For understandable marketing reasons, California wine makers like to use varietal names on the label. The remainder in this case might be merlot, to provide smoothness, with a touch of malbec or petite verdot to deepen the color. Which is exactly what the Bordelais do. The mixing done, however, the Californians split off from their Bordeaux counterparts. Dark-fruit flavors such as black currants, sometimes referred to as cassis, often hold sway in Medoc wines, along with various accents of tobacco, cedar and even cooked meats.
Medoc wines tend to be big and complex and yet are capable of thrilling finesse, even silkiness.
That's a Bordeaux in your glass. While a California cabernet or merlot is typically fashioned for early consumption, the bottling of a Bordeaux red is but another step in its evolution toward maturity. Most Bordeaux wines are engineered to reach their full glory only after a few years in your cellar. That coming of age may require anywhere from three years to ten or more from the vintage. And sorting out the monumental wines from the merely stellar, great or good in Bordeaux has daunted consumers for generations.