The Gironde estuary separates Bordeaux into the Left and Right Banks. The cabernet sauvignon–dominated Left Bank (the appellations of Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Margaux, and Pessac-Léognan) is much more on the commercial side, with the most famous of the châteaux absorbed by luxury conglomerates. The merlot-driven Right Bank (Pomerol, Saint-Émilion)
