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[[Image:Weinbaugebiete-frankreich-bordeaux.png|right|300px|thumb|Appellations within the Bordeaux wine region. The appellations of Graves are numbered 33–37 on the map.]]
'''Graves''' ({{IPA-fr|ɡʁav|lang}}, ''[[gravel]]ly land'') is an important [[Bordeaux wine regions|subregion]] of the [[Bordeaux wine]] region<!--, producing over 20 million bottles each year - seems too small a number!-->. Graves is situated on the left bank of the [[Garonne]] River, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city [[Bordeaux]] and stretches over {{convert|50|km|mi}}.<ref name="OCW Graves">{{cite encyclopedia |editor=[[Jancis Robinson]] |encyclopedia=[[Oxford Companion to Wine]] |edition=Third |title=Graves |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-860990-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc/page/325 325] |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc/page/325 }}</ref> Graves is the only Bordeaux subregion which is famed for all three of Bordeaux' three main wine types—reds, dry whites and sweet wines—although red wines dominate the total production. '''Graves AOC''' is also the name of one ''[[Appellation d'origine contrôlée]]'' (AOC) which covers most, but not all of the Graves subregion.

The area encompasses villages including [[Sauternes, Gironde|Sauternes]], [[Pessac]], [[Talence]], [[Léognan]], [[Martillac]], [[Saint-Morillon]], and [[Portets]].

The name Graves derives from its intensely gravelly soil.<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 98">H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 98 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 {{ISBN|1-84000-332-4}}</ref> The soil is the result of [[glaciers]] from the [[Last Glacial Period|Ice Age]], which also left white [[quartz]] deposits that can still be found in the soil of some of the top winemaking estates.<ref name="MacNeil pg 134">K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 134 Workman Publishing 2001 {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}</ref>

== History ==

The Graves is considered the birthplace of [[claret]]. Graves wine production for export dates back to [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], [[House of Plantagenet|who married]] [[Henry II, King of England]], creating a flourishing trade between both countries: wine versus coal and iron. In the [[Middle Ages]], the wines that were first exported to [[England]] were produced in this area. At that time, the [[Médoc]] subregion north of the city Bordeaux still consisted of marshland unsuitable for viticulture, while Graves were naturally better-drained.

[[Château Pape Clément]], founded at the turn of the 14th century by the future [[Pope Clement V]], was the first named chateau in all of Bordeaux. In 1663, [[Samuel Pepys]]' mention of [[Château Haut-Brion]] was the first recorded mention of French claret in London.<ref name="OCW Graves"/>

After Médoc was drained by the Dutch in mid-17th century, Médoc gradually took over the role as the source of the most prized Bordeaux wines. In the [[Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855]], only one Graves property, Château Haut-Brion, one of the four original [[First Growth]]s, was included among the red wines, with all the rest being Médoc properties. All the sweet wines of the 1855 classification were from [[Sauternes (wine)|Sauternes]], which is a part of Graves.

A [[classification of Graves wine]] was carried out in 1953 for its red wine producers. Dry white wines were included in an updated 1959 classification.<ref name="Fallis pg 194">C. Fallis, editor, ''The Encyclopedic Atlas of Wine'', p. 194, Global Book Publishing 2006 {{ISBN|1-74048-050-3}}</ref> In 1987, the part of Graves containing most of the producers of its most expensive wines, closest to the city of Bordeaux itself, created a separate AOC under the name [[Pessac-Léognan]]. This has had the effect of devaluing the name and price of wines simply labeled with the Graves [[appellation]].

== Wine styles ==
[[File:Carbonnieux White Bordeaux.jpg|left|thumb|A white Pessac-Leognan wine from the classified estate Château Carbonnieux]]
As with [[Médoc]], [[Cabernet Sauvignon]] is the predominant grape, but a somewhat greater proportion of [[Merlot]] is typically used in the blend, with smaller amounts of [[Cabernet Franc]], [[Petit Verdot]] and [[Malbec]]. The dry white wines are a blend of [[Sauvignon blanc]] and [[Sémillon]].

A well-known sweet white [[dessert wine]] is made in the commune of Sauternes, which is located in the southeast corner of the Graves region.

== Appellations in Graves ==

The Graves subregion contains the following ''Appellations d'origine contrôlées'' (AOCs).

=== Graves AOC ===

Graves AOC is the basic appellation of the Graves subregion, and can be used for both red and dry white wine. {{convert|3100|ha|acre}} of vineyards were dedicated to this appellation in 2004.<ref name="OCW Graves"/>

=== Graves Supérieures AOC ===

Graves Superieur AOC is an appellation for sweet white wine covering the same area as Graves AOC. The wines are generally considered as simpler than those of Cérons AOC. About {{convert|500|ha|acre}} of vineyards were dedicated to the production of Graves Supérieures in 2004.<ref name="OCW Graves"/>

=== Pessac-Léognan AOC ===
[[Image:Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2007.JPG|thumb|Château Smith Haut Lafitte is one of the classified wineries of Pessac-Léognan.]]

This part of the Graves, located just south of the city of Bordeaux, is home to the first growth estate Château Haut-Brion, as well as all the 1953 classified Graves Growths, including [[Château La Mission Haut-Brion]] and [[Château Laville Haut-Brion]]. In addition to wine production, the area is known for its crops of [[pine tree]]s, and vineyards are often separated by rows of forest trees.<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 100">H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 100 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 {{ISBN|1-84000-332-4}}</ref> The soil of Pessac-Léognan is composed of gravel [[Terrace (agriculture)|terraces]] with sediments from different [[geological era]]s.<ref name="OCW Graves"/>

Pessac-Léognan received appellation status in 1987, and produces both red and white wines.<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 100"/> All of the estates named in the 1959 Graves classification are located in this appellation.<ref name="OCW Graves"/> Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape variety, followed by Merlot and the white wine grapes Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon. The white wines of this area are barrel [[Fermentation (wine)|fermented]] and aged on their [[Lees (fermentation)|lees]].<ref name="Fallis pg 194"/>

=== Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC ===
[[Image:Sauternes 04.jpg|right|thumb|A Sauternes vineyard]]
{{main|Sauternes (wine)}}
Sauternes is an appellation of Graves known for its intensely sweet, white, [[dessert wine]]s such as the ''Premier Cru Supérieur'' classified [[Château d'Yquem]].

Wines produced in the commune of Barsac, such as ''Premiers Crus'' [[Château Climens]] and [[Château Coutet]], are allowed to be labeled either with the commune name (as Barsac AOC) or with Sauternes. The intense sweetness is the result of the grapes being affected by ''[[Botrytis cinerea]]'', a fungus commonly known as [[noble rot]]. In the autumn, the [[Ciron]] river produces mist that descends upon the area and persists until after dawn. These conditions are conducive to the growth of the fungus, which [[Desiccation|desiccates]] the grape and concentrates the sugars inside. The three main grapes are of this are Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc and [[Muscadelle]].<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 102">H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 102 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 {{ISBN|1-84000-332-4}}</ref>

Production costs for this area's botrytized wines are comparatively high. The evaporation and fungus affections produces low yields, one-fifth to one-sixth of that in other Bordeaux regions. The berries are normally harvested individually from the bunch, with pickers going through the vineyards several times between September and November to ensure the berries are picked at their optimal points. The wine is then fermented in small oak barrels, further adding to the cost. Even with half bottles of the First Growths priced at several hundred dollars, these wines still have difficulties turning a profit, and in the mid 20th century, a string of bad vintages drove many growers in the region out of business.<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 102"/>

=== Cérons AOC ===

[[Cérons AOC]] is an appellation for sweet white wines of similar style as Sauternes, but with no producers as noted as the classified Sauternes properties and therefore with lower prices. On the other hand, the wines are considered superior to those of Graves Supérieures AOC of which Cérons effectively is an enclave.<ref name="OCW Graves"/>

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== See also ==
* [[List of vins de primeur]]
* [[Bordeaux wine]]
* [[Bordeaux wine regions]]

{{Wines}}
{{French wine regions}}
{{Wine by country}}
{{Portal bar|Wine|France}}

[[Category:Bordeaux wine]]
[[Category:Bordeaux AOCs]]
[[Category:Geography of Nouvelle-Aquitaine]]
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