Bordeaux

One of the six communes (apart from Margaux, Moulis, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Julien) within the Haut-Médoc region in France that are permitted to bear the name of the commune on the label. The commune has a vineyard area of 640 hectares. The word Médoc was added to the name of Listrac in 1986 in order to prevent confusion with Lirac in the Rhône valley. The region is set back a little from the Gironde river, it lies between Margaux and Saint-Julien, and has heavier soils. Not one of the 61 châteaux, included in the list of Grands Crus in the Bordeaux classification of 1855 is to be found here. Around 30 estates are classified as Cru Bourgeois, and a dozen are classified as Cru Artisan. The red wines are typical left-bank Bordeaux blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and tend to mature more rapidly than those from other communes. Well-known estates include Château Clarke, Château Fonréaud, Château Fourcas-Dupré and Château Fourcas-Hosten.