Gironde

A 75-kilometre-long and 5 to 15-kilometre-wide estuary in southwest France that flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The department of Gironde, mostly on the left bank, is named after the Gironde; opposite it on the right bank is the department of Charente-Maritime. It is formed by the two rivers Dordogne and Garonne. With a surface area of 685 km², the Gironde is the largest estuary in Europe. The Gironde begins at the Bec d'Ambes peninsula formed by the two rivers, about 15 kilometres north of the city of Bordeaux.

Confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne at Bec d'Ambès

The picture shows the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers at the tapered Bec d'Ambès. The entire length of the left bank is covered by the Médoc area, which is ideally suited for viticulture due to the permeability of the gravel and pebble soil. The best crus (sites) are those that "see the water" (bordering the Gironde), because the sunlight is reflected by the large surface of the water. The retention of heat results in very good conditions for optimal grape ripening. The six famous communal appellations of the Haut-Médoc are located here. These are Margaux, Moulis, Listrac-Médoc, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Julien.

Rive droite and Rive gauche

The right bank of the Gironde is dominated by limestone with the two Blaye appellations - Côtes de Bordeaux and Côtes de Bourg. The body of water also gave its name to the département in south-west France in which the Bordeaux region is located. On the territory of the department of Charente-Maritime, which borders the department of Gironde to the north, the terrain slowly becomes flatter and viticulture disappears. The mouth of the Gironde into the Atlantic is marked by the headland known as the "Pointe de Grave" near the municipality of Le Verdon-sur-Mer. The right bank along the Dordogne and Gironde is called the rive dro ite, the left bank along the Garonne and Gironde the rive gauche. The large area between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne, romantically called "seas", is called Entre-deux-Mers. The département of Gironde belongs to the regional IGP area Atlantique, which designates the country wines.

Garonne and Dordogne: von Boerkevitz - own work, public domain, link
Map: From Domenico-de-ga from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Modifications from the original by Norbert Tischelmayer 2017