Ep 506: The Wines of the Côtes de Bordeaux -- The Secret Best Value Wines of the Region

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)

Map: Côtes de Bordeaux

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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Sources:

• http://www.bordeaux-cotes.com/en/home/
• https://www.vin-blaye.com
• https://www.cadillaccotesdebordeaux.com
• http://www.castillon-cotesdebordeaux.com/en/
• "Inside Bordeaux" Jane Anson,