Bordeaux wine regions all the producers within a given area: rather, only the producers (universally known as "châteaux", although not usually possessing the architectural grandeur that might imply) perceived as being of an unusually high standard are included in the classification. The châteaux included in the classification are referred to as "classed" or "classé", and those not included are referred to as "unclassed". Some classifications sub-divide the classed châteaux, according to the perceived quality. On the Left Bank, the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 is the starting point for classification. Although this purports to be a classification of all Bordeaux wine, it
Bordeaux wine regions Bordeaux and includes the four famous communes of St-Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien and Margaux. It is about 60 km north to south, and about 10 km wide, with around 10,600 hectares under vines and a production of about 50 million litres per year. All the wine made here is red. The northern or down-stream part was formerly known as the "Bas-Médoc" (lower Médoc), but is now simply (but confusingly) labeled as "Médoc". This region is some 34 km long, by 10 km wide, stretching from the mouth of the Gironde to St-Estèphe, and includes some 5800 hectares of vines, producing