Bordeaux Supérieur
Bordeaux held to a higher bar: the same 494 communes, with denser planting, lower yields, riper grapes and a red that may not be sold before July 1 of the year after the harvest.
The place
Bordeaux Supérieur can be made anywhere in the Gironde that Bordeaux can, 494 communes over marls, molasse, limestone and the alluvial deposits of the rivers. Cabernet Sauvignon goes on the gravel terraces, Merlot on the clay and limestone slopes and the white grapes on the boulbènes, and most of the wine comes from the Entre-Deux-Mers. 12,191 hectares are planted, and they make more than 450,000 hectoliters of red a year and about 2,000 of white.
The rules
Red from the 6 Bordeaux varieties, with Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, Touriga Nacional and Vidoc admitted to 5% as varieties of interest for adaptation. The white is sweet, from Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle, with Colombard, Merlot Blanc and Ugni Blanc to 30%. Vines planted since 2008 must stand 4,500 to the hectare. The red asks 58 hectoliters with a ceiling of 66 and 11% of natural alcohol, and is raised until June 15 and sold from July 1 of the year after the harvest; the white asks 49 with a ceiling of 60 and 12%, and is sold from January 15. Plain Bordeaux, next to it, asks 4,000 vines, 60 hectoliters and 10.5% for its red, sold after January 15, and its rulebook of May 13, 2026 lets a light red be called Claret and sweetened with grape must to no more than 3 g/l. The cahier des charges (the appellation’s official rulebook) of Bordeaux Supérieur, the appellation’s official rulebook, was last homologated on June 4, 2026.
The names
No classification. Bordeaux Supérieur was decreed on October 14, 1943, and for local families it has long been the wine for Sunday. Behind it stands the history of the whole region: the marriage of 1152 that opened the English trade, and the phylloxera and mildew of 1875 to 1892, the years in which the bouillie bordelaise was invented.
- Colors
- Red and sweet white
- Communes
- 494, the whole Bordeaux area
- Vineyard
- 12,191 hectares
- Grapes
- Red: the 6 Bordeaux varieties, with 5 adaptation varieties to 5%; white: Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle
- Density
- 4,500 vines a hectare for plantings since 2008
- Yield
- Red 58 hectoliters, ceiling 66; white 49, ceiling 60
- Alcohol
- Red 11%, white 12% natural at least
- Release
- Reds from July 1, whites from January 15, of the year after the harvest
- Classified
- No classification
- AOC since
- October 14, 1943; cahier of June 4, 2026
Sources: INAO and the Fédération des Grands Vins de Bordeaux, cahiers des charges · FGVB, cahier des charges Bordeaux, arrêté du 13 mai 2026 · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur · INAO, cahier des charges Bordeaux supérieur · Planète Bordeaux · INAO and the BO-AGRI, cahiers des charges
The stack
The same ground in Bordeaux Supérieur may also be labeled Bordeaux and Crémant de Bordeaux. A grower chooses which appellation to sell under, and the narrowest is almost always the dearest.
It shares named communes with Entre-Deux-Mers, Côtes de Bordeaux, Médoc, Graves, Graves Supérieures, Blaye, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, Haut-Médoc, Cadillac, Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg, Pessac-Léognan, Côtes de Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire, Saint-Émilion, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers Haut-Benauge, Bordeaux Haut-Benauge, Pomerol, Fronsac, Pauillac, Moulis-en-Médoc, Sauternes, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Cérons, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Canon-Fronsac, Graves de Vayres, Saint-Estèphe, Listrac-Médoc, Barsac, Lussac-Saint-Émilion, Montagne-Saint-Émilion, Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion, Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion, Loupiac and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont.
The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map
Châteaux on this site
Also in this appellation, with no page here yet: Château Gabarey.
News from Bordeaux Supérieur
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UK buyers deliver their verdict on new Bordeaux clarets
UK Bordeaux Claret importers debated the new Claret classification with the Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur Wine Union at an event hosted by The Buyer. The discussion addressed how to introduce the classification to the UK market while protecting existing Bordeaux Claret business.
Buyer reactions reveal whether Bordeaux’s current mix of style, positioning and price is connecting with a crucial export market.
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Bordeaux revives ‘Claret’ for new generation of drinkers
The Syndicat des AOC Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur introduced Bordeaux Claret, a regulated category effective from the 2025 vintage for light, low-tannin, unoaked red wines intended to be served chilled and attract younger consumers.
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All you need to know about the new Bordeaux Claret classification
Bordeaux has officially brought back the Claret classification, with a revamped style aimed at younger drinkers seeking lighter, fresher red wines. The first new-style Claret wines, made from the 2025 vintage, will reach the wine trade this summer, as Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur PDO volumes have fallen 50% in 5 years.