Découvrez les domaines & vins Bordeaux

Bordeaux, the world's wine capital

Bordeaux is a wine empire. Bordeaux is home to some of the world's finest and most sought-after wines, including Château Cheval Blanc, Château Figeac and Pétrus.

Located in south-west France, close to the Atlantic Ocean, Bordeaux enjoys a moderate maritime climate. Bordeaux has 111,000 hectares of vineyards producing an average of 800 million bottles a year. There are more than 7,000 vineyard estates and the average estate size is less than 20 hectares, around three times the average estate size in Burgundy.

Plantings are dominated by Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc for red wine, and Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon for white wine. Some estates also include a few plots of Petit Verdot and Carménère for red wine and Muscadelle for white wine. Bordeaux is divided into two main areas: the Left Bank and the Right Bank, bounded by the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. 30% of production is premium wine. Several classification systems have been set up in Bordeaux, the most famous being that of 1855.

Key concepts for understanding and ordering Bordeaux wines

Bordeaux's success story began in the 17th century, when the Médoc peninsula, initially a marshy area unsuitable for winegrowing, was transformed into a wine-producing region.

Bordeaux Right Bank:  

• The Right Bank lies to the north of the Garonne and Gironde rivers. It is the home of the Merlot grape variety, with rather clayey soils. Saint-Emilion Grand Cru and Pomerol are the most prestigious appellations on the Right Bank.  

Bordeaux Left Bank :  

• The Left Bank is located south of the Garonne and Gironde rivers. The Left Bank is home to all the wines classified in 1855 and includes three iconic vineyards: Médoc, Graves and Sauternes. Characterised by Graves soil, this is the home of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety.    

En Primeur :  

• is a commercial agreement between châteaux and wine merchants that was set up after the Second World War. This system consists of selling the wine in the spring following the previous year's harvest. In this way, the wine is not completely finished and is sold 1 year to 18 months before bottling. The allocation system divides up a château's total production and determines the number of cases of wine each négociant receives. Some winegrowers, such as Château Latour since 2012, have decided to market their En Primeur wines without going through the La Place de Bordeaux system, in order to sell only wines qualified as "deliverable", i.e. ready to drink.  

• To find out more, consult our En Primeur Guide.  

La Place de Bordeaux: :  

• This is a commercial system for selling Bordeaux grands crus, bringing together châteaux, brokers and negociants. La Place Bordeaux was set up by wine merchants in the 18th century and has enjoyed a central position in wine exports ever since. This distribution system is still in place today. Few estates sell directly to the consumer. Brokers have a legal role and act as intermediaries in the commercial relationship between châteaux and wine merchants. La Place de Bordeaux distributes 70% of the wine produced in the Bordeaux region to over 170 countries. To ensure optimum distribution, a château may entrust its distribution to up to 40 wine merchants. . 

The 1855 classification :  

• This is the most important classification in the world of wine. It was originally created for the 1855 Universal Exhibition, at the request of Napoleon III, in order to classify Bordeaux wines. The classification was based on the selling price of the wines. Today, the classification remains almost unchanged. It brings together 60 wine estates and includes 5 levels of quality. The châteaux are classified from 1er Grand Cru Classé to 5th Grand Cru Classé. The châteaux recognised as 1er Grand Cru Classé are: Château Haut-Brion, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux and Château Mouton Rothschild.  
   

The Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classification :  

• was created in 1955 to classify only the wines of Saint-Émilion. The classification is reviewed approximately every ten years. The classification is based on a variety of criteria, including terroir, production methods, reputation, a blind tasting of the last 10 vintages, etc. The latest classification was revealed in 2022: 85 châteaux were classified, including 14 châteaux awarded Premier Grand Cru status.