Medoc AOC
| Wine region | |
| Type | Appellation d'origine contrôlée |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1936 |
| Country | France |
| Part of | Bordeaux Left Bank |
| Sub-regions | Haut-Médoc AOC, Margaux AOC, Listrac-Médoc AOC, Moulis-en-Médoc AOC, Saint-Julien AOC, Pauillac AOC, Saint-Estèphe AOC |
| Climate region | Oceanic climate |
| Soil conditions | chalk, clay, sand, gravel |
| Total area | 5,742 ha (14,190 acres) |
| No. of vineyards | 584 |
| Varietals produced | Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Carménère |
| Wine produced | 38,000,000 bottles 300,000 hl (7,900,000 US gal) |
Médoc is an AOC for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of southwestern France, on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary that covers the northern section of the viticultural strip along the Médoc peninsula. The zone is sometimes called Bas-Médoc (English: Low-Médoc), though this term is not permitted on any label. With few exceptions there is produced only red wine, and no white wine has the right to be called Médoc.
The term Médoc is often used in a geographical sense to refer to the whole Left Bank region, and as defined by the original Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) decree of November 14, 1936, the appellation may be applied to all wine produced in the prescribed zone in the peninsula, but this is rare practice by estates within Médoc's sub-appellations as it carries lesser perceived prestige. Effectively it covers the northern third of the Médoc peninsula, defined by a border that runs from Saint-Yzans and Saint-Germain-d'Esteuil (at the northern edges of Haut-Médoc AOC and Saint-Estèphe AOC) in the south, to Soulac-sur-Mer in the north, although viticultural activity ends near Vensac. In all sixteen wine-producing communes are exclusive to Médoc, and Bégadan, Saint-Christoly, Ordonnac, Saint-Yzans and Saint-Germain-d'Esteuil have historically enjoyed a reputation level to communes of the northern Haut-Médoc.
Predominantly an area of cooperatives today, none of the estates were included in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, although several have been included in the (eventually discontinued) classification Cru Bourgeois.
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