RELATIONSHIPS
Between the two banks and the central blend.
Compare using the river as a reference point.
Left Bank side
Medoc Graves. Focus on Cabernet Sauvignon.
Right bank side
Saint-Émilion–Pomerol. Focus on Merlot.
This is a summary of the relationships explained in the main text. For details on grape composition and production conditions, please refer to the main text and official sources. Sources and reference materials
REGIONAL ATLAS / Understanding by location
Bordeaux: From the river to major appellations
This is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the major red appellations and the river. North is up. Distances, river widths, and appellation boundaries are not reproduced.
You can move the map horizontally on small screens. You can also select locations from the names below the diagram.
1. Saint-Estèphe
One of the key appellations on the northern Medoc. Soils on the Left Bank include not only gravel but also clay. Distinguish between banks and vineyard soil types.
2. Pauillac
South of Saint-Estèphe, north of Saint-Julien. First, get familiar with the sequence of neighboring appellations, then move on to information about the châteaux and plots.
3. Saint-Julien
Located between Pauillac and Margaux. Even when researching Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines, analyze finished blend proportions for each producer and vintage.
4 Margaux
The southern Medoc. Margaux is an appellation; Château Margaux is a producer within it. Read the location of the appellation from the map and the blend from individual records.
5. Pessac-Léognan / Graves
A left bank region extending south of Bordeaux city. This is a study guide term encompassing two appellations, but it does not mean they are the same area. Attention should be paid not only to red but also to white wines.
6. Pomerol
Right bank of the Dordogne River, near Libourne. Using Merlot as a key, investigate the soils of individual plots and the actual blends.
7. Saint-Émilion
The eastern side of Pomerol. While the location on the right bank is shared, individual vineyard conditions and production rules do not necessarily coincide.
Reference materials with diagrams and explanations:Society of Wine Educators | Bordeaux vineyard map ↗ ／ Medoc Producers Association | Soils and climate ↗ ／ Medoc Producers Association | Grape varieties and ripening ↗
Read the main text about the region →FIELD NOTE 01
Divide regions using the river as a landmark.
The Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge and flow towards the Gironde estuary. The Médoc and Graves are on the left bank, while Saint-Émilion and Pomerol are on the right. The spread of appellations, including the area between these rivers, can be organized using the river system.
Vineyard conditions, such as gravel, clay, or limestone, vary even within a zone. The major left bank/right bank distinction serves as an entry point to understanding individual vineyards.
FIELD NOTE 02
Maturity and blending of the two varieties.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot differ in their ripening times and viticultural traits. The former is more prominent in the Médoc, while the latter plays a bigger role in leading right bank regions, though neither is mono-varietal for an entire bank.
Producers look at that year's fruit to combine plots and grape varieties. Keep in mind the difference between planting ratios and the blend ratios in the finished wine.
FIELD NOTE 03
Appellations and château classifications
‘Margaux’ appears both as an appellation name and as part of producer names. The appellation defines region and production rules, while château classifications apply to something different. Do not simply apply Burgundy’s classification of vineyards to this.
Looking at Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon for whites reveals the limits of describing Bordeaux solely by its two main red varieties.
FIELD NOTE 04
Relate gravel and clay to ripening and moisture retention
The gravelly hills of the Medoc are distinguished by good drainage. Late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon and relatively early-ripening Merlot should not be treated as if they respond identically to the environment; consider vineyard moisture and ripening rates together.
There are also clay-limestone soils in the Médoc on the Left Bank. You cannot sum up the soil map with a dichotomy like 'Left Bank = gravels, Right Bank = clay.' Banks indicate location, soils indicate plot conditions.
The upcoming specific example is Château Margaux. Even for the same grand vin, the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon changes from 87% in 2021 to 92% in 2022. Knowing the soil alone cannot determine this ratio; records of each year’s harvest and selection are needed.
FIELD NOTE 05
Two effects of drying on the fruit and winemaking
Water content conditions are related to both fruit size and whether the leaves can continue photosynthesis. Severe water stress suppresses photosynthesis, so you cannot simply group “years with little rain” as “years of good ripening.”
Margaux’s 2022 report links the small berry size with a careful extraction approach. When there is a high potential for extracting tannins from the skins and seeds, it may not be necessary to extract for as long or as intensely. By reading in the sequence weather → fruit condition → extraction decisions, you can turn the idea of “powerful wines from hot years” into a concrete investigative question.
Basis for this section:AWRI｜Climate and water conditions and grapevine growth ↗ ／ AWRI｜Measurement of extractable tannins and winemaking decisions ↗ ／ Château Margaux | Grand Vin 2022 ↗
Left and Right Bank are geographic categories. There are varietal trends, but always check the blend by appellation, producer, and vintage.
PAUSE & REFLECT
Check your understanding.
If it’s the Left Bank, are all finished wines made only from Cabernet Sauvignon?
Read the explanation ＋
Left and Right Bank are geographic categories. There are varietal trends, but always check the blend by appellation, producer, and vintage.
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View saved notes →Courses related to this question
What is being changed in blending →
Sauvignon Blanc: Comparing aromas, vessels, and blends →
Merlot: Comparing the timing and decisions for ripening and harvest →
Sémillon: Comparing dry bottle-aged styles and botrytised sweet wines →
Cabernet Franc: Loire, Bordeaux, Villány →
Petit Verdot: considering small proportions in blends from the perspective of ripeness →
Château Figeac: Right Bank Cabernet and Annual Blends →
Château Léoville Barton: Vine Planting Ratios and Blending Ratios →
Château Trotanoy: Soils and Plot Selection in Pomerol →
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou: Two Labels from 2022 and Their Blends →
Château Pichon Baron: Comparing Two Second Wines →
Château Palmer: Alter Ego and Historical Blends →
Pichon Comtesse: The blend in the second wine →
Château Montrose: Vintage Variation in Blending →
Château Lynch-Bages: Renaming Labels and White Winemaking →
Château Pontet-Canet: Viticulture and Maturation Vessels →
Château Cos d’Estournel: Gravity-flow Cellar and Early Blending →
Château Léoville Las Cases: Wines From Vineyards Separate From the Second Wine →
Château d’Yquem: Sweet Wine Sugar and Acidity →
Château Pavie: One Vineyard, Divided by Terrain →
Château Angélus: the distribution of varieties on upper and lower slopes →
Château Ausone: wines from younger vines and varietal composition →
Château Cheval Blanc: Vineyard Planting and Assemblage →
Petrus: distinguishing similar-sounding châteaux →
Château Haut-Brion: Similar Names and Source Grape Ranges →
Château Mouton Rothschild: The White Made by a Red-Château →
Château Latour: Harvest Vintage and Release Timing →
Sources and reference materials
These are the reference materials for the main text. For details of production regulations, consult the current documents. For individual wine specifications, refer to materials for the relevant vintage.
- Bordeaux Wine Council | Merlot and regions ↗
- Medoc Producers Association | Grape varieties and ripening ↗
- Medoc Producers Association | Soils and climate ↗
- INAO | AOP and AOC ↗
- Château Margaux | Grand Vin 2021 ↗
- Château Margaux | Grand Vin 2022 ↗
- AWRI｜Climate and water conditions and grapevine growth ↗
- AWRI｜Measurement of extractable tannins and winemaking decisions ↗