Years ago, as a negociant selling wine to a London club, my husband broached the subject of new world wines. The reply, with an arched eyebrow, was ‘our members think Saint Emilion is the new world’. A telling anecdote for the divide that is right bank and left bank Bordeaux. 

Bordeaux’s new world 

Treating the left bank as the old world of Bordeaux is not historically accurate. Left bank conjures up the Medoc, (Graves too, but sadly less so) the peninsula that contains 60 of the 61 growths of the 1855 classification. Historically, the left bank is Bordeaux’s new world. Although a few vines here predated the 1600s, most were planted after the Dutch drained the marshy swamps in the 17th century.

The Graves, further south on the left bank, is considered to be the cradle of Bordeaux vineyards. Some of the oldest vineyards here date back to 56 BC, when ‘Burdigala’ became part of the Roman Empire. Saint Emilion also has Roman vineyards, with Château Ausone named after the roman Poet Ausonius. 

Why the great divide? 

Knowing your right from your left in Bordeaux isn’t easy. The 110,000 ha of Bordeaux vineyards are divided into three by two great rivers and the estuary they join to form. They all have right and left banks. 

In the trade,  right bank implies the right bank of the Dordogne, or the Libournais; the vineyards of Saint Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac around the port town of Libourne. 

The left bank refers to the left bank of the Gironde Estuary and the Garonne River and runs from the northern tip of the Medoc peninsula down south of the appellations of Sauternes and Barsac.

What are the differences? 

Geography and topography.

The Gironde Estuary runs along an old fault line that pushed the eastern side up, leaving the western side at sea level. The right bank limestone plateau is an undulating series of hills and valleys reaching 100 to 120 m above sea level. The Medoc is flat, reaching a high point of just 44m at Listrac, the topography limited to low gravel outcrops deposited by rivers and the ocean over millions of years. There is limestone here, you just have to dig a lot deeper to find it.

Soils. 

Garonnaise gravel is found along the banks of the estuary in the Medoc and in the northern Graves and Pessac Léognan. It is lighter in colour than the Pyrenean gravel which is found further west on slightly higher ground. In between the two you’ll find clay and occasionally limestone.

There is gravel in and around other rivers; around the l’Isle in Pomerol and on its border with Saint Emilion, occasionally around the Dordogne, in the outcrops of Sauternes, and in some areas of the Côtes. Clay and limestone dominates the rest of Bordeaux. 

The Cabernet Merlot divide. 

These soils define the blend. Across the whole of the Bordeaux vineyard, Merlot dominates red grape varieties, 66% with just 22% to Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc is just 9% and the remainder is Petit Verdot, Carmenère and Malbec (leaving aside the new experimental varieties introduced last year that are negligible). 

So yes, there is more Cabernet on the left bank, but it is not dominant, until that is, you get into the vineyards that border the estuary where Garonnaise gravel dominates.  Across the Medoc peninsula (all eight appellations) the balance might surprise you. Both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are 47% of planting. In the Graves it is 59% Merlot to 35% Cabernet Sauvignon. In Saint Emilion Merlot hovers around 75%. 

These percentages are on the move. Recent years have seen an increase in Petit Verdot on both the left and, more surprisingly, the right bank. Cabernet Franc has decreased on the left bank and increased on the right bank. There has also been an increase in Malbec, although it remains small.

Density

It’s not only what vines are planted but how. On the well-drained soils of the Medoc, planting tends to be denser, around 10,000 vines per ha, encouraging competition, forcing vines to push roots down deep to get water. As clay and limestone both retain more water, planting is around 6-800 vines per ha on the right bank.

The climate is different too. Surrounded by water, the Medoc peninsula has a milder, less extreme climate than its right bank neighbour. Warmer in winter, cooler in summer. A fact that was clearly brought into focus in April this year, where vineyards closest to Estuary enjoyed the protective warmth of the Gironde when severe frosts hit. Higher, cooler areas, even in the Médoc such as Moulis and Listrac, were more severely hit as was the right bank. The peninsula also enjoys more sea breezes, handy for drying things off in a humid oceanic climate like Bordeaux. 

Size matters. 

Larger Bordeaux property have more diverse terroir, and the more diverse the grape varieties. The average Bordeaux property is around 20ha, reaching an average of 25ha on the left bank (some are much larger) and around 8ha on the right bank.

Thanks to their late arrival on the scene, Médoc vineyards were designed as commercial enterprises to produce large amounts of wine for trade and exports. Small ports along the Gironde, that you can still see at Château Beychevelle and Château Loudenne, bear witness to the tradition of shipping barrels from châteaux to Bordeaux for ageing and blending in negociant cellars.

Smaller right bank properties result from a tradition of mixed agriculture. As many of these properties are lived in, there is still more of a village or community feel today.

Don’t assume small is always more beautiful. It’s an oversimplification, size can be a challenge. It is more difficult to make consistently great wine in large amounts than in a small ‘boutique’ production. This is something that Bordeaux has excelled in over the years and where the skill of the Bordeaux blend comes in to play. 

History and hierarchy.

The 1855 Classification put the left bank on the map. 60 of the 61 reds are from the Médoc (and all 27 whites are from Sauternes and Barsac – can’t forget them!).

It might seem odd that the spotlight was shone on the Médoc as it was relatively new to the party. This Classification was based on price, a reflection of its 19^th century (and continued) popularity, thanks to the dynamic traders, merchants and owners, and the role of the port of Bordeaux in shipping wines abroad. 

The mosaic of smaller, mixed agricultural properties on the right bank produced less volume with wines often traded out of Libourne, to a more regional market.

It was almost a hundred years later that Graves and Saint Emilion created their own classifications, by which time the reputation of the Médoc was firmly established internationally.

Friends or foes?

Are the left bank and right bank wineries in competition or are they complementary?  They do work together; The Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux was created in the 1970s and now counts 131 members across the left and right banks who create events across the globe (hopefully again soon) to promote their wines together. 

Some of the players on both sides 

Few producers operate across this great divide. Below are a some who do.

Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) : Château Lafite, Château L’Envangile

References to Lafite date back to the 13^th century, making it an exception in the Médoc. Baron James de Rothschild purchased the chateau in 1868 after its classification as a first growth in 1855. The grand architecture matches its reputation, with parts of the chateau dating back to late 16th century.

The 112ha vineyard of Château Lafite is planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, blends of the first wine average 80 to 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, as you’d expect from this archetypal Pauillac gravel terroir. 

The octagonal second year ageing cellar was built in 1987 to accommodate up to 2,200 barrels. They are running an architectural competition to update the cellars. Always marrying history with innovation.

In 1990, Domaines Barons de Rothschild acquired Château L’Évangile in Pomerol. Château L’Évangile dates back to 1740s, and although there’s no classification in Pomerol, it was listed as a “Premier Cru du Haut-Pomerol” in the 1868, Cocks & Féret. 22ha of sandy clay and gravel grow the classic right bank blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. 

The architecture has a simpler, Second Empire architecture but is nevertheless grand with its slate roof tower. The cellar and vat room were completely renovated in 2004, with a ‘mini me’ copy of the octagonal cellar at Lafite. 

Vignobles Fayat : Château La Dominique and Château Clément Pichon.

Two properties whose architecture clearly reflects the typical image of left and right bank. 

Clement Fayat made his fortune in civil engineering out of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne. In 1969 he bought Château La Dominique, a classified growth of Saint Emilion, right on the edge of Pomerol and the next-door neighbour of Château Cheval Blanc. This 29 ha. property was then a simple manor house, which is still there. In 2012 the architect Jean Nouvelle attached an ultra-modern, glass fronted wine cellar. The rooftop hosts La Terrasse Rouge restaurant, offering diners views across the Pomerol appellation and making it one of the major wine tourism players in the region. The vineyard is planted to 81% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc with just 3% cabernet Sauvignon on a mixture of gravel, limestone and blue clay. 

From 1984 to 2006 the family also acquired vines in Pomerol to create Chateau Fayat, now a 16 ha property, sizable for Pomerol, planted to 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.

In contrast to the right bank properties, Château Clement Pichon is a grand, renaissance style chateau built in 1881 after a fire destroyed the original 14^th century building. Purchased by Fayat in 1981, he completely replanted the vineyard to a blend dominated (62%) by Merlot, despite its gravel soils. The property is now 30ha thanks to the recent integration of neighbouring Château Aney. The chateau was reconfirmed as a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur in the latest classification. 

Here is the reversal of something I mentioned earlier. Château Clement Pichon is the Fayat family home, Château La Dominique is turned towards tourism. La Dominique, dominated by the red branding, presents a modern avant-garde image compared to the more private, classic, family chateau of the Medoc.

The Asian market in particular is fascinated with the story of this self-made man living in a fairy tale chateau, who has created an empire employing over 20,000 people across 150 companies, of which wine is just a small part. A story that resonate more than any classification, much easier to understand than complicated and changing classifications. This has a lot to do with the communication and marketing strategy of the Fayat team, led by MD Gwendeline Lucas. The brands are stronger than the classifications. 

The size of the properties affects the market too. the small production of the properties means global distribution is not easy but, working with Bordeaux negociants, it can be done. Even if it’s just a few cases in some markets, this is important to ensure the availability but also its renown.

The SMA : Château Cantemerle, Château Grand Corbin

In 1980 the insurance group SMA (Société Mutuelle d’Assurance des Entreprises du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics) was the first insurance company to invest in the Bordeaux vineyards buying Château Cantemerle in the Haut Médoc. At just 7m above sea level the property has 98 ha of gravel planted to 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc planted to a density of 8 300 vines per ha. The property has a long history and a grand chateau that reflects it. 

In 1986, they added Château Haut Corbin to their portfolio and then Grand Corbin in 2010. In 2012, when both proprieties attained Grand Cru Classé status they became one under the name Château Grand Corbin. The property is 37 ha of sand and clay of which 28.5ha are Grand Crus Classés, planted to 80 % Merlot, 16 % Cabernet Franc and 4 % Cabernet Sauvignon; a good size for Saint Emilion. 

A recent webinar for the Bordeaux wine school brought together journalist Jane Anson to chat to Philippe Dambrine and Laure Canu. Laure is taking over the management of both properties and is perfectly qualified to do so with experience from both banks working at Château Beychevelle, Château Pichon Comtesse and Château Angelus.

Chanel: Rauzan Segla, Château Canon and Château Berliquet.

On another wine school webinar, Mary Gorman MW talked to Nicolas Audebert MD of the left and right bank properties owned by Chanel. Château Rauzan Segla is a second classified growth of  Margaux, Château Canon a first growth of Saint Emilion and their more recently acquired neighbour Chateau Berliquet a classified growth of Saint Emilion.

The properties have all been extensively renovated under the Chanel ownership. They bought Château Rauzan Segla in 1994, undertaking a huge renovation of the vines, the cellars and the chateau. The organically farmed 74 hectares are deep gravel and clay over a limestone subsoil. The gravel means Cabernet Sauvignon dominates at 62% with 36% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. They introduced the second wine Segla with the 1995 vintage. 

In 1996 they purchased Chateau Canon. Again, they completely replanted the tired vineyards, including renovating the beautiful stone walls around the historic heart of the vineyard, and the cellars and chateau, returning this property to its former glory. Canon is 34 ha, large for Saint Emilion, planted to a classic 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. The property has a unique terroir in the sense that it is a very homogenous shallow covering of clay over deep limestone. There’s a really interesting cross section of the soil and subsoil on the website.

In 2011 they purchased the neighbouring classified growth, Chateau Matras. INAO allowed them to include 1ha12 of old Cabernet Franc from Matras into Chateau Canon without losing the classification. I think this highlights a major difference between the left and right bank classifications. With the 1855, you keep the classification regardless of land added or removed. In Saint Emilion, with the classification being re assessed (more or less) every 10 years, any changes must be approved or risk losing the precious classification.

With the 2011 vintage they changed the name of Matras to Croix Canon. The second wine of the property was previously called Clos Canon, but as the plots of Matras join the younger Canon plots to make the second wine ‘Clos’ could no longer be used as the new plots are not within the walls or clos. The replanted plots within the walls had by now matured sufficiently to be included with the first wine. Croix Canon can now really be considered as a separated 11 ha vineyard rather than a second wine. It has its own cellar in a beautifully restored13^th century chapel. 

The role of a second wine is another interesting left bank/right bank comparison. With a larger and more diverse property such  as Rauzan Segla, the blending decisions are more complicated, and the role of the second wine more important in the blend.  At Chateau Canon, the homogeneity of the plots mean all the plots can enter into the first label.

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Château Rauzan Segla

In July 2017, the brothers fell for Chateau Berliquet next door to Chateau Canon. At 10 hectares it is closer to the appellation average size and is planted to 75% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. The terroir is more varied than Canon positioned on the southern slopes so there are clay and limestone soils of varying depths but also some sand. The vineyard has a vine density of 6,000 vines per hectare.

Virtual crossing.

Line up some of the left and right bank wines to taste side by side and virtually cross the Bordeaux divide. Different soils, different climates, different history and different blends, but they share a desire of making the best wines their terroir can offer.

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If there’s any aspect of Bordeaux you’d like me to dive into in more detail – leave a comment below. I’ll try and oblige.