The Right Bank is hilly; the chateaux/vineyards are small (between 5 to 10 hectares), and the owner-operator lovingly tends his vineyard like his garden. The composition of the soil is clay-limestone-sand, and the grape of choice is Merlot. The wine comes across delightfully "fruity".
The Left Bank is flat, the chateaux are imposing massive architectural marvels of turrets and spires, the vineyards are 50-80 hectares or more and the owners are big, moneyed families or business. The composition of the soil is largely gravel, and the grape of choice is Cabernet-Sauvignon. The wine is distinctly berry-flavoured.
If one remembers nothing else about the Left Bank, one remembers the Big 5 of the most prestigious names in wine Chateaux: Latour, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild, Margaux and Haut Brion.And I was there. Wow...
It's beautiful. The man must have had a good time tasting wine.
ReplyDeletewildgoose - the chateaux on left bank are impressive, but i like small communes on the right bank more.
ReplyDeletegiven that you dont really drink, does that mean that u are the one driving while the others take to savoring wine? looks lovely! brings back memories of beaujolais
ReplyDeleteof course, beaujolais is comparatively not so moneyed....
ReplyDeleteedpj - u know, the french vineyards are not set up for retail or tasting like in the US and AU? it is strictly about being given a tour of the place by appointment, and one bottle is opened for you at the end of tour. so no, i need not take over the driving :)
ReplyDeletebeaujolais is delightful lah...