Bordeaux-Right Bank

In one of my past postings, I was telling you about the Bordeaux classification of 1855. A bunch of tipsy french guys in a tavern, drinking wine, blah, blah, blah. Well they must have been a bit drunker than they thought they were, because when everything was said and done, they realized they forgot about the right side of the river. So, they decided to fix that. 99 YEARS LATER!!!
Some people (mostly french of course) think the reason for that was that the hot shots of Bordeaux were on the left side.  But in 1947, Chateau Cheval Blanc made one of the greatest wines of all time. And the big surprise was, that these guys were on the wrong side of the river. This vintage, has been so hard to find in last few decades, that every time a bottle or two surface in some auction house, it creates a frenzy; people bid amounts of money that would feed a medium sized African country for the entire holiday season. Almost always it ends up being purchased by an anonymous Asian buyer bidding on the phone.
The main grape on the right bank is Merlot. Most wines are blended with Cabernet Franc, the exception being Cheval Blanc which is all Cabernet Franc. The two main appellations are St. Emillion and Pomerol, and if you ask me they are two of the best. I have never been the biggest Merlot fan ever, but put a good bottle of St. Emillion in front of me and watch out. The wines are round, rich, less tannic and they have an almost creamy texture as opposed to a lot of other Merlots which to me are drier than they should be. Another great Chateau on this side of the river is Petrus, Chateau that every vintage manages to kill it. I can honestly say, since I did tasted a few of them, this wine is "creme de la creme".
Right side of the river is also home to a lot of micro producers. It seems that every Parisian that made a few bucks (francs or euros), moved here, bought a small parcel of land and started making wine in their garage. Usually in the american garage you find bikes and golf clubs, old furniture and a whole bunch of other junk. The most amazing part is that when you taste a couple of this micro guys, sometimes located right across the street from each other, the wines couldn't be more different. Trust me, a lot of them should be named Chateau  Crapo, but every once in awhile you get lucky and find amazing bottles of wine at ridiculous prices.
One of my favorites has always been Chateau Boutisse. At my last job in New York, I had the chance to taste a few of their vintages, and every single one of them has been awesome. Saint Emillion Grand Cru, it is usually about 70% merlot, with the rest Cab. Fruity, lots of berries,  (the clowns at Wine Spectator call boysenberries and raspberries), it is spicy and delicious.
Pairings? Well, since it will only run you about $24-25 in a store, you got some cash left for dinner. So, buy a chunk of Parmeggiano Reggiano. And while you act all fancy, sip wine and eat cheese, roast a leg of lamb. With some garlic, maybe rosemary and thyme, cook medium rare and enjoy. Then go slap your mamma.

You can not talk about Bordeaux and not discuss whites and Sauternes. So, that's next week.