Definition - What does Medoc mean?
Medoc is a wine region located in the southwest region of France. It is found on the Left Bank of the Gironde River and home to the famous appellations of Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe. The region dates back to the Roman times and was the first wine region of Europe to export their wines.
WineFrog explains Medoc
The region of Medoc can attribute much of its success to its geographical location. Its close proximity to water, especially the Atlantic and its main river systems allowed the region to grow and commercialize itself early on.
The terroir here makes up a variety of stones, sand, gravel, limestone and clay soils. That, along with its climate made the region ideal for wine production. The special terroir is present in many of the wines from this region, adding to their complexity. These are the reasons wine from Medoc have been coveted for centuries.
Medoc includes the famous appellations mentioned above in the north, but it also includes the Haut Medoc where the wine houses of Moulis and Listrac are located.
Except for Chateau Haut Brion, Medoc is where the First Growths (crus) are found. These crus were classified in 1855 by order of Napoleon III during the Bordeaux Wine Classification of that year. More than 200 wines were classified as Cru Borgeois.