The wine regions of Bordeaux in France are a large number of wine growing areas, differing widely in size and sometimes overlapping, which lie within the overarching wine region of Bordeaux, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the Gironde department of Aquitaine.
The Bordeaux region is naturally divided by the Gironde Estuary into a Left Bank area which includes the Médoc and Graves and a Right Bank area which includes the Libournais, Bourg and Blaye. The Médoc is itself divided into Haut-Médoc (the upstream or southern portion) and Bas-Médoc (the downstream or northern portion, often referred to simply as "Médoc").
There are various sub-regions within the Haut-Médoc, including St-Estèphe, Pauillac, St.-Julien and Margaux and the less well known areas of AOC Moulis and Listrac. Graves includes the sub-regions of Pessac-Léognan and Sauternes (among others), and Sauternes in turn includes the sub-region of Barsac. The Libournais includes the sub-regions of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol (among others). There is an additional wine region of Entre-Deux-Mers, so called because it lies between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, which combine to form the Gironde. This region contains several less well known sweet wine areas of Cadillac and St. Croix de Mont.
All of these regions (except the Libournais) have their own appellation and are governed by Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) laws which dictate the permissible grape varieties, alcohol level, methods of pruning and picking, density of planting and appropriate yields as well as various winemaking techniques. Bordeaux wine labels will usually include the region on the front if all the grapes have been harvested in a specific region and the wine otherwise complies with the AOC requirements. There are about 50 AOCs applicable to the Bordeaux region.
Both red and white Bordeaux wines are almost invariably blended. The permissible grape varieties in red Bordeaux are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. While wine making styles vary, a rule of thumb is that the Left Bank is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon based with the Right Bank being more Merlot based. The Graves area produces both red wine (from the grapes previously mentioned) and white wine from the Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle grapes. The area of Sauternes (including Barsac) is known for its botrytized dessert wines.
Classifications There are a number of classifications of Bordeaux wines, covering different regions. None of these attempts to be a comprehensive classification of all the producers within a given area: rather, only the producers (universally known as châteaux, although not usually possessing the architectural grandeur that might imply) perceived as being of an unusually high standard are included in the classification. The châteaux included in the classification are referred to as classed or classé, and those not included are referred to as unclassed. Some classifications sub-divide the classed châteaux, according to the perceived quality. On the Left Bank, the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 is the starting point for classification. Although this purports to be a classification of all Bordeaux wine, it in fact exclusively lists red wine producers from the Haut-Médoc plus Château Haut-Brion of Graves, and (in a separate list) sweet white wine producers from Sauternes (including Barsac). Estates in the Médoc which were not classified in that listing may be classified under the Cru Bourgeois label. In 1953, a Classification of Graves wine was produced. Although this purports to classify the whole of Graves, it exclusively lists châteaux in Pessac-Léognan. In 1954, a separate classification of Saint-Émilion wine was set up for this Right Bank region.
Generic Bordeaux
There are eight AOCs (Appellations d'origine contrôlée) that cover the entire department of Gironde. Any producer within the region is entitled to use these appellations, whether or not they are also entitled to use a more specific regional appellation. These appellations are: Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur, Bordeaux Sec, Bordeaux Moelleux, Bordeaux Clairet, Crémant-de-Bordeaux, Bordeaux Rosé and Vin de Pays de l'Atlantique. Where these appellations are used for wines which would otherwise be entitled to use a more specific appellation, they are generally used for wines of lower quality made by a négociant or co-operative. Many of Bordeaux's supermarket brands like Mouton Cadet, Dourthe Numero 1 and Sichel Sirius utilise these generic Bordeaux AOCs.T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 67–68 Dorling Kindersley 2005 More than half of Bordeaux's production uses these generic appellations.
Red wine produced under the Bordeaux AOC is made mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the addition of Cabernet Franc and small amounts of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère. This appellation covers around 42,600 hectares of vines and produces around 223 million litres of wine (which is nearly a third of the total wine production of Bordeaux). White wine produced under the Bordeaux Sec AOC is made mostly from Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon, with the addition of some Muscadelle, Colombard, Mauzac, Merlot blanc, Ondenc and Ugni blanc.P. Saunders Wine Label Language pgs 42–43 Firefly Books 2004 It must contain no more than 4g/L of residual sugar. This appellation covers around 6500 hectares of vines and 38 million litres of wine. If it has more than 4g/L of residual sugar, then it may be labelled as Bordeaux Molleux AOC, but little wine is in fact produced under this AOC. Bordeaux Supérieur AOC covers both red and white wines, and the grapes used are the same, but permitted yields are slightly lower, minimum alcohol content is slightly higher and slightly longer aging is required. The amount of red wine produced under this appellation (around 45 million litres, from 10,000 hectares of vines) is much greater than the amount of white wine produced (around 170,000 litres from 60 hectares).
Rosé wine produced under the Bordeaux Rosé AOC is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. As is usual for Rosé, the grape skins are briefly left in contact with the must, but are removed prior to fermentation. This appellation covers around 4725 hectares of vines and 17 million litres of wine. Bordeaux Clairet AOC is intermediate between red and rosé wine, and is made from the same grapes as Bordeaux Rosé but undergoes a longer maceration (between 24 and 48 hours). Production is around 5 million litres from 925 hectares of vines. Note that, although the description 'clairet' may be derived from the English 'claret', 'claret' in fact refers exclusively to red Bordeaux.
A small amount of sparkling wine is made in the Bordeaux region, under the appellation Crémant-de-Bordeaux AOC (known before 1990 as Bordeaux Mousseux). This is made using the methode traditionelle from the same grapes as white Bordeaux if white and the same grapes as red Bordeaux if rosé. The great majority is white, accounting for around 900,000 litres of production, as opposed to 20,000 litres of rosé.
The appellation Vin de Pays de l'Atlantique was introduced in 2006, as a complement to the existing range of Bordeaux appellations, and covers grape varieties not permitted in classic Bordeaux, notably Chardonnay for white wines and Syrah for red wines. Nearly 4 million litres of wine is produced under this appellation, 62% of it red.
Left Bank The wine regions of the Left bank of the Gironde estuary are bordered by large coniferous forest land that have a tempering effect on the maritime climate of the area.
The Médoc
The region spans the left bank of the Gironde from the mouth of the river to the city of Bordeaux and includes the four famous communes of St-Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien and Margaux. It is about 60 km north to south, and about 10 km wide, with around 10,600 hectares under vines and a production of about 50 million litres per year. All the wine made here is red.
The Médoc appellations Médoc AOC Haut-Médoc AOC Saint-Estèphe AOC Pauillac AOC Saint-Julien AOC Listrac-Médoc AOC Moulis-en-Médoc AOC Margaux AOC
Bas-Médoc The northern or down-stream part was formerly known as the Bas-Médoc (lower Médoc), but is now simply (but confusingly) labeled as Médoc. This region is some 34 km long, by 10 km wide, stretching from the mouth of the Gironde to St-Estèphe, and includes some 5800 hectares of vines, producing around 28.5 million litres of wine annually. Although the region does not have any classified growths, there are a number of Crus Bourgeois located in the soft clay soil of the Médoc. As Merlot favors the clay more than Cabernet Sauvignon, the wines from this region tend to resemble the right bank style of St.-Emilion more than other left bank wines.H. Johnson & J. Robinson The World Atlas of Wine pg 86 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005
Haut-Médoc
The southern or up-stream part is known as the Haut-Médoc (upper Médoc). This region is some 45 km long, by 10 km wide. The total area under vines is around 4800 hectares, producing 22 million litres of wine a year. Six villages have their own appellations: Margaux, St-Julien, Pauillac, St-Estèphe, Listrac and Moulis. The remainder is classified simply as Haut-Médoc. The predominant grape planted here is Cabernet Sauvignon, although before 1800 it was Malbec.
St-Estèphe
Among the four famous Left Bank communes, St-Estèphe is the northernmost region with the jalle du Breuil dividing it from Pauillac to the south. The soil of St-Estèphe is a heavy composite of clay washed ashore from the Gironde. This soil type drains slowly and gives St-Estèphe estates an advantage during dry summers. The wines produced here tend to have more acidity than other red Bordeaux and with less perfume.H. Johnson & J. Robinson The World Atlas of Wine pg 88 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 While Cabernet Sauvignon is still the dominant grape, this sub-region has more planting of Merlot than any other area in the Haut-Médoc.K. MacNeil The Wine Bible pg 133 Workman Publishing 2001
St-Estèphe has five classified estates and numerous Cru Bourgeois. The area is also home to several independent vignerons who produce wine as various co-operatives such as the Marquis de Saint-Estèphe and Canterayne.
Pauillac
Located south of St-Estèphe, the area around Pauillac has the highest elevation of the Médoc with the estates of Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Pontet-Canet sitting on a summit of 30m. Vineyards in Pauillac are not as fragmented as most of the Médoc, with entire slopes and plateaus belonging to a single estate.H. Johnson & J. Robinson The World Atlas of Wine pg 90 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005
The area of Pauillac contains three of the five first growth estates of Bordeaux. These are Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour and Château Mouton Rothschild. It also includes 15 other classed growths.
St-Julien
Situated on two plateaus between Pauillac and Margaux, the wine region of St-Julien has the smallest wine production of the four major regions in the Médoc. The region is divided into essentially two areas – the riverside estates around the village of St.Julien and the southern estates around the village of Beychevelle where the areas Cru Bourgeois are also grouped.H. Johnson & J. Robinson The World Atlas of Wine pg 92 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 The waters of the Gironde estuary have a warming influence on the climate which, coupled with the south-easterly exposure of most vineyards, helps to fully ripen the Cabernet Sauvignon vines in this area.C. Fallis, editor The Encyclopedic Atlas of Wine pg 188 Global Book Publishing 2006
St-Julien has the highest proportion of classified estates of all the regions in Bordeaux. These eleven classed growths account for nearly 80 percent of the entire region's wine production.