Bordeaux

Graves is a sub-region in the Bordeaux wine-growing region in France. The total vineyard area is around 5.000 hectares, of which the large appellation Graves accounts for 3.000 hectares. Wine-growing has a long tradition here. The Romans planted vineyards in the 1st century AD, and the Roman author Columella (1st century AD) wrote enthusiastically of the wines, which he confirmed to have a long maturation potential. Around 1300, the archbishop of Bordeaux (the later pope Clemens V.) established a wine estate that exists to this day, under the name of Château Pape-Clément. The wines of Graves contributed to the fame of Bordeaux. At the end of the 19th century, the vineyard area still amounted to around 10.000 hectares, but in the past century many vineyards have had to give way to the growth of the city of Bordeaux. Even today, Graves in cludes the city area (Châteaux Haut-Brion, La Mission and Les Carmes are all located in a suburb). The vineyards stretch south of Bordeaux over a distance of 50 kilometres. The three appellations of Barsac, Cérons and Sauternes are embedded within the southern part of Graves. In 1987, the northerly section (previously referred to as Haut-Graves), with a total vineyard area of 1.300 hectares, was awarded its own appellation, Pessac-Léognan (see also under Lurton). All the better estates are located here.

The name Graves only arose in medieval times, and refers to the gravelly soils (terre graveleuse). The gravel is collected, and placed next to the vines. They store the heat of the sun by day, and then reflect this on to thegrapes at night. This warmth is a natural aid to the ripening process, and increases the sugar content in the grapes. Another special feature in the region are the roses that are planted at the ends of each row of vines. This was originally not done for appearance sake, but was an early indicator of impending vine diseases such as lidew, etc. However, today there are more efficient methods for this, the roses remain as an attractive accessory. Two thirds of the area is planted with red varieties, the remaining third with white varieties. Graves ist he only region in France to produce exceptional red wines, white wines and sweet wines. The white wines are blends made from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and a little Muscadelle and Merlot Blanc. They are mostly made in a fresh, dry style. The red wines are made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the blends used by individual chateaux can vary significantly. A separate appellation Graves Supérieures applies to mostly sweetish, but also to dry white wines that have a slightly higher alcohol content. In the Bordeaux classification of 1855, Château Haut-Brion was the only estate not located in Bordeaux to be included in the list of the 61 best estates. A separate classification for Graves was introduced in 1953 and 1959, sub-divided into red wines anf white wines. Haut-Brion is also included in this list. There is no ranking, just an alphabetical list. The wines are classified as Grands Crus:

Red wines
* Château Bouscaut (Cadaujac)
* Château Carbonnieux (Léognan)
* Château de Fieuzal (Léognan)
* Château Haut-Bailly (Léognan)
* Château Haut-Brion (Pessac)
* Château La Mission Haut-Brion (Talence)
* Château La Tour-Haut-Brion (Talence)
* Château La Tour-Martillac (Martillac)
* Château Malartic-Lagravière (Léognan)
* Château Olivier (Léognan)
* Château Pape-Clément (Pessac)
* Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte (Martillac)
* Domaine de Chevalier (Léognan)

White wines
* Château Bouscaut (Cadaujac)
* Château Carbonnieux (Léognan)
* Château Couhins (Villenave-d´Ornon)
* Château Couhins-Lurton (Villenave-d´Ornon)
* Château La Tour-Martillac (Martillac)
* Château Laville-Haut-Brion (Talence)
* Château Malartic-Lagravière (Léognan)
* Château Olivier (Léognan)
* Domaine de Chevalier (Léognan)