Pauillac
3 of the 5 First Growths and 18 classified growths in all: Pauillac is the commune where 90% of the wine comes off classified ground.
The place
Pauillac is the town of the Médoc, and its vines run over gravel and sandy gravel terraces along the Gironde, a mix of gravel, sand and clay that the Garonne carried down to the estuary. The appellation takes the whole commune and adds named parcels of Cissac-Médoc, Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien-Beychevelle and Saint-Sauveur. About 1,220 hectares, 7.5% of the Médoc’s vines, are worked by 47 growers.
The rules
Red only, from the 6 Médoc varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère, at 7,000 vines a hectare, 57 hectoliters a hectare with a ceiling of 63 and 11% of natural alcohol, raised until June 1 and released from September 1 of the year after the harvest. The appellation was first drawn by a court at Lesparre on November 29, 1926 and recognized by the decree of November 14, 1936; the cahier des charges (the appellation’s official rulebook), the appellation’s official rulebook, was set by decree on December 1, 2011 and last amended on May 15, 2019.
The names
Lafite Rothschild, Latour and Mouton Rothschild, 3 of the 5 First Growths, are Pauillac, and no other appellation holds more than 1 of the 5. Add Pichon Baron and Pichon Comtesse among the Seconds and Lynch-Bages among the Fifths, and 18 of the 61 growths of 1855 stand here; 90% of the appellation’s wine comes off classified ground. Mouton Rothschild, the Pauillac that changed class: we wrote about that here.
- Color
- Red
- Communes
- Pauillac, with parcels of Cissac-Médoc, Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien-Beychevelle and Saint-Sauveur
- Vineyard
- About 1,220 hectares, 47 growers
- Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenère
- Density
- 7,000 vines a hectare at least
- Yield
- 57 hectoliters a hectare, ceiling 63
- Alcohol
- 11% natural at least
- Release
- From September 1 of the year after the harvest
- Classified
- 18 growths of 1855, 3 of them Firsts
- AOC since
- November 14, 1936
Sources: FGVB, cahier des charges Pauillac · BO-AGRI, cahier des charges Pauillac · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux · Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855 · INAO and the Fédération des Grands Vins de Bordeaux, cahiers des charges
The stack
The same ground in Pauillac may also be labeled Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur, Crémant de Bordeaux, Médoc and Haut-Médoc. A grower chooses which appellation to sell under, and the narrowest is almost always the dearest.
It shares named communes with Saint-Julien and Saint-Estèphe.
The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map
Classifications that reach this appellation: The Classification of 1855, The Crus Bourgeois du Médoc and The Michelin Guide selection.
Châteaux on this site
- Château Batailley
- Château Bellegrave
- Château Clerc Milon
- Château Croizet-Bages
- Château d’Armailhac
- Château Duhart-Milon
- Château Fonbadet
- Château Gaudin
- Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
- Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
- Château Haut-Bages Libéral
- Château Haut-Bages Monpelou
- Château Haut-Batailley
- Château La Fleur Peyrabon
- Château Lafite Rothschild
- Château Latour
- Château Lynch-Bages
- Château Lynch-Moussas
- Château Mouton Rothschild
- Château Pédesclaux
- Château Pibran
- Château Pichon Baron
- Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
- Château Plantey
- Château Pontet-Canet
Tastings
31
April 23, 2026 · 10
Bordeaux En Primeur 2025, Day 3
April 20, 2026 · 10
Bordeaux En Primeur 2025, Day 1
April 15, 2026
Château Mouton Rothschild Liqueur de Cassis, Pauillac
March 11, 2026
Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 2015, Pauillac
March 10, 2026
Château Les Forts de Latour 2018, Pauillac
March 4, 2026
Château Lynch Bages Echo de Lynch Bages 2019, Pauillac
News from Pauillac
13
-
Bordeaux Vineyard Prices Plunged by More Than 80% in Parts of the Médoc
According to Sud-Ouest, average vineyard prices in the Médoc fell more than 80%, from €55,000 per hectare in 2018 to €10,000 in 2025. Pauillac prices fell from €2.2 million to €1.7 million per hectare, while Margaux declined from €1.1 million to €800,000.
-
Sensory experience in Goiânia revisits the historic Bordeaux Classification - Zelo
In Goiânia on July 9, sommelière Emília Almeida will lead a tasting experience featuring wines from Margaux, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac and revisiting the Bordeaux Classification created in Paris in 1855.
-
Como Hotels and Resorts opens COMO Cordeillan-Bages in the Médoc in Bordeaux
Como Hotels and Resorts opened COMO Cordeillan-Bages, a 28-room hotel, in Pauillac in Bordeaux’s Médoc.
-
COMO Cordeillan-Bages opens in the heart of Bordeaux wine country
COMO Hotels and Resorts has opened the 28-room COMO Cordeillan-Bages in Pauillac, in Bordeaux’s Médoc region, in collaboration with the Cazes family, owners of Château Lynch-Bages.
-
Chateau Batailley: A pillar of value in Pauillac
Château Batailley, a fifth growth property in Pauillac, has been owned by the Castèja family since 1961 and is known for consistent quality at accessible prices, according to Decanter.
-
Lafite Rothschild: a masterclass not to be missed
Terre de Vins is promoting a June 9 masterclass in Paris during its Grande Dégustation Primeurs, featuring wines from the Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite portfolio. The event highlights Château Lafite Rothschild, the First Growth estate in Pauillac.
-
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur: Saint-Estèphe wines ‘thrill’ in this vintage
Saint-Estèphe’s 2025 en primeur wines performed especially well and compared favorably with nearby Pauillac, according to thedrinksbusiness.com.
-
En Primeur 2025: Pontet-Canet Sets the Tone
Terre de Vins reports that Château Pontet-Canet is again one of the first major releases of the 2025 Bordeaux en primeur campaign. The Tesseron family estate in Pauillac is offering the wine at a very slight increase in public price.
-
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur: Everything you need to know with Decanter's expert insights
Decanter will release hundreds of exclusive tasting notes on Bordeaux 2025 wines on May 1, alongside analysis of the promising vintage and difficult market conditions. Top châteaux from Pauillac to Pomerol are preparing en primeur offers.
-
Bordeaux 2025 Vintage Tastings: Pauillac Benchmarks
Wine Spectator tasted Pauillac benchmarks Château Pichon Baron, Château Lynch Bages and Grand-Puy-Lacoste from the 2025 vintage, calling the Médoc vintage one of tremendous quality at small quantity.
-
Terre de Vins’ tasting team reassessed the 2023 wines being delivered from Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac after 2 years of élevage. Promising potential identified during primeurs was confirmed in some wines, while the vintage also produced more accessible successes than 2022.
-
The (Patiras) island of treasures
The Gouache family, owners of Château Loudenne, is taking over the Refuge de Patiras restaurant on Île de Patiras to create a new visitor destination linked with Pauillac and La Loudenne, including small daily boat trips in high season.
-
Wine Advent #4: The Big Guns of the Médoc in a Gift Box
Château Pichon Baron and Cos d'Estournel are offering gift boxes: Pichon Baron’s 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 half-bottle vertical costs €599 at its Pauillac shop, while Cos offers a 3-bottle 2015 set marking the vintage’s 10th anniversary.