Situation and soil

The area is about 60km far from Bordeaux, South to the Cotes de Francs. It is a lovely region of green hills, valleys, small river ports and winding country roads which mark the end of the right bank's Eastern vineyards. The Castillon battle, near the village of Castillon-la-Bataille, put an end in 1453 to the terrible Hundred Years War between the Crown of England and the Kingdom of France. Only quite recently (1989), Cotes de Castillon was recognized as an AOC by the French authorities. The soils are considered as a natural prolongation of that of Saint Emilion. The vineyards tend to have clay soils which soak up a maximum sunlight. However a significant proportion of vines grow on gravely type of soils, contributing to the diversity of Cotes de Castillon wines.

Characteristics

For a long time, Castillon wines were only used as a complementary alternative to enhance Saint-Emilion blendings. A particularly dramatic effort was done by local wine growers in the 1970's to improve the overall quality of the production. In just a few years, Castillon became a serious competitor to other Right Bank’s wine growing areas. Today, a number of famous growers of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol have recognized the region's producing potential by investing in local wineries. The personality of Castillon’s wines are tannic in their youth, full bodied with rich fruity flavors.

Main wineries

Domaine de l'A, d'Aiguilhe, Brisson, Cap de Faugères, Clos l'Eglise,  Clos Puy Arnaud, Fompeyre, Guilhemanson, Pin-Beausoleil, le Pin de Belcier and La Tuque Bel-Air.
This is a non exhaustive list.

Varietals and technical data (*)

The average production, mostly in red, is of approx. 170,000 hl within a planted surface of 3,200 ha.

• Authorized yields: 50 to 66 hl/ha 
  Sugar (grams per liter of must): 171 gr minimum
  Base Alcoholic strength: 10.5% / 13%

Main grape variety:

• - Merlot (70%),
  - Cabernet-Franc (20%)
  - Cabernet-Sauvignon (10%)

(*) Sources:
· Bordeaux and its Wines - Ch. Cocks - Ed. Féret - 17th Edition,
· Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB)