Médoc («Middle Country» or «Pagus Medulorum») is an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for Bordeaux wines located on the left bank of the Gironde estuary and extends to the north of the Medoc peninsula. It is located at the northernmost point of the department Gironde between Lesparre (sub-prefecture) and the communes of Jau-Dignac-et-Loirac.
The Médoc appellation is divided into 8 sub-appellations: 6 communal ones which run from north to south along the Gironde estuary, towards Bordeaux, viz. Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Listrac and Moulis. And 2 so-called generic appellations: Médoc and Haut-Médoc.
The Haut-Médoc sub-appellation covers all the villages that are not “communal” as is the case of Cissac-Médoc. The Haut-Médoc begins at Saint-Seurin Cadourne north of Saint-Estèphe and ends at the gates of Bordeaux, in Blanquefort.
The fast development of the viticulture in the Médoc appellation started in the times of the Roman Empire, but the region had been already famous for producing quality wines. A lot of vestiges dating from that period have been found here. The number of vines planted around Bordeaux was obviously much less than it is today and the Haut-Médoc was then mostly covered with salt marshes dedicated to livestock. In the 17th century, Dutch merchants began an ambitious drainage project to convert these marshes into the area suitable for viticulture. Their objective was to provide the British market with wines alternative to the Graves and Portuguese ones that were dominating the market. Using technology that was advanced for the time, the Dutch succeeded in converting enough marshland to allow large estates to set up all along the Gironde. Soon the viticultural zones of Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe took shape. By the 19th century, the winemaking region of the Haut-Médoc became one of the most prosperous in France, with wines which reputation and international influence were unmatched until the end of the 20th century.
The soil in the Haut-Médoc region is mainly composed of thick gravel layers that have been swept down by the river over time and now sit on a base of heavy clay. The warm, well-drained gravel terraces provide ideal growing conditions for late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, the dominant grape variety in the Médoc. Further inland, the soils turn to deep deposits of clay, where Merlot thrives. The plots of limestone and sandy soils add diversity to the gravel, the most common type of soil in the area.
Administratively, the Château Gunes is located in Cissac-Médoc, a village in southwestern France in the Gironde department (33) in the New Aquitaine region. It is part of the Pauillac municipality and belongs the sub-prefecture of Lesparre-Médoc. Its population is around 2,000 people.
The Cissac-Médoc vines extend over approximately 370 hectares shared by 24 winemakers, among which the Château Gunes is a prestigious representative. Located close to the Pauillac and Saint Estèphe appellations, our property of approximately 10 hectares benefits from one of the best terroirs in the Haut-Médoc appellation thanks to the positioning of its plots.
The Château Gunes property is located in the very heart of this appellation and through the quality of its wines works for the fame and prestige of the Haut-Médoc, both in France and internationally.