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Wine region

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a wine region in France, home to 4,604 wineries, producing red, rose, white wines, known for Bordeaux Blend, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Bordeaux at a glance: predominantly red; known for Bordeaux Blend, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon; wines range from VdF to AOP.
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Bordeaux's 4,604 wineries produce predominantly red wine; Sauvignon Blanc is the most common single-grape bottling; wines carry AOC, AOP, IGP designation.

About the Bordeaux region

    Location
    Bordeaux wine (Occitan: vin de Bordèu; French: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River.
    Climate
    The Gironde estuary dominates the regions along with its tributaries, the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, and together irrigate the land and provide an Atlantic Climate, also known as an oceanic climate, for the region.
    Soils
    The geological foundation of the region is limestone, leading to a soil structure that is heavy in calcium.

Region facts sourced from Source: Wikipedia, "Bordeaux wine", revision 1362360831 (CC BY-SA 4.0) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Characteristic grapes

Bordeaux is best known for Bordeaux Blend, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon. The most-bottled single-varietal wines here are Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. Bordeaux's signature grapes often go into blends, so single-grape bottlings skew toward other varieties.

Wine styles from Bordeaux

Most common single-grape wines

When Bordeaux wines are made from a single grape (rather than a blend), these are the most common:

Wine profile

Bordeaux is predominantly a red-wine region (about 81% of its wines) — expect red wines, often from grapes like Cabernet Franc.

7,602 distinct Bordeaux wines tracked, spanning the colours and styles below.

  • Red6,142 · 81%
  • White1,263 · 17%
  • Rose184 · 2%

Types: Sparkling, Still.

Catalogue vintages span 1945 to 2012.

Representative Bordeaux wines

Selected from stable product-to-region relationships for diversity — not a claim that these are the region's best wines.

  • Chateau du Bois Dumas — Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion
  • Chateau La Marzelle — Saint-Emilion
  • Chateau Doisy Daene — Barsac
  • Chateau La Gaffeliere — Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
  • Alexis Lichine & Co — Cremant de Bordeaux
  • Spelletich — Spellwine Parlez Vous Spell
  • Chateau La Rose Bellevue — Blanc
  • Chateau Roullet — Canon-Fronsac

Sub-regions & appellations

Within Bordeaux, these appellationsA legally-defined smaller growing area within a wine region, often with its own grapes and rules. are smaller growing areas, often with their own character:

  • Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
  • Bordeaux Superieur
  • Saint-Emilion
  • Graves
  • Haut-Medoc
  • Medoc
  • Pomerol
  • Pessac-Leognan
  • Sauternes
  • Blaye-Cotes de Bordeaux
  • Margaux
  • Cotes de Bourg

Quality designations

Wines here span quality tiers from everyday VdF to the strictly-controlled AOP — you'll find both accessible and prestige bottles.

  • AOCFrance's protected-origin designation (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) — controls where and how a wine is made.
  • AOPThe EU protected-origin label (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) — the modern equivalent of AOC.
  • IGPEU Protected Geographical Indication (Indication Géographique Protégée) — a regional wine label, broader than AOP.
  • VdFVin de France — the entry-level French category, with the fewest restrictions.

Estate classifications

  • 2eme Cru ClasseA second-growth classified estate (Bordeaux 1855 classification).
  • 3eme Cru ClasseA third-growth classified estate.
  • 4eme Cru ClasseA fourth-growth classified estate.
  • 5eme Cru ClasseA fifth-growth classified estate.
  • Cru ClasseA 'classified growth' — an estate recognised in an official quality classification.
  • Grand CruA top vineyard/estate ranking — typically the highest quality classification in its region.
  • Grand Cru ClasseA classified 'great growth' estate — among the region's finest.
  • Premier CruA 'first growth' ranking — a high-quality vineyard or estate, usually just below Grand Cru.
  • Premier Cru ClasseA classified first-growth estate.
  • Premier Cru SuperieurA superior first-growth classification (used in Sauternes for Château d'Yquem).
  • Premier Grand Cru Classe AThe very top rank of classified estates (used in Saint-Émilion).

France wine designations

AOC
AOC is the French national controlled-origin recognition for a product whose production stages are carried out using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, giving the product its characteristics.
AOP
An AOP identifies a product whose production stages take place using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, which gives the product its characteristics.
IGP
An IGP identifies a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are linked to its geographical origin.
PDO
PDO is the European Union protected designation of origin category.
VdF
Vin de France is the French country-of-origin wording used for wine in the category without a protected geographical indication.

Classifications

2eme Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, 2ème Cru Classé is the third of three sweet-white-wine levels.
3eme Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Bordeaux red-wine classification, 3ème Cru Classé denotes the third of five ranked levels.
4eme Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Bordeaux red-wine classification, 4ème Cru Classé denotes the fourth of five ranked levels.
5eme Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Bordeaux red-wine classification, 5ème Cru Classé denotes the fifth of five ranked levels.
Cru Classe
In the Graves classification, Cru Classé denotes an estate authorised to use the title Grand Cru Classé de Graves; all current classified estates are in Pessac-Léognan.
Grand Cru
In Burgundy, Grand Cru is an AOC category applied to 33 appellations identified by individual Climat names.
Grand Cru Classe
In the current Saint-Émilion classification, Grand Cru Classé is a classified-estate level for red wines of Saint-Émilion; the 2022 edition lists 71 estates at this level.
Premier Cru
In Burgundy, Premier Cru identifies precisely defined individual plots, known as Climats, within certain Village appellations.
Premier Cru Classe
Within the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, Premier Cru Classé is the middle of three sweet-white-wine levels.
Premier Cru Superieur
Within the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, Premier Cru Supérieur is the highest of three sweet-white-wine levels.
Premier Grand Cru Classe A
In the current Saint-Émilion classification, Premier Grand Cru Classé A is the distinguished A level within the Premier Grand Cru Classé category; the 2022 edition lists two estates.
Understanding the wine data
Designation
The protected-origin or administrative category associated with the wine, interpreted using country-aware rules. The same abbreviation can mean different things in different countries, so we only show the meaning approved for that country.
Classification
An additional quality, hierarchy, vineyard, site, ageing or producer classification where supplied. Its meaning varies by country — it is not a universal quality score.
How this ranking is built

Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.

Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.

Explore Bordeaux

Ways to browse Bordeaux — each count is the size of that specific collection (a subset of the 7,602 wines tracked above):

  • Red Bordeaux (828)
  • White Bordeaux (449)
  • Rose Bordeaux (168)

How to choose a good Bordeaux wine

For everyday drinking, VdF bottles are the accessible choice; for something special, AOP signals the region's most tightly-controlled, prestige wines.

FAQs

Where is Bordeaux?
Bordeaux wine ( Occitan : vin de Bordèu ; French : vin de Bordeaux ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France , around the city of Bordeaux , on the Garonne River .
Which grapes are associated with Bordeaux?
Bordeaux is represented in the WhatDrink region dataset by Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Malbec, Merlot, Muscadelle, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon. Grape coverage reflects the products currently linked to the region and is not a complete legal planting register.
What do the designation terms on Bordeaux wines mean?
AOC: AOC is the French national controlled-origin recognition for a product whose production stages are carried out using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, giving the product its characteristics. AOP: An AOP identifies a product whose production stages take place using recognised know-how within the same geographical area, which gives the product its characteristics. IGP: An IGP identifies a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are linked to its geographical origin. VdF: Vin de France is the French country-of-origin wording used for wine in the category without a protected geographical indication. These terms describe geographical or regulatory categories; they do not by themselves guarantee that one producer or bottle is better than another.
How are wineries and producers selected for Bordeaux?
Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.
How are representative Bordeaux wines selected?
Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.
How much wine data does WhatDrink have for Bordeaux?
The current regional catalogue contains 7602 linked wines from 4604 linked producers. Counts describe WhatDrink catalogue coverage and may change as source data is refreshed.

Regional data is aggregated from wine directory and product-catalogue sources; grape and style associations reflect characteristic varieties and may vary by producer and vintage.