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Appellations Médoc

Bordeaux geography

Bordeaux covers around 120,000 hectares of vines in the

département of Gironde. The Garonne and the Dordogne rivers

split the region into the left bank of the Garonne (Médoc,

Graves, Sauternes) and the right bank of the Dordogne (Saint-

Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac).

Médoc / Haut Médoc

16,300 hectares of vines I 1,400 chateaus I 150 million bottles a year

A headland stretching for almost a hundred kilometres between the Atlantic

to the west, and the Gironde Estuary, where the Garonne and Dordogne rivers

meet, to the east. In terms of wine style, a distinction can be drawn between

the southernmost part of the Médoc (the Haut Médoc) with its seven village

appellations and the northern part, the Médoc proper. Unlike the villages, which

have very uniform terroirs, the soils of the larger area are heterogeneous. Gently

undulating knolls of coarse gravel alternate with sand, clay and limestone soils.

The two main Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are almost

equally well represented and produce wines ranging in style from tart to elegant.

Margaux

1,400 hectares of vines I 90 producers I 10 million bottles a year

The southernmost village appellation (and therefore the closest to the city)

bears the name of a single village but in fact covers five: Margaux, Arsac, Can-

tenac, Labarde and Soussans. The soils consist of deep, well-draining gravel

mixed with sand and clay. Cabernet Sauvignon (which makes up the majority of

vineyards) does particularly well on the characteristic gravel hilltops whilst Mer-

lot prefers clayey plots. The best examples of Margaux wine can be recognised

by their exceptionally refined tannins, which turn out to be delicate and fresh

rather than compact and angular. The raspberry aroma found in young wines

here often reveals a perfect level of ripeness.

Moulis

600 hectares of vines I 40 producers I 4 million bottles a year

Moulis sits between Margaux and Listrac in the centre of the Médoc. Terroir-wise

Moulis is a compendium of almost the entire Haut-Médoc, containing examples

of almost all of the peninsula's different soil types: gravel, sand, limestone and

clay. The range of wines is similarly extensive, made from around 50% Cabernet

Sauvignon with Merlot, a little Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The best exam-

ples are well balanced and smooth.