Washington Cabernet Sauvignon vs. Bordeaux

The Tour de France organizers recently unveiled the 2018 route.  The 105th edition of le Tour includes some of the most diverse racing in the past decade.  The race begins in the Normandy region of North East France rather than in a different country like many of the past editions.  After spending a week in Northern France the race heads to the mountains in the Alps and Pyrenees before finishing up in Paris.  The finish on the Champs Elysees is one tradition that continues to endure.

In honor of the Tour's organizers willingness to shake things up, this week's challenge features on upstart from Walla Walla taking on the old guard from the Left Bank of Bordeaux.

2012 Kontos Cellars Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon vs. 2012 L'Abeille de Fieuzal Pessac-Leognan

Washington BDX Style Blend vs. Right Bank Bordeaux

The Tour de France starts on Saturday.  This year's route covers 3,540 km over 21 stages with plenty of terrain that offers the opportunity for a variety of riders to achieve victory.  In the end, there is only one true winner - the rider that arrives in Paris wearing the Maillot Jaune, aka The Yellow Jersey.  This is the rider that completes all 21 stages in the fastest cumulative time.

There are other jerseys are on the line too, including:

• The Green Jersey for the best all around rider.  This jersey has come to be known as the Sprinter's Jersey in recent history.
• The Polka Dot Jersey for the best mountain climber.  This rider is also known as the King of the Mountains.
• The White Jersey for the best young rider.  This is the highest placed racer under the age of 23.

All these opportunities add up to multiple races within the bigger race.  There are more than a handful of racers eyeing victory in this year's tour.  All the top riders finished off their preparation with the Criterium du Dauphine or the Tour de Suise.

Just like the pro racers, I've topped off my Tour preparation with a recent Bordeaux Right Bank Ruckus featuring St. Emilion vs. Washington.

2014 Auclair Right Blend vs. 2008 Chateau Barde-Haut Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Washington Merlot v. St. Emillion

The latest edition of the Tour de France finished up during the last weekend of July.  This year's tour was light on drama in the context of overall victory - Vincenzo Nibali established a lead in the first week of the race and never let go.  Well, he did give up the Yellow Jersey on Bastille Day "as a gift to the French" according to his team's Director Sportif, Alexander Vinokourov.

The race itself was still interesting as the route traced its way through the Alpes and the Pyrenese mountain ranges.  This year the race spent a considerable amount of time traversing the South of France and through the Pyrenese where the final mountain top finish was waiting for the racers.  Once the Hautacam was conquered all that stood in the way of the Paris finish was a sprinter's stage and long (54 km) Time Trial.

The Time Trial started in Bergerac and finished in Periguex, slightly East of the Bordeaux wine region.  That is close enough to Bordeaux to earn top billing on this week's Lucha Vino challenge.

2009 Alexandria Nicole Gravity Merlot v. 2009 Chateau Lyonnat Lussac St. Emilion

The French had their best Tour de France finish in almost 20 years placing two riders on the podium in second and third place.  Can the Ch. Lyonnat follow up that performance with a victory in this week's challenge.  Let's find out...