A powerfull region
- A vast vineyard: The Médoc and its 8 appellations represent 15% of Bordeaux vineyards, covering more than 16 000 hectares. The Médoc appellations are amongst the most well known amongst wine amateurs and the most quoted by connoisseurs.
- Widely available: the Médoc vineyards sell almost 100 million bottles per year.
- Export driven: 50 million bottles are exported every year (40% for the European Union, 60% for the rest of the world).
An annual turn over between €600 million to €1 billion depending on the vintage (volume and prices vary every year). This is almost half of the export turnover for Bordeaux red wine, in the best years this is the equivalent of the sale of more than 20 A320 Airbuses or 50 high-speed trains!
A wide diversity
- Large properties: the Médoc has approximately 600 chateaux and almost 1000 brands, including very small properties of just a few hectares but with a large proportion of vineyards of over 20 Ha.
- A wide range of wines – an affordable luxury: Médoc wines are available from €5 to €500 per bottle, with a core range of €10 to €20. This wide range offers prestigious brands at truly affordable prices.
- A diversity of ownership: The Médoc has everything from small growers, cultivating their vines like jewels, big groups yields top quality improvements through continued investment, family properties handed down through the generations, wine lovers who have made a lifestyle choice to run a wine estate, big Bordeaux families whose names have established the reputation of Bordeaux worldwide through the merchant houses of Bordeaux, and foreign investors attracted by the reputation of this famous terroir.
A strong historical character
- Between innovation and tradition: the Médoc has always been at the forefront of technical innovation in the global vineyard. Technology, innovative agricultural methods and the evolution of know-how have always been the driving force of Médoc viticulture, respecting tradition, terroir and the wines.
- Historic vineyards: small parcels of vines have been present in the Médoc since the 14th century. From the 16th century members of the Parliament of Bordeaux and traders from the city created the first properties.
- Families of prestigious Crus: the Médoc has several large official families of Crus, the most famous being the Classification of 1855. 60 Medoc Classified Grand Crus make up this elite of global winemaking, whose reputation, excellence and consistency are still recognized today. The Crus Bourgeois represent the heart of Médoc wine making, their reputation reaching beyond French borders, enjoying today a reputation for quality in the eyes of wine enthusiasts around the world. The Crus Artisans perpetuate the image of a mixed agriculture and activities Médoc: small family vineyards producing wines reflecting the true character of those who create them.
Finally, let’s not forget the many other excellent chateaux, branded wines and wines from the cooperative cellars made in the pure Médoc tradition, representing the essence of the Médoc.
An exceptional nature
- A unique terroir: the Médoc enjoys a moderate, warm and damp climate. A peninsula on the 45th parallel, it benefits from the natural protection of the Atlantic Ocean to the West and the Gironde estuary to the East. This microclimate combined with the soils formed by periods of glaciations over thousands of years, gives a unique geology: beautiful outcrops, bathed by sun with limited temperature variations, giving birth to wines with some of the greatest ageing potential in the world.