Graves
The appellation named for its ground: gravel, over 55 kilometers of the left bank of the Garonne from the edge of Bordeaux to Langon, red and dry white, with its sweet wine now being folded into it.
The place
Graves is gravel: pebbles, stones and gravel of every size mixed with silt and clay, resting on pure sand or on alios, the local ironpan. The zone runs 55 kilometers long and 10 wide, from the suburbs of Bordeaux south to Langon along the left bank of the Garonne: 41 communes and part of Coimères, with the Sauternes and Barsac enclave cut out and Pessac-Léognan carved off the top in 1987. In 2010 it had 5,000 hectares and made about 21 million bottles, 3 quarters of them red.
The rules
Red from the 6 Bordeaux varieties and dry white from Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle, at 5,000 vines a hectare. The red asks 55 hectoliters with a ceiling of 65 and 11% of natural alcohol, and is raised until April 15 and sold from May 1 of the year after the harvest; the dry white asks 58 and 68 and 10.5%. The sweet wine of the same ground, Graves Supérieures, asks 40 hectoliters, 13.5% and grapes picked overripe at 221 g/l of sugar. The appellation dates from March 4, 1937, and 1 rulebook, the cahier des charges (the appellation’s official rulebook) of March 3, 2025, covers Graves and Graves Supérieures together; an order of September 19, 2025 folds the sweet category into Graves, and the old name may stay on labels through the 2028 harvest.
The names
The classified growths that carry the word Graves have all been in Pessac-Léognan since 1987; the Graves appellation itself has none. Vines were growing here around 40 AD, and the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152 opened the English market that made the name. From 2026 every label must carry the syndicate’s collective mark.
- Colors
- Red and dry white; sweet white as Graves Supérieures
- Communes
- 41 and part of Coimères
- Vineyard
- 5,000 hectares, about 21 million bottles, in 2010
- Grapes
- Red: the 6 Bordeaux varieties; white: Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle
- Density
- 5,000 vines a hectare at least
- Yield
- Red 55 hectoliters, ceiling 65; dry white 58, ceiling 68; sweet 40
- Alcohol
- Red 11%, dry white 10.5%, sweet 13.5% natural at least
- Release
- Reds from May 1 of the year after the harvest
- Classified
- No classification
- AOC since
- March 4, 1937
Sources: FGVB, cahier des charges Graves et Graves supérieures, arrêté du 3 mars 2025 · INAO, Graves blanc · INAO, Graves supérieures · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux · Syndicat Viticole de Pessac-Léognan · INAO and the BO-AGRI, cahiers des charges
The stack
The same ground in Graves may also be labeled Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur, Crémant de Bordeaux and Graves Supérieures. A grower chooses which appellation to sell under, and the narrowest is almost always the dearest.
It shares named communes with Pessac-Léognan and Cérons.
The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map
Châteaux on this site
Tastings
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News from Graves
7
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Eudémis pressure intensifies on the Bordeaux vineyard
Eudémis pressure intensified in parts of Bordeaux, with some traps capturing more than 200 moths per week in late July. Graves, southeastern Entre-deux-Mers, Listrac and Moulis were among the areas affected, while 53% of monitored parcels showed no significant activity.
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Wildfires and heat are reshaping Bordeaux's terroir
Wildfires near Bordeaux have not reached the vineyards, but record heat and dense smoke threaten the 2026 harvest, potentially reducing yields and giving wines smoky notes. Smoke has reached Graves and Pessac-Léognan.
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Graves: the terroir behind Bordeaux’s great wines
Graves, south of Bordeaux, has gravel, sand and clay soils that support the production of Bordeaux red and white wines. Château Reynon is a Graves red aged for 12 months in oak barrels.
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Challenges published its 2026 ranking of France’s 500 biggest professional fortunes, including South-West vineyard owners. Patrice Pichet, who owns château Les Carmes de Haut-Brion in the Graves, ranked among France’s 100 biggest professional fortunes, according to Challenges.
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From the Alps to Bordeaux: unmissable routes for the collector on the road
According to AostaSera, Bordeaux is a major destination for luxury wine tourism and international collectors, with appellations including Médoc, Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and Graves.
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Bordeaux 2025: Shades of Graves and White
Wine-Searcher turns to Bordeaux 2025, with a focus on Graves and white wines.
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What Were People Drinking in 1855?
In 1855, Napoleon III requested a Bordeaux wine classification for the Paris Universal Exposition. The hierarchy covered red wines from the Médoc, Château Haut-Brion in the Graves, and sweet white wines from Sauternes and Barsac, with harvests beginning on October 7.