The appellation covers 910 hectares and 19 independent winegrowers, about 6 percent of the Médoc vineyard. Its soil is the large gravel carried by the Garonne, which drains the vines and stores the heat of the day to release it at night. The estuary next door softens the climate: fewer summer heatwaves and no winter frosts, according to the Bordeaux wine council. Cabernet Sauvignon covers more than 60 percent of the vineyard, the highest share in Bordeaux, with Merlot in support.

Eleven châteaux were ranked in the 1855 classification, among them the three Léoville estates, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Gruaud-Larose, Beychevelle, Talbot, Branaire-Ducru and Lagrange, and together they account for about 90 percent of production. The Bordeaux wine council describes the wines as smooth and harmonious, with silky tannins, blueberry, blackcurrant and blackberry, and tobacco and leather with age. Pauillac lies to the north and Margaux to the south.

The wines above are every Saint-Julien in the cellar. See also Saint-Estèphe, Pessac-Léognan or the full range of Bordeaux wines.