Wine · Regions · Study guide

Bordeaux

A study guide to Bordeaux — Left Bank vs Right Bank, the key grapes, the 1855 classification, and how it all shows up in WSET exams.

Bordeaux is the reference point almost every wine student measures other regions against — and the one most likely to trip you up in an exam. It is large (roughly 110,000 hectares under vine), it is split by three rivers, and its two halves work with the same grapes in opposite proportions. Get the geography straight and most of the rest follows.

This guide starts with the shape of the region: where the good vineyards sit, which grapes dominate on each bank, and what the famous 1855 classification actually ranks. That is the part worth knowing cold before you go deeper.

Part of the France country guide.

The one thing to fix first: Left Bank vs Right Bank

Bordeaux is divided by the Gironde estuary and the two rivers that feed it, the Garonne and the Dordogne. The land between the rivers is the Entre-Deux-Mers ("between two seas").

Left Bank — west of the Gironde and Garonne. Gravel soils that drain well and hold warmth. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blends here. Home to the Médoc (Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux) and Graves/Pessac-Léognan.
Right Bank — east of the Dordogne. Cooler clay and limestone soils that suit an earlier-ripening grape, so Merlot dominates. Home to Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.

That single distinction — gravel/Cabernet on the Left, clay/Merlot on the Right — is the spine of everything else.

Appellation areas are approximate — simplified from official INAO delimitations.

The Left Bank runs up the western side of the Gironde (Médoc) and south through Graves; the Right Bank sits inland to the east around Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, with Sauternes to the south.

The grapes

Bordeaux reds are almost always blends. The main players:

Grape	Role	Bank it leads
Cabernet Sauvignon	Structure, tannin, blackcurrant, ageability	Left
Merlot	Flesh, plum, softness, early approachability	Right
Cabernet Franc	Aromatic lift, red fruit, leafiness	Both (key on Right)
Petit Verdot	Colour, spice, tannin in small doses	Left (minor)

For whites, Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc lead — dry in Pessac-Léognan and Entre-Deux-Mers, sweet and botrytised in Sauternes and Barsac.

Key facts


Country / region	France, south-west
Main rivers	Gironde, Garonne, Dordogne
Climate	Moderate maritime
Red grapes	Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
White grapes	Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle
Famous classification	1855 Classification (Médoc + Sauternes)

See the regional map above for the position of each bank and the major appellations.

What the 1855 Classification is (in brief)

Commissioned for the Paris Exposition, the 1855 Classification ranked the top red châteaux of the Médoc (plus Château Haut-Brion from Graves) into five tiers, or crus, from First to Fifth Growth — based on the prices their wines were fetching at the time. It also ranked the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac separately. It has barely changed since. Knowing that it is price-based, Left-Bank, and essentially fixed is usually enough at entry level.

In this guide

The full guide below goes appellation by appellation and adds the detail exams actually test:

The Médoc communes compared — Pauillac vs Margaux vs Saint-Julien vs Saint-Estèphe
The five First Growths and the 1973 exception
Saint-Émilion's own (revised) classification and how it differs from 1855
Pomerol, Sauternes, and the role of noble rot
Vintage character and classic exam questions

The Médoc communes, compared

The Médoc's reputation rests on four communal appellations on the gravel banks north of the city. They share Cabernet-led blends but differ in emphasis:

Saint-Estèphe — the most northerly, with more clay in the soil. Firmer, more structured, sometimes rustic wines built for the long haul.
Pauillac — the heart of Cabernet Sauvignon. Concentrated, cassis-driven, powerfully tannic wines with cedar and graphite notes. Home to three of the five First Growths.
Saint-Julien — no First Growths, but arguably the most consistent commune; a balance of Pauillac's power and Margaux's elegance.
Margaux — the most southerly and, on its best gravel, the most perfumed and silky of the four.

Appellation areas are approximate — simplified from official INAO delimitations.

The four communes run north to south down the gravel banks: Saint-Estèphe at the top, then Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Margaux closest to the city.

Within the Médoc, wines can also carry the broader Haut-Médoc or Médoc appellations, which sit below the named communes in the hierarchy.

The First Growths (Premiers Crus)

Five red châteaux hold First-Growth status:

Château Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac)
Château Latour (Pauillac)
Château Mouton Rothschild (Pauillac) — promoted in 1973
Château Margaux (Margaux)
Château Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan, Graves)

The exam-favourite detail: Mouton Rothschild is the only château ever promoted within the 1855 Classification, elevated from Second to First Growth in 1973 after decades of lobbying by Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Note also that Haut-Brion is the sole First Growth located outside the Médoc — it sits in Graves, yet was included in 1855 because of its reputation.

Saint-Émilion — a different, living classification

The Right Bank's Saint-Émilion has its own classification, established in 1955 and, unlike 1855, revised roughly every ten years. Its top tier, Premier Grand Cru Classé A, has included estates such as Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone. The revisions have been contentious — several leading estates have withdrawn from recent editions — but the key contrast for students is simply that Saint-Émilion's system is periodically updated, where the Médoc's is frozen.

Saint-Émilion is Merlot-led, usually blended with Cabernet Franc, grown on limestone plateau and clay slopes that give aromatic, plush wines.

Pomerol — no classification at all

Pomerol, Saint-Émilion's small neighbour, has no official classification, yet produces some of the most expensive wine in the world. Château Pétrus, grown on a celebrated seam of blue clay, is almost entirely Merlot. Pomerol wines are typically rich, velvety, and built around Merlot's flesh.

Sauternes and noble rot

In the southern Graves, the cool, misty Sauternes and Barsac appellations specialise in sweet wines made from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, or noble rot. The fungus desiccates ripe Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, concentrating their sugars and adding characteristic honey, marmalade, and ginger notes. Château d'Yquem is the only estate ranked Premier Cru Supérieur in 1855 — a tier above all other Sauternes.

Noble rot requires a specific rhythm: humid mornings (often from the cold Ciron tributary meeting the warmer Garonne) to promote the fungus, followed by dry, sunny afternoons to prevent it turning to destructive grey rot. Yields are tiny and picking is done in successive passes, which is why the wines are costly.

Vintage character

Because Bordeaux's maritime climate is variable, vintage matters more than in warmer, more reliable regions. Rain at flowering or harvest can dilute a crop; a warm, dry late season concentrates it. In cooler, wetter years, Merlot-led Right Bank wines can outperform because Merlot ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon — a useful generalisation, though never an absolute.

Classic exam questions

Which grape dominates Left Bank blends? — Cabernet Sauvignon.
Why does Merlot lead on the Right Bank? — cooler clay soils and earlier ripening suit it.
Which château was promoted to First Growth, and when? — Mouton Rothschild, 1973.
Which First Growth lies outside the Médoc? — Haut-Brion (Graves).
What causes the sweetness in Sauternes? — noble rot (Botrytis cinerea).
How does the Saint-Émilion classification differ from 1855? — it is revised periodically rather than fixed.

Fix the geography first, layer the classifications on top, and Bordeaux stops being a memory test and starts making sense.