History of Bordeaux wine became the base for Richard's French operations. As the popularity of Bordeaux wine increased, the vineyards expanded to accommodate the demands from abroad. Henry and Aliénor youngest son, John was in favor of promoting the wine industry, and to increase it further, abolished the "Grande Coutume" export tax to England from the Aquitaine region. In the 13th and 14th century, a code of business practices called the "police des vins" emerged to give Bordeaux wine a distinct trade advantage over its neighboring regions. The citizenry of Bordeaux worked diligently to promote and foster their relationship with the English market. In
Bordeaux wine regions the Médoc, with entire slopes and plateaus belonging to a single estate. The area of Pauillac contains three of the five first growth estates of Bordeaux. These are Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour and Château Mouton Rothschild. It also includes 15 other classed growths. Situated on two plateaus between Pauillac and Margaux, the wine region of St-Julien has the smallest wine production of the four major regions in the Médoc. The region is divided into essentially two areas - the riverside estates around the village of St.Julien and the southern estates around the village of Beychevelle where the areas Cru Bourgeois