Bordeaux Sub-Regions

Cabernet Sauvignon dominant. Gravel soils. Classic claret structure. 1855 Classification estates.

The great gravel peninsula north of Bordeaux city, home to the 1855 Classification châteaux: Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe. Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon on deep gravel soils. The wines are structured, tannic, and built for decades of aging.

Merlot dominant. Limestone and clay. Round, accessible, earlier-drinking than Médoc.

A UNESCO World Heritage village perched on limestone cliffs above the Dordogne. Saint-Émilion produces Merlot-dominant wines of extraordinary roundness and charm. The medieval village is one of France's most beautiful. Its own classification (revised 2022) tops with Premiers Grands Crus Classés A: Pétrus is actually just over the border in Pomerol.

Merlot on iron-rich clay. Pétrus. Ultra-premium without the theatrical château.

The smallest and most exclusive of Bordeaux's top appellations. Pomerol has no classification system — estates are ranked entirely by reputation and price. Pétrus, the world's most expensive red wine, comes from an iron-rich clay plateau here. Small, family-run estates with no grand château architecture.

Both red and white. Gravel and sand. Sophisticated, aromatic whites. City-adjacent.

Immediately south of Bordeaux city, Graves is the region's oldest wine-producing area. Pessac-Léognan produces the only classified white Bordeaux alongside serious reds. Château Haut-Brion (the only First Growth not in the Médoc) and Château Smith Haut Lafitte are here.

Noble rot sweet wine. Botrytis Sémillon. Liquid gold. Château d'Yquem.

A small enclave within Graves producing the world's most celebrated sweet wine. Morning mist from the Ciron river encourages botrytis ('noble rot'), which concentrates sugars in the Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Château d'Yquem is the only Premier Cru Supérieur. A half-day detour that no serious visitor should skip.