Stage 3

Wines by Region
Bordeaux

Bordeaux is the largest AC area in France with about 25% of AC wines and produces the most important red wine in France and is a very important producer of quality noble rotted wines. It has a warm maritime climate, which means that fungal diseases are a particular problem as is rain at harvest time, which is a serious threat. The wines are always a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

The main areas in Bordeaux that are covered on the WSET Intermediate course are The Médoc, Graves. Saint Emilion and Pomerol.

The Médoc

The Médoc is on the left bank of the Gironde estuary and the Garonne River and is divided into 2 general appellations, the Médoc AC and the superior Haut-Medoc AC Within these general appellations there are smaller appellations many of which are the home of some of the most famous wines in the world such as Margaux AC and Pauillac AC. A typical planting in the Medoc is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc.

Graves

Graves is a large region, which stretches 30 miles south east of Bordeaux City along the left bank of the river Garonne. Both red and white wines are made here but reds are made in much larger quantity than the white.

Saint Emilion

St Emilion is on the right bank of the Dordogne River and produces more red wine than any other right bank appellation. The St Emilion blend is dominated by Merlot. Whereas the Medoc is made up of large grand estates, St Emilion has around 400 smallholders producing either their own wine or wine/grapes for the co-operative. The wines vary enormously from light fruity to the finest first growths capable of ageing for a century or more. Most of the top ranked properties are either on the steep clay-limestone hillsides immediately below the town of Saint-Emilion or on the gravely section of the plateaux west of the town and adjacent to Pomerol.

Pomerol

Pomerol was little known to the UK unit the 20th century. It is the only one of Bordeaux’s great wine districts to have no official classifications. It produces opulent and glamorous reds dominated by the Merlot grape, which accounts for 80% of the plantings. The countryside is un-remarkable and has no landmarks of any note. Château Petrus is the most famous wine of Pomerol and the most expensive in Bordeaux. The vineyard is planted with 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Other famous producers include Château Lafleur and Château Le Pin.

White Wines

The white varieties are Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. Some single varietal Sauvignon Blanc is made however the majority is a blend of either all three or just Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

Bordeaux Appellations

There are a great many appellations in Bordeaux; here are a few of the main ones:

Bordeaux AC– the wine can come from anywhere in Bordeaux
Médoc AC– the wines comes from the Médoc region of Bordeaux which is on the left bank
Margaux AC, St Julien AC, Pauillac AC & St Estephe AC - These are the most important appellations in the Médoc and contain many of the most famous Châteaux such as Château Lafite and Château Margaux. The wines made in these appellations are all red and the dominant grape variety in the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pessac-Leognan AC - an appellation close to Bordeaux city that contains many famous Châteaux.
Graves AC– this appellation stretches south from Pessac-Leognan and is an appellation for both red and white wines
Saint-Emilion– a famous appellation on the right bank of the Dordogne River. The wines from here are all red and the dominant grape variety is Merlot.

Other terms you may come across

Cru Bourgeois - This category recognises outstanding quality and value wines
Cru Classé, Grand Cru Classé– this refers to wines that have been classified outside of the appellations such as the the Official Classification of 1855 of the Médoc. This red wine classification includes 60 Châteaux from the Médoc and one from the Graves region. The Châteaux are divided into 5 categories called growths or ‘Crus’ and were classified as Premier Cru, Deuxième Cru (2nd) and so on up to the fifth.