Pauillac is a red wine, belonging to the Bordeaux vineyard. It is classified AOC by the Institut national des appellations d’origine (INAO).
Recommanded variety of grapes : Cabernet franc, Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Carménère and Petit verdot.
Pauillac is a wine for laying down. Its colour is dark purple, almost black with violaceous shades when it’s young. After a few years, almost ten years forthe best ones, their colour softens to become ruby with amber shades.
To the nose, Pauillac is very concentrated and complex. Red fruit (blackcurrant, blackberry, plum ...), spice (vanilla, pepper, menthol, liquorice) and wood (cedar, grilled, toasted) fragrances dominate.
In the mouth, the wine has a framework. The tannins require a perfect maturity ; otherwise, the mouth would get dry and bitterness would hide the aromas. A long time in the cellar is softening tannins, but maintaining the aromatic power of the wine. These crus are powerfull and structured, but also fine and delicate.
These wines make a smart set with red meat (’entrecôte à la bordelaise’, lamb, veal kidney, game like pigeon or hare).
Some examples of Pauillac ’grands crus’ : Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Mouton-Rothschild.
Production sites : Cissac-Médoc, Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien, Saint-Sauveur
