As the Gironde river flows out to the sea past the city of Bordeaux, it meets another river, the Dordogne, and forms a tidal estuary known as the Garonne. The strip of land between the estuary and the Atlantic is known as the Medoc that is home to some of the world's greatest wines. Within the Medoc, the most glamorous appellations include Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac, and St. Estephe that are located in the southern portion; this is the Haut-Médoc. Red wines produced here can broadly generalized as firm, intense, flavorful and well-structured, among them some of the world's premier expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon.

In recent times, producers here have experienced greater and greater demand. The world has decided it wants Bordeaux, and there's only so much to go around. This is an equation for spiraling prices, and the Bordelais have been more than happy to accommodate - particularly with successful vintages. To get the very best of the Medoc, you will have to pay more dearly for it than ever. The savvy consumer would be wise to look for the better vintages and determine which producers, particularly in the second or third tier, seem to offer a modicum of value. With this approach, Bordeaux need not be as painfully expensive as it otherwise might.