Haut-Médoc is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC)

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...

 for wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 in the Bordeaux wine region of southwestern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary

Gironde estuary

The Gironde is a navigable estuary , in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just below the centre of Bordeaux...

. Covering a large part of the viticultural

Viticulture

Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

 strip of land along the Médoc

Médoc

The Médoc is a region of France, well known as a wine growing region, located in the département of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. Its name comes from Medullicus, or "country of the Medulli", the local Celtic tribe...

 peninsula, the zone covers approximately 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) of its length.

As defined by the original Institut National des Appellations d'Origine

Institut National des Appellations d'Origine

The Institut National des Appellations d'Origine is the French organization charged with regulating French agricultural products with Protected Designations of Origin . Controlled by the French government, it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture...

 (INAO) decree of November 14, 1936, its southern edge borders the city of Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

 and the Médoc AOC

Médoc AOC

Médoc is an AOC for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of southwestern France, on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary that covers the northern section of the viticultural strip along the Médoc peninsula. The zone is sometimes called Bas-Médoc , though this term is not permitted on any label...

 to the north, encompassing fifteen communes exclusive to the appellation, while at the same time it enclaves six appellations made up of nine communes (Margaux AOC, Listrac-Médoc AOC, Moulis-en-Médoc AOC, Saint-Julien AOC, Pauillac AOC and Saint-Estèphe AOC) that are technically wine-making communes of Haut-Médoc. Similarly, Haut-Médoc is a sub-appellation of the Médoc AOC.

Of Haut-Médoc's fifteen wine-producing communes, eight are located along the waterfront of Garonne

Garonne

The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...

 and Gironde: Blanquefort

Blanquefort, Gironde

Blanquefort or Blancafòrt is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. Blanquefort is an outlying commune of the Bordeaux metropolitan area....

, Parempuyre

Parempuyre

Parempuyre is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

, Ludon

Ludon-Médoc

Ludon-Médoc is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

, Macau

Macau, Gironde

Macau is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:...

, Arcins

Arcins

Arcins is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

, Lamarque, Cussac

Cussac-Fort-Médoc

Cussac-Fort-Médoc is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Fort Médoc in Cussac-Fort-Médoc, together with several buildings in nearby Blaye, was listed in 2008 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the "Fortifications of Vauban"...

 and Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne

Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne

Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

. Seven communes lie inland: Le Taillan

Le Taillan-Médoc

Le Taillan-Médoc is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

, Le Pian-Médoc

Le Pian-Médoc

Le Pian-Médoc is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

, Avensan

Avensan

Avensan is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.-Population:...

, Saint-Laurent-Médoc

Saint-Laurent-Médoc

Saint-Laurent-Médoc is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

. Saint-Sauveur

Saint-Sauveur, Gironde

Saint-Sauveur is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

, Cissac

Cissac-Médoc

Cissac-Médoc is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

 and Vertheuil

Vertheuil

Vertheuil is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:...

.

Few of the estates falling within the generic Haut-Médoc appellation were included in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855

Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855

The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines which were to be on display for visitors from around the world...

 (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

Cru Bourgeois

The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the high quality wines from the Left Bank Bordeaux wine regions that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Classed Growths, or Grands Crus Classés...

.

History

For most of its history, the Haut-Médoc was a vast region of salt marsh

Salt marsh

A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...

es used for animal grazing

Grazing

Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...

 rather than viticulture

Viticulture

Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

. In the 17th century, Dutch merchants

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 began an ambitious drainage

Drainage

Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...

 project to convert the marshland into a usable vineyard area. Their objective was to provide the British

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 market a wine alternative to the Graves

Graves

Graves is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretch over...

 and Portuguese wine

Portuguese wine

Portuguese wine is the result of traditions introduced to the region by ancient civilizations, such as the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and mostly the Romans. Portugal started to export its wines to Rome during the Roman Empire. Modern exports developed with trade to England after the...

s 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 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.

Haut-Médoc AOC

The area covers approximately 4,600 hectares of declared vineyards, constituting 28.5% of 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

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...

, with additional cultivation of Merlot

Merlot

Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...

, Petit Verdot

Petit verdot

Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen, it is added in small amounts to add tannin, colour and flavour to the...

 and to a small degree Malbec

Malbec

Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are long known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. The French plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in the South West...

 (locally called "Cot"). Also permitted under the regulations of the AOC are the varieties Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...

 and Carménère

Carmenère

The Carménère grape is a wine grape variety originally planted in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France, where it was used to produce deep red wines and occasionally used for blending purposes in the same manner as Petit Verdot....

.

The INAO specifiactions demand the following production norms: a high planting density, a minimum of 6,500 plants per hectare, and minimum of sugar, 178 grams (6.3 oz) per litre of must

Must

Must is freshly pressed fruit juice that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace; it typically makes up 7%–23% of the total weight of the must. Making must is the first step in winemaking...

, maximum base yield of 48 hectolitres per hectare, and a minimum alcohol by volume

Alcohol by volume

Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....

 of 10%.

Estates

Of the 392 viticultural properties of Haut-Médoc, 150 participate in winemaking cooperatives, the other 242 being independent wineries.

Troisièmes Crus
Château La Lagune Château La Lagune Château La Lagune is a winery in the Haut-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855....
Quatrièmes Crus
Château La Tour Carnet Château La Tour Carnet Château La Tour Carnet is a Bordeaux wine estate in the appellation Haut-Médoc. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, at the time known by the name of Carnet.-History:The estate has origins in the early...
Cinquièmes Crus
Château Belgrave Château Belgrave Château Belgrave is a winery in the Haut-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. At the time of classification, the winery was called Château Coutenceau, and...	Château Cantemerle Château Cantemerle Château Cantemerle is a winery in the Haut-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France, in the commune of Macau. The wine produced here was the final estate to be classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855...	Château de Camensac Chateau de Camensac Château de Camensac is a winery in the Haut-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château de Camensac is also the name of the red wine produced by this property...
Château Agassac	Château Arche	Château Beaumont
Château Cambon La Pelouse	Château Caronne Ste-Gemme	Château Cissac Château Cissac Château Cissac is a winery in the Moulis-en-Médoc appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France. Cissac produces long-lived red wines and is classified as a Cru Bourgeois. The Château is owned by the Vialard family.- External links :*...
Château Citran Château Citran Château Citran is a Bourdeaux wine from the appellation Haut-Médoc rated Cru Bourgeois. The winery is located on the Left Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Avensan.The estate also produces a second wine named Moulins de Citran....	Château Coufran	Château Hanteillan
Château Lachesnaye	Château Lamothe-Bergeron	Château Lanessan Château Lanessan Château Lanessan is a Bordeaux wine estate in the Haut-Médoc appellation, located on the Left Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine regions in the commune of Cussac near Fort Médoc. The estate held a rating of Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, until this specific classification was annulled...
Château Liversan	Château Larose	Château Malescasse
Château Ramage La Batisse	Château Trintaudon	Château Sénéjac
Château Verdignan
Unclassified
Château Sociando-Mallet Château Sociando-Mallet Château Sociando-Mallet is an unclassed Bordeaux wine producer from the appellation Haut-Médoc. The winery is located on the Left Bank of the Bordeaux wine regions, in the commune of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne north of Saint-Estèphe, France...