Climate change and Bordeaux

Pretty interesting article about how How climate change is affecting wine making, with a focus on Bordeaux.

I found this quote especially stunning. Can Bordeaux be Bordeaux with no Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Cab Franc? What matters more, varietal composition or flavor?

“Later this month, the growers of the Bordeaux-Bordeaux Superieur AOC, the council that sets the appellation’s rules, are expected to approve a list of 20 additional grape varieties that may be used in a wine labeled as bordeaux. The move, already approved by French national regulators and the legislature, will allow grapes such as marselan and touriga nacional to join the traditional blend. The varieties must have an advantage in terms of climate change or environmental protection (as in disease resistance, requiring fewer chemical treatments), explained Bernard Farges, president of the AOC.”

As much as I am purist, it is worth noting that Super Tuscans made with only Bordeaux grapes taste unmistakeably Tuscan. So even though I hate to think about Bordeaux having to change, seeing the Bordeaux expression of other grapes could be exciting.

Rumor has it that Rolland - the innovative iconoclast that has transformed St Emilion into his personal playground of cocktail wines - has been advising clients to plant more merlot. Evidently he is envisioning, and engineering, a new merlot cognac called “Bordeau de vie” which clocks in at 18.5 ABV but is smooth like butter from the 300% new French oak. Gerard Perse and Kanye have already formed a JV to maximize this historic opportunity.

Little ‘ol me, on the other hand, if this means more Cab Franc in the blend, I’m buying a huge gas guzzling full-time fourwheel drive British SUV.

LOL

Setting aside the global warming stuff, I think growers should be able to plant what they want in traditional wine regions. If you can make a good chardonnay or syrah somewhere in Bordeaux, you should be able to do so and not suffer any adverse repercussions (e.g. not allowed to put the region or the vintage date) for it.

Let the buyer decide whether he wants to buy it or not.

I think you could ask 10 wine lovers about this and get 15 answers. personally, I think this hurts the region as a whole. most people buying Bordeaux don’t have enough know how to find out if the bottle they’re looking at in total wine will be the Bordeaux they expect made with cab and merlot or a Syrah and Tempranillo blend if the two are labeled the same.

I agree with the post above about super tuscans still giving me way more sense of place than grape, but I think traditional Bordeaux sense of place is so tied to the pepper and barn notes that its hard to get that from other grapes. (of course, so much of Bordeaux seems to be losing some of that anyways…)

Climate change can take various forms - severe storms (which we now see in the U.S.) that can damage vineyards and grapes on the vine. So changing grapes may not provide much if any relief - not to mention how the wines would change. [cry.gif]