The red wines of Bordeaux exhibit strikingly different personalities, depending on which side of the Gironde (the estuary formed by the confluence of the Garonne and Dordogne) they are grown. "Left Bank" wines, grown in stony, alluvial soil, tend to be predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller proportions of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and sometimes a few drops of Petit Verdot or Malbec (south of this area is Graves and Pessac-Léognan, whose wines share similar traits). They're muscular, tannic, and (particularly at the top of the quality pyramid) age well. Wines from the "Right Bank"   More

The red wines of Bordeaux exhibit strikingly different personalities, depending on which side of the Gironde (the estuary formed by the confluence of the Garonne and Dordogne) they are grown. "Left Bank" wines, grown in stony, alluvial soil, tend to be predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller proportions of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and sometimes a few drops of Petit Verdot or Malbec (south of this area is Graves and Pessac-Léognan, whose wines share similar traits). They're muscular, tannic, and (particularly at the top of the quality pyramid) age well. Wines from the "Right Bank" such as St.-Emilion and Pomerol, are grown on a plateau of rich clay soil more suited to Merlot, which predominates here. There are also a few outlying districts such as the Côtes de Castillon where good values can be found.   Less