📍 Graves

Graves is a wine zone to the south and south-east of the city of Bordeaux, on the left bank of the Garonne. The name comes from the French word for gravel: the soil here is made of pebbles and gravel left by the river. Gravel holds heat well and drains water, so the grapes ripen fully.

Red and dry white wines are made here. Reds come from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, whites from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. The famous Château Haut-Brion lies in this zone and was included in the 1855 classification as the only estate from outside the Médoc. In 1987 the northern part was split off as its own appellation, Pessac-Léognan, the best known of the area.

Graves also includes Cérons, Pessac-Léognan and Graves Supérieures, the last for sweet white wines. Most estates on the gravel work in this same style: reds are elegant and spicy, with a touch of earth and smoke.

For comparison with its neighbours: Graves is part of Bordeaux; to the north, across the city and the Gironde, lies the Médoc, and to the south-east Sauternes with its sweet whites.