In many wine-drinking regions of the world, Bordeaux remains the benchmark against which other wines are measured.

Divided into departments, the controlled growing and production areas, Bordeaux is situated in the Gironde department of Aquitaine, and divided by the Gironde River into the Left Bank and the Right Bank.

The Left Bank is defined as Medoc, St Estephe, Pauillac, St-Julien, and Margaux. And the Right Bank: Saint Emilion, Pomerol, Bourg and Blaye.

In addition, there's Graves, south-east of the Medoc, with Pessac-Leognan, Sauternes and Barsac. All have their own appellation and appellation d'origine controlee - rigid laws dictating everything from time of harvest to permitted winemaking techniques.

The Left Bank makes more Cabernet Sauvignon based wine and the Right Bank concentrates more on Merlot. Red wine predominates in the Graves area along with white wines from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes and also dessert wines. And Sauternes and Barsac are best known for botrytis dessert wines.

The wines range from the top Grand Cru Classe houses to generic Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur.

The classic red wines of Margaux, St Julien, St Estephe, Pauillac, Moulis and Listrac in the Haut-Medoc are powerful, full-bodied, and fruity. Wines of exceptional charm and finesse come from Chateau Margaux, Chateaux Palmer and Giscours. The most dependable is St Julien with its classic reds produced in top flight properties such as Ducru Beaucaillou, Leoville-Las-Cases and Leoville Poyferre.

But, the most famous is undoubtedly Pauillac with three of Medoc's top-four Premier Cru Classe: Chateaux Lafite Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild and Latour. Some of my personal favorites are Chateaux Comtesse Pichon Longueville Lalande, Lynch-Bages and Pontet Canet. Superbly consistent and very carefully produced, these are the wines that give Bordeaux its reputation.

The wines of St Estephe have the deepest color, the most austere characteristics and longest lifespans - great laying-down wines for the future. Outstanding are those of Chateaux Cos d'Estournel, Montrose and Calon-Segur.

The smallest of the major appellations, Pomerol, is celebrated for its velvety Merlot from Chateau Petrus, Le-Pin, Le Gay and Vieux Certan.

The satellite region, Lalande de Pomerol, produces wines that are less powerful, faster maturing and less costly.

The oldest wine area, St Emilion, surrounds a picturesque town situated at the edge of a plateau known as the Pearl of the Gironde, it produces soft reds that are generous and luscious with a spicy quality. The long list of prominent producers includes; Clos Fourtet, Chateaux Belair, Canon, Figeauc, Pavie, and Beausejour-Becot with exceptional Premier Grand Cru Classe such as Chateaux Ausone, Angelus and Cheval-Blanc.

Some of Bordeaux's finest dry white wines are made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes by Chateau La Louviere, they are delicate, fresh, full-flavored and dry.

Graves reds are spicy with hints of tobacco that are at times earthy. The premier district there is Pessac-Leognan AOC - home to Chateaux Haut-Brion, Carbonnieux and Smith-Haut-Lafite.

The wines of Fronsac - Chateau Les Tonnelles, and Canon-Fronsac such as La Croix, are very much under-rated in Hong Kong. They are perfumed, firm, spicy reds, and good with food.

The appellation "Graves Superieures AOC" is reserved for botrytis-affected Sauvignon and Semillon (same area as Graves AOC) from the south-east region of Sauternes and Barsac. The name that fairly jumps out at you here is surely the Premier Cru Superieur Chateau d'Yquem. The most highly prized botrytis wine in the world.

On the other hand, lower-priced wines that are ideal for immediate drinking are made in Entre-Deux-Mers. The whites are light, crisp, fresh and dry, and usually bottled when 3 or 4 months old and consumed within the year. The reds, classified as Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superieur are light and well-balanced. Unlike the bigger wines of Bordeaux, these reds should be drank at no more than 3 years old, while still showing youthful fruit.

Overall, the fascination of Bordeaux is that no matter how many years you spend in tasting and exploring each of the villages and communes, there is always something new to discover - new properties, new plantings, new vintages and, lately, new owners.

(HK Edition 01/24/2009 page3)