Médoc wines due to go white and green, before embracing Chardonnay again

n October 13, the Médoc, Haut-Médoc and Listrac-Médoc appellations celebrated the “advent of a new colour for the Médoc region”, summed up the chairman of the producers’ organisation Claude Gaudin. He was referring to white AOC Médoc, which has been officially recognised this vintage, but also to the appellation’s new agro-environmental commitments.

The production specifications were legally adopted by decree on July 31. They not only authorised production of white appellation Médoc from Bordeaux grape varieties (Muscadelle, Sauvignon blanc, Sauvignon gris and Sémillon) and from experimental cultivars (Alvarinho, Floréal, Liliorila, Sauvignac and Souvignier gris), but also made it compulsory to have environmental certification and preserve biodiversity.

Gaudin believes the varietal list will have to be reviewed and expanded: “The original plans were more ambitious in terms of varietal range, including Chardonnay, Chenin and Petit Manseng for example. We chose to stay within the boundaries of ‘good taste’, with Bordeaux grape varieties, so that our application would move along more swiftly. But our arguments will quickly be resumed. Which white grape varieties will be the most suitable in the Médoc in 20 or 30 years’ time?”

The organisation has currently identified 70 white AOC Médoc producers covering 170 hectares out of the 245 ha of white varietals across the vineyards of Médoc, including Chardonnay and areas not eligible for appellation status. Production could increase by 10 to 20 ha annually, based on “rational, controlled development tailored to market needs and the ability to produce without volumes skyrocketing”, explains the organisation’s director Hélène Larrieu.