Appellation
Saint-Julien
Identity card
VillageAOPRed
Bordeaux › Médoc · Recognised on 14 November 1936
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Red only: Saint-Julien-Beychevelle plus plots in three neighbouring communes.
- Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blends; Merlot adds roundness and fruit.
- Yield: at most 57 hl/ha; minimum natural alcohol: 11%.
Grape varieties
Red wine only
Allowed varieties
Cabernet SauvignonMerlotCabernet FrancPetit VerdotCot
A sixth variety on the list, on an equal footing: Carmenère
Production rules
57
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
7,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 1 June 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: Mounds of large pebbles over limestone and marl
- Lie of the land: Terraces at 10–30 m altitude, cut into gravel mounds
- Climate: Oceanic, tempered by the Atlantic and the Gironde
Wine style
- very deep colour
- finesse and power
- tannic structure
- elegant bouquet with age
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
23 November 2011
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Saint-Julien »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO)
- Official sourceCahiers des charges d'AOC publiés au BO-AGRI (décrets du 22 et 23 novembre 2011) — dont « Pomerol » et « Saint-Julien »— Ministère de l'agriculture et de la souveraineté alimentaire — Bulletin officiel (BO-AGRI)
- 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 communal appellation of the Haut-Médoc, recognised by decree on 14 November 1936. It is produced in the commune of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle and on a few plots in three neighbouring communes. It has eleven classified growths, five of them second growths, across a vineyard of some 900 hectares. Its deeply coloured wines combine finesse and power.
Classifications
The Official Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855 — Médoc and Graves
| Tier | Estate | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Third Growths | Château Lagrange | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château Langoa Barton | 1855 |
| Fourth Growths | Château Saint-Pierre | 1855 |
| Fourth Growths | Château Talbot | 1855 |
| Fourth Growths | Château Branaire-Ducru | 1855 |
| Fourth Growths | Château Beychevelle | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Léoville Las Cases | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Léoville Poyferré | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Léoville Barton | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Gruaud Larose | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Ducru-Beaucaillou | 1855 |
Mini-challenge
Saint-Julien
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