Saint-Julien
The smallest of the 4 great communes and the most classified: 11 growths of 1855 on a gravel rise 5 kilometers long, making about 90% of the wine.
The place
Saint-Julien is a rise of early Quaternary Garonne gravel, 5 kilometers long and 3.5 wide, of coarse sands, gravel and large pebbles, often of quartz, between Pauillac to the north and Margaux to the south. The appellation takes the commune of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle and named parcels of Cussac-Fort-Médoc, Pauillac and Saint-Laurent-Médoc: 929 hectares planted, and 19 independent growers.
The rules
Red only, from the 6 Médoc varieties, at 7,000 vines a hectare, 57 hectoliters 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 recognized on November 14, 1936; the cahier des charges (the appellation’s official rulebook) in force, the appellation’s official rulebook, dates from the decree of November 23, 2011.
The names
The 11 classified growths of 1855 make about 90% of the wine: Léoville Barton among the Seconds, Lagrange among the Thirds, Branaire-Ducru among the Fourths, and beside them Gloria, the estate Henri Martin assembled from the vines of 9 classified growths without ever winning a rank of its own: we wrote about that here.
- Color
- Red
- Communes
- Saint-Julien-Beychevelle, with parcels of Cussac-Fort-Médoc, Pauillac and Saint-Laurent-Médoc
- Vineyard
- 929 hectares planted; 19 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
- 11 growths of 1855
- AOC since
- November 14, 1936
Sources: INAO, Saint-Julien · FGVB, cahier des charges Saint-Julien · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux
The stack
The same ground in Saint-Julien 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 Pauillac.
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 Artisans du Médoc and The Michelin Guide selection.
Châteaux on this site
- Château Beychevelle
- Château Branaire-Ducru
- Château de La Bridane
- Château du Glana
- Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
- Château Gloria
- Château Gruaud-Larose
- Château La Fleur Lauga
- Château Lagrange
- Château Langoa Barton
- Château Léoville Barton
- Château Léoville Las Cases
- Château Léoville Poyferré
- Château Moulin de la Rose
- Château Saint-Pierre
- Château Talbot
- Château Teynac
Also in this appellation, with no page here yet: Château Terrey-Gros-Cailloux.
Tastings
17
April 23, 2026 · 18
Bordeaux En Primeur 2025, Day 4
April 20, 2026 · 10
Bordeaux En Primeur 2025, Day 1
March 17, 2026
Château Langoa Barton 1995, Saint Julien
March 2, 2026
Château Beychevelle Amiral de Beychevelle 2021, Saint Julien
February 23, 2026
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2008, Saint Julien
February 4, 2026
Château de La Bridane 2019, Saint Julien
News from Saint-Julien
6
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Ducru-Beaucaillou sets its fifth Harvest Festival
The Saint-Julien estate will welcome the public on October 18 for masterclasses, carriage rides to the Gironde and a traditional harvest banquet.
The festival gives consumers unusually broad access to a classified-growth estate at the close of the growing season. It also shows how leading châteaux are using hospitality to build relationships beyond allocations and formal tastings.
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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.
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Château Lagrange in Saint-Julien offers private visits, tastings, cooking classes and vineyard tours from €30, while the September 2026 Marathon du Médoc will hold its 40th edition across 42 kilometers and 195 meters.
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Uncover hidden gems: Affordable Bordeaux and Burgundy wines
Decanter rounds up 14 best-value wines under £30 from Bordeaux and Burgundy. The selection spans multiple styles and includes Bordeaux regions such as St-Julien, St-Estèphe and Sauternes, plus some supermarket own-label options.
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The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux published its 2025 Harvest Notebook on October 13, 2025, covering the harvest from Saint-Julien to Pessac-Léognan, Saint-Émilion and Sauternes and describing the vintage as elegant and atypical.
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Uncover hidden gems: Affordable Bordeaux and Burgundy wines for your Christmas feast
Decanter selected 14 Bordeaux and Burgundy wines for Christmas feasts, including sparkling, white, red and sweet styles from areas such as St-Julien, St-Estèphe, Beaujolais, Chablis and Sauternes.