WineRegionsOld WorldFranceBordeauxMedoc
Pauillac
If any Bordeaux classification may be described as big, black and beautiful,
it is Pauillac-the commune most famous for the three First Growths of Latour,
Lafite and Mouton. But Pauillac is an appellation of contrasts. Although
it does boast three-quarters of the Medoc's First Growths, it also contains
two-thirds of its Fifth Growths. Very little lies between these two extremes,
and Bourgeois Growths are the exception rather than the rule. It would be
wrong to generalize about wines of such varying quality, but it is right
to say that Cabernet sauvignon is at its most majestic in Pauillac. While
the much vaunted blackcurrant character of this king of grapes may be elusive
in many clarets, it is certainly evident in great Pauillacs. This full-blown,
sometimes opulent, cassis character is never blowsy but always balanced
by an incomparable tannic structure.
Only Margaux has more cru classe chateaux, but Pauillac's estates are larger
and thus its concentration of cru classe vineyards higher. Nine out of every
ten Pauillac vines are crus classes, compared to seven out of ten in Margaux.