Bordeaux Wine Guide: Region 7 - Médoc, Médoc

[Matthias R WHT]

Médoc, Médoc...so good they named it twice? Well, not quite, but there
is more than one meaning to Médoc and this fact does appear to cause
some confusion from time to time. It seems only sensible to me,
therefore, that we should clear this up before we continue.

North of the city of Bordeaux, travelling up alongside the Gironde
until we reach the Atlantic, is a region known as the Médoc. This is
not an appellation, or a commune, but a geographical region that
encompasses Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estèphe, as well as
all those vineyards scattered to the west of these famous
appellations, and also those to the north, beyond the boundary of the
St Estèphe commune. Thus, when an individual talks of the wines of the
Médoc, there is quite a good chance that they are referring to this
region as a whole. When spotted on a wine label, however, the word
Médoc means something very different; when used as an appellation, it
refers to a much smaller, well defined and discrete region of
Bordeaux, north of St Estèphe. Estates in the four aforementioned
communes, as well as those located to the west of these, inland of the
famous gravel croupes that bear the greatest vineyards of the left
bank, are not entitled to the appellation. The same is also true of
those estates that lie south of the 'big four', in the hinterland
between the vineyards of Margaux and the suburbs of Bordeaux. All
these vineyards have an entitlement to the Haut-Médoc appellation, one
which has perhaps a touch more cachet than mere Médoc.

In order to provide some clarity, the land entitled to the Médoc
appellation may sometimes be referred to as the Bas-Médoc, although
this is not a term that is permitted on the label. Thank heavens,
otherwise without doubt we would end up with some wines from the
region labelled as Médoc, and some, perhaps even from neighbouring
properties, as Bas-Médoc, leading to even greater confusion.

This chapter of my Bordeaux guide deals with these two appellations,
Médoc and Haut-Médoc, both of which sport a number of estates which
are significant not only in terms of value-for-money, but also when
examining the sheer quality of the wines they produce. In addition, I
will also look at the two lesser known communal appellations of the
Médoc (the region, not the appellation). Being rather runtish
communes, they can be easy to forget; nestled in alongside Margaux, St
Julien, Pauillac and St Estèphe are Moulis and Listrac.


The Médoc

Beyond St Estèphe, across the Chenal de Calon, is the Médoc
appellation. In terms of size this region of Bordeaux wipes the floor
with those communal appellations to the south; whereas those typically
have a thousand hectares each, give or take a few hundred, here we
have 4700 hectares eligible for the vine and the appellation. But size
is not everything, of course; the reputation of the wines of the Médoc
do not match those from the four leading communal appellations. This
is largely down to the distinctly different terroir; here the gravel
croupes have faded away, subsumed by rich, heavy, moisture-retentive
soils. In many sections drainage channels dominate the landscape, as
shown on this map of just one small part of the appellation near the
south east corner, not far from the boundary with St Estèphe. And the
vineyards are not as tightly packed as they are further south,
intermingled as they are with woodland, and sometimes with other
crops.

The clay-rich soils influence the decision on what varieties to plant,
and the Merlot grape - which handles such soils better than Cabernet
Sauvignon - is more predominant here than it is further south. As a
result of the Merlot-dominated blends, and of course the change in
terroir, the wines have a different character to their more southerly
neighbours. They may have a touch less finesse, but nevertheless there
are plenty of good although perhaps rather robust wines, a number of
which have their ardent followers. Perhaps one of the most notable is
Potensac, which has been run for many years by the Delon family of
Léoville-Las-Cases; the wines tend towards the structured and austere,
but they can give admirable pleasure if sufficiently cellared. Other
notable Cru Bourgeois (a now defunct ranking but the phrase still has
some meaning, I think) estates - there are no properties ranked in
1855 this far north - include Preuillac, which has experienced a
radical revitalisation under the auspices of Jean-Christophe Mau, but
there are several others also worth considering.


The Haut-Médoc

This appellation is a very different animal altogether in comparison
to the Médoc. Although roughly similar in size, at approximately 4300
hectares, the land entitled to the appellation is strung out along the
Médoc and encapsulates the four famous communal appellations, as well
as both Moulis and Listrac. The terroir is thus very variable but it
does include a few small areas of gravel which are not included within
the communal boundaries. There are five Haut-Médoc properties included
in the 1855 classification, but also a great number of Cru Bourgeois
estates, as well as a few that eschew any such classification
whatsoever. Looking at those estates ranked in 1855 first, this small
pack is undoubtedly led by La Lagune, a Troisième Cru sometimes wryly
referred to as the Premier Grand Cru of the region; not because of any
desire to revise the 1855 classification, but because this is the
first Cru Classé estate that one meets as one drives north out of
Bordeaux on the D2. For many years now the wines, rich and usually
oaky thanks to a policy of 100% new wood for elevage, have had a
fervent following. Almost next door is Cantemerle, which may not
command the same level of interest amongst Bordeaux savants, but it is
frequently good value and only the ignorant should overlook it.


Notable Chateaux

Troisièmes Crus, 1855
(Haut-Médoc)

Ch. La Lagune

Quatrièmes Crus, 1855
(Haut-Médoc)

Ch. La Tour Carnet

Cinquièmes Crus, 1855
(Haut-Médoc)

Ch. Belgrave
Ch. Camensac
Ch. Cantermerle


Cru Bourgeois & Unclassified
(Haut-Médoc)

Ch. Beaumont
Ch. Caronne Ste-Gemme
Ch. Cissac
Ch. Citran
Ch. Coufran
Ch. Liversan
Ch. Ramage La Batisse
Ch. Sociando-Mallet
Ch. Verdignan

(Médoc)

Ch. Loudenne
Ch. Patache d’Aux
Ch. Potensac
Ch. Preuillac
Ch. Rollan de By
Ch. La Tour de By

(Moulis)

Ch. Chasse-Spleen
Ch. Maucaillou
Ch. Poujeaux

(Listrac)

Ch. Clarke
Ch. Fourcas Hosten



The remaining three estates, Camensac, Belgrave and La Tour Carnet lie
to the west of St Julien, and of this trio it is the latter that has
the best reputation. But it is not only the classed growth estates
that we should be looking out for. One vineyard that may well put all
these other estates to shame is Sociando-Mallet, located just to the
north of St Estèphe, before the boundary marking the switch from Haut-
Médoc to Médoc. Home to Jean Gautreau and his family, this estate has
been responsible for some of the most appealing wines of the
appellation I have ever tasted, in both great vintages such as 2005
but also in weaker years, most notably the 1997 which was delicious.
Excluded from the 1855 classification, and having very sensibly
abstained from the 2003 Cru Bourgeois debacle which saw the whole
classification annulled in a court of law, Gautreau has gone it alone
all these years, selling his wine on the basis of its intrinsic
quality rather than any fancy classification, or indeed appellation,
on the label. It is a practice that has worked very well for him; many
would argue that the wine is superior to that produced by a number of
estates in possession of a superior classification, and indeed
Gautreau himself includes a number of Troisième Cru properties, such
as Giscours, among what he sees as his peer group. The prices, today,
reflect his achievements and his aspirations.

Throughout the Haut-Médoc there are estates at the Cru Bourgeois level
which are worthy of our attention. I suspect we all have our
favourites, but of those that I have assessed in recent years I think
Citran stands out as being of good quality, although both Beaumont and
Caronne Ste-Gemme are chronically under-appreciated and are thus
frequently smart buys, particularly in favourable vintages.


And Not Forgetting...

Not too far away from these Haut-Médoc estates are the communes of
Moulis and Listrac, the two smallest and least appreciated of the left
bank communes. Moulis, at just 550 hectares or thereabouts, is the
more tiny of the duo, although it boasts a number of high-flying Cru
Bourgeois estates despite its varied terroirs. Listrac, meanwhile,
despite its 650 hectares is not associated with so many well known
properties. In the former appellation, the best wines come from
Poujeaux and Chasse-Spleen; in the latter of these two communes,
Fourcas-Hosten and Clarke are perhaps the two most notable names, and
each occasionally provides us with some vinous pleasure.



- Wine Doctor.