Literally like literally, in this our year of 2025 CE—or for the enlightened, the year 10 PRP (Post-Robert-Parker), how have I not done this topic as Old v New yet? I guess I somehow thought I should get through the lion’s share of popular single-varietal wines. Which I have. So I am now moving on to blends. The Bordeaux blend is one of, if not THE most iconic blend of all time. Basic fact-y facts: there are six red grapes considered to be the building blocks of a Bordeaux blend. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the big bois, then you’ve also got Petit Verdot and Malbec (surprise!). And while it’s rarely seen in Bordeaux anymore, Carménère has become quite the Chilean darling. Were a handful of new varieties approved a few years ago to combat climate warming? Yes, yes indeed. If you must know, those rouge varieties were Touriga Nacional, Castets, Arinarnoa and Marselan, but classically, the prior six are what we mean when we say “Bordeaux blend.” In Bordeaux, you can take a stab at what percentages of which grapes are in each wine based on which bank they lie on. The Left Bank of Bordeaux—ya know, the Médoc, with the fancy spots like Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien and Margaux—tends to correspond with Cab Sauv-based blends. The right bank (Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, amongst others) tends to be more Merlot-based. In other wine regions, you will probably have to read the label or look it up to determine the percentage. The first place I think of for Bordeaux blends outside of Bordeaux is Italy and its venerable Super Tuscans. The second place that comes to mind is Napa. NAPA CAB, baby, but also all the blends. Also, where did “Meritage” (a now rarely used term for Bordeaux blends in the United States) go, and should it ever have been a thing at all? Like blanc blends from Bordeaux, the history and mystery of Meritage may be a story for another day. I also got my hands on Bordeaux blends from Washington, Chile and New Zealand. BORDEAUX Let us begin with the OG! 2021 Chateau Marjosse A Pierre Lurton creation, this one is actually from the Entre-Deux-Mer. Its blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec is interesting in that it’s quite peppery but with a lush softness. The palate is dry with a bit of sassafras lurking beneath red plums, purple plums, all the plums. Green peppercorn notes emerge. The 2019 lingers with an enjoyable zinging finish. 2018 Chateau Bel Orme Tronquoy de Lalande Plush yet statured, soft but sturdy, this combines 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of purple plum, tobacco and mud introduce flavors of cassis, red and blackberries, a hint of anise and green and pink peppercorn on the palate. The 2018 is excellent, full of interest with a bite. 2019 Le Pauillac de Latour Pauillac is home to most of the first growths: Latour, Mouton-Rothschild and Lafite-Rothschild. The 2019 Le Pauillac de Latour is a mere baby, I know, but a very well-made wine. It feels a smidge more New-World styled with fruit leading, but it is ballasted by notes of earth, pencil lead and shining wet-rock minerals. The nose offers blackcurrant and blue plums with hints of pepper and roses. The palate is so smooth with sanded-down tannins. This has barely entered into open-worthy territory, but it already delivers a lot and even more so with air—florals start to enter the picture, and the already well-integrated tannins get silkier. This is an EXCELLENT wine. SUPERTUSCANS So named because Bordeaux blends made in Tuscany were indeed super. Back in the day, these were de-classified because they were not made with Tuscan grapes, but that is no longer the case. Oh, happy day! 2019 Mandrone di Lohsa Maremma Toscana DOC A super fun blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with Alicante, Carignano and Petit Verdot. It friggin' SMELLS Italian with somewhat herbal aromatics over blackcurrants and a whiff of cedar. The palate rings with luxurious blackcurrant jam countered by drying tannins. Allspice and cinnamon linger in the background as tart redcurrant surfaces on the finish, along with a surprisingly sanguine back-note. 2020 Inama Bradisismo Cabernet Colli Berici With 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Carménère and 9% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 was aged for twelve months in French oak, then for four months in stainless steel. It is super concentrated but with such a swath of herbs! Boysenberry and blackberry cordial play on the nose with a background of brambles and even something floral. The palate is super smooth, driven by its Carménère and Cab Franc elements with chocolate hints underscoring well-toned cassis and smoked peppers up front. The tannins are integrated and well balanced, and the warming finish offers cocoa nib and Luxardo cherry. Yum yum yum. 2020 Terre di San Leonardo I.G.T. Vigneti delle Dolomiti This one is made up of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carménère and 10% Merlot from vineyard blocks that are too young or do not fit the distinct style of San Leonardo. The palate is light but mouthcoating and quite peppery with tart fruit, leafy greens and redcurrants—so very Bordelaise, but also not. The slight pencil shavings say Bordeaux, but something about the fruit feels a little more lifted than I think of for Bordeaux. There is a brightness and lightness that makes me feel like sunshine. Greenery and herbs. Lively and easy. NAPA Oh, let’s get on to California, shall we? 2021 Arietta Napa Valley Quartet This blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot aged for 20 months in 32% new French oak. She’s girthy with chewy tannins, fighting her 14.9% alcohol but also satin-y and plummy as can be with notes of black plum, blackcurrant jam, a bit of mud and baking spice. Not a dancer, more like a boxer with style, the 2021 finishes with both dark and milk chocolate mocha plus a whiff of vanilla. 2021 Smith-Madrone Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Buoyancy lined with velvet. From the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley, this is made up of 81.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.7% Cabernet Franc and 0.4% Merlot aged for 18 months in 65% new French oak. The nose sings of roasted green bell peppers and cocoa powder under plush blackberry cordial. The palate brings talkative but felty tannins. Fun vanilla bean underscores a palate that echoes the nose with all the blackberry iterations plus some boysenberry and light cedar vibes. It’s a hope chest of a wine, lovely to behold and full of treasure that promises a bright future. It has Napa Cab waves with slightly punchy, less ripe undertow. NV Ashes and Diamonds Rouge No. 6 A non-vintage to represent all of Napa, you don’t say! I do. This is Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant with a smidge of Cab Franc and Merlot. The palate is rich and bitter in one fell swoop—sometimes the winery name is a clue to the wine itself? Prune juice says practical, sweet cinnamon says romance. WASHINGTON Washington has been hitting its stride for a while now, but I still don’t see it in the wild terribly often! Let’s change that. 2021 Intrinsic Red Blend The 2021 contains 57% Malbec, 29% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon— woof, that nose though! This singes the nose hairs with purple, red and dried plums plus a touch of vanilla once you get past the alcohol of it all. The mouthcoating palate brings more blue fruit and spice. The tannins are textured and short-lived. Dry but finishes sweet. NEW ZEALAND Hawke’s Bay is the money spot for Bordeaux blends in New Zealand, particularly in Gimblett Gravels. 2021 Craggy Range Winery Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard This is quite lush, herbal and super ripe. Cedar notes abound against a dark-fruited backdrop with all the blackberries, mulberries and currants a gal could wish for. The palate is rich, spicy and oh-so-ripe. Bell pepper is in the mix. I would do it again and probably will. CHILE Italian wine intrinsically tastes Italian; Chilean wines frequently taste so Chilean. They just do. 2021 Domaines Bournet-Lapostolle Clos Apalta Le Petit Clos 68% Carménère, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc. Wow, delicious, wow. This is smoothly seductive, unfolding chocolate-covered blackberry cordial aromas, pulsing tannins and assertive acid with subdued excitement. The palate delivers a superb balance of velvet tannins and high-but-not-searing alcohol (14.5% handled with aplomb). The lingering finish veers from a mellow roastiness to crème de cassis sans sweetness to lean dried vine just hanging on. A fine wine priced like a very good wine, the 2021 will get you going but keep you guessing. This may be my pick of the bunch! CONCLUSION Who is the winner? Is there such a thing? These are the tough questions we ask our tongues in the Old v New World series. I have reached a conclusion, which is that there is no conclusion. But I can at least tell you my shower wine. I find all these wines compelling of their own accord, but which one would I take into the spray? What is my shower Cab? In all truth, no Cab is a shower Cab, but if I have to pick one I want luxury on luxury for it. I’m going Arietta. Want to read more from Ellen? 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