Saint-Julien AOC

One of the six famous communes (alongside Listrac-Médoc, Margaux, Moulis, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe) within the French Haut-Médoc region, which are appellations in their own right and are allowed to use the commune name on the bottle label. The neighbouring commune of Beychevelle also belongs to the communal appellation. There is a 16-hectare enclave in the commune whose wines are authorised to bear the Pauillac designation of origin.

Vineyards

The vineyards cover around 900 hectares of vines in an almost square shape. The soils consist of a thin layer of gravel with sandy loess on a ferruginous subsoil with marl and gravel.

Grand Cru

Eleven of the 61 châteaux included in the famous Bordeaux classification of 1855 are located here. These are the five Deuxièmes (2nd rank) Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Château Gruaud-Larose, Château Léoville-Barton, Château Léoville-Las-Cases and Château Léoville-Poyferré, the two Troisièmes (3rd rank) Château Lagrange and Château Léoville-Poyferré, and the two Troisièmes (2nd rank) Château Léoville-Las-Cases. rank) Château Lagrange and Château Langoa-Barton, as well as the four quatrièmes (4th rank) Château Beychevelle, Château Branaire-Ducru, Château Saint-Pierre and Château Talbot (see a complete list of all 61 wine estates under Médoc).

Cru Bourgeois & Cru Artisan

Château Léoville-Las-Cases is one of the "super-seconds" which, according to experts, would easily achieve Premier Cru Classé in a (theoretical) new classification. There are also Cru Bourgeois vineyards such as Château Bel-Air, Château du Glana and Château Gloria, as well as many classified as Cru Artisan. The tannin-rich, long-lasting red wines lie between those from Margaux (in terms of finesse) and Pauillac (in terms of body); they are characterised by a consistently high quality throughout the range.

Map: By Domenico-de-ga from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Modifications from the original by Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer 2017