AOC Premières Côtes de Bordeaux wines awarded at the Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge

A.O.C./A.O.P.

The appellation area stretches over a 60 kilometre strip starting north of Bordeaux and ending in Langon. It embraces 37 towns and villages set amongst the rolling hills rising up from the Garonne, hence its name, which literally means ‘first hills’. Its south-east aspect provides maximum sunlight hours. Soil types are extremely varied, ranging from alluvial soils at the lowest elevations, calcareous clay on hillside sites, culminating in stony gravel at the highest elevations. The red wines are made traditionally at controlled temperatures. The whites are made from botrytised grapes (wine making techniques for sweet white).

Grape varieties: Vins rouges : Cabernet-sauvignon, Cabernet franc, merlot, malbec, petit verdot, carmenère. Vins blancs secs : sémillon, sauvignon, muscadelle

The wines of this appellation

The Premières Côtes de Bordeaux appellation features on labels of both red and sweet white wines. As a rule of thumb, the red wines have good depth of colour, are well-constituted, relatively robust and boast a finely woven texture. They display fragrances of red fruit and woody, toasted, spicy notes. Enjoy with roast young pigeon, roast beef… The white wines, sourced from the southern parts of the region, vary in sweetness from one vintage to another. They reward early drinking.