Despite the challenges it presents for wine’s carbon footprint, a wine bottle is emblematic. It is an important part of the marketing mix. Back in the 80s and 90s, a heavy bottle was perceived as a sign of quality, a reflection of the big, bold wines they contained. These bottles looked, felt and were expensive. 

Times have changed. For eco-conscious consumers, a lighter bottle sends a different quality message, one of awareness of the environmental impact of making and transporting glass. It also reflects a change from bigger to more elegant wines for many producers, and not only in Bordeaux.

The shape of things to come. 

Study the wines of the world and you learn the traditional associations of bottle shapes with different regions. From tall slim Alsace and German wine bottles to the sloping shoulders of Burgundy or Rhone and the higher, squarer shoulders of a Bordeaux bottle. Shapes that are used around the world to suggest Chardonnay, Pinot or the Bordeaux blends found within. 

The traditional Bordeaux shape has dissenters, and not just young, disruptive wine makers.  Château Haut Brion started using their distinctive bottle with its embossed front and sloping shoulders from the 1958 vintage. The design was based on the shape of an old bottle found on the estate.  

Although they use a classic Bordeaux bottle for their neighbouring property Château La Mission Haut Brion, they have adopted the Haut Brion shape and embossing for their right bank Château Quintus in Saint Emilion and its second wine Le Dragon de Quintus.

In the 1990s Château Monbousquet and Château Pavie started using a bottle with sloped shoulders for their red wines and the Monbousquet white. A statement of their move away from a classic style under the new ownership of the Perse family who bought Château Monbousquet in 1993 and Château Pavie in 1998. 

Other Bordeaux properties have chosen a bottle shape to indicate their break with tradition. Asphodele, the new 100% Semillon dry white wine of Château Climens, launched in 2018 or the white of Château de La Dauphine in Fronsac launched in 2019 for example.

Unsurprisingly, wine makers experimenting with non-traditional Bordeaux varieties here are also using non-traditional bottles. Clos Dubreuil Chardonnay launched in 2013 and the Truffières Chardonnay and Syrah from the Courselles sisters at Château Theuiley both use bottles that reflect Burgundy or Rhone styles rather than Bordeaux. 

Embossing the bottle is also a signature. All the Bernard Magrez wines sport the papal crossed keys associated with his flagship property Château Pape Clement. The first wines of his properties, including Château La Tour Carnet in Haut Medoc,  Chateau Fombrauge in Saint Emilion and Clos Haut Peyraguey in Sauternes also carry embossed coats of arms on their shoulders. Château Pichon Comtesse also sports a coat of arms and Chateau Petit Village, that I mentioned last week, carries its more discreet initials. This is not unique to classified growths; many family properties have a long aristocratic history with a coat of arms to match, such as Chateau Fonfroide in the Entre Deux Mers.

My favourite has to be the spectacular bottles introduced by Silvio Denz, owner of Château Lafaurie Peyraguey in Sauternes and Château Peby Faugères and Château Faugères in Saint Emilion. The fact he also owns crystal house Lalique, helps. as does his experience in the perfume industry. The bottle of Château Faugères carries the embossed shape of the dramatic cellar design of the property and the bottle of Grand Cru Classé Peby Faugères a 1928 Lalique design of the merle or blackbird, (appropriately the origin of the name of the Merlot grape). 

The jewel in the crown is the bottle of Château Lafaurie Peyraguey, embossed with the Rene Lalique ‘Femme et Raisins’ motif. It is used for the  Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Grand Vin Blanc Sec too but differentiated by its bronze colour. In 2019, they released a clear glass magnum edition

With the 2016 vintage he went one step further and created a Bugatti decanter for both Château Lafaurie-Peyaguey and Château Peby Faugeres, both delivered in a limited edition of just 25 with a crystal stopper in a beautiful wooden coffret, also incrusted with Lalique that lends itself to a cigar humidor or even a jewelry box once the wine is finished. 

Sweet Spot

Not be outdone, neighbouring 1^st Growth Château Rabaud Promis created a beautiful honeycomb bottle for their 2018 vintage. It is in honour of the owners love of bees, a nod to the sweet wine and also underlining the property’s commitment to biodiversity. The bottle is used for the classified growth but also for their lighter Vin de Pays and has reusable closure. You can enjoy a glass or two and come back later for another one. Remember, Sauternes has the wonderful ability to last for at least 14 days in the fridge once opened, although not in my house!   

Upcycle

These beautiful bottles are products in themselves. If they are upcycled to be reused as a decanter, does that lighten the heavy carbon footprint? 

Go for gold 

Special vintages and events merit special bottles, and using gold is a way of creating a container that looks as precious as the contents. 
Château Mouton Rothschild marked the turn of the century 2000 vintage embossing bottles with the emblematic ram of the property in gold. Château Margaux created a special golden bottle for the 2015 vintage in memory of the much-missed cellar master Paul Pontallier and Château Angelus celebrated its accession to the heights of 1er Grand Cru Classé A with a golden bottle for the 2012 vintage. 

Crystal Clear. 

Coloured bottles may have the sustainability advantage, as they can be made from recycled glass, and darker glass protects more fragile white and rosé wines from UV light damage. Sometimes, from a marketing point of view, you have to let the colour shine through. A clear bottle is indispensable for the golden sweet wines of Bordeaux, their seductive colour has to be seen. The colour of a rosé is a key selling point too and a clue to style, allowing consumers to choose a drier paler rosé or a darker more structured one. 

Clear cut 

The cut-out labels on the rosé of Château Thieuley and the Quille at Château de Cerons are perfect for letting rosé shine through and Chateau Bonnet launched their rosé this year with completely see-through labels.

As Bordeaux Rosé enjoys a renaissance, producers are having fun with bottles. Clos Cantenac has beautiful bottles for their new rosé and white wines, with glass stoppers, perfect for upcycling. How beautiful is the punt of the Exuberance bottle?  

Some Bordeaux bottles are worth buying for both the container and the content. 

If you have enjoyed this post please sign up here  to receive future blog posts directly to your inbox. If you would like to learn more about Bordeaux, you can buy your copy of Bordeaux Bootcamp here, to learn more about Wine and Wellness, you can buy your copy of The Drinking Woman’s Diet here. 

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