Bordeaux is the biggest name in fine wine — a place of grand châteaux, a 170-year-old ranking that almost never changes, and a river that splits it into two rival styles.
If Burgundy is about the plot, Bordeaux is about the estate. It is the largest fine-wine region on earth, the model for serious red wine the world over, and the source of some of the most famous (and expensive) bottles ever made. Its story is one of trade, empire, and a single 19th-century list that still rules the market today — and it runs, at its root, straight back to a medieval royal marriage.
Two banks, two wines
The first thing to know about Bordeaux is that a wide estuary, the Gironde, splits it in two. On the Left Bank — the Médoc and Graves — deep gravel soils favor Cabernet Sauvignon, giving structured, age-worthy, tannic reds.[2] On the Right Bank — Saint-Émilion and Pomerol — cooler clay and limestone favor Merlot, giving plusher, rounder wines.[2] Almost every red Bordeaux is a blend — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc in varying proportions — which is itself Bordeaux’s great gift to the world.
The classification that froze in time: 1855
In 1855, for the Exposition Universelle in Paris, Emperor Napoleon III asked for a ranking of Bordeaux’s best wines. Brokers obliged, sorting the châteaux into five “growths” (crus) based purely on their reputation and trading prices over the previous decades.[1] At the summit sat the First Growths — Lafite, Latour, Margaux, and Haut-Brion — still among the most coveted names in wine.[1] Astonishingly, this list has changed only once in over 160 years: in 1973, after decades of campaigning, Baron Philippe de Rothschild got Château Mouton Rothschild promoted to First Growth.[1]
| Left Bank | Cabernet Sauvignon on gravel; the Médoc & Graves[2] |
|---|---|
| Right Bank | Merlot on clay/limestone; Saint-Émilion & Pomerol[2] |
| The 1855 ranking | Five growths, set by price for the Napoleon III Exposition[1] |
| First Growths | Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Haut-Brion — and Mouton (1973)[1] |
| Right Bank ranking | The Saint-Émilion classification, revised roughly every decade since 1955[2] |
Château, not plot
Here is the deep contrast with Burgundy. Burgundy ranks the land; Bordeaux ranks the estate — the château, its brand, and its ability to blend across many parcels into a consistent house style.[1] That commercial confidence is no accident: Bordeaux grew rich on trade, above all the centuries-long claret trade with England that began when Eleanor of Aquitaine’s 1152 marriage handed the region to the English crown. Bordeaux has always been, first and last, a merchant’s wine.
Burgundy asks which hillside. Bordeaux asks which château — and then hands you a list from 1855 that has barely moved since.
The world’s benchmark blend
Bordeaux’s influence is everywhere. The “Bordeaux blend” of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot became the template for serious red wine across the New World — most famously in Napa Valley, whose own reckoning with Bordeaux came at the Judgment of Paris. Wherever a winemaker blends Cabernet and Merlot and ages it in French oak, they are, in a sense, still answering Bordeaux.
Related reading: the Burgundy wine region · the medieval claret trade · the Judgment of Paris · the Wine History Timeline · the Cabernet Sauvignon grape
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Left Bank and Right Bank Bordeaux?
The Gironde estuary divides Bordeaux. The Left Bank (Médoc and Graves) has gravel soils and makes Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant, structured reds; the Right Bank (Saint-Émilion and Pomerol) has clay and limestone and makes plusher, Merlot-dominant wines. Most red Bordeaux is a blend of the two Cabernets and Merlot.
What is the 1855 Bordeaux classification?
A ranking of Left Bank châteaux into five “growths” created for the 1855 Paris Exposition under Napoleon III, based on reputation and price. Its First Growths — Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Haut-Brion, and (since 1973) Mouton Rothschild — remain among the world’s most famous wines.
Sources
- “Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855” (created for the 1855 Paris Exposition under Napoleon III; châteaux ranked into five growths by price; First Growths Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Haut-Brion; Mouton Rothschild elevated in 1973), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordeaux_Wine_Official_Classification_of_1855
- “1855 Bordeaux Classification of the Médoc” (Left Bank Cabernet Sauvignon vs Right Bank Merlot; Médoc, Graves, Saint-Émilion, Pomerol; the Saint-Émilion classification since 1955), The Wine Cellar Insider. thewinecellarinsider.com
Want to read more?
Books we drew on and recommend for going deeper on wine history.
The World Atlas of WineHugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson
9000 Years of Wine: A World HistoryRod Phillips
The Wine BibleKaren MacNeilAs an Amazon Associate, Wine History Tours earns from qualifying purchases. This supports our research at no extra cost to you.
