Bordeaux is a truly classic wine region, and a benchmark by which many other regions are measured. It is a region that is all about blends, red or white, to achieve a sum that is far greater than its parts.

Geographically, Bordeaux can be split into four major regions: Left Bank (of the Gironde River), Right Bank (of the same), Entre-Deux-Mers (between the two estuaries of the Gironde), and the sweet wine appellations of Sauternes et al.  In its entirety, the region has 280,000 acres of vineyards, 85 percent of which are planted with red grapes.  There are 57 different appellations in the region, which collectively produce approximately one quarter of all French AOC level wine.

In terms of quality classifications, Bordeaux has:

• Regional AOC level white and red wine which covers the entire region.
• District level AOCs such as Entre-Deux-Mers, Haut-Médoc or Graves.
• Commune-level AOCs such as Margaux, Paulliac or St-Émilion.

Beyond these regional classifications, the winemaking property - the chateau - may have a higher classification outside of the AOC … but the chateaus do not form any part of the AOC system.

Click here to see our Bordeaux Distribution Portfolio .