Quality and Value in Bordeaux

Let us give you an inside track on the hidden gems of Bordeaux from the Super Satellites.

Following on from our intro to the region of Bordeaux, we are going to look at some of the lesser known areas where you can find real quality wines at great value. These are the satellite appellations of Bordeaux and they produce wines for all occasions, wines for drinking now and wines for laying down for years to come.

On the Right Bank of the Gironde, the village of Saint-Émilion is famous for producing wines dominant in Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  In this area the soil and terrain are perfect and the vines well-established, some over 100 years old, the wine makers and wine making skills are there in abundance.

Such is the success of the areas surrounding Saint-Émilion, some smaller satellite villages in the region, applied to have their name recognised alongside Saint-Émilion, on their wines. These satellite appellations are found on the outskirts of the main town, areas such as Lussac-St Émilion, Montagne-Saint Émilion, Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion and St Georges-Saint Émilion. Each display their own characteristics and great quality wines can be found here. These are not young vines, or new estates they are old established vines, on the same or similar soils to the more famous names, but without the price tags.

Saint-Émilion is not classified in the same way as the Médoc. These laws seem to change on a regular basis and it is so difficult to keep up to date with the French bureaucracy. This classification was reviewed every 10 years. In 2012 this included 18 Premier Grand Cru Classés and 64 Grand Cru Classés, plus others.

Lussac St-Emilion, is 45 kilometres from Bordeaux and about 9 kilometres from St Emilion, most of its estates are small family owed properties, producing mainly Merlot grapes, but also Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Try the impressive Croix de Rambeau.

Geographically speaking, Saint Georges Saint-Émilion is right next to the most famous plateau of the right bank and dates to Roman times. This is one of Bordeaux's most secretive appellations, with just 190 hectares and 20 producers. Château Cap d'Or from St Georges-Saint-Émilion is a fine example.

Cotes de Castillon, a large appellation due east of St. Emilion with 2,832 hectares under vine is one of the best known of the satellite appellations. More than 350 producers are making wine in the Cotes de Castillon appellation. The finest terroir and soils are located on the plateau which has large deposits of limestone and clay soils. Up on the hill lies Chateau Montlandrie owned by talented wine maker Denis Durantou, who also owns Chateau L'Eglise Clinet in Pomerol.

So come and chat to us about the hidden gems of Bordeaux, wines that don't make the front page of Bordeaux wine guides, but are certainly full of the quality you would expect from the region, but can be bought a fraction of the cost.

To really learn more about the wines, give us a call and book a place at our Discover Bordeaux evening on Thursday 19^th September, and taste for yourself.