Graves

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical zone forms a band approximately ten kilometres wide on the left bank of the Garonne, running from north of Bordeaux to the south-east of Langon, skirting around the enclave of Sauternes and Barsac.
• The territory consists of pebbles, stones, and coarse-to-fine gravel mixed with sands, silts, and clays, resting in places on limestone but generally on pure sand, alios, or clays, across 42 communes of the Gironde.
• The soils result from successive Pyrenean glacial deposits of the Quaternary era transported by the Garonne, of which only relics remain in the form of gravel ridges of all sizes and types.
• These gravelly terraces follow one another in order of geological age, from the Mindel-period formation through to the Dépée formation, which is composed of clayey sands and fine gravels heralding the Landes sands. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• The vineyard is sheltered to the west by a pine forest that acts as a thermal regulator, while the proximity of the Garonne provides natural ventilation that limits extreme heat and excess humidity.
• A hydrographic network of small watercourses flowing into the Garonne — including the Eau Bourde, the Eau Blanche, the Breyra, the Saucats, and the Guat mort — divides the gravel terraces into ridges.

• The establishment of viticulture in the Gironde is dated to around 40 AD, evidenced by archaeological excavations and amphorae, predating the true development of wine growing in the Middle Ages.
• In 1152, the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to the King of England fostered prosperity through the 'Privilege' granted to the 'Banlieue', which prohibited any competition as long as a single barrel of city wine remained unsold.
• Black grape varieties today account for nearly two-thirds of the vineyard's surface area, a proportion that has been steadily increasing since the 1950s.

• The white wines with residual sugars, whose reputation developed under the controlled designation of origin Graves supérieures, are made from overripe grapes harvested by successive manual passes through the vineyard, and are built around the Sémillon variety.

• The red wines achieve sufficient structure through the optimal ripeness of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, particularly on the stony, warm, and low-fertility soils.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 19 septembre 2025 publié au JORF le 21 septembre 2025
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVB