Medoc

Medoc (Lat. Medulicus Pagus), a district of the Bordelais, France, forming a sort of peninsula between the river Gironde and the ocean, and comprised within the department of the Gironde. The area is about 386 square miles, most of it being bare, rocky, slightly undulating, and sparsely watered. The soil, however, is admirably suited to the wine grape, and here the finest quality of Bordeaux is produced. The whole country is divided into vineyards, each of which has its characteristics, though the produce of certain neighbourhoods is known by a generic name, such as Grave, Pauillac, etc. Chateau Margaux, Chateau Lafitte, and Chateau Latourare amongst the most celebrated growths. Within the last twenty years the phylloxera has played havoc with the vines of Medoc, which used to yield 40,000 tuns, but they are now recovering.