Moulis-en-Médoc AOC | Château Monty

Moulis–or Moulis-en-Médoc AOC is a red wine only appellation in the Haut-Médoc on the left bank of the Bordeaux region. Moulis AOC dates from 1938. It is the smallest, most compact of the Haut-Médoc’s six communally-named AOCs, the others being its direct neighbour to the north Listrac-Médoc AOC, plus Margaux AOC, Saint-Julien AOC, Pauillac AOC, and Saint-Estèphe AOC. No estates here were included in Bordeaux’s 1855 classification.

Communes (5): Moulis AOC covers the commune of Moulis-en-Médoc plus minor parts of four neighbouring ones, namely Arcins, Castelnau-de-Médoc, Lamarque, and Listrac-Médoc. The original AOC rules dating from 1939 allowed certain plots in the communes of Arcins, Avensan, Castelnau-de-Médoc, Cussac-Fort-Médoc, Lamarque and Listrac-Médoc to claim the appellation “Moulis” by virtue of ancient customs. Since production disappeared in the both Avensan and Cussac-Fort-Médoc, these two communes have been removed from the AOC geographical area.

Vineyard area & wine production: 2002 27,133hl from 607ha (Guide Hachette: 2004, p.380).

Terroir: A long (7.4 miles, 12km) and narrow (feet, 984-1,312 feet, 300–400m) strip of land. Moulis has a very varied terroir for its compact size in terms of topography and soil composition. As in the neighbouring Listrac-Médrac AOC there there are three main terroirs.

1) To the west and near the Bordeaux–Soulac road (the D1215) towards the Bouqueyran area there is varied topography consisting of a limestone ridge and a slope comprising ancient (Pliocene) Pyrenean gravel.

2) In the central plain–which is an extension of that of Peyrelebade in Listrac-Médoc –soils comprise tertiary era clay-limestone, around the high point around the town of Moulis-en-Médoc.

3) To the east and north-east and near the railway line three Günz gravel ‘croupes’ (mounds) of Garonne river gravel (glacial gravel of the medium terrace (type 3) called Grand Poujeaux, Maucaillou and Médrac, provide the appellation’s most highly prized terroir (from from Château Brillette to Château Maucaillou).

Wine style: ‘More stalwart than glamorous,’ (Hugh Johnson & Hubrecht Duijker: 1987, p.56, and varied, due to the diverse nature of the soil types.

Wineries

Certified organic: Château Anthonic.