Style
Bordeaux blend
bor-DOH
Cabernet, Merlot, and company
The most copied red recipe on earth: Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot, with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenère in supporting roles.
- cassis
- cedar
- plum
- graphite
- violet
Left Bank is Cabernet-led on gravel; Right Bank is Merlot-led on clay. Super Tuscans, Napa 'Meritage,' Chilean Maipo, Coonawarra, and Bolgheri all play the same cards in different climates.
The blend exists because the grapes ripen differently and fail differently. Merlot fills Cabernet's lean years; Cabernet structures Merlot's plump ones. That insurance is the idea.
Lamb, beef, and mushroom. Decant the young ones.
At the table
Service
61–64 °F (16–18 °C). Decant 30–120 minutes.
