Bordeaux for the Certified Sommelier exam: the study guide

Bordeaux is the region where the Certified exam checks whether you can hold a lot of names in your head and still make sense of them. The good news: it has a clear logic. Two rivers, two banks, a handful of grapes, and a few classifications. Learn the logic first and the names fall into place.

The exam, for context: at the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe, the Certified exam has a theory paper of 40 multiple-choice and short-answer questions, a tasting of two wines blind on the Court's grid, and a practical service test, with 60% needed in each part. Bordeaux can appear in all three: a classification question, a Cabernet-based red in the tasting, a guest asking for a good-value claret.

The map: Left Bank, Right Bank and in between

The Garonne and the Dordogne meet to form the Gironde estuary, and the climate is moderate maritime: mild, wet and variable, so vintages differ. The rule of thumb: Left Bank = Cabernet Sauvignon on gravel; Right Bank = Merlot on clay and limestone. For soils, climate and vineyard work, start with Bordeaux basics.

Learn the four famous Médoc villages from north to south: Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux. A good way to remember: the Médoc appellations make red wine only. A white wine from a Médoc château is sold as Bordeaux.

The grapes

• Reds: Merlot (about two-thirds of red vines, CIVB), Cabernet Sauvignon (about a fifth, but the backbone of the Médoc) and Cabernet Franc (key in Saint-Émilion). Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère share the last 2%.
• Whites: Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, with a little Muscadelle. See white Bordeaux grapes.
• New since 2021: a few climate-adaptation varieties, such as Marselan and Touriga Nacional, are allowed in Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur only: up to 5% of a vineyard and 10% of a blend, never named on the label.

The classifications at a glance

The 1855 classification in detail

Napoleon III wanted the best of French wine shown at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855. The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce asked the city's wine brokers, who ranked the châteaux by reputation and the prices their wines had fetched over many years. Their list is dated 18 April 1855.

• It ranks châteaux, not vineyards. An estate can buy or sell land and keep its rank.
• Margaux has the most classified growths (21), then Pauillac (18), Saint-Julien (11), Saint-Estèphe (5) and the Haut-Médoc (5). Plus Haut-Brion: 61.
• Pauillac has three of the five First Growths. Saint-Julien has none, and no Third Growth is in Pauillac.
• Haut-Brion is the only red classified outside the Médoc. It is also in the Graves classification.
• Château d'Yquem stands alone as Premier Cru Supérieur for sweet wine. Its dry white, Y, is sold as Bordeaux.

First Growths, second wines, and how to say them

Why second wines matter in service: they come from the same estate and team, often from younger vines or lots not chosen for the main wine. They are ready sooner and cost less, which makes them the perfect answer when a guest wants a famous name at a sensible price.

Crus Bourgeois and Crus Artisans

• Crus Bourgeois: first listed in 1932; a five-year classification in three tiers since 2020, with blind tasting and environmental certification. Exceptionnels in 2025 include Château d'Arsac (Margaux), Château du Taillan (Haut-Médoc) and Château Le Crock (Saint-Estèphe).
• Crus Artisans: a name first used in 1868 for small Médoc estates run by craftsmen, revived in 1989, allowed on labels by the EU in 1994 and classified since 2006. The owner must do the work, from vine to sale.

The Right Bank and Graves

• Saint-Émilion: the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation is not the same as the classification. In the 2022 edition the two Premiers Grands Crus Classés A are Château Figeac and Château Pavie. Ausone, Cheval Blanc and Angélus left the classification but remain great names to know.
• Pomerol: no classification at all, yet home to Petrus, Le Pin, Lafleur and Vieux Château Certan.
• Graves: 16 classified châteaux, all inside Pessac-Léognan, the appellation created in 1987 for the northern Graves. Names to know: Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Pape Clément, Smith Haut Lafitte, Domaine de Chevalier, Haut-Bailly.

Tasting Bordeaux blind

• Left Bank red: deep ruby; blackcurrant, cedar, graphite, tobacco, vanilla from oak; high tannin, medium-plus to high acidity, structured and long.
• Right Bank red: plum, black cherry, softer and rounder tannins, sometimes mocha; Cabernet Franc adds raspberry and a leafy lift.
• White Pessac-Léognan: citrus and grass from Sauvignon Blanc, wax and body from Sémillon, toast from barrel.
• Sauternes: deep gold; apricot, honey, marmalade and the saffron-like note of noble rot, with acidity keeping it fresh.
• Versus New World Cabernet: Bordeaux usually shows more earth and leafy notes, higher acidity and moderate alcohol.

Bordeaux in service

• Decant young reds for air; decant old ones gently, off their sediment, just before serving.
• Serve reds at 16 to 18°C, dry whites cool, Sauternes well chilled.
• Good-value answers for guests: second wines, Crus Bourgeois, Côtes de Bordeaux (Castillon, Blaye, Francs), Fronsac and Lalande-de-Pomerol.
• Pairings: Left Bank with lamb and steak; Right Bank with duck, veal and mushrooms; white Pessac with fish and poultry; Sauternes with foie gras, blue cheese and fruit tarts.

How I would study it

• Draw the map from memory, and learn the First Growths with their second wines as pairs, out loud.
• Taste a Pauillac next to a Saint-Émilion of a similar price. The difference between the banks becomes obvious.
• Ten minutes of questions a day. Start with my Bordeaux quiz.

For the whole theory paper, read the Certified Sommelier theory exam guide, and for the producers of one village, Saint-Estèphe's châteaux. SOMM DIGI AI has 3,000+ exam-prep questions and 35 Certified flashcard decks.

Quick quiz: Bordeaux

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