APPELLATION

The Médoc is a huge triangular peninsula starting northwest of the city of Bordeaux, at a stream called the Jalle de Blanquefort, and going as far north as the Pointe de Grave. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Gironde Estuary on the east. Located off the northern tip of this peninsula, Cordouan, “the King of Lighthouses”, reflects the long history of the Bordeaux wine trade and the necessity for merchant ships to have safe access up and down the Gironde Estuary.

Wine from the Médoc appellation comes mainly from vineyards located in the northern part of the peninsula, bordering the estuary, on a strip of land 2 to 5 km. wide, and 20 km. long, starting from Ordonnac in the south and going as far north as Vensac. The western boundary is limited at the drainage divide by a pine forest which serves as a natural windbreak against ocean gales.

Les Châteaux