This time we explore the hidden gems of Bordeaux -- the Côtes de Bordeaux -- which make superb wines that few people know about. With an easy-drinking style, the Côtes de Bordeaux are the hidden, affordable wines of Bordeaux. These historic vineyards are a collection of AOCs around eastern Bordeaux on sunny hillside slopes that grow a majority of Merlot and have similar soil types. These are not second or bulk wines – rather family-owned, often sustainable wines that are always a good value for money.
This group of appellations under the marketing umbrella of Côtes de Bordeaux covers 9 - 10% of the total production of Bordeaux.
Faced with lots of competition from the named communes of Bordeaux (Pomerol, Saint-Émilion, etc), and the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur AOCs, efforts started in 2004 to create the Union des Côtes de Bordeaux (UCB) to create a collective “brand” of recognition: the AOC Côtes de Bordeaux with 6 terroir:
- Côtes de Bordeaux - umbrella appellation
- Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux
- Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
- Francs Côtes de Bordeaux
- Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux·
- Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux (joined in 2016)
In 2009, the AOC “Côtes de Bordeaux” went into effect. They must all use the logo below on the bottle to reinforce the association:
This is the wine we were drinking...
I hope this opens your eyes to some new, fantastic, affordable Bordeaux wines! Take a listen and put this to use -- there is a lot of goodness to discover here (and it won't hurt your wallet)!
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