"The Glory of Burdigala (Bordeaux) and its universal reputation come from its wines" wrote Ausone, poet and to Gallo-Roman politician of the 4th century. Bordeaux is without question the first wine area of the world. Its 123000 ha of vines produce half of all the great French vintages. The vineyards, with an exceptional quality, cover 10% of the department of the Gironde (vastest of France), including 92% in surfaces of "appellation d'origine controlée".
Côtes de Bordeaux
To imagine that we can geographically gather Côtes-de-Bordeaux with the vineyards so different from Cadillac, Blaye, Bourg or Castillon is at the very least surprising. And yet, an association of the five Côtes was constituted according to a commercial logic to ensure the defence and the promotion of its wines.
Graves & Pessac-Léognan
On the map, the Graves region extends Medoc, Bordeaux and its suburbs encompass. The vineyard is spread along the Garonne, covers the ridges serious embedded between the river and the Landes.
No other wine area offers such a wine diversity: dry and sweet white, elegant and distinctive red wines, velvety, silky, perfectly represented by the Chateau Haut-Brion, the only one ranked 1er Cru Classé in 1855.
Médoc
Medoc, "in medio aquae", said the Romans of this ground "to the medium of water", located between the Gironde and Ocean.
Haut-Médoc
The Haut-Médoc gathers 29 municipalities stretching over sixty kilometres from north to south and it covers 4600 ha, or 25.5% of the Medoc vineyards.
This area which concentrates all the great wines rests on soils of a remarkable quality and an astonishing variety, which explains the great diversity of the wines of the Haut-Medoc.
Moulis & Listrac
Moulis is the smallest appellation of the Medoc and Listrac which peaks at 43 meters is the "roof of the Medoc".
Margaux
Château or village? Margaux is undoubtedly the name which symbolizes the Medoc with twenty Cru Classés and one 1er Cru Classé, the very famous Château Margaux.
Saint-Julien
The Saint-Julien appellation boasts eleven Cru Classés on 910 ha, divided between the communes of Saint-Laurent, Cussac and Saint-Julien.
Wines are like their soil, between Margaux and Pauillac. From first, they draw delicacy and elegance, of the seconds, plenitude and robustness. Then they are in more recognizable with their bouquet without equal.
Saint-Estèphe
Between Haut and Bas-Médoc, Saint-Estèphe presents hills made of clay soils and not very gravelly. The vineyards are widest of the Medoc (1250 ha) and the least "aristocratic".
These wines are famous for their color, their robustness, their bouquet and a tannic structure with a great richness.
Pauillac
Pauillac, which looks like a village with its quays which skirt the Garonne, is regarded as the Capital of the Medoc. A deserved title with fifteen Cru Classés and three 1er Cru Classés Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild and Latour.
Fronsac & Canon-Fronsac
Faced with Libourne and the intricacies of the Isle and the Dordogne, the Fronsadais offer landscape bristling mounds. On one of them, Charlemagne built his castle. Fronsac, a small medieval town, known since the 18th century for its vineyards of great reputation.
Saint-Emilion & Satellites
Saint-Emilion represents 5 682 hectares of vineyards spread among more than a thousand producers. All of the appellation has been declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1999.
Saint-Emilion is a wine of great tradition, already known to the Gallo-Roman, with a rich variety of soils. Its nature is complex, which adds to its mystery and prestige.
Pomerol & Lalande-de-Pomerol
In the North-West of Saint-Emilion, the very famous appellation Pomerol gathers, on an argillaceous plate, the 784 ha of the vineyard whose modesty is due only to its dimension.
An exceptional ground that Petrus transcends, one of the whole first wines of Bordeaux, today a true world legend.
Sauternes & Autres Liquoreux
It's the country of "the yellow gold", the country of five small communes - Barsac, Fargues, Preignac, Bommes and Sauternes - located at 40 km in the east of Bordeaux. The term of microclimate is still the best description of this area of Sauternais.
The greatest, the Château d'Yquem, produces about a glass of wine per bottle ..." No wonder, then, that Yquem is one of the most expensive wines in the world? He deserves it.
Sandrine Garbay: winemaker at Chateau d'Yquem.
Degree in eonology, Sandrine Garbay, 38, caused surprise and admiration in 1998 taking the place of winemaker - profession dominated by men - at château d'Yquem 1er Cru Classé superieur of Sauternes and king of sweet wines
Even if the profession of winemaker is feminized rapidly since a decade, she is still the only one who runs a 1er Cru Classé
The greatest, the Châeau d'Yquem, produces about a glass of wine per bottle. No wonder, then, that Yquem is one of the most expensive wines in the world?
