Bordeaux

One of the six famous communes (together with Listrac-Médoc, Margaux, Moulis, Pauillac and Saint-Estephe) within the Haut-Médoc region in Bordeaux in France that is an own appellation, and is permitted to state the name of the commune on the label. The appellation has a total vineyard area of 900 hectares, and includes the neighbouring village of Beychevelle. A special feature is that there is an enclave of 16 hectares within the communal boundaries, the wines produced here may state Pauillac on the label as their origin. Another feature is that, seen in a historical perspective, the famous Premier Cru Classé château Latour (Pauillac) should actually be part of St-Julien. The soil consists of a thin layer of gravel with sandy loess on an iro-rich sub-soil with marl and gravel. Eleven of the 61 chateaus classified as Grand Crus in Bordeaux in 1855 are to be found here (with 85% of the communal area). The are the five Deuxiémes (2nd growths) Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Château Gruaud-Larose, Château Léoville-Barton, Château Léoville-Las-Cases and Château Léoville-Poyferré, the two Troisièmes (3rd growths) Château Lagrange and Château Langoa-Barton, as well as the four Quatrièmes (4th growths) Château Beychevelle, Château Branaire, Château Saint-Pierre and Château Talbot (see the complete list under Médoc). Château Léoville-Las-Cases is one of the so-called „Super-Seconds“, with many wine experts agreeing it would definitely be classified as a Premier Cru Classé if a new classification were to be drawn up now. In addition, there are several Cru Bourgeois estates, such as Châreu Bel-Air, Château du Glana and Château Gloria, as well as many estates classified as Cru Artisan. The wines are tannic and have a long maturation potential, in terms of style they slot in between the finesse of Margaux and the power of Pauillac; overall the appellation produces a uniformly high level of quality.