Bordeaux

The wine regions of Bordeaux are the divided by the Gironde River into a Left Bank area which includes the Médoc and the subregions of St-Estèphe, Pauillac, St.-Julien, and Margaux and a Right Bank area which includes the subregions of Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Bourg and Blaye. Additional wine regions include the area of Graves which is south east of the Médoc and includes the sub regions of Pessac-Léognan, Sauternes and Barsac. Across from the Graves, on the Right Bank, is the Entre-Deux-Mers area between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers.

is that the Left Bank is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon based with the Right Bank more Merlot based. The Graves area produced both red wine and white wine from the Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon grapes. The area of Sauternes and Barsac are more known for the botrytized dessert wines.

Adapted from Wikipedia.

The wine regions of Bordeaux are the area around the city of Bordeaux within the Gironde department of Aquitaine. The region is naturally divided by the Gironde River into a Left Bank area which includes the Médoc and the subregions of St-Estèphe, Pauillac, St.-Julien, and Margaux and a Right Bank area which includes the subregions of Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Bourg and Blaye. Additional wine regions include the area of Graves which is south east of the Médoc and includes the sub regions of Pessac-Léognan, Sauternes and Barsac. Across from the Graves, on the Right Bank, is the Entre-Deux-Mers area between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers.

All of these regions have their own appellation and Appellation d’origine contrôlée laws which dictate the composition of their vineyards, time of harvest and appropriate yields as well as various winemaking techniques. Bordeaux wine labels will include the region on the front if all the grapes have been harvested in a specific regions.

Estates in Bordeaux are often classified according to the reputed quality of the producer. On the Left Bank, the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 is the starting point for classification and includes most of the Left Bank estates as well as Sauternes and Château Haut-Brion of Graves. Estates who were not classified in that listing may be classified under the Cru Bourgeois label. In 1953, the rest of the Graves was classified. In 1954, a separate classification of Saint-Émilion wine was set up for this Right Bank region.

While wine making styles vary, a general rule of thumb is that the Left Bank is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon based with the Right Bank more Merlot based. The Graves area produced both red wine and white wine from the Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon grapes. The area of Sauternes and Barsac are more known for the botrytized dessert wines.