Graves supérieures

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical zone forms a band approximately ten kilometres wide on the left bank of the Garonne, from north of Bordeaux to south-east of Langon.
• The territory is composed of more or less coarse pebbles, stones, and gravel mixed with sands, silts, and clays, resting depending on the location on limestone, pure sand, alios, or clays.
• The soils of the Graves result from a geological history linked to the birth of the Garonne and to the successive glacial episodes of the Quaternary era, with Pyrenean glaciers having eroded rocky material that was subsequently rolled and transported as far as the Bordeaux region.
• These soils share a high permeability owing to their abundance of gravel and pebbles, and their slopes encourage water runoff and perfect surface drainage, reinforced by a hydrographic network of small watercourses flowing into the Garonne.
• The vineyard is protected to the west by a pine forest that plays a thermoregulatory role, benefits from natural ventilation due to the proximity of the Garonne, and enjoys moderating oceanic influences that temper spring frost.
• The soils are arranged in a series of gently sloping terraces of increasing age as one moves away from the river, ranging from the clay palus soils close to the Garonne to the Dépée formation, composed of clayey sands and small gravel, in the west. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The earliest vine plantings in the Graves region are dated to around 40 AD, as evidenced by archaeological excavations and the amphorae discovered there.
• In 1152, the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to the King of England brought prosperity through the 'Privilege' granted to the 'Banlieue', which prohibited all competition as long as a single barrel of city wine remained unsold.

• The white wines with residual sugar are made from grapes harvested at over-ripeness and picked by successive manual tries, structured around the Sémillon variety, yielding round, full-bodied wines with a golden colour and aromas of candied fruit.
• The possible blending of Sauvignon and Muscadelle with these residual-sugar white wines brings freshness, making them wines suited either to a few years of ageing or to enjoyment young.

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