St. Emilion

      

St. Emilion is a city, resting on a plateau, built from the inside out. Beginning in the 8th century, workers began to dig a maze of caves for the limestone to erect the buildings that would rise over the years to become St. Emilion. Today, the city is one of the more attractive in an otherwise ordinary-looking Bordeaux.

For centuries, St. Emilion played an important role in the history of the region. The nearby port of Pierrefittte, on the Dordogne river, was used to ship local wine to England and it was a stop on the Path of St. James, for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. 

St. Emilion's wine connection got a boost when early wineries discovered constant cool temperatures in the caves were ideal for wine storage. The discovery placed St. Emilion as the region's most important right bank city, equal to that of Bordeaux city. 

The value of the wine trade to the region's growth as a commerce hub continued to grow, thanks in large part to the administration of the trade by English merchants. 

In the early years of the 20th century, the Bordeaux wine trade was divided in two, with merchants in the city of Bordeaux concentrating on the wines of the Médoc, while across the Gironde estuary, in the right bank city of Libourne, tradesmen dealt in the wines of St. Emilion.

Then, as now, Cabernet Sauvignon, was the dominant red variety in Bordeaux.  But for St. Emilion, Merlot proved to be the more important grape, partnered with Cabernet Franc.  Meanwhile, Médoc chateaux preferred a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and then Cabernet Franc. 

There is a family resemblance in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. As part of the Bordeaux blend, with Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, there is a harmonious synergy in a blend of the five varieties. Individually, though, Cabernet Sauvignon is more herbal, while Merlot is fruitier. 

Merlot based St. Emilion wines tread a fine line between fruit-forward black cherry and plum flavors, and vegetal dill notes. The shift to herbal is more noticeable in off years in St. Emilion. 

So why isn't Cab Sauv not the major grape of St. Emilion? The distance, after all, from vineyards in the Médoc to vineyards in St. Emilion is a mere 20 miles. 

The answer is terroir. In that short distance, the climate and soils are cool enough in St. Emilion, that Cabernet Sauvignon finds it difficult to ripen in most years. On the other hand, earlier-ripening Merlot is more comfortable in the cooler damp clay soils of St. Emilion.   

The relationship of climate and soil temperature seems at odds in both St. Emilion and the Médoc. Inland St. Emilion has a warmer continental climate and cooler soils, while the Médoc, not far from the ocean, is in a more maritime climate with warmer soils. 

Climate and soil, along with other factors, are prescribed by the French appellation system,  Appellation d'Origine Controlée (AOC), drafted in the 1930s. The American version of AOC, the American Viticultural Area (AVA), was initiated by the federal government in the 1980s. 

While the two systems share similarities, the American system is only geographical and does not include rules on viticulture and wine making. And, unlike AOC, the AVA designation does not appear on a wine label. These differences are critical when weighing the value of label information at the point of purchase.

The debate pitting Merlot and St. Emilion with Cabernet Sauvignon and Médoc has no winner since any result is a matter of personal preference. Pairing these wines with food is also a matter of personal choice. Here are a few suggestions that have worked, based on complimentary flavor components. 

Merlot's soft and fruity flavors work nicely with vegetable and meat patés and terrines, roast duck and cured ham, and curried meat dishes and cheesy entrees. 

Cabernet Sauvignon is an ideal choice with all roast and grilled meats, especially lamb, beef stews, roast turkey, grilled steak and dishes with mushrooms. 

If you caught the Merlot wave and want to sample a classic expression of the classic grape, look for St. Emilion on your next trip to the wine shop.  

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