buy me / pop grape

bend it like bordeaux

david beckham wineAll these reports came out that Paris Saint-Germain, the French football club that just got David Beckham, wants to release a Bordeaux with its players on different labels. They were supposedly in negotiations with Francis Lamblin, the winemaker at Chateau Lamblin in the Côtes de Bourg region of Bordeaux.

But after everyone started freaking out, Lamblin told Decanter that he told PSG about the idea in January but nothing has been signed yet. “It remains just a project, nothing has been decided,” he said. “That said, I am open to anything and if Mr. Beckham would like me to create a special wine box, I am at his disposal.” Yeah, who wouldn’t be, buddy?

I had to dig around a little on this to see if Becks and Vicks are even into wine. Of course, they are. Apparently, they got into the grape when they were in Madrid. David even bought Victoria a vineyard in Napa for seven-figures in 2008. This was before grapefriend existed, otherwise obvs I would’ve been all over this. Anyway, sounds like the Beckhams only make wine for family and friends, not for retail.

Bordeaux is made from 5 possible grapes, so what would the Beckham blend be? Coincidentally enough, I just went to a blind tasting of Borbeaux blends from around the world (btw, it’s only allowed to be called Bordeaux if it’s from that region; in America it’s called Meritage) and got this awesome little home blending kit. franciscan blending kitLittle did I know I’d be writing about it in a David Beckham post, but I used it as a kickoff to break down what each grape adds to the blend:

cabernet: Adds body and structure. Black currant and blackberries, can develop into tobacco and cedar with age.

merlot: Softer and more gentle, without as much tannin. Riper fruit like plum and blueberry.

cab franc: Light- to medium-bodied. More aromatic and fruitier than Cabernet Sauvignon with black cherry and some herbaceous notes like clove, green pepper and olive.

petit verdot: Adds color, killer tannin, and alcohol. Flavors are black cherry and pepper.

malbec: Adds structure, tannin, and inky color. Dark black fruits and earthy meatiness.

I think Becks would be mostly Cab – obv, he’d need a full-bodied grape with lots of chiseled structure. But he does have a little Merlot-ish soft side, buying a fantastic gift for Vicks and being cute with his kids. I don’t think the blend would be heavy on the herby Cab Franc and no pro athlete should play around too much with high-alcohol Petit Verdot. A tiny dose of Malbec color could be good for pale Becks, even though Malbec is pretty minor in Bordeaux blends these days.

Bottle it.

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