One of the special qualities that makes Bordeaux (and especially Burgundy) so interesting is their sense of place. Pauillac has her own local ‘thing'--pencil lead, cedar box, lovely adjectives that seem to be associated with her wines, yet rarely with the wines of either St. Estephe or St. Julien. Even though these two villages bookend Pauillac. Crazy! Margauz afficanados know when they are drinking wines from this illustrious appellation. The Graves too has its particular style, most likely given the fact that vineyards there are planted on elevated sites deep with gravel, dropped there by the Gironde/Garonne currents and helped a bit by dredging up the river to keep it passable as a port. These deep gravel beds are a favorite of Cabernet Sauvignon, whereas Merlot does well enough, but tends to prefer more clay. It finds more of this iron/clay in St. Emilion. Grave takes its name from gravel, and the wines from Graves, Pessac-Leognan most famously, have their unique aromas and flavors derived from this soil composition. Whereas Pessac-Leognan (you might say the best section of the Graves) tends to be pricier, wines from the Graves are not, and can be excellent value. Remember, this part of Bordeaux is unquestionably the top spot for white wines, both dry (Graves and Pessac-Leognan) and just a bit south, sweet (Sauternes, Barsac, St Croix du Mont, Cadillac, Monbazillac and Loupiac).

Jean Michel Cazes, one of the more important figures in Bordeaux wine in our lifetime, is the well-known proprietor of Ch. Lynch Bages in Pauillac. He spent many years before retirement with the AXA group, managing their numerous Chateaux. One of the Cazes families little gems is the Chateau Villa Bel-Air, which they acquired in 1988. The Chateau produces a red and a white, both which you should consider! The white, Ch. Villa Bel-Air 2012 Graves blanc ($24.99) is a fresh blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Sauvignon adds citrus, freshness and acidity, while Semillon adds fruit and weight/body. The Villa Bel-Air leans toward the racy Sauvignon Blanc style, with 65% and 35% Semillon. Expect citrus/floral aromas backed by lychee flavors and subtle vanilla notes. I like this wine with grilled prawns.

The red is quite fine too! Chateau Villa Bel-Air 2010 rouge ($24.99) is a blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc that earned a 90 point rating from Wine Spectator. The wine spends a year in barrel, adding toasty notes to the ripe black fruit flavor. Delicious now, and probably for the next 5-6 years, and is definitely a beef wine. Rack of lamb or simple grilled steak is right on the mark!

Shayne Hebert, Central Florida wine supervisor. Follow me on Twitter @abcwineshayne.