Pauillac Wine
Pauillac (poy-yac) is considered the wine capital of the Médoc. If one had to single out one commune in Bordeaux to rank at the top, there would be little argument that it would be Pauillac. Many of the Médoc’s most concentrated wines are produced here. The red wines of Pauillac are predominately powerful, full-flavored, elegant and long-lived. Pauillac is the world’s benchmark for the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, and the superior gravelly soils provide the excellent drainage needed. Some of the most renowned properties produce reds capable of aging for decades. A recent trend, driven by technological advances, is toward fruit driven softer reds, more approachable upon release.
Grape Varieties: Primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Merlot and to a lesser extent Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Taste Characteristics: Style – Elegant to highly concentrated, medium to full-bodied. With blackcurrant (cassis) fruit, nuanced by cedary shadings and notes of cigar box. The longest lived of all Bordeaux.
Key Facts: Located on the Left Bank of the Gironde River, between St.-Estèphe to the north and St.-Julien to the south. Many feel the wines of this commune are the world’s finest expression of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Bordeaux’s most famous appellation and the only one to claim three First Growths; Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Latour.
Acres Under Vine: 2,965
Classified Growths: 18 Grand Cru Classé Estates
Key Properties: Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Pichon-Longueville Baron, Pichon-Longueville Lalande, Duhart-Milon, Lynch Bages, Lynch Moussas, Pontet Canet, Haut-Bages-Libéral, Pibran, Clerc-Milon, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Batailley.
Principal Soil Types: Very deep gravel beds dominate the vineyards adjacent to the river. Farther inland, gravel mixes with sandstone.
