Médoc

🇫🇷 France

AOC

Left Bank Cabernet Sauvignon heartland with gravelly terroir

Region profile

History

The 1855 Classification ranked 61 châteaux in less than 2 weeks for Napoleon III's Paris Exposition. Only one change in 170 years: Mouton Rothschild promoted to First Growth in 1973. Villages of Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien, and Saint-Estèphe define world-class Cabernet.

Climate
Maritime with gravelly soils providing excellent drainage and heat reflection; Atlantic influence moderates temperatures
Signature wines
Classified Growth Cabernet blends from Pauillac and Margaux - benchmark Left Bank style with cassis, graphite, and cedar
What sets it apart
The 1855 Classification system remains virtually unchanged; gravelly soils on 45th parallel create the gold standard for Cabernet Sauvignon worldwide

Facts

  • Home to 4 of the 5 First Growth châteaux from the 1855 Classification
  • gravels carried from Pyrenees by ancient rivers create ideal slow-ripening conditions