280 



A VISIT TO THE BEST FREiSTCH VINEYARDS. 



think the distinction of terms is not gene- 

 rally understood, in America, as regards 

 the generic name of these wines. For in- 

 stance, Medoc, which, if I am not mistaken, 

 is usually regarded as one variety only, of 

 the great class, Claret, — is, in fact, the 

 name which comprehends all the Bordeaux 

 varieties, as much as Madeira, or Xeres, 

 covers all thedifferent varieties of theirclass. 



Medoc is, in fact, a long tongue of land, 

 running north from Bordeaux, between the 

 sea on one hand, the Garronne on the other, 

 and the River Gironde on the third, and is 

 called Medoc, (quasi medio aquce,) because 

 surrounded by water; it is nowhere over 1 

 to 2 miles wide, and elevated some 50 feet 

 above the river; it is, in fact, a bank of 

 gravel, entirely planted with vines, forming, 

 perhaps, the most precious vineyards in the 

 world. 



The general character of the soil is a 

 mere light gravel. In fact, you would be 

 astonished to see the soil where the finest 

 grapes grow. It appears nothing but a 

 collection of round white pebbles, the size 

 of an egg, mixed with sand. It really 

 seems that the poorer the soil the better the 

 wine ; for the finer qualities are not pro- 

 duced from the most luxuriant vines, but, 

 on the contrary, from those of the most 

 stunted growth ; in fact, from a soil so 

 poor and stony that even weeds disdain to 

 grow in it. This is, however, I think, a 

 truth well known to grape growers in our 

 own country. But why never practiced 

 upon, I do not know. There seems to be 

 something very congenial to the vine in 

 the prolonged warmth, derived from soil of 

 this character; for, as the peasants very 

 quaintly say, " it works as well by night as 

 by day" — the stones retaining the heat long 

 after the decline of day. 



What makes M^^doc peculiarly interest- 

 insT is, that the soil from which these deli- 



cious wines are produced, is not a natural 

 one, but, like the lava soil on Mount Vesu- 

 vius, which produces the famous lachryma 

 Christi, owes its origin to some natural 

 convulsion. In fact, at Medoc the entire 

 ridge is evidently the debris of the Pyre- 

 nees, brought down by the annual over- 

 flowing of the Garronne, and the other 

 mountain streams, which for ages made 

 their yearly deposit of rubbish ; for it really 

 amounts to little else. Indeed, at 2 or 3 

 feet below the surface, the soil is so close 

 and hard that it is forced to be broken up 

 by a pick, otherwise the vine could not 

 grow ; as this mass, which they call " alios,'''' 

 would be perfectly impenetrable to the fibres. 



In Burgundy and Champagne, the vines 

 are almost exclusively trained to single 

 stakes, not over 3 feet high, or more than 

 2 feet apart. But in Medoc, I observed 

 they were generally trained to rude espa- 

 liers, which were supported by uprights, 

 certainly not over n to 2 feet high; con- 

 sequently, the entire vine receives the re- 

 flected heat from the soil. Manure, they 

 told me, is never used ; because, they said, 

 it destroys the fine flavor of the grapes, and 

 they seemed to consider it as injurious to 

 the vine, as excessive or standing water 

 was to the roots. A top dressing of light 

 soil is sometimes given, simply to cover 

 the roots, which are, strange to saj', laid 

 bare four times a year by the plough, drawn 

 by oxen. The latter, with astonishing care, 

 seem to have sufficient instinct to avoid 

 treading on the exposed fibres, although in 

 no cases are the vines over 2 feet apart. 



They do not, usually, allow the vir.e to 

 bear before five years old, — at least, not 

 much ; but, once commenced, they are ex- 

 pected to do duty annually for, sometimes, 

 over 200 years, especially when they find 

 a congenial soil, in which case their roots 

 {pivoter) insinuate themselves 40 or 50 



