Subregion
Graves
A band of gravel terraces running along the Garonne's left bank from the edge of Bordeaux to beyond Langon, the Graves take their name from their soil: pebbles and gravel laid down by the river, poor, free-draining and heat-banking. Château Haut-Brion, in Pessac, was sold under its own name as early as the seventeenth century; it is the only red classified in 1855 outside the Médoc.
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
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Villages
- Pessac-Léognan
Created in 1987 on the northern part of the Graves, at the very edge of Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan makes Cabernet Sauvignon-led reds and dry whites, mainly from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, often aged in barrel. It is home to Château Haut-Brion, the only red wine outside the Médoc in the 1855 classification, ranked a first growth.
Regional
- Graves
Recognised in 1937, the Graves appellation runs as a band about ten kilometres wide along the left bank of the Garonne, from north of Bordeaux to south-east of Langon, skirting the Sauternes and Barsac enclave. It makes blended reds led by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and dry whites based on Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc; the sweet whites from the same area belong to a separate appellation, Graves Supérieures. Since 1987 the northern part of the area, on Bordeaux's doorstep, has also had an appellation of its own, Pessac-Léognan.
Sources
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Official sourceL'Histoire du Classement de 1855 — Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855— Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855 (Médoc & Sauternes)
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Pessac-Léognan »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO)
- Trade bodyVins de Bordeaux — site officiel du Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux— Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB)