The municipality of Pauillac, with its 1,200 hectares of vineyards, which adjoins the municipality of Saint-Julien to the north, is something like the heartbeat of the Haut-Médoc. Famous names of the highest international esteem are lined up one after the other; Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild are three of the five 1er Crus located here. A total of 18 of the 61 classified Cru Classés are located here, including the two legendary 2ièmes Crus Classés Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron and Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalandes. The icons also include Chateau Duhart-Milon-Rothschild, Chateau d'Armeilhac, and Chateau Lynch-Bages, which experienced a meteoric rise to the Bordeaux top class in the 21st century. Pauillac extends over 6 kilometers on the one hand in the southwest of the eponymous town of Pauillac, which is also often viewed as the capital of the Médoc, as well as in the northwest of the town. These are gravel banks that ensure perfect water drainage from the vineyards in the event of the not so rare rains. To the west towards the Atlantic, the terroir in the strip of Pauillac, which is just 3 kilometers wide, becomes more sandy with a stony subsoil. It is the terroir above all for one grape variety, Cabernet Sauvignon, which clearly dominates the cuvée here. It is refined in the wines with small additions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot. In some years, depending on the weather, a wine can even consist of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, as Chateau Lafite-Rothschild has already proven. The wines of Pauillac are powerful, but also very elegant and full of finesse at the same time; the best have enormous ripening and aging potential, among other things because of their considerable tannin content. Not only are they among the most sought-after wines from Bordeaux, they are also considered the great role models and ideals for the so-called “Bordeaux blends” of the New World, for example from California or South Africa.
