Appellation
Haut-Médoc
Identity card
RegionalAOPRed
Bordeaux › Médoc · Recognised on 14 November 1936
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Red only, from 28 communes, Le Taillan-Médoc to Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne.
- Estates must be organic or environmentally certified (level 2 or above).
- Cabernet Sauvignon often leads, with less Merlot than in the Médoc AOC.
Grape varieties
Red wine only
Allowed varieties
Cabernet SauvignonMerlotCabernet FrancPetit VerdotCot
A sixth variety on the list, on an equal footing: Carmenère
Production rules
55
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
6,500
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 31 March of the year after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 67 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 12.5 % ABV across 63 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 75 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Soils: Garonne gravel mounds; Tertiary clay-limestone
- Lie of the land: Gentle relief, 3 to 50 m, cut by streams (jalles)
- Water: The ocean and the Gironde even out temperatures
Wine style
- deep colour
- tannic
- spicy notes
- built to age
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
31 July 2025
Arrêté du 31 juillet 2025 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'AOC « Haut-Médoc » (NOR AGRT2518116A, JORF n°0180 du 5 août 2025, texte n°42), qui abroge l'arrêté du 21 octobre 2022.
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceArrêté du 31 juillet 2025 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'AOC « Haut-Médoc »— Légifrance — Journal officiel de la République française
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Official sourceLe classement GCC 1855 par appellation — Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855— Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855 (Médoc & Sauternes)
- Official sourceDélimitation parcellaire des AOC viticoles de l'INAO (jeu de données ouvert)— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / data.gouv.fr
- Trade bodyVins de Bordeaux — site officiel du Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux— Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB)
A red appellation covering the southern half of the peninsula, from Le Taillan-Médoc to Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne over nearly fifty kilometres, the Haut-Médoc takes in the communal appellations. A given wine carries only one appellation, and Haut-Médoc is also the appellation of the communes that have none of their own. Five classified growths of 1855 sit here — La Lagune, La Tour Carnet, Belgrave, Camensac and Cantemerle — because no communal appellation covers their land.
Classifications
The Official Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855 — Médoc and Graves
| Tier | Estate | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Third Growths | Château La Lagune | 1855 |
| Fourth Growths | Château La Tour Carnet | 1855 |
| Fifth Growths | Château Belgrave | 1855 |
| Fifth Growths | Château de Camensac | 1855 |
| Fifth Growths | Château Cantemerle | 1855 |
Mini-challenge
Haut-Médoc
3 questions on Haut-Médoc, all answered right, and the appellation is mastered in your Atlas.
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