Cotes de Castillon

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The Bordeaux wine region

The Côtes de Castillon wine-growing region is located in the Gironde department in France and is part of the Bordeaux wine-growing region . The area only received the status of an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC for short) on February 9, 1989 . Up until that date, the wines were marketed under the more general name Bordeaux Côtes de Castillon. Since then, the production conditions have been subject to stricter regulations, which should only be good for the general quality.

The area with around 3,000 hectares of vineyards is located immediately east of Saint-Émilion and Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion and forms the eastern end of the Bordeaux region. The area is directly connected to the Sud-Ouest wine-growing region with the wines of Bergerac . To the north of Côtes de Castillon, the Bordeaux-Côtes-de-Francs area connects. Every year around 179,000 hectoliters of wine are produced.

The appellation's vineyards are located in the nine municipalities of Belvès-de-Castillon , Castillon-la-Bataille , Saint-Magne-de-Castillon , Gardegan-et-Tourtirac , Sainte-Colombe , Saint-Genès-de-Castillon , Saint-Philippe -d'Aiguilhe , Les Salles-de-Castillon and Monbadon .

The appellation only applies to red wines . Almost 70% of the vineyards are occupied with the Merlot grape variety , other permitted varieties are Cabernet Franc (20%), Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec . The harvest restriction is 50 hectoliters / hectare, a value that is regularly exceeded at around 58 hectoliters / hectare. The planting density in the vineyard is at least 5000 vines / hectare. Old vineyards that have not yet reached this value will have to be replanted by 2025.

The colorful wines can be stored for about five to ten years and should be enjoyed at a drinking temperature of 16 to 18 ° C.

In the 1990s, many well-known chateaus from neighboring Saint-Émilion discovered this wine-growing region for themselves and bought individual wineries. For example, Château Clos Lunelles is now under the same management as Château Pavie or Château d'Aiguilhe in the same ownership as Château Canon-La Gaffelière . Since then, particularly high-quality red wines have been increasingly produced, which are very similar in quality and taste to those from the neighboring appellation Saint-Émilion.

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