The Main Wine Sub-Regions Of Bordeaux

Bordeaux is the largest and undoubtedly one of the most important wine producing regions in France. There are over 7,000 chateaux which collectively make more than 10,000 different wines each year. No one need learn all these appellations by heart but just a few key pieces of information can help you to decipher what's inside the bottle and where it comes from. There are only a handful of appellations on both the left and right bank that produce the best wines. On the left bank the sub-region of Madoc dominates containing the Haute-Madoc or Top-Madoc appellation which further encapsulates another six smaller appellations. These famed villagers or communes produce some of the best red wines in the world. At the southern end of the left bank we find the city of Bordeaux and to the southeast of the city we find the sub-region of Grave. Grave is somewhat different as it is famed for both its red and white wines. Grave is home to a number of appellations including Pessac-Léognan and the famed sweet wine producing appellations of Sauternes and Barsac. There's a difference between the terroir in Sauternes and the terroir in Barsac which is why we have two different appellations but we have to remember that Barsac is an appellation within Sauternes so if you're a Barsac producer like we are we're also considered a Sauternes so we're in an appellation within an appellation and the reason we were given our own appellation in Barsac is because the terroir is different. The left bank is known for its gravel soils however up until the 17th century much of the left bank was marshland and was totally unsuitable for growing grapevines. It wasn't until a group of Dutch engineers helped drain the marshland to improve transport links that these gravel soils were unearthed. The area is now home to such famous estates as Over on Bordeaux's right bank which is most known for its rich Merlot based red wines we find the classic appellations of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Although these two relatively small appellations are direct neighbours they still produce distinctly different wines. What's the soil like on the right bank? On the right bank you have four main types of soil. You have gravel, sand, clay and limestone. All around the village of Saint-Emilion it's mainly clay limestone and on Pomerol what we call the plateau of Pomerol it's mainly gravel. So what are the big differences then between Saint-Emilion and Pomerol apart from the soils? How does that change the wine? I would say that actually in those regions we have an oceanic climate and the weather varies a lot from a year to another year and I think more than the difference between Saint-Emilion and Pomerol it's more the vintage that is important on here because you have some good vintage, outstanding vintage and everything can change a lot from a vintage to another one. The other main sub-regions in Bordeaux are Fronsac on the right bank and Entre-deux-Mers meaning between two seas which sits between the Garonne and Dordogne. Although the region of Bordeaux may seem confusing getting to know both the left bank and right bank as well as the main sub-regions of Medoc, Grave, Pomerol and Saint-Emilion can help demystify the region. Try tasting a number of wines from the different sub-regions and appellations of Bordeaux to understand the nuances and styles of each area and help you find your personal favourites.