Winemaker Notes
Rich and generosity, Bourdieu No 1 offers a beautiful gamut of colors with intense reflections. Its expressive and complex nose, composed of over-ripe black fruit: blackcurrant, blueberry, fresh red fruits strawberry, red currants and vanilla notes. The palate is rich, structured and full thanks to round and silky tannins.
Blend: 89% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
For the second year running, Blaye has come storming into our Best in Show selection, and on this occasion with a Value wine from the exciting 2018 vintage. It was a warm and generous year, and you can read that generosity in the deep colors and vivacious aromatic ripeness which lifts from the glass. The wine is deep, round, ample and approachable on the palate, the primary plum and damson fruits; while the acidity is supple and fruit-packed. This sturdy Value Best in Show will certainly continue to evolve for another half-decade yet, and would show convincingly among peers of loftier price.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine has dense tannins that partner the ripe black fruits. With its full-bodied dark-plum flavors and texture that is smoothing out, the wine has weight, richness and a good future.
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James Suckling
The tannins are nice polished here with caressing tannins and nice depth of fruit. Creamy and delicious already.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another solid effort, the 2018 Château Bourdieu N1 has lots of meaty red and black fruits, graphite, toasted spice, and cigar-like aromas and flavors. It's medium-bodied and has elegant tannins as well as outstanding purity of fruit. It's ideal for enjoying over the coming decade.
In most of France, wines are named by their place of origin and not by the type of grape (with the exception of Alsace). Just like a red Burgundy is by law, always made of Pinot noir, a red Bordeaux is a blended wine composed mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Depending on the laws of the village from which the grapes come, the conditions of the vintage and decisions of the winemaker, the blend can be further supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and in rare cases, Carmenere. So popular and repeated has this mix of grape varieties become worldwide, that the term, Bordeaux Blend, refers to a wine blended in this style, regardless of origin.