Médoc
Maritime
The gravelly Left Bank peninsula between the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic forests, home of Cabernet Sauvignon-led Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien and Saint-Estèphe.
Overview
About Médoc
The Médoc is the long peninsula on the Gironde's left bank, running north-west from the city of Bordeaux. Its southern half, the Haut-Médoc, contains the four most famous communes — Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe — while the flatter northern half is simply Médoc, or Bas-Médoc, and is generally more modest.
Almost every red château in the 1855 Classification is here. The wines are built on Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and are known for blackcurrant fruit, cedar and firm tannins that reward long ageing.
Hover a marker to see what's grown there, and click it to open that place. On a touch screen, tap once to preview and again to open. Bigger markers have more grapes linked to them.
France
Shaded: Gironde. Map units are states, provinces or départements, so a smaller place appears as the larger area that contains it.
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Maritime
Atlantic-moderated: the ocean and the estuary temper both winter cold and summer heat, and the Landes forest shelters the vines. Autumn rain is the main risk for late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Deep gravel mounds (croupes) of quartz-rich pebbles over clay and sand, left by the Garonne. The gravel drains well and holds heat, helping late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon reach full maturity, while Merlot does better on the clay-richer patches.
Side by side
The four great communes
North
Saint-Estèphe
- Soil
- Gravel mixed with more clay and limestone
- Dominant grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, with a good share of Merlot
- Typical style
- Firm, tannic and sturdy; the slowest to open
Pauillac
- Soil
- Deep gravel banks over sand and clay
- Dominant grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant
- Typical style
- Powerful and concentrated, with blackcurrant, cedar and pencil lead
Saint-Julien
- Soil
- Deep, well-drained gravel over clay and sand
- Dominant grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon-led
- Typical style
- Balanced: perfumed like Margaux, structured like Pauillac
South
Margaux
- Soil
- Thin, light gravel over limestone
- Dominant grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot
- Typical style
- Perfumed, silky and floral; the most delicate
Go deeper
Rules, years & producers
Médoc appellations are nested from wide to narrow, and the 1855 Classification sits over the top by château.
Communal appellations
Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien and Margaux, plus the lesser-known Listrac-Médoc and Moulis. Each is a named commune within the Haut-Médoc.
Haut-Médoc AOC
The southern half of the Médoc, which surrounds the communal appellations.
Médoc AOC
The flatter northern half, also called Bas-Médoc.
1855 Classification
Sixty Médoc châteaux ranked from First to Fifth Growth. Many good estates outside the list are sold as Cru Bourgeois.
Within Médoc
Appellations
Margaux
The Médoc's most perfumed and delicate appellation, with the most classified estates of any commune and the First Growth Château Margaux.
Pauillac
The Médoc's most powerful commune: home to three First Growths and the archetype of long-lived, blackcurrant-and-cedar Cabernet Sauvignon.
Saint-Estèphe
The northernmost of the great Médoc communes, with heavier clay soils that give firm, sturdy, long-lived reds.
Saint-Julien
The Médoc's middle commune, without a First Growth but with the highest proportion of classified estates and a style balancing perfume and power.
What's grown here
Grapes
Grapes linked to Médoc or to a place within it. Each grape's page links back here.