Graves is larger than the Médoc but produces only about half as much wine. Its finest estates were classified in 1953, with the classification confirmed in 1959. Until the 1986 vintage, the entire area south of Bordeaux to Sauternes was known simply as Graves. That year saw the creation of Pessac-Léognan, the region’s top sub-appellation, home to all the classified growths, including the legendary Château Haut-Brion.
The climate is slightly milder than in the Médoc, allowing earlier harvests and producing the best Graves wines with rich, savoury character and notes of tobacco, spice and leather. Further south, sandier soils yield lighter, fruit-driven Graves wine designed for earlier drinking.
The climate is slightly milder than in the Médoc, allowing earlier harvests and producing the best Graves wines with rich, savoury character and notes of tobacco, spice and leather. Further south, sandier soils yield lighter, fruit-driven Graves wine designed for earlier drinking.
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