Listrac-Médoc
The roof of the Médoc: 1 commune at 43 meters, the highest ground of the peninsula, red only, on gravel rises and clay and limestone, and a place the brokers of 1855 passed over.
The place
Listrac-Médoc stands on the highest ground of the peninsula, 43 meters, between the Landes forest to the west and the estuary to the east: the roof of the Médoc. The appellation covers that 1 commune and nothing else. 3 grounds sit side by side: gravel rises, clay and limestone plateaus and deep clay, the limestone mostly to the west and the Pyrenean gravel to the east. There are 700 hectares, 567 of them in production, and 65 producers, 34 in the cooperative and 31 on their own: about 4% of the Médoc vineyard.
The rules
Red only, from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot, with Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan and Touriga Nacional admitted as varieties of adaptation, to 5% of an estate’s vines. At least 7,000 vines a hectare, rows no wider than 1.50 meters and vines no closer than 0.70, at 54 hectoliters a hectare with a ceiling of 64 and 11% of natural alcohol at least. The wine is raised until June 1 and sold from July 1 of the year after the harvest. The cahier des charges (the appellation’s official rulebook), the appellation’s official rulebook, homologated on July 31, 2025, also makes environmental certification or organic farming a condition of the name.
The names
No growth of 1855 stands in Listrac. The brokers drew their list from the communes on the gravel nearer the estuary, and Listrac, higher and further inland, was not among them; its estates found their standing in the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc instead. The appellation was recognized in 1957, 3 years after Margaux.
- Color
- Red
- Communes
- Listrac-Médoc, and no other
- Vineyard
- 700 hectares, 567 in production; 65 producers, 34 in the cooperative and 31 independent
- Ground
- Gravel rises, clay and limestone plateaus, deep clay; 43 meters, the highest point of the Médoc
- Grapes
- Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot; Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, Touriga Nacional to 5%
- Density
- 7,000 vines a hectare at least
- Yield
- 54 hectoliters a hectare, ceiling 64
- Alcohol
- 11% natural at least
- Release
- From July 1 of the year after the harvest
- Farming
- Environmental certification or organic, required by the rules of 2025
- Classified
- 7 Crus Bourgeois in the classification of 2025
- AOC since
- 1957; cahier of July 31, 2025
Sources: FGVB, cahier des charges Listrac-Médoc, arrêté du 31 juillet 2025 · INAO, Listrac-Médoc · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, Listrac-Médoc · Appellation Communale Listrac-Médoc, history · Cave Grand Listrac, the appellation
Châteaux on this site
Tastings
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News from Listrac-Médoc
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Château Fourcas Dupré completed a 3-year transformation in June, following Gérard Jicquel’s 2019 acquisition of the Listrac-Médoc estate.
Substantial investment in Listrac is significant when many Bordeaux properties face pressure on margins and demand. The project also tests how far capital, positioning and renewed facilities can elevate an appellation that remains relatively accessible.
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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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Sheep Help a Bordeaux Vineyard Raise Soil Temperatures by 2°C
According to Château Clarke, winter sheep grazing raised soil temperatures by about 2°C this year and helped protect young vine buds from spring frost at the 54-hectare estate in Listrac-Médoc.
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Sheep Help a Bordeaux Vineyard Raise Soil Temperatures by 2°C
According to Château Clarke, winter sheep grazing raised soil temperatures by about 2°C this year at its 54-hectare Cru Bourgeois estate in Listrac-Médoc, helping reduce frost risk for young buds.