Expert’s choice: Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 2016

On the east of the Right Bank’s grouping of Merlot-centric appellations, the slopes of Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux are home to some of the region’s best-value reds. James Lawther MW picks his top 18

Check the names of the investors in Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux over the past 20 years, and you’ll see that the region clearly has something to offer. Right Bank heavyweights such as Stephan von Neipperg of Château Canon La Gaffelière (at Château d’Aiguilhe), Gérard Perse of Pavie (Clos Lunelles), the Bécots of Beau-Séjour Bécot (Château Joanin Bécot), Denis Durantou of L’Eglise-Clinet (Château Montlandrie) and the Thienponts of Le Pin (L’Hêtre) have been seduced by the region

– and with good reason. The 2,300ha appellation is basically a prolongation of the St-Emilion hillslopes, with vineyard prices that are 10 times less expensive.

The appellation takes its name from the riverside town of Castillon-la-Bataille, the scene of the 1453 battle that ended English rule in Aquitaine. Until the 1930s the wines were sold under the label St-Emilionnais or Près St-Emilion before the name Castillon was denoted. St-Emilion itself lies to the west, and the St-Emilion satellites (Montagne, Puisseguin, Lussac) demarcate the

appellation’s northern border, with the Dordogne river to the south and Dordogne département to the east.

As an extension of the St-Emilion hills, Castillon has a similar profile in terms of terroir and grapes. However, it has a higher percentage of clay, a larger forested surface area and a more twisted, undulating terrain culminating at 120m. About 20% of the vineyards are located on the silty Dordogne plain; the rest are on the limestone-clay slopes of the plateau. Merlot is dominant, to the tune of 70%, with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Factoring in the more easterly location in Bordeaux, temperatures are a touch cooler, making this a laterripening zone. This can result in high acidity and robust tannins, but growers have worked hard in recent years to improve ripeness and alleviate these potential problems. South-facing vineyards are, of course, also at a premium.

Though investors from Pomerol and St-Emilion have attracted the spotlight with their knowledge, experience and deep pockets, Castillon has remained a fairly cohesive appellation with a story to tell and enough colourful individuals to provide interest. A quarter of the producers are now organically or biodynamically certified – 28% if you include those in conversion – and the family-oriented feel of the Right Bank still persists.

Continuing the list of notable producers, Jean de Boigne carries on his family’s 600-year ownership of Château de Pitray. Then there’s international winemaking consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt with his own Domaine de l’A, old-vine specialist Pascal Lucin at Clos Louie, and Britain’s Direct Wines mail-order king Tony Laithwaite at Château La Clarière Laithwaite.

At its best, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux is a wine that is rich and full with a firm, fresh finish and the potential for mid-term ageing. The simplest wines tend towards a briary fruitiness and should be consumed early. The appellation has much to offer, and at an affordable price.

James Lawther MW is a contributing editor to Decanter and an independent wine writer, lecturer and tour guide based in Bordeaux