Best Wines from Bordeaux

Bordeaux is one of the most important wine regions in France — a region of immense scale and historic prestige producing structured red blends from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, alongside elegant dry whites and the world's most famous sweet wines. This guide is for anyone who wants to understand why these wines taste the way they do, what makes them age-worthy, and which bottles are worth buying first. Every wine listed at Prism Fine Wine is available with US shipping.

What makes Bordeaux special

a region of immense scale and historic prestige producing structured red blends from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, alongside elegant dry whites and the world's most famous sweet wines. The combination of climate, soil and centuries of winemaking craft gives Bordeaux a distinctive identity that no other region can quite replicate. Producers here have spent generations refining how their land speaks through wine.

Signature grapes of Bordeaux

The dominant grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Each one expresses the terroir of Bordeaux differently — some take on weight and depth, others stay light and aromatic — and the best producers know how to coax the most expressive version of each from their vineyards.

What to drink and what to eat

Bordeaux wines pair beautifully with lamb, beef, mushroom dishes, oysters (with the dry whites) and Roquefort with Sauternes. The traditional pairings developed alongside the wines themselves and remain the truest test of a bottle's worth at table.

Where to start

If you are new to Bordeaux, start with a Cru Bourgeois from the Médoc and a fresh white Bordeaux. These are the gateway wines — affordable enough to explore freely, classic enough to give you a real sense of the region's character.