Bordeaux Blend Grape Varieties: What Goes In (and What to Grow in Cold Climates)

A Bordeaux blend is made from up to six red grape varieties – primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, with smaller roles for Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carménère. White Bordeaux uses Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. The exact proportions vary by winemaker and sub-region, but those six reds are the palette every classic Bordeaux is painted from.

Here’s the honest follow-up for cold-climate growers: none of these grapes will survive a Zone 3-5 winter. Cabernet Sauvignon buds die below about -15 °F (-26 °C). Merlot isn’t much tougher. If you’re gardening in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or the Canadian prairies and want to make a structured, dark, tannic red wine in the Bordeaux spirit, you need cold-hardy hybrids – and the good news is they’re getting genuinely impressive. I’ll cover both the classics and the cold-climate alternatives below.

The Six Red Bordeaux Grapes (and What Each Brings)

Cabernet Sauvignon – Structure and Longevity

The backbone of Left Bank Bordeaux (Médoc, Graves). Cab Sauv contributes the firm tannins and dark fruit – blackcurrant, cedar, graphite – that let a great Bordeaux age for 20+ years. It needs a long warm season to ripen fully; Bordeaux’s maritime climate provides that. In the blend it usually runs 50-80% on the Left Bank.

Merlot – Softness and Fruit

The dominant grape on the Right Bank (Pomerol, Saint-Émilion) and the softening agent on the Left Bank. Merlot ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and gives plum, chocolate, and rounder tannins. A cold vintage that stunts Cabernet Sauvignon’s ripening often lets Merlot carry the blend. Right Bank wines run 60-80% Merlot; it’s the most widely planted grape in the entire Bordeaux appellation.

Cabernet Franc – Herbal Brightness

Think of Cabernet Franc as the spice rack. It adds violet, red fruit, and a slight savory herbaceousness – pencil shavings and green pepper when under-ripe, raspberry and graphite when well-ripened. It’s a co-star on the Right Bank (often 20-40% in Pomerol and Saint-Émilion blends) and a supporting player on the Left. It also ripens about a week earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives winemakers a hedge against bad autumn weather. Important note for growers: Cab Franc has somewhat better cold-hardiness than Cab Sauv, surviving down to about -10 to -15 °F (-23 to -26 °C), so it’s occasionally grown in sheltered Zone 6 spots, but it’s still a major frost risk in Zone 5 and below.

Petit Verdot – Color and Punch

A late-ripening variety used in small doses (2-5%) to add deep violet color, intense tannin, and a floral, spicy note. In poor vintage years it often doesn’t fully ripen at all, so it’s more of a luxury additive than a necessity. In warm years it can be the best thing in the cellar.

Malbec – The Bordeaux Original

Yes, Malbec is originally a Bordeaux grape (called Côt in the region). It was once far more common in the blend but lost ground after a brutal frost in 1956 wiped out much of the Bordeaux vineyard stock. Today it’s a minor blending component, adding dark fruit and plush texture. Argentina has of course made it famous as a varietal wine. In classic Bordeaux, think of it as a small supporting role.

Carménère – The Rare One

Carménère was nearly extinct in Bordeaux after phylloxera and the 1956 frost. It’s still permitted in blends and occasionally seen in tiny quantities. The grape it’s most often confused with – Merlot – actually replaced it in many Bordeaux vineyards. It found a second life in Chile, where it was mistakenly labeled as Merlot for decades. When blended into Bordeaux-style wines it adds spice, dark pepper, and a herbal complexity.

White Bordeaux: Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon

About 10% of Bordeaux production is white. The blend is Sauvignon Blanc for aromatics and acidity, Sémillon for body and aging potential, with occasional additions of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris. Dry white Bordeaux (Bordeaux Blanc) is typically dominated by Sauvignon Blanc. Sweet Sauternes – the famous late-harvest dessert wine – is mostly Sémillon, where noble rot concentrates the sugars. Sémillon’s thin skin makes it susceptible to botrytis, which is a catastrophe in table wine but the entire point in Sauternes production.

Can You Grow Bordeaux Grapes in a Cold Climate?

Short answer: not reliably in Zones 3-5, and it’s a gamble even in Zone 6. Here’s the reality from someone who’s watched vines die:

• Cabernet Sauvignon: winter-kill threshold roughly -15 °F (-26 °C); also needs 175-190 frost-free days to ripen. Most of the northern US and Canada simply don’t provide that.
• Merlot: similar cold limits; buds are actually more frost-sensitive in spring than Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Cabernet Franc: a bit more cold-tolerant, but still risky below Zone 6 without a sheltered microclimate.
• Petit Verdot / Malbec / Carménère: not cold-hardy; avoid in cold climates.

The honest option: grow cold-hardy hybrids bred specifically for exactly this problem, and make a Bordeaux-style structured red from them instead.

Cold-Hardy Hybrids That Approximate a Bordeaux-Style Red

The University of Minnesota, Cornell, and various Canadian programs have produced varieties that genuinely rival the flavor profiles of Bordeaux grapes – dark fruit, firm tannin, aging potential. These are the three I’d point to first:

• Marquette (U of MN, 2006): Hardy to about -34 °F (-37 °C). High tannin, black cherry, spice, mocha. This is the closest cold-climate equivalent to a Cabernet/Merlot blend I’ve found. Ripens in late September in Zone 4. Makes wines that can genuinely age. It’s a Pinot Noir descendant but drinks nothing like Pinot – structured, dark, serious.
• Frontenac (U of MN, 1996): Hardy to -30 °F (-34 °C). Deep red-black color, high tannin, cherry-berry fruit with some earthiness. Needs blending or extended maceration to soften the acidity, but the color and structure are excellent. Used widely in cold-climate red wine blends.
• Petite Pearl (Tom Plocher, ~2005): Hardy to around -30 to -35 °F (-34 to -37 °C). This one gets talked about less, but the wine quality is genuinely impressive – dark fruit, moderate tannin, aromatic complexity. It’s harder to find in nurseries but worth seeking out if you want something beyond the usual suspects.

A blend of Marquette (structure) and Frontenac (color/depth) with a small addition of Petite Pearl (aromatics) will give you a red wine that any fan of Bordeaux-style reds would find interesting. Not identical – but not a poor imitation either. The University of Minnesota’s own research notes that Marquette in particular achieves phenolic ripeness that compares favorably with warm-climate Vitis vinifera.

If you’re starting a cold-climate red wine block, I’d recommend planting all three and learning which performs best in your specific site. For spacing guidance that applies directly to these varieties, see my notes on grape vine spacing.

For more on growing varieties that work in difficult climates, my Baco Noir overview covers another classic cold-climate red worth knowing about. And if you’re drawn to the Pinot side of things – Marquette’s ancestor – see growing Pinot Noir grapes for a comparison of what you’re working with.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the six permitted red grapes in a Bordeaux blend?

The six red varieties permitted in Bordeaux AOC wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec (Côt), and Carménère. Most bottles contain three or four of these; all six in one blend is unusual but permitted. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate the vast majority of production.

What is the difference between Left Bank and Right Bank Bordeaux?

Left Bank Bordeaux (Médoc, Graves) is Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant – firmer tannins, more austere when young, built to age. Right Bank Bordeaux (Pomerol, Saint-Émilion) is Merlot-dominant – rounder, more approachable young, plummier fruit. The Gironde River estuary divides the two regions geographically, and the different soils (gravel on the Left, clay-limestone on the Right) drive a lot of the stylistic difference.

Can I grow Bordeaux grapes in Zone 4 or Zone 5?

Not reliably. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are typically rated to USDA Zone 7 with some reports of survival in Zone 6 in sheltered microclimates. Below that, winter temperatures will kill the canes or the entire vine. Your best option for a Bordeaux-style red in Zones 3-5 is cold-hardy hybrids: Marquette, Frontenac, or Petite Pearl are the leading choices, all bred by the University of Minnesota program to survive -30 to -35 °F (-34 to -37 °C).

What grapes make white Bordeaux?

White Bordeaux is primarily Sauvignon Blanc (for aromatics and acidity) and Sémillon (for body, texture, and aging potential). Muscadelle and Sauvignon Gris are also permitted in small amounts. The sweet dessert wine Sauternes is mostly Sémillon, concentrated by noble rot (botrytis cinerea).

How many grapes does it take to make a Bordeaux blend?

Legally, a single variety is enough – a “Bordeaux blend” can be 100% one permitted grape. In practice, most Bordeaux wines use three or four varieties to achieve complexity. The classic structure is a dominant grape (Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot depending on the bank), one or two co-varieties for aromatic complexity (Cabernet Franc, Malbec), and optionally a small addition of Petit Verdot for color and punch.