Collection: Moulis en Medoc

Moulis may be the smallest, most hidden and discreet of the Médoc AOCs, but two of the wines from the municipality without Crus Classés are known to most wine lovers: Poujeaux and Chasse-Spleen, which have been in friendly competition for first place in Moulis for decades. But a whole host of other, less well-known but equally excellent wineries are just waiting to be hunted down by price-fun hunters.

The centre and origin of today's appellation is the old manor house and hamlet of Poujeaux, which with 60 hectares of vines was already a large operation in the 18th century, but was later divided several times: today's Poujeaux, Chasse-Spleen and various Poujeaux offshoots go back to this old seigneurie.

Moulis lies between Margaux and Saint-Julien, a little further from the river than these, and about 40 kilometers north of Bordeaux. Because Moulis is neither directly on the "Châteaux Road," which winds comfortably from Bordeaux to Saint-Estèphe, past many world-famous estates, nor on the more direct route Bordeaux-Castelnau-Saint-Laurent, it is often overlooked by visitors, who thereby miss out on an interesting stop.

A whole mosaic of soils benefits from the balanced Atlantic climate. Practically every type of soil in the Haut-Médoc is represented here: gravel, clay over limestone, gravel with clay and sand.

In the best case, a classic Moulis has the fruitiness of a Margaux and the juiciness of a Saint-Julien and reaches its optimum maturity at around six to eight years of age. It is then best enjoyed before it reaches the age of 15. The approximately four million bottles produced are almost exclusively very good to decent wines with good value for money. 14 Crus Bourgeois account for 70 percent of production. Merlot dominates the blend at 50 percent. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 42 percent.