Bordeaux Wine Tour: Graves

This is one of the longest established regions of Bordeaux; there was viticulture here as far back as the Middle Age, centuries before the marshes of the Médoc were drained and vines were planted in the gravelly soils there.

The region’s leading light, Chateau Haut Brion, dates back to the mid-16th Century, but others are even older; there has been a dwelling at the site of Chateau Olivier for at least eight centuries, and although the property has been extensively modified over the years some parts of it are very old indeed.

Pape-Clément is another old timer, this having been the seat of Bertrand de Goth, Archbishop of Bordeaux, during the very first few years of the 14th Century, before he took the papal office and the name Clément V.

The Graves region, although it is perhaps rather stating the obvious, is named for the gravelly terroir which lies underfoot; the depth of gravel varies, and is as deep as three meters in places, forming well defined outcrops. This well drained and impoverished soil is credited with much of the character and quality of the wines of Graves

In recent years the most significant change in the Graves landscape occurred in 1987 when, after many years of pressure from the leading producers, the expanse of vineyards that make up Graves were further classified, with the vineyards just to the south of Bordeaux receiving a new appellation, Pessac-Léognan. The Pessac-Léognan appellation describes wines from ten communes; Cadaujac, Canéjan, Gradignan, Léognan, Martillac, Mérignac, Pessac, Saint-Médard-d’Eyrans, Talence, Villenave-d’Ornon, and it is a rarity (in Bordeaux at least) in that INAO regulations allow for white wines as well as red.

Permitted varieties include Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc (which must comprise at least 25 percent of the blend) as well as Muscadelle, although it is the former two - and perhaps Sauvignon more than Semillon - that will constitute the major part of any blend. Interestingly the red varieties included in the appellation regulations include the full gamut of traditional local varieties, although at least a couple of these are now very unusual.

The triumvirate of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon obviously dominate, but there is also provision for Petit Verdot, also Malbec (or Cot as it is sometimes known) and even the vanishingly rare Carménère,

To the south of Pessac-Léognan are the vineyards that have remained designated as Graves following their parting of ways in 1987, spread over 43 communes entitled to the appellation. Here regulations are similar, the grape varieties are obviously broadly the same, although some of the INAO numbers are different, such as the rendement de base which is higher at 50 hl/ha, but otherwise the style is essentially the same as that of Pessac-Léognan. With that in mind there can be good value here, away from the more exalted names to the north, and it is one of many regions in Bordeaux that are crying out to be better exploited.

As a final point in this rundown of the relevant appellations, I should make note of one oddity that comes along with Graves. This is the appellation of Graves Supérieures, a little-seen halfway-house between the dry whites of Graves and the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, appellations which are of course completely surrounded by the Graves vineyards.

Like a number of regions of Bordeaux, Graves has been classified, and here this process dates back to 1953, when the first classification was drawn up. Although most sources indicate the classification was only officially ratified in 1959, this appears to be incorrect - the original 1953 classification had already been ratified by that time, and the 1959 ranking was a new classification with revision, admitting several new estates to the ranking (bringing the total number to sixteen) and this producing the Graves classification which is still referred to today.

Without doubt the leading estates of the region are around Haut-Brion, namely La Mission Haut-Brion and Laville Haut-Brion (La Tour Haut-Brion also, although from the 2006 vintage onwards this wine is blended into La Mission, and in effect the estate no longer has an independent existence) and of course Haut-Brion itself. These should not be confused with Larrivet-Haut-Brion and Les Carmes Haut-Brion, which although noteworthy do not challenge what are essentially first growth properties. Other good references of the region are Ch. Pape-Clément, Ch. Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Ch. Carbonnieux, and Ch. Latour-Martillac.