Saint-Émilion
Bordeaux
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The Right Bank's most famous appellation, wrapped around a UNESCO-listed medieval town built on a single limestone monolith east of Libourne. Saint-Émilion is Merlot country, blended with Cabernet Franc (the regional spice) and a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines run plush and generous on the warmer sandy and clay-gravel sites, structured and slow-ageing on the limestone plateau, with the best châteaux drinking at the level of any First Growth. Four satellite appellations sit just north (Montagne, Lussac, Puisseguin and Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion) and produce the same Merlot-led blends at a fraction of the prices. The plateau, the côtes (south-facing slopes), the sables (sandy west) and the graves (gravelly border with Pomerol) each give the wines a slightly different shape. Cheval Blanc and Figeac sit on the Graves end and lean structured; Pavie and Ausone sit on the limestone plateau and lean intense; Canon and Beauséjour Bécot lean perfumed and elegant.
The wines of Saint-Émilion are made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and other Bordeaux varieties.
30–110 m
Elevation range
Wine styles
5 Communes
65 Châteaux
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Vineyard Map
Climate
Maritime climate moderated by the Dordogne and the Atlantic. Warmer than the Médoc thanks to the inland setting and the limestone plateau acting as a heat sink, with cooler nights from the Dordogne valley. Merlot ripens earlier and more reliably here than across the river. Spring frost is a recurring risk for the lower-lying sables and graves sectors. The 2017 frost devastated parts of the appellation. The growing season ends with classic Atlantic September warmth and the dry, sunny early Octobers that allow late-harvest precision.
Terroir
Four terroirs make Saint-Émilion. The limestone plateau (asteries, a Tertiary limestone full of fossil starfish) caps the town and gives the most aromatic, slow-ageing wines. The côtes, steep south- and southwest-facing clay-over-limestone slopes wrapping the plateau, combine the same limestone bedrock with deeper clay topsoil and produce the appellation's most structured wines. The sables anciens (ancient sands) cover the western flank and yield softer, earlier-drinking wines. The graves de Saint-Émilion, deep Pyrenean gravels at the Pomerol border where Cheval Blanc and Figeac sit, give Cabernet a serious role and produce some of the appellation's longest-lived bottles.
Typical Aromas
Saint-Émilion Classification (revised 2022)
Saint-Émilion is the only major Bordeaux classification that is reviewed — roughly every ten years — and the only one that evolves. The system was created in 1955 (a hundred years after the 1855 Médoc) and the 2022 revision was its seventh. It is also the only Bordeaux classification with a built-in promotion-and-relegation mechanism, which has produced periodic legal storms whenever an estate is downgraded. The 2022 round shook the wine world: three of the top four estates (Château Cheval Blanc, Château Ausone and Château Angélus) all withdrew from the classification in protest at new criteria that weighted tourism and marketing alongside wine quality. Cheval Blanc and Ausone (Premier Grand Cru Classé A since the system began) and Angélus (promoted to A in 2012) walked away together. The 2022 list is therefore unusually short at the top. Outside the classification, the broader Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOC covers any château meeting tighter production rules — about 200 estates in any given vintage — and the basic Saint-Émilion AOC covers the rest.
Premier Grand Cru Classé A
The pinnacle of the Saint-Émilion classification. In 2022 only two estates remained at this tier after the dramatic withdrawals: Château Figeac (on the Graves-Saint-Émilion border with Pomerol, more Cabernet-led than most of the AOC) and Château Pavie (on the limestone plateau, the Perse family's flagship). Cheval Blanc, Ausone and Angélus would all sit here on quality grounds.
Premier Grand Cru Classé B
Twelve estates: Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse), Beau-Séjour Bécot, Bélair-Monange, Canon, Canon-la-Gaffelière, Clos Fourtet, La Gaffelière, Larcis Ducasse, La Mondotte, Pavie Macquin, Troplong Mondot and Trottevieille. Many of these drink at the level of First Growths on the Left Bank and consistently outperform their B-tier ranking.
Grand Cru Classé
Seventy-one estates as of the 2022 revision, including names like Beauséjour, Dassault, Fonplégade, Grand Mayne, La Couspaude, La Dominique, Larmande, Pavie Decesse, Quinault L'Enclos, Soutard and Yon-Figeac. The tier where serious value lives — Grand Cru Classé wines often punch well above their price.
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (AOC)
Not part of the classification proper. Around 200 châteaux a year produce wine under this broader AOC, which has tighter production rules than the basic Saint-Émilion AOC: lower yields, longer ageing in barrel, mandatory tasting approval before release. It is a separate appellation, not a classification tier.
Saint-Émilion satellites
Four satellite appellations sit just north of Saint-Émilion proper: Montagne-Saint-Émilion (the largest, hilltop limestone-and-clay), Lussac-Saint-Émilion (north-east), Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion (eastern, near the Castillon border) and Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion (tiny, can also be labelled as Montagne). Same grape mix, gentler prices.
Withdrawals from the 2022 classification
Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone (held A since 1955) and Château Angélus (promoted to A in 2012) all withdrew before the 2022 revision. The estates objected to the weighting of tourism, environmental practices and brand visibility in the new criteria — they argued the classification should remain a quality-of-wine-only measure. The dispute reshaped the classification's authority and is still unresolved.
Notable producers
Estates that shape how this region tastes.
Chateau Figeac
Premier Grand Cru Classé A, Cabernet-led on the graves
Chateau Pavie
Premier Grand Cru Classé A, limestone plateau
Chateau Cheval Blanc
Withdrew from the 2022 classification, Cabernet Franc on gravel
Chateau Ausone
Withdrew from 2022, monopole on the limestone côte
Chateau Angelus
Withdrew from 2022, south-facing côte slope
Chateau Canon
Premier Grand Cru Classé B, perfumed limestone plateau
Chateau Bélair-Monange
Premier Grand Cru Classé B, Moueix estate on the plateau
Chateau Troplong Mondot
Premier Grand Cru Classé B, highest point of the AOC
Chateau Pavie Macquin
Premier Grand Cru Classé B, biodynamic limestone plateau
Clos Fourtet
Premier Grand Cru Classé B, walled vineyard on the plateau
Chateau Beauséjour Bécot
Premier Grand Cru Classé B, neighbouring Canon
Chateau Larcis Ducasse
Premier Grand Cru Classé B, sun-trap on the Pavie côte
Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf
Unclassified cult estate, François Mitjavile
Chateau Valandraud
Original garagiste, Jean-Luc Thunevin
What it tastes like
Body
Full
Acidity
Bright
Tannin
Firm
Oak
Some oak
Ripeness
Rich
Concentration
Concentrated
Full-bodied and bright with fine tannin; black cherry, plum and truffle over cocoa, polished and generous, built to age.
black fruit · red fruit · earthy · spicy · polished
Similar styles
Lands in the same glass.
Grapes of Bordeaux
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the difference between Saint-Émilion AOC and Saint-Émilion Grand Cru?▼
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Map data: INAO · Imagery: Sentinel-2 cloudless by EOX IT Services GmbH (CC BY 4.0)