France — wine
Médoc
Left-bank peninsula north of Bordeaux, 80km along the Gironde. Gravelly soils warm quickly, drain perfectly — ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon. The Haut-Médoc communes (Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Saint-Estèphe) contain the 1855 classified properties.
Sub-regions
Benchmark products
Vintage assessments
| Year | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 88 | Very good warm vintage. Médoc structured and age-worthy at all levels. |
| 2020 | 87 | Good. Value wines performing well. Haut-Médoc in particular good quality. |
| 2019 | 88 | Very good. Classic Médoc character. Reliable across the appellation. |
| 2018 | 90 | Excellent. Médoc crus bourgeois and classed growths both delivering. Phélan-Ségur and Sociando-Mallet strong. |
| 2016 | 91 | Exceptional Médoc. The 2016 century vintage elevated the entire Haut-Médoc and generic Médoc. |