Haut-Médoc ( French: [o medɔk] ) is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of southwestern France , on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary . Covering a large part of the viticultural strip of land along the Médoc peninsula, the zone covers approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) of its length.
30-579: As defined by the original Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) decree of November 14, 1936, its southern edge borders the city of Bordeaux and the Médoc AOC to the north, encompassing fifteen communes exclusive to the appellation, while at the same time it enclaves six appellations made up of nine communes ( Saint-Estèphe AOC , Pauillac AOC , Saint-Julien AOC , Listrac-Médoc AOC , Moulis-en-Médoc AOC and Margaux AOC ) that are technically wine-making communes of Haut-Médoc. Similarly, Haut-Médoc
60-504: A law of July 2 to extend the powers of the INAO to cover all agricultural produce. Since January 1, 2007, the Institute is renamed Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité and also guarantees organic and Label Rouge certifications. In spite of the name change it retains the abbreviation INAO . Cru Bourgeois The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the châteaux from
90-447: A mark of quality, to wines rather than to châteaux, on the basis of an assessment of both production methods and the finished product. Any property in the Médoc may apply. The lists are published approximately 2 years after the vintage, so the 2008 list was published in 2010, and the 2009 list was published in 2011. The 2009 list includes 246 wines. An example of longevity and stability in
120-797: A new Crus Bourgeois classification on February 20, 2020, that includes 179 Crus Bourgeois, 56 Crus Bourgeois Supérieurs and 14 Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels. Estates ranked in the ‘Exceptionnels’ category include châteaux Paveil de Luze and d’Arsac in Margaux; châteaux Le Bosq, Lillian Ladouys and Le Crock in Saint-Estèphe; Château Lestage in Listrac-Médoc and eight properties in Haut-Médoc: châteaux d’Agassac, Arnauld, Belle-Vue, Cambon La Pelouse, Charmail, Malescasse, de Malleret and du Taillan. The estates will be able to apply their classification to their labels from
150-422: A new certification adopting the term Label Cru Bourgeois , "not as a classification, but as a mark of quality" open to all Médoc wines, based on production and quality standards, to be assessed by an independent body. In February 2008, a format for the classification to be reintroduced was agreed by 180 estates from the defunct 2003 ranking, along with 95 new entrants. The revision demanded that estates adhere to
180-450: A new set of production rules and independent quality testing in order to remain in the classification, and the terms Cru Bourgeois Supérieur or Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel would no longer be used. Initially, the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois hoped to be able to reintroduce the classification in 2009, and apply it to the 2007 vintage, but this was not achieved. Instead, the new classification
210-487: A small degree Malbec (locally called "Cot"). Also permitted under the regulations of the AOC are the varieties Cabernet Franc and Carménère . The INAO specifications demand the following production norms: a high planting density, a minimum of 6,500 plants per hectare, and minimum of sugar, 178 g (6.3 oz) per litre of must , maximum base yield of 48 hectolitres per hectare, and a minimum alcohol by volume of 10%. Of
240-460: Is a sub-appellation of the Médoc AOC. Of Haut-Médoc's fifteen wine-producing communes, eight are located along the waterfront of Garonne and Gironde: Blanquefort , Parempuyre , Ludon , Macau , Arcins , Lamarque , Cussac and Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne . Seven communes lie inland: Le Taillan , Le Pian-Médoc , Avensan , Saint-Laurent-Médoc . Saint-Sauveur , Cissac and Vertheuil . Few of
270-637: Is the French organization charged with regulating French agricultural products with protected designation of origin (PDOs). It is controlled by the Government of France , and it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture . The organization was co-founded by Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer Baron Pierre Le Roy . Every appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), the French term for PDOs, is produced according to rules codified by
300-580: The Médoc that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Crus Classés , or Classed Growths. Notionally, Cru Bourgeois is a level below Cru Classé , but still of high quality (formerly there were additional grades of Cru Artisan and Cru Paysan ). Many wine writers consider that there is some overlap in quality between the Classed Growths and the Cru Bourgeois, although also saying that by and large
330-554: The 17th century, Dutch merchants began an ambitious drainage project to convert the marshland into a usable vineyard area. Their objective was to provide the British market a wine alternative to the Graves and Portuguese wines that were dominating the market. Using technology that was advanced for that time, the Dutch were able to convert enough marshland to allow large estates to form all along
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#1733085914102360-498: The 1855 classification such as Château Gloria and Château Sociando-Mallet did not apply for classification. There was considerable controversy regarding the 2003 classification as 77 châteaux which had been included in the 1932 list lost their Cru Bourgeois status. Many proprietors were unhappy, either because they had been excluded entirely, or because they had been included at a lower level than they had expected. Over 70 producers applied to court to contest their exclusion from
390-467: The 2005 vintages were already bottled and with further anticipated delays, the ruling was expected to be enforced starting with the 2007 vintage. The ban applied to all wines, also extending to those wineries in Sauternes , Côtes-de-Bourg and Blaye who used the term. The Alliance des Crus Bourgeois responded to the annulment of the 2003 classification by taking a new motion to the government, to create
420-455: The 392 viticultural properties of Haut-Médoc, 150 participate in winemaking cooperatives, the other 242 being independent wineries. Chateau Aney a. Cru Bourgeois as a term of classification since 1932, was annulled in 2007, and reintroduced in 2009. Institut National des Appellations d%27Origine The Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (previously Institut National des Appellations d'Origine) ( INAO )
450-488: The Classed Growths still represent the best wines. The first Cru Bourgeois list was drawn up by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Chamber of Agriculture in 1932, selecting 444 estates for the classification. The words Cru Bourgeois were widely used on labels by the châteaux so listed, although the classification was never officially ratified. A substantial revision of the classification, dividing it into three tiers,
480-603: The Gironde. Soon the Bordeaux wine regions of Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe took shape. By the 19th century, the wine region of the Haut-Médoc was one of the most prosperous in France, with wines that had an international reputation that would be unparalleled till the late 20th century. The area covers approximately 4,600 hectares of declared vineyards, constituting 28.5% of
510-460: The INAO was created by a decree initiated by Joseph Capus and enacted on July 30, 1935. Under this law the Comité National des appellations d'origine (CNAO) was given the sole authority to rule on matters related to the quality of wine. The members of the committee included delegates of ministries of agriculture, finance and justice and presidents of viticulture syndicates. They consulted with
540-452: The INAO. Because its primary purpose is to regulate the use of noteworthy names, one of its primary tasks is to delimit the geographic area entitled to produce a product. For wine this means vineyards , but the INAO also regulates the places of processing and aging. The INAO, like many organizations charged with regulating and helping producers, is often put in a contradictory position. An individual farmer may want his farm to be included in
570-471: The Médoc total, annually producing on average 255,000 hectolitres of wine. The variation in types of soil is greater than other appellations in the region, ranging from less than ideal terrain, to conditions on a par with some of the enclaved appellations of more celebrated reputation. Of the permitted grape varieties of Haut-Médoc, 52% of the viticultural area is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon , with additional cultivation of Merlot , Petit Verdot and to
600-408: The Médoc winegrowers' union. In essence the court ruled that four of the panel had conflicting interests , as owners of relevant wineries, and could not be seen as independent. At this point, the 1932 classification was briefly reinstated, with its single tier and 444 estates. In July 2007, following the intervention of the French fraud office, all use of the term Cru Bourgeois became illegal. As
630-613: The applicants. In September 2011, the 2009 classification was announced. Of 304 applicants, 246 were successful. While the new Cru Bourgeois classification was being prepared, six out of nine of the former Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels decided to remain outside the new one-tier classification. Instead, they formed a group named Les Exceptionnels , primarily to stage common marketing events. Members of this group are Château Chasse-Spleen , Château Les Ormes-de-Pez , Château de Pez , Château Potensac , Château Poujeaux and Château Siran . Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc announced
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#1733085914102660-569: The estates falling within the generic Haut-Médoc appellation were included in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 (as all but six of the 61 are located within the AOCs Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe), but several were included in the classification Cru Bourgeois . For most of its history, the Haut-Médoc was a vast region of salt marshes used for animal grazing rather than viticulture . In
690-465: The first years after the CNAO was formed. The first AOC laws were passed in 1936, and most of the classical wines from Bordeaux , Burgundy , Champagne and Rhône had their initial set of AOC regulations before the end of 1937. After World War II the committee became the public-private Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO). In 1990, the economic success of the appellations led parliament in
720-443: The limited area, but that might have the effect of diluting the average quality of the area. Rarely is this without controversy, and it is a delicate balancing act. Government control of agricultural products began with the law of August 1, 1905, granting the government authority to define the official boundaries for the production of certain agricultural products. At first, the appellations were not designed as measures of quality of
750-451: The new ranking, and in 2004 the court voided their rankings, requiring them to be reassessed, but otherwise upheld the new system. However, in February 2007, Bordeaux magistrate Jean-Pierre Valeins, having found that the classification was 'not impartial' and 'tainted with illegality', annulled the 2003 revision, following an appeal by dissatisfied producers, led by Denis Hecquet, president of
780-417: The produce and failed to resolve the problem of over-production of wine , a problem that continues to this day. A second law, passed on May 6, 1919, gave the courts power to act in cases where the regulations were not being followed. This once again was an initial failure, as the resulting prosecutions proved to be long and fraught with difficulty. In a further attempt to address problems in the wine industry,
810-593: The quality of its wine is the Chateau Magnol, in the Haut Medoc appellation, that have been Cru Bourgeois every single year since 1987. The 2003 Cru Bourgeois classification ( annulled in 2007 ) classified 247 properties in three tiers: Exceptionnel (9 properties), Supérieurs (87 properties) and straight Bourgeois (151 properties). The Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels are listed in the following table, for historical interest: Note that some very highly regarded wines outside
840-399: The top wine producers in each region to define the boundaries of appellations and the rules for a wine to qualify. The CNAO was funded by a fee paid by the producers. Many small wine producers were eager to escape the state regulations imposed on bulk winemakers, and sought to join. However the CNAO enforced high standards and the percentage of French wine designated as AOC actually declined in
870-417: Was initiated in 2000 and finalised in 2003. This reduced the number of châteaux listed to 247. Following several legal turns, the 2003 Cru Bourgeois classification was annulled by the French court in 2007, and shortly afterwards all use of the term was banned. In 2010, the Cru Bourgeois label was reintroduced, but in a significantly revised form. It now consists of only one level, and is awarded annually, as
900-515: Was unveiled in 2010, and applied to the 2008 vintage. Of the 290 producers who applied for Cru Bourgeois status for their 2008 wine, 243 were successful. The Bureau Véritas (the newly formed independent body to oversee the assessment process) inspected the facilities of all the applicants to ensure compliance with the required production standards and the wines were submitted to blind tastings by panels of wine professionals, none of whom are châteaux owners and none of whom have family connections to
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