The Côtes de Castillon, where the dominant grape is merlot, is a relatively new appellation dedicated to red wine only. Photo: Patrick Cronenberger
The Best Bordeaux that Money can BuyBy Clive CoatesStudents of Bordeaux are painfully aware that the best of the classified growths have become more and more expensive; increasingly media-driven, prices have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled over the last ten years. But in between the massed ranks of the classed growths and their equivalents (only Saint-Emilion today regularly updates its classification), and the millions of gallons of simple Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur at the other end, there lies a category of wine where great progress has recently been made.
It is in amongst the bourgeois growths of the Médoc, in Fronsac, and the rest of the Saint-Emilion and Pomerol satellites, and especially in the five areas that comprise the "Côtes," that a new generation of winegrowers has taken over. Some are inheriting winemaking duties from their parents, others are more recently arrived. Money has been judiciously invested to update older wineries or build from the ground up, yields have been reduced and quality has risen dramatically - in many cases, as recently as the 1998 vintage. The resulting wines represent excellent value for money. What is more, prices have only increased by 50 percent, give or take, since 1990.
Because the five Côtes - Côtes de Bourg, Côtes de Blaye, Côtes de Castillon, Côtes de Francs and Premières Côtes de Bordeaux - most splendidly reflect the quality strides achieved by its vintners, it is here that we will focus our attention. And although each of these appellations produce a little white wine, it is the reds that are far the most interesting. (Throughout the text, vineyard holdings are noted in hectares, one of which equals 2.47 acres.)
Côtes de Bourg & Blaye
Ignored by the media, for few - myself usually included -- bother to set foot into the area when we descend upon Bordeaux to survey the new vintage en primeur; neglected by the trade, whether external or Bordeaux merchant, the côtes of Bourg and Blaye have steadily been getting on with things, improving the product and fine-tuning the value for money of their wines over the last decade.
This quiet revolution is exemplified by a new quality appellation in the Blaye, which takes place from the 2000 vintage. Bourg is likely to adopt a similarly enhanced code of winemaking practice in the near future. In the meantime, prices have remained stable; indeed, in real terms, they are hardly higher than they were a decade ago, something that certainly cannot be said about practically any other part of the world. With the excellent 2000 vintage now on the market, consumers should remind themselves to take a look at what is on offer from Bourg and Blaye today. They will not be disappointed.
The port town of Bourg lies on a steep slope at the point where the Garonne and Dordogne rivers combine to form the estuary of the Gironde. Hardly more than a large village, it is an attractive location, with many fine buildings and narrow stairways descending to river level. Bourg is crowned by the Château de la Citadelle, originally a fortification constructed by the English in 1153, and later the summer palace of the Archbishops of Bordeaux.
The compact vineyard of the appellation Côtes de Bourg stretches out behind it over 15 communes in a single canton occupying some 3,850 hectares (up from around 3,300 in 1991). It is spread across three crests of hillsides, one behind the other, parallel to the estuary - a severely accentuated countryside compared to the gently undulating Blaye, but more intensely planted with vines. The soils are largely clay-limestone, mixed with gravel over harder limestone rock. Below ground, many quarries are used as cellars or for growing mushrooms. The essential variety is merlot (55 percent), but blended more often with cabernet sauvignon (35 percent) than cabernet franc or malbec (ten percent each) as might be thought appropriate for these cool soils. Some 50 hectares produce a sauvignon blanc-based white wine. These leave something to be desired.
North and east of Bourg lie the vineyards of Blaye. Blaye, also a port city, is dominated by an important Vauban-inspired defensive fortification constructed between 1685 and 1689. The vineyards of the local appellations cover the districts around the town on clay and limestone soil, to the north in the canton of Saint-Ciers-sur-Gironde, where there is more gravel and less clay, and farther south and east, on the opposite side of the autoroute at Saint-Savin where the clay-limestone and clay-gravel hillsides alternate with plateaus of clay and flint. The subsoil consists of iron hardpan.
This is a gentler, more rolling, pastoral landscape, less intensely vinous, though the vineyard plantation has grown from 3,480 hectares in 1991 to 5,800 hectares in 2001. Historically, too, this was a white wine area. Though more important than Bourg, a meager 200 hectares of sauvignon blanc-based white wine vineyard exists today. The basic appellation is Premières Côtes de Blaye, and the red vine encépagement is similar to that of Bourg.
Until the last decade or so, both Bourg and Blaye were major contributors to négociant-branded Bordeaux rouges. Most of the production never saw any casks and was sold off in bulk. Even what remained separate under a château name was bottled in Bordeaux rather than at the estate. As the better domaines have moved to château-bottling, they have found less of a market on the usual Bordeaux circuit. Many now sell direct. I get the feeling many more are open to similar negotiations.
Traditionally, most of the vineyards in both wine regions have been machine-harvested; most of the wine reared in tank. Increasingly, several different cuvées are being produced. In addition to the traditionally un-oaked wine, there is a softly wooded version, and a tête de cuvée, this last made from a reduced crop that is picked by hand from select old vine parcels and matured in new oak. Many of these are highly commendable and remain a good value, though costing a few dollars more on the shelves. Prices range from about $15 for the entry level wines to as much as $45 for the tête de cuvées.
With this comes a welcome, higher-quality appellation for the Côtes de Blaye. To be labeled "Blaye tout court," the grapes will in the future be riper (11 degrees rather than 10.5 degrees), the harvest will be reduced (a base of 51 hl/ha in 2000 rather than 61 hl/ha) and in new plantations from a more concentrated number of vines per hectare (6,000 rather 4,500). A similar move is under discussion for white Blaye. Bourg is expected to follow.
While the wines of Bourg and Blaye are largely similar, there is nevertheless a difference, though it is more marked when one compares basic blends rather than special cuvées. The Blayes are less tannic and mature sooner. Today the 1998s are drinkable. Bourgs are sturdier, leaning toward what the French call sauvage. But they have better definition and interest. The properties are also larger, the châteaux more imposing. One can see that this was a prosperous area in pre-phylloxera times.
Generalizations such as these, however, can be quickly debunked by the reality of samples. In both areas there has been an influx of new owners from the outside and changes of the guard on the inside: yields have been cut; vineyards are now regularly green-harvested; leaves are stripped to allow the fruit that remains to ripen more efficiently; the date of the harvest has been pushed back; the fruit is sorted in order to reject the substandard; modern temperature-controlled equipment has been installed; and new oak introduced. Standards have improved. Much of this is very recent. A comparison of the 1998 vintage with the 2000 is telling.
Historically, the difficulty the consumer has had with Bourgs and Blayes is the unripeness of their tannins in all but rare vintages such as 2000. Why the growers chose the more tannic cabernet sauvignon rather than the softer (and earlier maturing) cabernet franc as chief accessory to the merlot, as in Fronsac and Saint-Emilion, I cannot imagine.
When François Mitjaville, of Saint-Emilion's high-flying Le Tertre-Roteboeuf, bought Château Roc de Cambes in 1988, he commanded his man on the spot, an Arab with the difficult name of Tayat Abderrahmane, not to pick until the grapes were what Mitjaville considered fully ripe. His poor employee found himself the object of derision in the local cafés. Everyone else had long finished their harvest before Roc de Cambes had even begun. But when they tasted the wine!
Bourg's leading estates
Château Falfas: The château - a superbly elegant construction dating from the 14th and 15th centuries - is really fine. The former home of the Saigneurs de Lansac, it has been owned since 1988 by American lawyer John Cochran and his French wife, Véronique. Grapes from the 70-year-old, 22-hectare vineyards - cultivated biodynamically and hand-harvested - produce Le Chevalier, a cuvée that contains 65 percent cabernet sauvignon. Reared in 100 percent new oak, it is splendidly rich and opulent. The château also produces a basic cuvée. Both the Cochrans are ardent music lovers and host chamber concerts in their lovely château.
Château la Grave: The château is a 19th-century mock Louis XIII hodgepodge. It has been in the hands of the same family since 1889. Philippe and Valérie Bassereaus offer bed-and-breakfast, so one has the convenient option of staying over. Notably, their 45-hectare domaine is entirely hand-harvested. The basic cuvée "Caractère" is admirable. The Cuvée Nectar, first produced in 1995, is nicely substantial, gently oaky, rich and balanced.
Château L'Hospital: Christine and Bruno Duhamel have only been at the six-hectare Château L'Hospital since 1997, but have already managed to place their wine in a number of three-star restaurants. Both "château," a simple farmhouse and chais, remain to be completely renovated. There is a basic cuvée and a selection of élevé en fûts de chêne, as well as the charmingly juicy, forward second wine. The 2000 vintage represents the coming of age here because the wines have proportionately more depth and interest than their predecessors. The estate is partially hand-harvested, but the majority is still collected by machine.
Château Lamothe: Lamothe is a small but gracefully imposing château dating from the middle of the 18th century. The 23-hectare estate was acquired by the Pessonnier family in 1990. Paul Pessonnier has now retired and it is now his daughter, Anne Pousse, who is in charge. Although the picking is done by machine, all the wine is reared in wood. There is a Cuvée Classique and a Grande Réserve, the latter of which sees a portion of new wood. These are elegant wines, not a bit tiring to drink, individual and well balanced. Recent vintages have been very good, with the 1999 a conspicuous success for the year.
Château Mercier: The tall, bearded Philippe Chéty and his equally tall and bearded son Christophe represent the 12th and 13th generations of the same family at the 23-hectare Château Mercier, an ownership that dates back to the 18th century. Since 1984, they have been practicing the lutte raisonnée, the environmentally friendly attitude to viticulture. After a cleaning-up passage through the vines by hand, the fruit is harvested by machine. As elsewhere, there are two cuvées: a non-oaked version for early drinking and an oaky (25 to 33 percent new wood) Cuvée Prestige. This latter wine was particularly good in both 1999 and 2000. Christophe Chéty also personally owns the four-hectare Clos du Piat, which I can recommend as well.
Château Nodoz: The 45-hectare estate takes its name from the Comte de Nodoz, who owned the property in pre-revolutionary times. The Magdeleine family has been its owner since 1930. What used to be the top floor of the cuverie is now an artfully vaulted tasting room. A modern vat house lies next door. There are three cuvées here, but it is the "Spéciale" that matures entirely in new wood. In 2001, malolactic fermentation took place in barrel and the wine was worked on its lees. The yellow label cuvée en barriques de chêne (50 percent of which is new) is the mid-range bottling, and then there is the non-woody basic. Magdeleine and his enologue, the celebrated Michel Guiraud, have succeeded in retaining the best of traditional while utilizing all the benefits of modern methods.
Château Repimplet: Repimplet, in old Gascon, means a good place to rest oneself. At the very least, I can attest that the estate commands an impressive view. Its owner, Patrick Touret, used to be a petrol engineer until he bought the then-derelict 14.5-hectare property in 1982. Sited at one of the highest points of the appellation, Touret notes that "All the top Bourg estates can see the estuary." The basic wine shows no lack of personality, and the Cuvée Amélia Julien is perfectly rich - very good, indeed, in both 1999 and 2000.
Château Roc de Cambes: François Mitjaville bought the 14-hectare Roc de Cambes in 1988. The vineyards lie in two natural amphitheaters close to the water just north of Bourg. The wine is made in cement cuves and matured in 50 percent new wood in a troglodyte cellar. Mitjaville was quick to realize the importance of patience. "One of the reasons Roc de Cambes is better than its peers is that the rest are simply picked too early," he says. One might also point out the reduced harvest here. Roc de Cambes is expensive for a Bourg, but worth it: full bodied, robust, tannic, rich and long lasting.
Other Bourg estates of note: Clos Alphonse Dubreuil (see Château Jonqueyres in Blaye), Châteaux Bégot, Guionne, Haut-Macôn, Haut-Mondésir, Martinot, Montaigut, Puy d'Amour and Rousselet.
Blaye's leading estates
Château Bertinerie: Daniel Bantegnies' Château Bertinerie is the leading Côtes de Blaye in the Canton of Saint-Savin, east of the Bordeaux-Tours motorway. It is a substantial estate, having been built up during the last 40 years from 17 hectares to its present size of 60 hectares. In 1987, the vineyard was converted to the lyre (double curtain) form of training, thus gaining a week of maturity over traditionally trained vineyards. The tête de cuvées are bottled as Haut-Bertinerie; the white fermented in 100 percent new wood, the red matured 80 percent in new wood and 20 percent in tank, to preserve freshness. A second tier of wines is labeled Bertinerie. This is neat, perfectionistic winemaking, producing elegantly balanced wines for the medium term. The white is one of the few successes of the appellation.
Château du Grand Barrail: Denis Lafon bought this 37-hectare property in 1967. The vines, in fact, are in the commune of Plassac, but the office is in Cars. As elsewhere, there are three cuvées: the non-oaky basic, the moderately oaked Prestige and the old vines, new oak, hand-picked-from-selected-parcels Révélation. This latter wine dates from 1998. Across the range, this is a fine source: well-made, clean wines. The Révélation (of which there is also a good white version) is rich and intense, and not over-oaked.
Château les Jonqueyres: This is the home of one of the region's superstars. Pascal Montaut inherited (and had to replant) five hectares from his maternal grandfather in 1977, took over his father's vines in 1982, and has since further built up his domaine. It now comprises 15 hectares. From the start he has restrained the production and sorted through the fruit twice: once at the vine - the vineyards have always been hand-harvested - and again in the winery. The chais are disarmingly ramshackle; the wine, though, has splendid subtlety and originality.
A recent addition to the portfolio is a microscopic (50 hectares) parcel in the Côtes de Bourg: Clos Alphonse Dubreuil. Old vines and 100 percent new oak produce one of the best wines of the appellation.
Château Segonzac: Just north of Blaye, atop a hill commanding a fine view over the Gironde estuary, is a rather solid, square château with a mansard roof, constructed towards the end of the 19th century by the estate's founder, French Minister for Agriculture Jean Dupuy. This is the headquarters of the 30-hectare Château Segonzac, the property of the Marmet family, managed since 2000 by son-in-law Thomas Herter. The wine is produced in a large winery nearby, the basic aged in tank, the Vieilles Vignes in older oak, and the Cuvée Prestige, an inaugural addition in 100 percent new wood. This has been a good source for some time. Recent vintages show even further improvement.
Other Blaye estates of note: Châteaux Canteloup, Ferthis, Graulet, Haut-Vigneau, Maison Neuve, Mayne-Guyon, Mondésir-Gazin, Sociondo, Roland La Garde and Terre-Blanque.
Côtes de Castillon & Francs
East of Saint-Emilion and its satellites, above the town of Castillon near the border between the Gironde département and that of the Dordogne, lie the Côtes de Castillon and the Côtes de Francs. Both these regions were formerly Bordeaux Supérieur. In 1989 - having been plain Bordeaux Supérieur until 1955 - what was then Bordeaux Supérieur, Côtes de Castillon, was upgraded to Côtes de Castillon Contrôlée. There are nine communes; to the north, three further communes were given their own special Appellation Contrôlée Bordeaux, Côtes de Francs in 1967. Here, white wine as well as red is permitted. Côtes de Castillon is an appellation for red wines only. In both areas, the dominant grape variety is merlot.
This is an attractive part of Bordeaux. The landscape can be steeply undulating, rising to 100 meters above sea level, dividing the countryside into woodland, pasture and vineyards. The latter are usually sheltered sites facing southward over the Dordogne valley, protected from the north. Few of the estates can boast large vineyards, though areas under vine are normally more ample than those across the border in Saint-Emilion. The all-important cooperative at Gardegan accounts for the wine of some 150 of the smaller proprietors and is responsible for one-fifth of the total production. There is a second, even smaller co-op in the Côtes de Francs.
The soil structure is similar to that farther west in Saint-Emilion. Down by the river, there is rich, alluvial matter. In the valleys, clay mixes with sand. Better soils contain gravel as well, while on the top of the slopes one will find clay-limestone soils and marl.
Both areas have expanded in recent years. Castillon has risen from around 2,450 hectares to 3,250 since 1982. At the same time, the Francs has grown from 300 hectares to 500 hectares today. In the meanwhile, both the communes of Monbadon and Les Salles de Castillon have mysteriously been promoted from Francs to Castillon. I have allowed for this in these comparisons.
At the same time, there has been an injection not just of the equipment and controls necessary to produce better wine, but the willingness to improve standards. As elsewhere, this has come about by means of a younger family member taking charge and the arrival of outside investors. One of the first among the latter group was the Thienpont family, owners of Vieux Château Certan in Pomerol. Georges Thienpont, one of the sons of the original Georges, who bought Certan in 1924, settled in the Côtes de Francs as a cattle farmer. He and his son Nicolas began planting vines at Château Puygueraud in 1979, expanding later into other estates. Château Puygueraud remains one of the top wines of the appellation. Elsewhere, Patrick Valette, son of Jean-Paul, late of Saint-Emilion's Château Pavie, bought Château La Prade, Hubert de Boüard (Angélus) and Dominique Hébrard (Cheval Blanc) renovated Château de Francs and Jean-Marie Chardonnier, a Bordeaux négociant, purchased Château Marsau. These are all in the Côtes de Francs.
More recently, in the Côtes de Castillon, Stephan de Niepperg has acquired Château d'Aiguilhe. His oenologue consultant, Stéphane Derenoncourt, has founded his Domaine de L'A. And even British wine merchant Tony Laithwaite makes wine at Château la Clairière. Some have taken hold the old-fashioned way, like the late French film producer Peby Guisez and his wife, Corinne, who inherited Château Cap de Faugères from cousins of the family in 1987, and Arnaud de Labarre, son of Madame Claude, late co-director, on behalf of her family at Château Cheval Blanc, who is installed at Château La Croix Lartigue.
Both the Francs and the Castillon are happy hunting grounds for those looking for well-made minor Bordeaux. There are lots of good wines in both 1998 and 2000 and some more-than-satisfactory examples from 1999. They come forward after some four to seven years, depending on the vintage. Many châteaux produce a basic, non-wood-aged cuvée, and then one or two superior, increasingly oaky versions. These, if not too excessively priced, are usually well worth the extra premium.
Castillon's leading estates
Domaine de L'A: The well-known and highly regarded enologue Stéphane Derenoncourt founded this 4.2-hectare estate in 1999. It is now run on biodynamic lines. The first three vintages have been delicious: lush, balanced and stylish. Derenoncourt also makes Clos Puy Arnaud in the Côtes de Castillon and is consultant to Stephan de Neipperg at Château d'Aiguilhe and elsewhere.
Château d'Aiguilhe: The château is a picturesque ruin, but the cellars are modern and the site is magnificent: a large vineyard in an even larger park. Stephan de Neipperg of Saint-Emilion's Château Canon La Gaffelière and Clos L'Oratoire bought the 40-hectare estate from a Catalan family in 1999. Yields are low, the winemaking is supervised by Stéphane Derenoncourt (see above) and matured using 80 percent new wood. The wine is fullish bodied, plump, rich and classy - one of the stars of the appellation.
Château Belcier: Having acquired Ramage La Batisse, in 1986, the insurance company MACIF took over at the 52-hectare Château Belcier, Les Salles de Castillon's senior estate, which was rather run down at the time. A large-scale renovation then took place, not only in the chai, but in the château and its park, without, thankfully, having to lose a magnificent pine tree, said to be more than 100 years old, which stands in the central courtyard. The wine is of medium weight, fruity and stylish. There is a tête de cuvée, Le Pin de Belcier, which is rich and oaky.
Château Cantegrive: The Doyard brothers, Pascal and Yannick, who are also vineyard owners in Vertus, in Champagne's Côtes des Blancs, produce a good wine under the Cantegrive label, and a tête de cuvée called de l'An 1453. Matured entirely in new wood, it is rich, succulent, and, not surprisingly, quite oaky. This is perhaps the best address in the commune.
Château Cap de Faugères: Cap de Faugères rests on a plateau which overlaps from Castillon's Sainte Colombe into the Saint-Emilion commune of Saint-Étienne de Lisse. The Guisez family has roughly half of their estate in each appellation. When Corinne and her husband, Péby, the film producer, acquired Cap de Faugères from cousins in 1987, there were only some 28 hectares under vine. Now there is a combined total of 60. The Castillon is hand-harvested, and stored partly in barrel, partly in tank, to preserve its freshness. The secret, though, is that the harvest is restricted to 36-40 hl/ha. This is an admirable modern set up. The wines are ripe, meaty, quite substantial, gently oaky and highly commendable.
Château de Chainchon: The 20-hectare Château de Chainchon has been in the hands of the Eresué family since 1846. In modern times, the Eresués were members of the local cooperative, but André Eresué managed to extricate himself in 1980. He ran the estate until he retired in 1996, when his son Patrick, who had been régisseur at Château Canon la Gaffelière in Saint-Emilion, took over. This was the first year the property made its tête de cuvée, Valmy Dubourdieu Lange, named after a grandfather. There are two other cuvées, the non-oak-aged basic and a Cuvée Prestige. Valmy is made using such modern techniques as micro-billage, bâtonnage and malo in barrel, with 50 percent new wood, as well as being from old vines in the best parts of the estate. It is a full-bodied, quite firm, rich, 100 percent Merlot wine with no lack of flair. The Cuvée Prestige is quite good, but it lacks a bit of generosity.
Château Côte Montpezat: Simply one of the best and best-regarded estates in the area. There is a medieval well and the château dates from the early 17th century. Dominique Bessineau acquired the 30-hectare property in 1989, and since then it has been thoroughly modernized. Harvesting is by hand, and the wine is matured roughly one-third in new barrels, one-third in one-year-old barrels and one-third in tank. I was not too excited by the 2000 on the only occasion I have seen it. But the track record of Château Côte Montpezat during the 1990s has been admirable as well as consistent.
Château Les Hauts de Granges: On a plateau at the border between Castillon and the Côtes de Francs, a scruffy farmhouse setup lies next to an elegant maison girondine. This 16.5-hectare estate has belonged to Luc Vincent, otherwise a farmer near Lille, since 1989. He is somewhat of an absentee landlord, descending one week per month. Most of the wine is sold off in bulk, or aged in tank prior to estate bottling. The traditional cuvée lacks sophistication. Better is the Cuvée Réserve, aged in barrel of which one-third is new. I have marked this well. The 2001 was supervised by a newly appointed enologue and I believe this is the start of a major improvement here.
Château Joanin-Bécot: Joanin is a hamlet in Saint Philippe d'Aiguilhe and it was here that the Bécots of Château Beauséjour-Bécot in Saint-Emilion bought 5.4 hectares in 2000, and another 4.5 the following year. The vines are of a respectable age, the yield is restricted to 42 hl/ha, and 60 percent of the barrels are new. The first results are promising.
Château de Pitray: In the middle of a 100-hectare domaine, most of which is a park with some splendid venerable trees - 100-year-old oaks and cedars - lies an absurdly magnificent mock Gothic-Renaissance pile, built in 1868. The same family, descendants both of the Ségurs and the Seigneurs of Pitray, have owned this 30-hectare estate since the 17th century. The vineyard lies in one piece, on slopes which face south, and is harvested mechanically. There are two cuvées. The basic is aged in tank; the Première in wood, of which one-third is new. This latter wine, if not the greatest Castillon, is certainly worth noting.
Château Poupille: At the eastern side of the commune of Sainte Colombe, just off the road that runs north from Castillon la Bataille up to the Côtes de Francs, you will find, what is in my view, Castillon's best estate. Jean-Marie Carrille bought it in 1967, and his son Philppe took over in 1993. There were ten hectares originally, but the vineyard has been extended to 16 since. The vines are closer together than is normal in these parts, hand-harvested and aged in wood, using one-third new. Philippe Carrille has tried micro-billage malo in barrel, and bâtonnage, but has reverted to more traditional methods, with elegant results. The best is called simply Poupille. It is a wine of real flair, quality and finesse: rich and succulent, intense and harmonious. It is not sold en primeur.
Château Robin: This is a highly regarded 12.6-hectare property, but one whose setup is artisanal in the extreme. Stéphane Asséo, the proprietor, lives in California, where he also has a vineyard. There is certainly nowhere for him to stay on the spot. The fruit is collected by hand, vinified in concrete vats, and undergoes malolactic fermentation and further ageing in barrel, one third of which is new wood. The wines are rich, meaty, profound and vigorous, with plenty of succulent fruit. Recommended.
Other Castillon estates of note: Châteaux Arthus, Labourrée, Clos L'Eglise, Clos Puy Arnaud, La Croix Lartigue, Fontbaude, Grand Peyrou, Grand Tuillac, Grimon, Lapeyronie, Les Rochers, Roque Le Mayne and Terrasson.
Francs' leading estates
Château les Charmes Godard: The 5.1-hectare Les Charmes Godard was the third and last of the Thienpont family's Côtes de Francs purchases, in 1988. The red is a neatly made, medium-bodied, fruity example, but not, however, as interesting as the Puygueraud (see below). But here is Francs' best white wine. It is vinified in barrel, most of which is new or newish oak, with subsequent bâtonnage over a period of eight months. Drink it reasonably young.
Château de Francs: Friends since their school days, Hubert de Boüard of Château Angélus and Dominique Hebrard (whose family used to be owners of Château Cheval Blanc) acquired the 31-hectare Château de Francs in 1985. They have since established it as the leading property in the appellation. The red wine is full bodied, rich and generous. Substantial parts of the original medieval château, plus later Renaissance additions, still remain.
Château Laclaverie: George Thienpont, father of the present owner, Nicolas, created and began to modernize this nine-hectare estate in the 1970s, the process being continued by his son after he retired. The first vintage was the 1985. Like Les Charmes Godard, the wine is plump, fruity and medium-bodied - a balanced wine for reasonably early drinking. A feature of the property is a splendid square tower dating from the 15th century.
Château La Prade: The 4.5-hectare Château La Prade used to belong to Patrick Valette, son of the late Jean-Paul of Saint-Emilion's Château Pavie. He made one of the best Côtes de Francs during the 1980s, but then sold out to Nicolas Thienpont in 2000. Under the latter's able management, high quality continues. There is both more substance and more depth than in the majority of the neighboring wines.
Château Puygueraud: The 32-hectare Château Puygueraud was the late Georges Thienpont's original Côtes de Francs base. He arrived here in 1946. For 30 years, he reared cattle and occupied himself with other farming activities on the site. It was not until the late 1970s that he started planting vines. His first vintage, the 1983, the year his son Nicolas joined him, was an instant success, which almost single-handedly put the appellation on the map, encouraging others to invest in the locality. Château Puygueraud remains the Côtes de Francs' best red wine: full, rich, classy and succulent.
Georges Thienpont died in 1997. In his memory, a super cuvée called "Georges" was launched in 2000. It contains more cabernet than the basic château wine, and plenty of malbec, an assemblage of which Georges Thienpont would have approved. I find this delicious, too.
Another Francs estate of note: Château Marsau.
Premières Côtes de Bordeaux
The Premières Côtes de Bordeaux run upwards on the right bank of the river Garonne between Saint-Maixant, south of Loupiac, to Bouliac, opposite Bordeaux, with an isolated piece outside the Bordeaux suburbs of Lormont, between the N10 autoroute and the N89 Bordeaux-Libourne highway. This consists of 37 communes. The name of the commune can be added to that of the appellation for reds with a natural alcohol level of 11.5 percent or higher. I have yet to see an example.
The southern half of the Premières Côtes from Baurech downwards is equally entitled to the appellation Cadillac: a semi-sweet white wine. Not all the growers declare under the Premières Côtes label. Many find the wine easier to sell as plain Bordeaux, which is the designation they have to sell the dry white wine under.
The soil structure is variable. To the north there is more gravel and sand, mixed with clay; to the south more marly soil, all on a limestone base. The plateau at the top of the slope plus the slopes themselves are the best locations for vines. Most of the more alluvial soil, down-slope from the D10 road which runs along close by the river Garonne, is excluded from the appellation. The farther one journeys inland, the more clay there is in the soil, and the less distinguished the wine. Hence the border, some five kilometers inland, between Premières Côtes and Entre-Deux-Mers.
This is a region which has seen a welcome renaissance in the last decade. There has been the arrival of enterprising outsiders such as Juha Berglund at Château Carsin, with his Australian winemaker, Mandy Jones. Others, such as the d'Halluins at Clos Bourbon, have arrived from elsewhere in France. Most producers now offer a prestige cuvée, aged with a proportion of new oak. Frequently, we now find Libournais enologues such as Louis Mitjaville (at Château Carignan) involved in the production of the red wines. Professor Denis Dubourdieu, who has his own estate in Béguey, Château Reyon, is another influence.
Leading estates of the Premières Côtes de Bordeaux
Domaine du Barrail: As you might expect from Yves Armand, the proprietor of one of the best wines in Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Château La Rame is a very good example of the local red wine. I have only seen the tête de cuvée, called La Charmille. The 1999 was a plump, thoughtfully oaked, forward wine with no hard edges. The 2000 was rather more serious, demanding five years in bottle. No lack of balance and elegance here.
Clos Bourbon: The 14-hectare Clos Bourbon, which lies half way up the hill above Paillet, was bought in 1994 by Michel Boyer of Château du Cros in Loupiac for his daughter and her husband, the present owners. The château, which dates from the 17th century, has been restored, at least in part, but with the d'Halluin's emerging family, it is definitely a home rather than a museum piece. I like the wines. The 2000 Cuvée Vieillie en fût de chène is soft, juicy, balanced with a touch of oak. The 1998, slightly more austere, is very good, too.
Château Brethous: The Verdiers arrived at this charming, 18th-century Chartreuse in 1964, totally replanted the 14-hectare vineyard and constructed an attractive, vaulted chai. The harvest is gathered by machine and largely vinified in tank. The Cuvée Prestige is partly aged in new oak (about one-third) and is a rich, fullish wine which ages in bottle well. The 1998 is an excellent example.
Château Carignan: The 60-hectare estate has long been one of the Premières Côtes' very best. The château dates from 1452, but the present owner, Philippe Pieraerts, who is now assisted by consulting enologue Louis Mitjaville, acquired the property in 1981. Their Cuvée Prima, from young vines, is made for early drinking. Lots of new wood here. The 1998 came out on top at a tasting of the vintage in February 2002. It is today lush and fat, even chocolatey in its youth.
Château Carsin: The firm Juha Berglund acquired Château Carsin in 1990 and has since enlarged it significantly. It now comprises 52 hectares. The wines, under the supervision of the Australian Mandy Jones, are well-made, consistent and sell for competitive prices. The Cuvée Noire, alternatively labeled as Cuvée Prestige Rouge, is aged partially in new wood and needs three years to round off. All the whites, sold as Bordeaux Blancs, are also very good. It produces a less oaky basic, a more oaky Cuvée Prestige and occasionally a 100 percent Sauvignon Gris.
Château La Chèze: This 16th-century maison noble was acquired in 1986 by Jean-Pierre and Claire Sancier, who replanted the 9.5-hectare vineyard and sold to the current owners, both qualified enologues, in 1997. They make a stylish, succulent wine, softly oaky in the élevé en fûts de chène version. The 1999 is good, the 2000 even better.
Château Langoiran: Just south of the village of Langoiran lie the ruins of the 12th-century château, a national monument. Hard by an elegant 18th-century Chartreuse is the present day Château Langoiran. The chais carved into the hillside are approached through the remnants of the old chapel. The Cuvée Prestige of this 20-hectare vineyard is rich and oaky, with no lack of weight. It has been improving. I prefer the 1999 to the 1998.
Château Laroche: Martine Palau is the driving force here. She and her husband bought the 22-hectare Château Laroche in 1976 and have since enlarged the vineyard. The 18th-century château, with its 16th-century tower, is fine; the wine, harvested mechanically and then aged partly in wood, partly in tank, is very well made. Even the basic is very good. The more oaky Château Laroche Bel Air is complex and delicious.
Château Malherbes: When Jacques Fritz was sole owner of this 12.5-hectare property, the wine was made by the Quinsac cooperative, of which he was chairman, and matured at Malherbes. When the Sanciers left Château Le Chèze to join him in 1997, a new cuverie was built and the chais modernized. It is from this time that the wine has been worth noticing. As well as the basic, the winery produces a cuvée élevé en fûts de chène. Both are good. The 2000s are better than the 1999s which themselves are superior to the 1998.
Château Mont-Perat: Château Mont-Perat is the Premières Côtes end of Jean-Louis Despagne's commanding empire. The wines here are made with the same passion and attention to detail as the Entre-Deux-Mers from Château Rauzan d'Espagne in Naujan-et-Postiac. The best cuvées here are labeled as Mont-Perat. But even the second label, Franc-Perat, is better than most. The white wines are excellent, too.
Château Plaisance: The château is a raised Chartreuse dating from the 18th century with the vineyards surrounding it, all in one piece. It has belonged to Sabine and Patrick Bayle since 1985. The wine is matured in cask in a splendid underground cellar and comes in four versions: a light merlot-based wine labeled Château Florestan, a Cuvée Tradition, a Cuvée Spéciale, and from the oldest vines, Cuvée Alix. All are of interest, and the two top wines are very good, indeed. A small amount of 35-year-old sémillon makes good dry white wines, both Tradition and Cuvée Alix, and even a little Cadillac when weather conditions permit.
Château Reynon: On the site of the old Château de Béguey, today's Château Reynon was constructed in 1848, but in the classical style. Jacques David, father of Florence Dubourdieu, bought it in 1958. Denis Dubourdieu, the distinguished professor of enology at Bordeaux University, took over when he married Florence in 1976. The red wine of this 37-hectare estate is rich and succulent, but what is of more interest to me is the Bordeaux Blanc Sec Vieilles Vignes. Rare in the region for being sauvignon- rather than sémillon-based, it was one of the first white Bordeaux to be made by modern methods (skin contact, élevage sur lie, bâtonnage, etc.) and with recourse to a minimum of sulfur. For this, if for nothing else, Denis Dubourdieu deserves a medal, or even a monument. Cadillac is produced in appropriate vintages.
Other Premières Côtes de Bordeaux estates of note: Châteaux La Bertrande, De Birot, De Chelivette, Du Grand Plantier, Du Juge, Lezongars, Puy Bardens and Suau.
The Bordelais were blessed with a superb year in 2000, and now this much-ballyhooed vintage has made its way onto retail shelves. The opportunity to explore the five Côtes in such a fine vintage should not to be missed. Especially as these heretofore overlooked Bordeaux begin to move out from the shadows and take their rightful place alongside their more esteemed classified brethren.
Clive Coates M.W. is author and publisher of the fine wine monthly magazine The Vine (for further details and a free sample issue write to The Vine, 76 Woodstock Road, London W4 1EQ, United Kingdom or fax (44) 0208 995 8943) and was Lanson Champagne Wine Writer of the Year (UK) in 1998/99. His latest book, An Encyclopaedia to the Wines and Domaines of France, was published in October 2000 (The University of California Press; $60); www.clive-coates.com.
