Bordeaux Left Bank

Bordeaux's Left Bank is the spiritual home and benchmark of Cabernet Sauvignon: a firm, cedar-and-cassis red grown on the deep gravel banks of the Médoc and Graves, where the grape leads a blend with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Cooler and more maritime than the New World, it trades ripe jamminess for structure — high, fine tannin, blackcurrant, graphite and cigar-box savour that need years in bottle to soften.