Fronsac AOC

The appellation named after the commune of the same name (until 1976 it was called Côtes de Fronsac) for red wines only is located in the French region of Bordeaux to the west of the two areas of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. From the 17th to well into the 19th century, the wines from Fronsac were more important than those from its now dominant neighbour Pomerol, from which it is separated only by the small tributary of the Dordogne, the Isle. Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642) introduced wine to the French royal court. The vineyards cover around 1,000 hectares of vines on limestone and calcareous clay soils in the seven communes of Fronsac, La Rivière, Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière, Saint-Michel-de-Fronsac, Saint-Aignan, Saillans and parts of Galgon. Around 300 hectares of the two municipalities Fronsac and Saint-Michel-de-Fronsac with a particularly homogeneous terroir and excellent exposure (sunlight) have the right to the designation Canon-Fronsac (or Côtes de Canon-Fronsac). The picture shows the view over the Dordogne to the appellation 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.

View over the Dordogne: by Walileku at de.wikipedia - Own work, Public domain, Link
Map: By Domenico-de-ga from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Changes by Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer 2017