Graves
It was the Gauls who adapted the Mediterranean vines of the Roman conqueror to oceanic climates. The Bordeaux vineyards were born from the meeting of two civilizations of wine lovers.
The real wine boom only began in the Middle Ages. At this time, the first vines were planted in the very heart of the city of Bordeaux and its surroundings, on poor and stony land unsuitable for any other cultivation.
In 1152, the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to the English king Henry II brought prosperity. This will be based on the granting to the “Suburbs” of the famous “ Privilege ”. This law then prevents any import of wines from outside Bordeaux, until stocks are exhausted. The Bordeaux vineyards thus flourish far from any unfair competition.
The growth of local and international demand coupled with the growth of wine estates, which found themselves cramped within the limits of the city, gradually forced the extension of the “Banlieue Prévôtale” to the southern and eastern limits of the Bordeaux lands, including Langonnais, the areas of La Brède, Mérignac and Martillac, bringing a greater diversity of soils.
The Golden Age began in the 14th century with the craze for “claret”. This rosé wine then enjoyed great success due to its liveliness and refreshing character, which greatly appealed to the merchant from the ports of England and the Hanse. The Bordeaux vineyards came to produce only 17% red wine, for 80% rosé wines, white wines being then anecdotal in this region.
From the 16th to the 18th century, large estates dedicated to the production of quality wines were established. These wines, which then appeared under the common name of “Graves wines”, were considered the Bordeaux wine par excellence . Exports to England and northern Europe are going well. The Côte des Graves then dominated the market until the end of the 18th century.
Overcoming the successive wine crises of the 19th and 20th centuries linked to diseases (powdery mildew, downy mildew and phylloxera), the winter frosts of 1956, the surge in urbanization in the Bordeaux and Langon areas as well as competition from New World wines, the economic revival of Bordeaux wines began in the 1970s.
The wines of Graves take full advantage of this, and gradually regain their surface and their historical rank among the great appellations of Bordeaux.