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.
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