Graves

The wine

South of the city of Bordeaux, the Graves appellation owes its name to the soil that defines it: gravels laid down by ancient Quaternary glaciations, which release stored solar heat to the vines come evening and favour perfect ripening. AOC since 1937 across three thousand hectares, it is one of Bordeaux's most historic appellations — here, at Pessac, stands Château Haut-Brion, the only Graves wine classified as Premier Cru in the 1855 ranking. Production is divided: seventy-seven percent reds built on Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, twenty-three percent dry whites based on Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The reds, deep-coloured, deliver structured aromas of red fruit and violet wrapped in spicy notes; the dry whites offer fleshy elegance, floral and mineral. Serve with duck breast, wild duck, an aged pressed cheese, or simply a terrine with ceps.