What kind of grape is Haut-Médoc?

Haut-Médoc is an appellation that belongs to the Bordeaux wine region. Its vineyards lie on the Left Bank of the Garonne river and is located south of the Médoc appellation. It lies north of Bordeaux.

Bordeaux wines are usually a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot mostly, but the quantities vary depending on the Bank you’re in. The Left Bank red Bordeaux wines will usually be Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blends.

But let’s dig deeper : What kind of grapes are in a Haut-Médoc wine?

What kind of grape is in a Haut-Médoc wine?

Haut-Médoc wines are usually a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and a splash of Malbec and Carmenère.

Cabernet Sauvignon highly dominates these blends. It represents three quarters of the blend of the best wines.

Merlot is the most cultivated grape variety in Bordeaux, but will dominate the blends from the Right Bank, ie Pomerol or Saint-Emilion because, unlike Sauvignon, it ripens very well on the cooler clay soils of these appellations.

Petit Verdot is much less widespread than other red grape varieties and usually appears in very small quantities.

All you need to know about the grapes that make a Haut-Médoc wine?

Cabernet Sauvignon are thick-skinned grapes with high acidity and high tannins. They have herbaceous and black fruit aromas. With age, they develop dried fruit, earthy and forest floor aromas.

The wines, made from Cabernet Sauvignon, tend to be medium to full-bodied. Oak maturation is common to mellow the tannins.

Merlot has medium acidity and medium tannins. Their fruit characteristics vary according to ripeness. It will present red fruits and herbaceous flavours and, with ripeness, will develop into cooked black fruits aromas.

Malbec has high tannins and black fruit aromas, such as black plum or blackberry. It produces wine which are full-bodied and this grape variety is often oaked to mellow the tannins. With age, it can develop dried fruit and meat aromas.

Petit Verdot needs a lot of warmth to reach full maturity, which allows it to produce very colorful tannic wines that age slowly. It always appears in very small quantities in the blends, to bring tannins, color and some spicy notes.

Carmenère is close to Merlot. It has medium to high acidity and high tannins. It has herbaceous (green bell pepper) and eucalyptus notes with black fruit aromas. It is also often oaked and produces wines that are full-bodied. With age, it can develop leather and earthy aromas.

However, Haut-Médoc wines will also have medium acidity with high tannins (due to the Cabernet Sauvignon), high alcohol and complexity. These wines are made for aging. There is also a lot of terroir diversity in the sub-appellation which makes this region quite complex (but in a good way!)

Why do these kinds of grapes make a Haut-Médoc wine?

The soil of course! On the Left Bank, where Haut-Médoc lies, it is mostly gravel. These pebbles are brought by the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers. These soil absorb and transmit heat, which is ideal for late-ripening grape varieties. And especially these soils are ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon! Thus, wines from the Haut-Médoc will be Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blends.

Merlot is used in the blends to lower the tannins and acidity levels. It also helps to make wines ready to drink at an early age, and adds red fruit flavours to these blends, making them seem fresher.

What kind of wine is a Haut-Médoc wine?

The Haut-Médoc encompasses several smaller appellations, sometimes called “communal appellations” where most of the best-ranked castles are located. From north to south, the four most famous are Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien and Margaux.

• Saint-Estèphe, being the northernmost appellation with clay-dominant and gravelly soils, most wineries will tend to put more Merlot in the blend. The wine will taste fruitier with red blackcurrant flavours with notes of violet, vanilla and spices. The Cabernet Sauvignon will bring structure to the wine, making it elegant.

• Pauillac is rich in gravel soils. Cabernet Sauvignon will highly dominate and thus bring its flavours of black fruit, such as dark cherry or blackcurrant, cedar and smoke from the oak. It will have high tannins making the wine dense and powerful. However, the quality is not the same on all the appellation, depending if it’s on the lower or the higher part of the appellation.

• St Julien is also rich in gravel soils. Wines will be complex and powerful with velvety tannins (St – Julien is south to Pauillac so with a warmer climate and the Cabernet Sauvignon will be riper, hence the softened tannins). The wine will have notes of black fruit such as blueberry, blackcurrant, blackberry and spices like liquorice. It will develop tobacco notes with age.

• Margaux is the southernmost AOC, covered by the Garonne river gravel. With its warmer climate, the Cabernet Sauvignon ripens fully so the wines will feel silky, velvety in the mouth. Merlot is usually very present in the blends too so you’ll often find fresh red fruit aromas along with the usual Cabernet Sauvignon aromas. These are very powerful wines. (For a 80€ tour of wineries in the Médoc with transport included, you can actually taste a Margaux wine! If you’re interesting -and you should because it’s of great value, you can find the information in my post where I’ve selected the best tours for you)

Conclusion

All in all, Haut-Médoc wines are made from Cabernet Sauvignon mostly, which represents over three quarters of the blend, Merlot with a splash of Petit Verdot (roughly 10%), Malbec and Carmenère (less than 5% usually). These wines generally offer pronounced aromas of blackcurrant, highlighted by notes of cedar due to oak. Their tannins can be persistent in their youth, and their aging potential is often very good.