Where would you bank? Left bank vs Right bank wines

We would like to present “Where would you bank?, an investigation into and comparison of some of the finest wines from Bordeaux and South Africa. The word “bank” has a very specific meaning in Bordeaux, indicating on which side of the great Gironde River wines are produced. On the left bank you will find some of the most prolific and well known wine regions such as Pauillac, St Estephe, St Julien and Margaux. On the right bank, the St Emillion and Pomerol regions produce sublime wines.

First of all, most Bordeaux reds are made up of at least Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc with some vignerons adding Petit Verdot and Malbec for good measure. Left bank wines tend to be dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and since Cabernet Sauvignon has more intense flavours and tannin owning to its smaller berries these wines tend to be stylistically bolder. The higher level of tannin in Cabernet Sauvignon gives Left bank wines incredible structure and aging potential. Some names to remember on the left Bank are Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lafite Rothschild and the Leovilles.

On the right bank, the cooler, more inland climate tends to suit Merlot better as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to fully ripen. Right Bank wines therefore have more Merlot, which offers rounder dark cherry flavours and lower tannins. The cooler climate also tends to express fresher more fruit driven wines. Stylistically these wines spell out finesse, yet make no mistake, the complexity and aging potential is still very prevalent. Some producers to visit include Chateau Angelus, Chateau Petrus and Chateau Fleur du Bouard.

The object of this tasting is to experience eight incredible wines, two from the left bank in Bordeaux, two from the right bank of Bordeaux and two South African wines that are left bank and right bank representations in their own respect. Guests will first be given an understanding of their palate and how they taste wines. Guests will then taste the wines blind and try to ascertain which bank / style they represent and whether they are from France or South Africa. The final question will be, where would you bank? Which wine would you buy? We will unveil the wines and their values and their investment potential.