LOCATION
The Médoc lies on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, stretching northwest from Bordeaux in the south to Soulac in the north.
CLIMATE
Two large masses of water on each side of the Médoc—the Atlantic and the Gironde—act as a heat-regulator and help provide a
microclimate ideal for viticulture. The Gulf Stream generally gives the Médoc mild winters, warm summers, and long, sunny falls. The
district is protected from westerly and northwesterly winds by the continuous coastal strip of pine forest that runs roughly parallel to
the Médoc.
ASPECT
Undulating hillsides with knolls and gentle slopes are characteristic of the Médoc. The best vineyards can “see the river” and virtually all areas of the Haut-Médoc gradually slope from the watershed to the Gironde. Marshy areas, where vines cannot be grown, punctuate most communes.
SOIL
Similar topsoils lie over different subsoils in the Médoc. Its topsoils are typically outcrops of gravel, consisting of sand mixed with siliceous gravel of varying particle size. Subsoils may contain gravel and reach a depth of many feet, or may consist of sand, often rich in humus, and some limestone and clay.
VITICULTURE AND VINIFICATION
Only red wines can use the Médoc appellation. Mechanical harvesting is commonplace and all grapes are destalked prior to fermentation in
tanks, or in vats increasingly made of stainless steel. Skin contact lasts for one to two weeks, although some châteaux have reverted to the once standard four weeks.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Primary varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot Secondary varieties: Carmenère, Petit Verdot, Malbec
Posts
