Bordeaux

A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the Gironde department, with a total vineyard area of over 120,000 hectares, making it the largest wine growing area in France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world. 89% of wine produced in Bordeaux is red (called "claret" in Britain), with sweet white wines (most notably Sauternes), dry whites, and also (in much smaller quantities) rosé and sparkling wines (Crémant de Bordeaux) collectively making up the remainder. Bordeaux wine is made by more than 8,500 producers or châteaux. There are 54 appellations of Bordeaux wine.
There are a number of classifications of Bordeaux wines, covering different regions. None of these attempts to be a comprehensive classification of all the producers within a given area: rather, only the producers (universally known as châteaux, although not usually possessing the architectural grandeur that might imply) perceived as being of an unusually high standard are included in the classification. The châteaux included in the classification are referred to as classed or classé, and those not included are referred to as unclassed. Some classifications sub-divide the classed châteaux, according to the perceived quality. On the Left Bank, the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 is the starting point for classification. Although this purports to be a classification of all Bordeaux wine, it in fact exclusively lists red wine producers from the Haut-Médoc plus Château Haut-Brion of Graves, and (in a separate list) sweet white wine producers from Sauternes (including Barsac). Estates in the Médoc which were not classified in that listing may be classified under the Cru Bourgeois label. In 1953, a Classification of Graves wine was produced. Although this purports to classify the whole of Graves, it exclusively lists châteaux in Pessac-Léognan. In 1954, a separate classification of Saint-Émilion wine was set up for this Right Bank region.
The major reason for the success of winemaking in the Bordeaux region is the excellent environment for growing vines. The geological foundation of the region is limestone, leading to a soil structure that is heavy in calcium. The Gironde estuary dominates the regions along with its tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, and together irrigate the land and provide an Atlantic Climate, also known as an oceanic climate, for the region.
These rivers define the main geographical subdivisions of the region:

• "The right bank", situated on the right bank of Dordogne, in the northern parts of the region, around the city of Libourne.
• Entre-deux-mers, French for "between two seas", the area between the rivers Dordogne and Garonne, in the centre of the region.

"The left bank", situated on the left bank of Garonne, in the west and south of the region, around the city of Bordeaux itself. The left bank is further subdivided into:

• Graves, the area upstream of the city Bordeaux.
• Médoc, the area downstream of the city Bordeaux, situated on a peninsula between Gironde and the Atlantic.

There are 57 AOCs in Bordeaux, which can be broadly grouped into seven categories.

Médoc Appellation
Médoc – Haut-Médoc – Listrac – Moulis - St. Estèphe – Pauillac - St. Julien - Margaux

Red Graves & Pessac-Léognan Appellation
Graves - Red Pessac-Léognan

St Emilion, Pomerol & Fronsac Appellation
St. Emilion Grand Cru - St. Emilion - Montagne St. Emilion - Lussac St. Emilion - Puisseguin St. Emilion - St Georges St. Emilion - Lalande de Pomerol – Pomerol – Fronsac - Canon Fronsac

Red Wines From The Côtes Appellation
Premières Côtes de Blaye - Côtes de Bourg - Premières Côtes de Bordeaux - Côtes de Castillon – Graves-de-Vayres - Côtes de Francs

Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur Appellation
Red Bordeaux - Bordeaux Supérieur

Bordeaux & Dry White Wines Appellation
Bordeaux Blanc – Entre Deux Mers – Graves - Crémant de Bordeaux - Pessac-Léognan - Premières  Côtes de Blaye – Blaye – Graves de Vayres - Côtes de Bourg - Côtes de Blaye - Côtes des Francs

Sweet White Wines Appellation

Sauternes – Sainte Croix du Mont – Loupiac – Barsac – Cadillac - Cérons

In Bordeaux the concept of terroir plays a pivotal role in wine production with the top estates aiming to make terroir driven wines that reflect the place they are from, often from grapes collected from a single vineyard. The soil of Bordeaux is composed of gravel, sandy stone, and clay. The region's best vineyards are located on the well-drained gravel soils that are frequently found near the Gironde river. An old adage in Bordeaux is the best estates can "see the river" from their vineyards. The majority of land facing riverward is occupied by classified estates.

The red grapes in the Bordeaux vineyard are Merlot (62% by area), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Cabernet Franc (12%) and a small amount of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère (1% in total). The white grapes are Sémillon (54% by area), Sauvignon blanc (36%), Muscadelle (7%) and a small amount of Ugni blanc, Colombard and Folle blanche (3% in total).