gravel, the men and women who work in the vineyards are the ones who pass on wine-growing traditions.
And for over one hundred and fifty years, with the arrival of Baron James, the same family has taken turns to deliver a single message: That of precision and resilience in the face of the master strokes that the sky writes on its lands.
AWARDS
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Falstaff - 100
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Falstaff - 99
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Vivino - 4.7
BEST Château Lafite Rothschild Wines
Best Aquitain Beverages
Even from barrel the seamless 1989 La Mission revealed a special elixir aspect, tasting like it had been designed by Chanel. It still possesses a blue/purple color with only a hint of garnet creeping in, and the explosive aromatics offer up notes of licorice, creme de cassis, blueberry liqueur, smoky barbecue meats, truffles and graphite.
If that’s not enough to get one salivating, the palate has never disappointed either. Full-bodied with extraordinary opulence as well as sweet, well-integrated, velvety tannins, this fresh, lively, blockbuster La Mission appears to be one of those rare wines that never goes through a closed, unfriendly stage.
AWARDS
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Falstaff - 100
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Vivino - 4.7
AWARDS
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Falstaff - 100
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Vivino - 4.8
AWARDS
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Falstaff - 99
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Vivino - 4.7
This wine, predominantly composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (about 92.45%), with additions of Merlot (7.4%) and a small amount of Petit Verdot (0.15%), reflects the essence of Latour’s famous “Enclos” vineyard, a 47-hectare plot in the Pauillac appellation.
The vineyard's Cabernet Sauvignon benefits from optimal terroir, bringing concentrated flavors, robust structure, and complexity that bode well for aging.
AWARDS
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Falstaff - 100
AWARDS
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IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold Outstanding
2021
AWARDS
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IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold Outstanding
2024
AWARDS
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IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Gold outstanding
2020
AWARDS
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SFWSC - San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Double Gold
2023
AWARDS
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Decanter World Wine Awards - Best in Show
2019
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