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Pauillac Contrôlée appellation

What does Pauillac mean on a wine bottle label?

On the one hand, Pauillac is a town near Bordeaux in the south-west of France and has about 5,000 inhabitants. On the other hand, Pauillac is also an appellation on the Médoc peninsula. You can find this appellation on the wine label and it has nothing to do with the town of Pauillac.

Read also: What is an appellation?

The Bordeaux wine-growing region is divided into the left bank and right bank of the Gironde. Gironde is a river that flows into the Atlantic, but also a department in the same area. Bordeaux is also a city and the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

Let's look again at the Gironde river at its mouth in the Atlantic. There the river divides an area that is world famous for wine growing in Bordeaux. Pauillac is located on the left bank of the Gironde - the Médoc.

Wine is grown around the town of Pauillac. Consequently, the wineries that have their vineyards in this area belong to the Pauillac appellation. The designation "Appellation Pauillac Contrôlée" is then listed on the label of a wine bottle.

AOC Pauillac: This is an alternative spelling. AOC stands for Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and means controlled designation of origin.

Following the Bordeaux classification of Médoc wineries in 1855, wineries from the Pauillac Contrôlée appellation also belong to this classification.

These well-known Bordeaux wineries are part of the Pauillac Contrôlée appellation:

1er Grand Cru Classé

  • Château Lafite-Rothschild
  • Château Latour
  • Château Mouton-Rothschild

2ème Grand Cru Classé

  • Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
  • Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

4ème Grand Cru Classé

  • Château Duhart-Milon

5ème Grand Cru Classé

  • Château d'Armailhac
  • Château Batailley
  • Château Clerc-Milon
  • Château Croizet Bages
  • Château Grand Puy-Ducasse
  • Château Grand Puy-Lacoste
  • Château Haut-Bages Libéral
  • Château Haut-Batailley
  • Château Lynch-Bages
  • Château Lynch-Moussas
  • Château Pédesclaux
  • Château Pontet-Canet

Now collect wine from Pauillac!