Region: Bordeaux

The wines of the Right Bank, particularly Saint-Émilion AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) and Pomerol AOP, did not reach the commercial level of the Médoc wines until the post-war modern era. These two communes produce red wine blends dominated by Merlot and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Sauvignon is rarely a major component, with the notable exception of Château Figeac in Saint-Émilion.

Saint-Émilion contains a diversity of soils broadly categorized into two types: the côtes and graves. As a simplification, the hillside côtes are steep limestone slopes and graves is a gravelly limestone plateau resembling soils of the Médoc. Spanning 13,000 acres, wines from Saint-Émilion are generally comprised of about 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Compared to Saint-Émilion, Pomerol is a tiny AOP, measuring just five square miles and 1,957 acres of vineyards. The soil of Pomerol is dominated by sand, clay and gravel, with a subsoil of iron pan and rich clay (crasse de fer). Merlot is particularly successful here. The wines are generally comprised of 70-80% Merlot and 20-25% Cabernet Franc, known as Bouchet in Pomerol. From both of these appellations, you can expect young, approachable wines with structure and notes of tobacco, bold cherry and chocolatey tannins.