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    Bordeaux

    France

    Two rivers, two banks and two soils: gravel for Cabernet on the left, clay and limestone for Merlot on the right.

    30–50° N30–50° SequatorBordeaux
    Vineyard area
    91 543 ha (2025)1
    Country
    France
    Rocks in the profile
    gravel, sand, marl, limestone

    Left bank: gravel

    In Pauillac, on the Médoc side, gravel terraces run parallel to the Gironde estuary. They are Quaternary, about ten metres thick on average, and almost completely cover older Eocene and Oligocene marls and limestones.2 Sandy gravel soils on low mounds called croupes dominate.2

    Such soils store very little water, so vines must root deep to avoid severe summer stress.3 Pauillac's traditional grape is above all Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Carmenère, Cot and Merlot.2

    gravelsandmarllimestone
    Left bank, Médoc. Schematic profile based on the sources, not to scale.

    Right bank: limestone

    Saint-Émilion sits on a limestone plateau above the Dordogne, and its parcels are mostly limestone and clay-limestone.4 Here Merlot is by far the majority variety.4

    claylimestone
    Right bank, Saint-Émilion. Schematic profile based on the sources, not to scale.

    Climate and scale

    The climate is oceanic and unpredictable, with autumn depressions in some years. The wine area is drained by the Dordogne to the north and the Garonne to the south.5 In 2025 the Gironde had 91,543 hectares of vineyards in production.1

    Timeline

    1. 1152

      Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Henry Plantagenet, future king of England: the start of the wine trade with England.5

    2. 1830

      Merlot begins to spread in Bordeaux.5

    3. 1855

      The Gironde wine classification is drawn up for the Universal Exhibition.5

    4. 1936

      The Bordeaux AOC is recognised by decree of 14 November.5

    Grapes

    Soils

    Sources

    1. Agreste Essentiel n°80 — La filière viticole girondine, chiffres clés. DRAAF Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Agreste, Ministère de l'Agriculture), 2026. level 2 · checked 2026-10-13
    2. Cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Pauillac». INAO, 2025. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13
    3. Soil-related terroir factors: a review (van Leeuwen, Roby, de Rességuier, OENO One 52(2):173-188). OENO One, 2018. level 3 · checked 2026-10-13
    4. Saint-Emilion PDO — amendment application PDO-FR-A0988-AM01. European Commission, eAmbrosia. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13
    5. Cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Bordeaux » (projet de modification, PNO 2023). INAO, 2023. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13