Lies in the southwest of France, close to the Atlantic coast, the wine region of Bordeaux is located at the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers. The two rivers flow into the Gironde, which, play an important role in the Bordeaux wine region and define the region's main geographical subdivisions.

The left bank, where most prestigious estates are located, stretches from the left bank of Garonne to the left bank of Gironde estuary which includes the subregions of Médoc, Graves and Sauternes.

The right bank sits on the right bank of the Dordogne and Garonne, which consists of the southern part, surrounding the city of Libourne, referred to as Libournais, and the northern part, Blaye and Bourg. Between Dordogne and Garonne, there lies the subregion of Entre-Deux-Mers.

Globally speaking, the climate of Bordeaux is maritime with a Mediterranean influence. The mild, temperate climate throughout the year gives the grapes optimal condition of ripening. , During the growing season, the vineyard receives a sufficient amount of sunlight. In the summer months, the temperature during the day can peak at 35℃, but the cooling effect from the maritime influence adds acidity to the grapes, resulting in wine elegance and finesse. Due to the influence of the rivers, micro-climate varies from appellation to appellation. Unlike cooler regions, moderate climate prevents Bordeaux vineyards from most of the extreme weather events, however, the hailstorm and frost can be damaging in some years. As the temperature, sunlight and rain vary from year to year, vintage is fairly important for Bordeaux wines.

The soil and terroir of Bordeaux can be divided into two distinct types. The best terroirs on Bordeaux's left bank are predominantly gravel-based while the soils on the right bank are dominated by clay and limestone. Cabernet Sauvignon thrives in gravel soils, whereas Merlot thrives in clay. In different appellations, the soil compositions are slightly different. The sterile surface soils force the vines to dig deeper into the subsoils in search of nutrition. Under the top, there is an entire world of microbes, organic material, water, and other types of minerals and nutrition for the vine, all of which contribute to the character of the grapes.

In the 6th century BC, vines were first introduced into Southern Gaul by the Greeks and Phoenicians via the port of Marseille. Vineyards and winemaking were protected and preserved by monks of the church after the downfall of the Roman Empire.

Bordeaux wine welcomed the first golden period in the Middle Ages, by the union between Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, and Henry II, the King of England, which set the foundation of Bordeaux wine in Great Britain. The honeymoon of Bordeaux wine ended with the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War between France and England.

The depression lasted until the 17th century, Bordeaux wine entered into the second period of prosperity thanks to the Dutch. The Dutch introduced sulfur for conservation and transportation of the wines, making the wines available for export markets across the oceans in colonial times.

In 1855, the renowned classification initiated by Napolean III put Bordeaux on the pedestal of the world of fine wine. However, in the late 19th century, Bordeaux, like other wine regions in Europe, was hit by phylloxera, and later by mildew. Eventually, the problem was resolved with the introduction of the American rootstock and Bordeaux mixture. Entering the 20th century, classifications of Graves, Saint-Emilion draw the market’s attention to subregions outside of Médoc. Today, Bordeaux is still a leading wine region, with heritage and innovation.

As a historically prestigious wine region in France, Bordeaux is composed of 65 AOCs, the AOC ensures the provenance of the wine and the winemaking process, however, the classification system in Bordeaux is based on the wine producer.

There are five classification systems in Bordeaux, in order of seniority:

The 1855 classification

Commonly known as “the Médoc classification”. Initiated by Napoleon III, the classification system was created at Exposition Universelle of 1855 in Paris based on the reputation and the market price at that time, which included red wines mostly from Médoc and Chateau Haut-Brion from Grave, sweet white wines from Sauternes and Barsac. 61 wine estates are classified as “Grand Cru Classé” for red wines, divided into 5 tiers, from the first growth to the fifth growth. There are 5 first growth, 14 second growth, 14 third growth, 10 fourth growth and 18 fifth growth.

For sweet white wines, there are 27 “Grand Cru Classé” in total, which includes Chateau d’Yquem, the only super first growth (Premier Cru Supérieur), 11 first growth, 15 second growth.

In 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild was promoted from the second growth to the first, becoming one of the top five for the red wine.

The Graves classification

With the purpose of developing wines from Graves, the joint forces of top wine producers in the region demand to create a classification system. In 1953, the Graves classification was established by the French national institute of AOC (INAO).

Different from the 1855 classification, the Graves classification classifies both red and dry white wine. There is no hierarchy in the classification, all 16 wine estates are labeled as “Cru Classé de Graves”, 7 estates are classified for red wine, 3 are for dry white wine, and 6 are classified for both red and white wine.

Château Haut-Brion has classified in both the Graves classification and 1855 classification.

The Saint-Émilion classification

With the establishment of the Graves classification, the wine producers in Saint-Émilion followed the steps of their Graves counterparts. In 1954, the Saint-Émilion classification was established by the French national institute of AOC (INAO), commonly known as the right bank classification.

In order to ensure the quality of classified wine estate with the evolvement of time, the Saint-Émilion classification requires a review from INAO every ten years. In 2012, in the latest and the sixth classification, 82 estates were classified, with 4 Premiers Grands Crus classé A, 14 Premiers Grands Crus classé B and 64 Grands Crus classés. For the next classification in 2022, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau Ausone, and Chateau Angelus announced their exit from the classification system.

The Cru Bourgeois du Médoc classification

Created in 1932, the purpose of the Cru Bourgeois classification was to identify and promote family-owned, lesser-known estates. Since 2010, the classification is set to be a three-tier rank: cru bourgeois exceptionnel, cru bourgeois Supérieur and cru bourgeois. Published in 2020 by the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, the lastest classification include 249 wine estate, from 8 appellations in Médoc, among which, 14 estates have been ranked as cru bourgeois exceptionnel, 56 eststes as cru bourgeois Supérieur and 179 for crus bourgeois.

The Cru Artisan classification

History can be dated back to 150 years ago, the official introduction of Cru Artisan classification was in 1989 and the mention of “Cru Artisan” was authorized in 1994. True to its name, the Cru Artisan classification system is designated to classify smaller, independent wine producers in Médoc, who are closely involved with the vineyard and cellar work. In the latest classification, 36 wine producers are classified as Cru Artisan. The list is set to be reviewed every 5 years.