The appellation of the same name (also Blayais) in the Bordeaux region is located on the right bank of the Gironde estuary, opposite the Médoc to the west. Viticulture here can be traced back to Roman times. The area is also famous for the Par-Non-Pair caves with prehistoric rock paintings, which are considered as important as those at Lascaux (in south-west France). The vineyards cover around 6,500 hectares of vines on mainly clay-limestone and clay-gravel soils with ferruginous sandstone in the subsoil.
In 2009, the umbrella appellation Côtes de Bordeaux was created, the red wines are now produced under the appellation Blaye - Côtes de Bordeaux from the red wine varieties Merlot (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Cabernet Franc and Malbec (Cot), as well as small quantities of the autochthonous Béquignol Noir and Prolongeau (Bouchalès). The Premières Côtes de Blaye appellation was used for red wines with a higher alcohol content until the 2008 vintage; it was abandoned in favour of Blaye - Côtes de Bordeaux.
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Thorsten Rahn
Restaurantleiter, Sommelier, Weindozent und Autor; Dresden