Left bank · Graves and Sauternes · red, white and sweet
Graves and Sauternes wines: Pessac-Léognan, Graves, Sauternes
South of Bordeaux, along the left bank of the Garonne, the Graves make all three colours of Bordeaux: reds, some of the region's best dry whites and, in the south, the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac.
The appellations
North to south:
Pessac-Léognan
The north of the Graves, from the Bordeaux suburbs to the pines of Léognan, an appellation since 1987. Reds softer than the Médoc's and great whites for keeping. All sixteen Graves classified growths are here, led by Haut-Brion. Pessac-Léognan wines
Graves
The rest of the left bank down to around Langon: reds from cabernet sauvignon and merlot, dry whites from sauvignon blanc and sémillon, at gentler prices. Graves wines
Sauternes and Barsac
Tucked into the south of the Graves, where the Ciron meets the Garonne: noble rot gives sweet wines that keep for decades, led by Yquem. Sauternes and Barsac wines
What makes a Graves wine
The gravel, pebbles and sand rolled down by the Garonne gave the region its name. The reds blend cabernet sauvignon and merlot, with more merlot than in the Médoc; the dry whites, sauvignon blanc and sémillon, are often aged in barrel. It is one of the few parts of Bordeaux as well known for its whites as for its reds.
Two classifications meet here: the Graves classification of 1953, revised in 1959, for reds and whites, and the 1855 classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac. Haut-Brion is in both. The details are on the Bordeaux classifications page. North of the city the Médoc begins: see Médoc wines.
Graves or Pessac-Léognan: what is the difference?
Pessac-Léognan is the north of the Graves, which became a separate appellation in 1987; all the Graves classified growths are there. The Graves appellation covers the rest, further south, at gentler prices.
What is noble rot?
A fungus, botrytis, that grows on ripe grapes when autumn mornings are misty and afternoons warm. It concentrates the sugar in the grapes, which are picked in several passes as they are affected: low yields, and wines that keep for a very long time.
How long should a Graves wine be kept?
A simple dry white, one to six years; a classified red Pessac-Léognan, six to twenty years, and its great whites twenty. Sauternes keeps for decades.
What to serve with Sauternes?
Foie gras, blue cheeses such as Roquefort, fruit desserts. See wine with foie gras.