Médoc

The region's name traces to the Médulli, the people who lived there, and the first vine growing dates to the Gallo-Roman era. Until the 17th century the Médoc was very marshy: Henri IV's edict of 8 April 1599 decreed the draining of the coastal marshes, and many Flemish workers came to drain the estuary lowlands at the start of the 17th century. Dutch engineers are also credited with drying the wetlands in the 17th century. The draining of the marshes, city capital and the first classifications of estates in the 17th century set the stage for the vineyard's growth, and after the Great Winter of 1709, during the vogue for 'New French Clarets', new red plantings used only small-berried varieties: Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cot and Merlot. The Bordeaux nobility built estates in the Haut-Médoc from the 16th century onwards, the predecessors of today's châteaux. Cabernet Sauvignon became the principal variety at the start of the 20th century. The Médoc AOC was recognised by decree on 14 November 1936, and winegrowing became predominant in the Médoc from the 1960s onwards.

• Henri IV's edict of 8 April 1599 ordered the coastal marshes drained, and Flemish workers drained the estuary lowlands in the early 17th century
• After the Great Winter of 1709, new red plantings used only small-berried varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cot and Carmenère
• The 1855 Classification ranked the red wines of 60 Médoc estates and one Graves estate, Château Haut-Brion; Château Mouton Rothschild was promoted from second to first growth in 1973
• The Médoc AOC dates to a decree of 14 November 1936, and Cabernet Sauvignon became the principal variety at the start of the 20th century

The Médoc AOC's geographical area lies in the Gironde department on the left bank of the Garonne and then of the Gironde, north of Bordeaux, and this wine-growing part of the peninsula stretches for nearly 80 kilometres from north to south. The vineyard landscape is gently contoured, between 3 and 50 metres of altitude, bounded by forest to the west and the Gironde estuary to the east. Tertiary marine clay-limestone layers were overlain, during the alternating glacial periods of the Quaternary, by river deposits of moraines, gravel, sand and silt; after erosion inverted the relief, these became outlier mounds of Garonne or glacial gravel ranging from small pebbles to large stones. The other defining factor is topographic: the land is cut into gravel rises called 'cos', shaped by erosion and by the Garonne and its tributaries (the 'esteys' and 'jalles') digging their beds in the glacial periods. On climate, the river frontage moderates seasonal swings and receives measured rainfall for an Atlantic climate, thanks to the regulating thermal effect of the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Gironde estuary to the east, and the oceanic climate produces a marked vintage effect.

• The Médoc AOC's geographical area stretches nearly 80 km north to south and barely more than 10 km east to west, with vineyards between 3 and 50 metres of altitude
• Soils: sandy and clayey gravel sheets carried by the Garonne and Dordogne in the Quaternary, alongside Tertiary clay-limestone soils
• Gravel rises called 'cos' were shaped by erosion and by the Garonne and its tributaries, the 'esteys' and 'jalles'
• Climate: the Atlantic to the west and the Gironde estuary to the east moderate seasonal swings, and the oceanic climate brings a marked vintage effect

The Haut-Médoc AOC lies on the southern half of the Médoc vineyard; the Haut-Médoc appellation is itself part of the Médoc delimited area and encompasses six communal appellations: Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis and Margaux. The 'Haut' refers to its position on the upper part of the estuary, towards Bordeaux, and the Haut-Médoc counted 240 winegrowers across 25 communes as of 2026. The Haut-Médoc AOC itself has five estates in the 1855 Classification. Pauillac has 18 Grands Crus Classés in the 1855 classification, including 3 Premiers Crus, on soils mainly of gravel, sand and clay. Saint-Julien has 11 Great Growths in the 1855 classification across 910 hectares as of 2026, with a gravel layer 5 kilometres long and 3.5 kilometres wide. Margaux has the highest number of Great Growths in the 1855 classification, 21 of the 61 classified, across 1,500 hectares as of 2026 in four communes (Arsac, Labarde, Margaux-Cantenac and Soussans). Saint-Estèphe has 5 Great Growths in the 1855 classification across 1,200 hectares as of 2026, on gravel over a marine limestone subsoil. Listrac-Médoc (570 hectares) and Moulis (600 hectares), both figures as of 2026, complete the six, and Merlot is the main grape in both.

• Pauillac: 18 Grands Crus Classés in the 1855 classification, including 3 Premiers Crus
• Saint-Julien: 11 Great Growths in the 1855 classification, 910 hectares as of 2026; Cabernet Sauvignon covers over 60% of its vineyards
• Margaux: 21 Great Growths, the most of any appellation in the 1855 classification, across 1,500 hectares in four communes as of 2026
• Saint-Estèphe: 5 Great Growths in the 1855 classification, 1,200 hectares as of 2026; the Haut-Médoc AOC itself holds five 1855 classified estates

The Médoc AOC's geographical area covers 50 communes across the wine-growing part of the peninsula, but its vineyard lies on the northern half of the Médoc, and its red wines are mainly produced in the north of the appellation. As of 2026, bordeaux.com counts 41 communes, including 16 where Médoc AOC red wines predominate, and 285 winegrowers, who usually work in family-owned estates. The vines are sheltered from the wind by the nearby forest, and the climate is mild, shaped by the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. The appellation has produced dry white wines since 2025, and the appellation rules reserve the Médoc AOC for still white and red wines; the whites come from Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Sémillon and Muscadelle. White wine production in the Médoc dates back to at least the early 18th century, with over 16,000 hectolitres in 1929, 1,800 hectolitres in 1969 and over 5,000 hectolitres in 2023. The Médoc became France's 54th Regional Natural Park in 2019.

• The Médoc AOC vineyard lies on the northern half of the Médoc; the Haut-Médoc AOC on the southern half
• Bordeaux.com counts, as of 2026, 41 communes, 16 of them where Médoc AOC reds predominate, and 285 winegrowers
• White Médoc AOC since 2025, from Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Sémillon and Muscadelle
• Médoc AOC rules: at least 5,000 vines per hectare, a yield of 55 hl/ha, and a minimum natural alcohol of 11%

The red varieties of the Médoc AOC are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Merlot, Cot (Malbec) and Petit Verdot, and the rules allow the adaptation varieties Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan and Touriga Nacional at up to 5% of an estate's plantings. Cabernet Sauvignon is the variety of choice on gravel soils, Merlot is sought for its fruit, Cabernet Franc goes on limestone-dominant soils and Petit Verdot on warm, free-draining land. The red wines are typically tannic and deeply coloured, built mainly on Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives spicy notes, with Merlot adding roundness, suppleness and red fruit aromas, and Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot reinforcing structure and complexity, Petit Verdot also adding freshness. The reds typically show excellent ageing aptitude. Proportions vary by commune: Saint-Estèphe's plantings are 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot as of 2026, while Merlot is the main grape in Listrac-Médoc and Moulis. JancisRobinson.com describes the four famous communes, in theory, as silky and fragrant (Margaux), perfectly balanced (Saint-Julien), minerals and cassis (Pauillac) and slightly austere (Saint-Estèphe). The Crus Bourgeois du Médoc classification, first drawn up in 1932, listed 249 châteaux in 2020 (14 Exceptionnel, 56 Supérieur, 179 Cru Bourgeois); the 2025 classification holds 170 estates (14 Exceptionnel, 36 Supérieur, 120 Cru Bourgeois) across seven Médoc appellations.

• Red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Cot (Malbec) and Carmenère
• Saint-Estèphe plantings: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot (as of 2026)
• Style: intense colour, tannic structure and excellent ageing aptitude; Petit Verdot adds freshness, and in Moulis a touch of acidity; in Pauillac the bouquet can show blackcurrant liqueur and cedar
• Crus Bourgeois du Médoc: 249 châteaux in 2020 and 170 in 2025 across three tiers

Primary sources (INAO and bordeaux.com, the Bordeaux wine interprofession): https://www.bordeaux.com/en/designations/medoc/, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/designations/medoc/medoc/, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/designations/medoc/haut-medoc/, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/classifications/crus-bourgeois-du-medoc/, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/classifications/classifications-1855/, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/medoc-22282, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/haut-medoc-22284, https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/2-PNO-CDC-Medoc.pdf, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/designations/medoc/pauillac/, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/designations/medoc/saint-julien/, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/designations/medoc/margaux/, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/designations/medoc/saint-estephe/, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/designations/medoc/listrac-medoc/, https://www.bordeaux.com/en/designations/medoc/moulis/. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/opinion/news-blogs-anson/anson-new-cru-bourgeois-classification-432634/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/eight-new-estates-upgraded-to-top-of-cru-bourgeois-classification-as-2025-results-revealed-550748/, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/wine-regions/france/bordeaux/medoc. Last verified 2026-10-05