Bordeaux Wine Lovers: How to Kick Off A Pauillac Wine Collection

There are three names that typically come to mind when we think about Pauillac wine. These are Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, and Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. Even so, these first-growth wines are not the only Pauillac wine producers.

Wine lovers and enthusiasts would accord that Pauillac produces wines of superb quality, whether they are from producers deemed as second or third growth. For this reason, lots of collectors decide to start collecting Pauillac wines. 

Pauillac wines can age for a long time and often gets high scores from critics. Though Pauillac winemakers only produce traditional Cabernet Sauvignon blends, still, there is an extensive diversity of flavor and character in these wines. 

Here’s a definitive guide that can help you find the best wines that Pauillac has to offer. You can also read this blog post from Dunavox that explains the pros and cons of using a stand-alone wine fridge. If you want to start collecting wines, you may look for a storage facility with humidity control where you can keep them while maintaining their quality and taste.

Why Start A Pauillac Wine Collection

Pauillac wines are among the finest or exceptional in the whole world. The Pauillac region is situated on the famous Medoc peninsula in Bordeaux. This peninsula is best-known for making wines of the highest quality.

Also, Margaux, Saint-Julien, and Saint-Estephe are located here. But even though there are many excellent terriors on the Medoc peninsula, a lot of Bordeaux aficionados consider Pauillac wines to be the most valuable and finest.

In fact, according to the 1855 Medoc Classification (ranks the best wines in Bordeaux), out of the five producers, three came from Pauillac. This recognition reflects the high quality of Pauillac wines, well, thanks to the unique terrior of the area.

The region is set between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde River. Do these two bodies of water influences the vine? Well, the cooling oceanic breeze supply the wines the needed healthy acidity. 

Similarly, the Gironde River offers some rewarding benefits to the vines, providing water deep underground for which the roots can avail, especially during the dry seasons.

Soil Composition

Take note that the best Pauillac wines are never toned-down or watery, even if the region gets lots of rainfall. It is because the gravelly, rocky soil of the region averts the vines from sucking up too much water directly.

The northern part of the region has a deep layer of gravel underneath sand (top layer), marl, and limestone. With this soil composition, the vines need to expand their roots into the soil to find water and nutrients. 

Surprisingly, this stress provides the grapes more layers of flavor and concentration. On the southern part, the soil composition is extremely different, and the elevation is lower. Here, the soil is richer in clay and iron. Plus, it contains more sand. As a result, the wines are likely to be less concentrated.

Diversity

Although Pauillac wines are defined as deeply concentrated, full-bodied, and rich, the region has lots of microclimates that change the wines’ flavor profile. For instance, we know that every terrior has a somewhat different, unique soil composition, which makes the grapes taste different from those in other vineyards. 

Pauillac winemakers leverage in these differences. Those people who collect quality, premium Bordeaux vintages can tell the difference from Latour wines and Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, even in a blind tasting.

Another thing, while Pauillac producers mainly use Cabernet Sauvignon in their wine blends, still, they add other varietals. Thus, affecting the flavor profile of the wine.

Wine Varieties

Cabernet Sauvignon is king in the Pauillac region. The area has a deep-rooted tradition of growing Cabernet Sauvignon, primarily because this varietal grows excellently in fast-draining soils. Even so, Pauillac grows excellent Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

Each grape variety’s percentage in a Pauillac wine differs, yet a usual blend consists of at least 70-80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20-30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Carmenere.

Every Pauillac producer has a distinct blend. So, for you to start a Pauillac wine collection, you need to determine the winemakers that produce blends that suit your tastes.

Investing in Pauillac Wine Producers

Almost all the Pauillac winemakers produce the highest quality of wines. The region’s growing conditions are excellent. Thus, even sixth-growth wineries are worth considering. But if you plan to purchase only the most valuable and top-rated bottles, then start from the first growth producers.

These producers usually sell their wines for the highest prices, and they are always on-demand. If you want a more affordable option, then seek out wine from the second-growth estates. The wines here are almost as excellent as the first-growths but for a hundred dollars less on the prices.

Additionally, there are fourth-growth and fifth-growth wine producers to choose from. But no matter which producer you’re going to invest in, you can expect only the best quality. When you decide to buy wines from them, learn about different types of tall wine firdges to store expensive wine properly.

Best Vintages

The following are some of the best vintages in Pauillac over the last years:

• 1995 – well-structured, perfectly balanced, and long-lived

• 2000 – quite acidic and tannic

• 2003 – intense and bold

• 2005 – great depth and structure

• 2009 – lush and rich

• 2010 – well-structured, ripe, and powerful

• 2016 – very concentrated, tannic, and aromatic

Takeaway

Since there’s a lot of diversity in the Pauillac region, it is wise to try both old and young wines from different producers. For sure, you will discover exciting, new blends and producers that’ll add massive value to your collection.