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. It's not much to look at, but certain parts of it, given the right weather conditions, can produce some of the world's greatest wines.

Within the Medoc the most glamorous appellations include Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac, and St. Estephe. Though there are minor differences between them, they can be broadly generalized as producing firm, intense, and flavorful reds, among them some of the world's premier expressions of cabernet sauvignon. In recent times the producers on this list have come under greater and greater demand. The world has decided that 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 in 1995 and 1996 after four years of hardship in the early part of the decade.

The savvy consumer would be wise to look for the better vintages as they are coming into stores and see which producers, particularly in the second or third tier, seem to represent a modicum of value. With this approach Bordeaux need not be as painfully expensive as it otherwise might.