When the term "Bordeaux Blend" is applied to wines from the "Right Bank" of the Gironde, we're talking about wines using Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Appellations include St Emilion, Pomerol, Lalande de Pomerol, Bourg, Blaye, Castillon and Entre-Deux-Mers. Many of these vineyards are located along the Dordogne river and, with Merlot making up two thirds of all red grape planting in Bordeaux, the wines made here tend to be drinkable at a younger age due to the lower tannin levels. The best wines are plush and opulently textured and have flavours of plum, blueberry, black cherry and blackberry. Chateaux producing wines with oak maturation (giving notes of coffee/chocolate and spicy hints of vanilla, cinnamon and liquorice) are commonplace, but many of the more everyday wines are unoaked. Aromas are often associated with a floral character including violets.
