right|300px|thumb|Appellations within the Bordeaux wine region. The appellations of Graves are numbered 33–37 on the map.
Graves (, gravelly land) is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region<!--, producing over 20 million bottles each year - seems too small a number!-->. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne River, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretches over . Graves is the only Bordeaux subregion famed for all three of Bordeaux's three main wine types (reds, dry whites and sweet wines) although red wines dominate the total production. Graves AOC is also the name of one Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) that covers most but not all of the Graves subregion.
The area encompasses villages including Sauternes, Pessac, Talence, Léognan, Martillac, Saint-Morillon, and Portets.
The name "Graves" derives from its intensely gravelly soil. The soil is the result of glaciers from the Ice Age, which also left white quartz deposits that can still be found in the soil of some of the top winemaking estates.
History
The Graves is considered the birthplace of claret. Its wine production for export dates back to Eleanor of Aquitaine, who married Henry II, King of England, creating a flourishing trade between both countries: wine versus coal and iron. In the Middle Ages, the wines that were first exported to England were produced in this area. At that time, the Médoc subregion, north of Bordeaux, still consisted of marshland unsuitable for viticulture though Graves were naturally better drained.
Château Pape Clément, which was founded at the turn of the 14th century by the future Pope Clement V, was the first named chateau in all of Bordeaux. In 1663, Samuel Pepys's mention of Château Haut-Brion was the first recorded mention of French claret in London. In 1987, the part of Graves containing most of the producers of its most expensive wines, closest to the city of Bordeaux itself, created a separate AOC under the name Pessac-Léognan. This has had the effect of devaluing the name and price of wines simply labeled with the Graves appellation.
Wine styles
left|thumb|A white Pessac-Leognan wine from the classified estate Château Carbonnieux
As with Médoc, Cabernet Sauvignon is the predominant grape, but a somewhat greater proportion of Merlot is typically used in the blend, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The dry white wines are a blend of Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon.
A well-known sweet white dessert wine is made in the commune of Sauternes, which is located in the southeast corner of the Graves region.
Appellations in Graves
The Graves subregion contains the following Appellations d'origine contrôlées (AOCs).
Graves AOC
Graves AOC is the basic appellation of the Graves subregion, and can be used for both red and dry white wine. of vineyards were dedicated to this appellation in 2004. The soil of Pessac-Léognan is composed of gravel terraces with sediments from different geological eras.
Production costs for this area's botrytized wines are comparatively high. The evaporation and fungus affections produces low yields, which are one fifth to one sixth of that in other Bordeaux regions. The berries are normally harvested individually from the bunch, with pickers going through the vineyards several times between September and November to ensure the berries are picked at their optimal points. The wine is then fermented in small oak barrels, further adding to the cost. Even with half bottles of the First Growths priced at several hundred dollars, these wines still have difficulties turning a profit, and in the mid 20th century, a string of bad vintages drove many growers in the region out of business.