Located in a corner of southwestern France, Bordeaux is where the very notion of wine snobbery was invented. Snob appeal aside, the wines of Bordeaux are some of the greatest in the world; they're the perfect present for the hard-to-please wine lover.

Geography Lesson Bordeaux is divided into two sub-regions: the Médoc, Graves and Sauternes (the Left Bank), and, across the Gironde, Pomerol and St-Émilion (the Right Bank). Left Bank reds are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, while Right Bank reds are mostly Merlot and/or Cabernet Franc.

Château Count There are 12,000 producers in Bordeaux—most called Château whether they have an actual château or not, though many sell less-than-great wines.

Vintage Facts The best wines from the monumental 2005 vintage won't be really drinkable until next year. So look for wines from the excellent 2000, solid 2001, 2003 and 2004 vintages at prices much lower than the 2005s.

Pricing Don’t expect anything really cheap, prices have been going up and it doesn’t seem to be coming down anytime soon, so be prepared to pay RM50–RM65 a bottle for the cheapest Bordeaux and double that for a Cru Bourgeois or petit chateau.  The least expensive cru classe wines start at around RM250 a bottle. First growths can go for RM800 a bottle and up. The 2005 Chateau Latour is currently selling for around RM6000 a bottle. 
    
8 TOP BOTTLES

2000 Château La Vielle Cure, Fronsac Graceful and full bodied, this red from a winery from the not so trendy appellation of Fronsac t, Bordeaux offers an excellent glimpse of an already-legendary vintage.

2000 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac This is one of Bordeaux's most famous names and perhaps its greatest aristocrat. After decanting, it shows a highly refined combination of coffee, plum and spice.

2000 Chateau Trotanoy, Pomerol This wine shows why the prices of many Pomerol have gone so high. It's spicy, lush and filled with red cherry fruit.

2001 Chateau Latour, Pauillac The Pauillac region produced some of the most filled-in, satisfying Bordeaux reds of 2001, but this rich, elegant wine seems to have come from an even better vintage.

2004 Chateau Montrose, St Estephe This property can be mentioned in the same breath as the greatest Bordeaux châteaus—but charges a fraction of their prices. This dense, fleshy red is a star of the vintage.

2000 Chateau d’Armailhac, Pauillac One of the most widely available wines from Pauillac, this luscious red, full of succulent fruit, is also a real bargain.

2004 Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere, St Emilion The vintage was inconsistent overall, but this ripe, chewy red from St-Émilion is absolutely gorgeous and well worth the price, get it if you can find it.

2004 Clos du Marquis, St Julien A gorgeous "second wine" made from the vines of the fabled Château Leoville Las Cases, this mouth-filling red captures all the famous estate's elegance with an extra bit of cassis-plum fruitiness