Fronsac AOC

The appellation named after the village of the same name (until 1976 Côtes de Fronsac) is located in the Bordeaux region to the west of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Until well into the 19th century, the wines from Fronsac were more important than those from today's dominant neighbour, Pomerol. The vineyards cover around 1,000 hectares of vines in the communes of Fronsac, La Rivière, Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière, Saint-Michel-de-Fronsac, Saint-Aignan, Saillans and parts of Galgon. Parts of the two communes of Fronsac and Saint-Michel-de-Fronsac with a special soil have the right to be called Canon-Fronsac (or Côtes de Canon-Fronsac).

The tannin-rich, long-lasting red wine is blended from Merlot (with usually at least 85%), Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec (Cot). These are the typical grape varieties of the rive droite (right bank). As in the Pomerol area, there is no Grand Cru classification. Well-known wineries are Château Canon, Château Canon de Brem, Château Canon Moueix, Château Dalem, Château de Carles, Château Fontenil, Château de la Dauphine, Château La Grave, Château la Rivière, Château La Vieille Cure, Château La Villars, Château Mayne-Vieil, Château Moulin-Haut-Laroque and Château Villars.

Map: By Domenico-de-ga from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, link.
Changes by Norbert Tischelmayer 2017