📜 Pauillac

Pauillac is a commune in the Médoc, in Bordeaux, on the left bank of the Gironde river. It is famous because three of the five first growths of the 1855 classification stand here: Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour and Château Mouton Rothschild (promoted to first growth in 1973). These are among the best-known red wines in the world.

The soils of Pauillac are gravel, which warms well and lets water through. Cabernet Sauvignon grows best on such ground. It forms the base of Pauillac wines, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a little of other grapes added. The wines are red and still. They are dense, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar and pencil lead, and powerful tannins. When young they can be austere, with years they open up, and the best keep for decades.

The name is protected as a PDO, a protected designation of origin. Pauillac has many classified estates, among them Pichon and Lynch-Bages.

Pauillac is tied to the Médoc as its wider territory, and in reputation it stands beside Margaux and Saint-Julien.