France

Bordeaux

Barsac
Defined by a terroir of limestone with low stone walls, Barsac is the idyllic sister region to the more famous Sauternes. It is located at the mouth of the Ciron – the same tributary that provides the moisture so crucial for the development of...
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Canon-Fronsac
Canon-Fronsac, or Côtes de Canon, is a smaller appellation enclaved by the Fronsac boundary which has the reputation of producing the finer wine of the district. Situated on the high rim of the Canon hills, it overlooks the Dourdogne...
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Côtes de Bourg
This winemaking region is located on the right bank of the Dordogne, just where it meets the Gironde River. This merging of two great rivers provides a sunny microclimate on the hills that overlook the Gironde. This cools summers and combats spring...
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Côtes de Castillon
A newcomer appellation, having been created only in 1989. Interestingly, it incorporates the site of the last battle between England and France which ended the 100 Years War. The Earl of Shrewsbury and his small army, in a desperate bid to recapture the...
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Entre-Deux-Mers
Literally ‘between two seas’ but actually between two rivers, this region has recently undergone a process of revitalisation. The clay-limestone terroir produces wines with a quenching freshness with intense fruitiness but also with...
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Fronsac
Two centuries ago, Fronsac was considered among France’s best wine producing regions; however, with the rise of St. Emilion and later Pomerol, the wines of Fronsac fell into a sharp decline. Whilst at the end of the 1800s these wines could command...
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Graves
Stretching 50km along the Garonne River, the Graves is named after its soil – a potent blend of gravels, clays and sands. Pebbles and stones mixed with silts and clays rest on soils that are far sandier than the norm – in fact pure sand or...
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Haut-Medoc
For most of its history, the Haut-Médoc was a vast region of salt marshes used for animal grazing rather than viticulture. In the 17th century, Dutch merchants began an ambitious drainage project to convert the marshland into usable vineyard area...
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Lalande-de-Pomerol
This appellation is located on the right bank of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, just north of the appellation of Pomerol, across the meandering Barbanne stream. The two main villages of the appellation are Lalande-de-Pomerol and Néac. The...
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Listrac-Medoc
The Listrac region is protected by the nearby Landes pine forest which serves as a ward against prevailing winds. This allows grapes to ripen consistently and gradually which vastly improves the quality of the wine. The soil consists of a series of...
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Margaux
The most southerly of Medoc’s appellations, Margaux’s terroir is in part defined by the presence of ‘white graves’ - a special type of gravel that deposits itself in the area having been carried down from the mountains by the...
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Médoc
Medoc, perhaps the most famous appellation within the Bordeaux, is an oddity. Its geography and close proximity to the frothy Atlantic means that a mild climate with high rainfall encourages rot. However, this is offset by the fantastic and often...
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Moulis
The name ‘moulis’ derives from the French for windmills or “moulins”. Like the Listrac appellation the nearby pine forest serves as a ward against the prevailing winds. However, unlike Listrac wines those produced here have a...
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Moulis-Medoc
The name ‘moulis’ derives from the French for windmills or “moulins”. Like the Listrac appellation the nearby pine forest serves as a ward against the prevailing winds. However, unlike Listrac wines those produced here have a...
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Pauillac
Home to three premir grand cru classes (first great growths), Pauillac is a prestigious winemaking commune. Chateau Lafite, Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild can all be found here. The wines produced are mouth filling with a full body and...
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Pessac-Léognan
The original home of ‘clairet’ – a dark rose appreciated by the Dutch and English from the 13th to the 18th century. Although this wine is now uncommon in the region nearly all Bordeaux reds are now referred to as clarets in English. In...
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Pomerol
Pomerol, though without any formal classification to speak of, is nevertheless home to some of the most sought after and expensive wines in the world. The landscape is littered with small-scale and often family-shared producers who produce plummy, lush...
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Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux
This region spans 60km along the bank of the river with steep slopes with perfect slants for viticulture. Clay is widespread and clay limestone and clay gravel slopes are defining features in this region. The inclination means that variation in a...
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Saint-Emilion
Often described as “the hill with a thousand chateaux” this region boasts over 800 winegrowers in total – only just falling short of its hyperbolic status. The oceanic climate is made more temperate by the cooling presence of the...
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Saint-Estèphe
The layers of gravel on top of clay lead to comparatively poor drainage, and the harvest is one of the latest of the whole region, although this water retention can be of use in vintages of low rainfall. The terroir gives rise to wines that are vivid...
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Saint-Julien
Nestled between Pauillac and Margaux, the wines of Saint Julien are toned down in power compared to the robust produce of Pauillac while slightly less robust than those of Saint-Estephe. Saint Julien wines are balanced and incredibly aromatic. This is a...
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Sauternes
Sauternes is home to sweet wine producers such as Yquem, Raymond-Lafon and Rieussec – giving rise to arguably the very best dessert wines in the world. The diversity of the terroir and fiercely independent nature of estates means that each wine is...
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