Oh Bordeaux, how out of fashion you are!

And let’s face it, in some ways, Bordeaux kind of deserves it. Bordeaux has some of the greatest wine terroir on the planet, some very fine noble grapes, and generations of experience growing vines and making wine. And yet, sadly, Bordeaux allowed the dictates of fashion to take over. New wine drinkers from around the world said they didn’t like green flavors in their wines, so Bordeaux producers started picking later and later to rid their wines of those classic herbaceous notes. Alcohol levels went up, acidities went down. These bigger wines got big scores from Parker and Wine Spectator. And that made Bordeaux more money. A vicious cycle was launched. Technological innovations made the wines more plump, more lush, softer, cleaner and easier for newby wine drinkers, helping Bordeaux compete for more and more points, and with big Malbecs and Shirazes from foreign shores. The occasional vintage would get hyped, and plenty of wine was sold at silly prices. But in the mean time, something was clearly lost — one of the great wines of the world, the real wine-drinker’s wine that many of us loved, had simply disappeared.

But not entirely. Bordeaux the great can still be found. Can you possibly drink Mission Haut Brion 1985 and not be moved by its greatness? Can you not be thrilled to pay only $13 for a 1999 Medoc and admire how well such a simple wine has aged so effortlessly into the leathery, tobacco pleasure of old Claret?

Bordeaux may have gotten itself out of fashion with its own misdeeds, but let’s not be a victim of fashion! By all means, drink your Trousseau and your Pinot d’Aunis, but all serious wine drinkers need to include Bordeaux in their diet. There is simply too much great wine.

Classic claret is a delicious, highly drinkable wine. It is not big and alcoholic. It has decent acidity. It ages beautifully. Yes, it is a lot harder to find these days. But there are plenty of Chateaux that continue to aim for the classic style. Try Cantemerle 1995 if you don’t believe me.

And wine geeks, the natural wine trend is thankfully coming to Bordeaux. The Chateau Champ des Treilles is a beautiful all-natural example, and white (an even more over-looked category these days)! We also carry all-natural reds from time to time — please ask about current availability.

And don’t complain too much about Michel Roland, the notorious figure featured in Mondovino as a proponent of micro-oxidation (he says he’s not). One of his first clients was Beausejour-Becot. If his 1988 is anything to go by, then his advice at the time at least did no harm — it’s a truly great, classic-tasting wine from an under-appreciated vintage.

Our complete list of Bordeaux is here. Dive in!