As William Kelley recently observed, the Médoc’s non-classified growths are experiencing “a golden age of wine quality,” thanks to “progressive viticulture, more precise winemaking and a warming climate.” This is just as true for the wines of the Right Bank.
Distinct differences distinguish these two major production zones, traditionally defined by which side of the water they lie on. Properties on the Right Bank tend to be much smaller in size than those of the Médoc. There are differences in topography, too, as the Right Bank is hillier than the relatively flat Médoc. Geology defines the dominant grape variety for each of the two zones: on the Right Bank, clay and limestone prevail, so Merlot is favored, complemented by increasing percentages of Cabernet Franc. Gravel dominates on the Left Bank, and its affinity for Cabernet Sauvignon means that this is the principal grape on the Left Bank. Yet despite such fundamental differences between the two areas, both exhibit the same dynamic of progressive viticulture and more precise winemaking that is the calling card of contemporary Bordeaux.
The Right Bank, in particular, however, has long been a hotbed of innovation and audacity, serving as a testing ground for producers, winemakers, consultants and enologists eager to push the boundaries. Sometimes that has resulted in extreme, caricatural styles; but at the best addresses, today’s Right Bank wines offer remarkably authentic and transparent interpretations of their terroirs. The very diversity of Right Bank landscapes and soils—ranging from the famous limestone plateaus surrounding the picturesque hilltop town of Saint-Emilion to the gravel-rich terroirs on the flatter land to the west—contributes to make this area a crucible for change and experimentation. This heterogeneity is, in fact, one of the strengths of the Right Bank and its raft of small appellations, many of which remain too little-known even among wine enthusiasts.
When the lower-priced wines from such relatively obscure appellations do garner media attention, it is often as examples of excellent value for money, and deservedly so. Yet they also merit our attention in their own right for the considerable efforts made by leading winegrowers to improve quality and enhance terroir transparency. These wines are indeed first and foremost wines expressing a sense of place. Thanks to sharp-eyed observation of their vines and hard but precise work in the vineyards and in the cellar, these passionate winegrowers are producing superb terroir-driven wines expressing an inimitable Bordeaux character. Some even manage to do better than certain well-known Saint-Emilion Grand Cru producers who tend to pay more attention to fashionable winemaking trends than to their terroirs.
The market, however, struggles to do justice to wines like these. In the aforementioned article, Kelley also describes the workings of the place de Bordeaux. In its unique way, the place embodies Adam Smith’s “invisible hand.” Like it or not—and it has been the target of criticism in the past—this three-tier system might be described, with apologies to Churchill, as the worst system that has been tried, except all others. A growing trend is that the place is distributing more and more wines from outside Bordeaux, be it Champagne or international prestige brands. Yet within the region itself, outside a select club of flagship châteaux, a whole segment of outstanding Bordeaux wines is no longer effectively distributed by the place—or by the press.
This ongoing series is devoted to the forgotten Bordeaux, what we call “the other Bordeaux,” and this report covers the Right Bank. It focuses on a few appellations near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol within the territory known as the Libournais: Lalande-de-Pomerol, Castillon-Côtes-de-Bordeaux, Francs–Côtes de Bordeaux, Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac. In the next installment, we will explore the appellations of Graves and the regional Bordeaux AOCs (Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur), especially those wines from the area lying between the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers, known as Entre-deux-Mers.
Pomerol and Saint-Émilion cast long shadows over their so-called “satellite appellations,” but the latter are rich with interest in their own right. Lalande-de-Pomerol is a natural extension of its more-famous neighbor, as it shares similar clay and gravel soil types, whereas Saint-Emilion’s limestone plateau extends into the attractive hillside landscapes of the Castillon-Côtes-de-Bordeaux, though some sectors have their own geological mix of alluvial soils. Some of the high-profile producers of Pomerol and Saint-Emilion are also property owners in Lalande-de-Pomerol and Castillon-Côtes-de-Bordeaux, and their wines tend to get most of the media attention.
Further north can be found the Francs-Côtes-de-Bordeaux. This appellation produces lovely white as well as red wines from soils that unite clay and chalky limestone.
Special mention, however, goes to two visually attractive appellations of stunning pastoral beauty that lie west of Pomerol: Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac. For as long as I can remember, both have regularly been described as the rising stars of the Bordeaux region; yet despite their very real merits, they have repeatedly and regrettably failed to win brand recognition among consumers. Vindication for Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac’s champions may now at last be on the horizon, as today’s offerings are so strong that their quality is unmistakable.
The terroirs here benefit from a rich mix of soils that are ideal for producing red wines with real depth and character. Clay and limestone abound, but there are also pockets of a rare and coveted soil type found at some leading Saint-Emilion estates but whose name comes from Fronsac: molasse du Fronsadais, a well-draining bedrock of clay, chalk and sandstone. It isn’t for nothing that Henri Enjalbert, celebrated professor of wine geology at the University of Bordeaux, once praised Fronsac as “the historical cradle of the great Bordeaux and Libournais wines.”
This patchwork of so-called satellite appellations exemplifies the extraordinary diversity of Bordeaux. Readers will discover seductive wines at very attractive prices that possess depth, elegance and freshness. They embody the region’s contemporary classicism, born of a compelling alliance between tradition and innovation that delivers stunning fruit purity, balance and controlled power.
