Bordeaux
Ready-to-drink vintages (including the outstanding, elegant 2016s) from the most iconic appellations of Bordeaux.
The world’s most famous wine region, Bordeaux is home to lauded châteaux, unsung heroes offering fantastic value, and all points in between. Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien and Saint-Estèphe on the left bank are cabernet sauvignon dominant and well structured, while the right bank’s Saint-Emilion and Pomerol favour softer, richer merlot.
Bordeaux by type
Anyday wines
Bordeaux offers some of the best value of any wine region, if you know where to look.
Shop the winesFine wines
Home to many of the worlds most famous fine wines, Bordeaux excels in quality and consistency.
Shop the winesBordeaux red wines
Discover the rich flavours of dark fruit, hints of oak, and a balanced finish—perfect for any palate.
Shop the winesBordeaux white wines
Incredible versatility from crisp citrus notes, vibrant acidity, and a smooth finish to Sauternes’ rich, honeyed sweetness.
Shop the winesMost popular Bordeaux wines
The Society's 150th Anniversary Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2016
Château Lary-Tagot, Bordeaux 2022
Château du Puch, Bordeaux 2020
The Wine Society's Generation Series Sauvignac 2022
Château Pey La Tour Réserve, Bordeaux Supérieur 2019
Château de Pitray, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 2021
The Wine Society's Generation Series New Generation Claret 2022
Château Canada, Bordeaux Supérieur 2020
Château Virevalois, Bordeaux 2022
The Society's Claret 2022
Discover more about Bordeaux
An introduction to Bordeaux
Tim Sykes, buyer for Bordeaux gives a quick introduction to wines of the region.
View video transcriptVideo transcript
My name is Tim Sykes. I'm the Bordeaux buyer for The Wine Society.
Bordeaux is France's largest wine growing region. It's based in the South-West of France. It's quite close to the Atlantic and the climate is a maritime climate which is ideally suited for growing grapes. Bordeaux has a very wide range of styles of wine, from red wines, it’s mainly red and you get medium to full-bodied wines. You also get dry white wines. You get delicious sweet wines from Sauternes. And there's even a bit of sparkling and rosé produced in the area. But it's predominantly a red wine area, and Bordeaux is often known as claret in Britain. Claret is synonymous with red Bordeaux.
The grape varieties in Bordeaux are several. For red wines, the two main varieties are merlot and cabernet sauvignon, and, depending where the wines are grown, you get different proportions of both those varieties. Under £10, merlot is the predominant grape variety, sometimes with an addition of either cabernet sauvignon or the other cabernet, cabernet franc. Merlot tends to produce nice, plush, rounded, soft wines. Above £10, you get the more serious wines and you tend to get wines that are aged in oak barrels.
For white wines, the two main varieties are sauvignon and semillon. Sometimes they are separately bottled, sometimes they are blended together.
Bordeaux is split into two main regions and, depending which region the wine comes from, you'll get different proportions of varieties. On the left bank of Bordeaux, in regions like the Médoc, you tend to get predominantly cabernet sauvignon grown, so the wines have a little bit more structure and a bit more grip. And on the right bank, you tend to get merlot-dominant wines, and those are softer and rounder and generally a little bit more easy drinking.
Well, I hope this has whetted your appetite for Bordeaux. If you're interested to learn more, you can consult our Bordeaux regional guide, which is on our website, and if you are new to Bordeaux, a good starting point might be The Wine Society's Claret and The Wine Society's Bordeaux Sauvignon, which are typical examples of their type and will give you a good first impression of Bordeaux.
And then if you want to spend a little bit more money and become a little bit more adventurous, then try our Exhibition range, where we have several reds and a lovely Sauternes as well.