Saint Emilion

All the wines from Saint Emilion, Bordeaux

The Saint Emilion PDO (as well as and Saint Emilion Grand Cru PDO) is geographically located east of Bordeaux (around 35 km), in the part of the vineyard called Libournais (Right Bank of the Dordogne). It covers an area of ​​5,500 Ha, in the cities of Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, Saint-Hippolyte, Saint-Laurent-des-Combes, Saint-Pey-d'Armens, Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens-Vignonet, and a part of Libourne (the other being assigned to Pomerol). Saint Emilion is one of the most prestigious PDO, and after having been ignored for the 1855 classification of Medoc wines, this designation created in 1955 its own classification of Saint Emilion Grands Crus (completed in 1958, then re-assessed every 10 years since 1986). The last classification is dated 2012 (following the cancellation of the one of 2006). In 1958, the classification was established as follows: 12 first grand crus classified A (2) and B (10), and 63 classified Grands crus. Since the last classification in 2012 there are now 18 first grand crus classified A (4) and B (14), and 64 Grands crus classified. To complicate things a little bit more, there are now 2 PDOs, Saint Emilion and Saint Emilion Grand Cru, which share the same geographical position, but are distinguished by technical production standards. Indeed, the Saint Emilion Grand Cru PDO must have a limited yield of 40 Hl per hectare and a minimum of 12 months of barrel-aging. Outside the village of Saint Emilion (which is probably the most beautiful wine-growing town in France), this designation has a very large number of small estates (around 8 ha each in average)...