Moulis-en-Médoc
🇫🇷 France
AOCThe smallest Médoc communal appellation - a 12km ribbon where Lord Byron's "Chasse-Spleen" was born
Region profile
History
Vineyards cultivated since Roman times - three Gallo-Roman establishments discovered, growing biturica (ancestor of Cabernet). In 1821, Lord Byron visited and declared "Quel remède pour chasser le spleen!" (What remedy to chase away melancholy!). AOC established 1938.
- Climate
- Three distinct terroirs in miniature: eastern Garonne gravels (Grand Poujeaux), central clay-limestone, western sandy-clay with Pyrenean quartz; 634 hectares in narrow 12km x 400m band
- Signature wines
- Château Chasse-Spleen - Named after Lord Byron's 1821 exclamation, 107ha, Merlaut family since 1976. Consistently outperforms many classified growths. $30-45/bottle.
- What sets it apart
- Smallest Médoc commune contains ALL the great terroir types in one tiny ribbon - called the "concentrated model of Médoc viticulture." Where Lord Byron coined one of wine's most poetic estate names.
Facts
- Moulis contained all great Médoc terroirs in miniature - earning it the nickname "concentrated model of Médoc viticulture." The devastating 1956 frost shrank vineyards from 1,500 hectares to just 280.