This Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée covers the entire Bordeaux vineyard and its specifications are more demanding than the AOC Bordeaux. It therefore corresponds to a selection among the Bordeaux wines rather than to a specific terroir. The bunches must come from old vines, at least 21 years old, and according to the AOC regulations these wines « must be aged until at least 1 July of the year following the harvest.