17^th –18^th centuries: New French Claret

The 17^th century was a new era of prosperity for Bordeaux, thanks to the Dutch, the Hanseatic League and those from Brittany. This can be explained by the arrival of Dutch engineers in Aquitaine, who came at the request of Henry IV to drain the wetlands in order to increase agricultural land. These new trade opportunities influenced the very nature of the wine made in Bordeaux since the Dutch encouraged the production of sweet, white wines, and reds that were darker and more powerful than before, more to their taste. It’s notably during this period that Arnaud III of Pontac experimented with a new method of producing and selling red wine from his Haut-Brion (Pessac) domain. He preferred to carry out his viticulture in poorer, more gravelly soil which gives wines that are coarser, more colourful and more apt for ageing – until then, the Clarets had more often been grown in clay soil. The Pontac family were equally the first to commercialise their wine under the name of its cru, Haut-Brion, notably in England. This practice was to be taken up by other Bordeaux estates when they observed its success, as well as the climbing prices of Haut-Brion wines. This ‘New French Claret’, highly appreciated in England, relaunched a prosperous era for the wines of Bordeaux from the 18^th century. The vineyards grew further, extending to Médoc, Sauternais, and Blayais. It was during this period that the Médoc domains were created. At this point, the reputation of these wines was reaching Paris and Versailles. Bottling on site was a practice that developed on the best estates. It was also at this time that English, Irish, Flemish and German merchants began to set themselves up in Bordeaux and buy property there. Indeed, wine exportation from the region was stimulated by trade with the colonies.