THE APPELLATION
"Humblest of the Bordeaux vineyards , they may be, but the Cotes de Francs are nonetheless one of their most prestigious gems. For the moment, their wines shine only for themselves and a small number of connoisseurs .But their delicate , discrete beauty may well come to eclipse some of the better established names in years to come"
Jean Paul Kauffmann.
The origins of the region go back to the beginning of the 6th century. At the battle of Vouillé, Clovis I , king of the Franks, defeated Alaric II, King of the Visigoths, and seized the region of Aquitaine . A detachment of the Frankish army set up camp on this spot which became known as "Ad Francos" and then "Francs", the name of one of the three villages in the area covered by the appellation. While the regulation establishing the Cotes de Francs appellation dates back to 1967 only, the history of wine growing in this region rich in history can be traced back a lot further, as is shown in the maps drawn up by Belleyme in 1762, for example.
The birth of the appellation merely revealed the identity of a wine region that has stayed true to its singularity and personality.
Beyond the Saint Emilion satellite appellations, the Cotes de Francs lie on the eastern edge of the Gironde area, far from Bordeaux and the main roads. The landscapes are green and gently rolling-hillsides planted with vines and often topped by the ruins of old windmills looking down onto the meadows and poplar plantations in the bottom of the valleys.
The Cotes de Francs appellation is the smallest in the Bordeaux wine region. It covers 500 hectares of vines, made of a large number of small estates (there are 40 winegrowers here who farm less than one hectare). Everything is on a very pleasant, human scale, with three charming little villages nestled around their Romanesque churches.
Born officially in 1967 , the Bordeaux Côtes de Francs appellation remained practically unknown for many years. It was only in the middle of the 1980s that renowned vine-growers began to show an interest in the area and took up the challenge of developing it. The Côtes de Francs became a sort of promised land where the heirs to great wine families came to prove their worth and that of this most promising appellation. Dominique Hebrard , previously co-owner of Chateau Cheval Blanc , and Hubert de Boüard-owner and oenologist of Chateau Angélus-were among the first to arrive when they bought Chateau de Francs. Thanks to the efforts of these dynamic entrepreneurs, the Côtes de Francs have started catching up with their past glories of the last century, when their commercial value was on a par with that of the wines of Saint Emilion.
CHATEAU DE FRANCS
Towering above the landscape, Chateau de francs is an architectural marvel of the Middle Ages surrounded by a magnificent vineyard, and has now been entirely restored.
It was this magnificent estate with 40 hectares of vines planted on the famous clay-limestone soils similar to those on the Saint –Emilion plateau that led two childhood friends , Dominique Hebrard and Hubert de Boüard to buy the chateau.
Chateau de Francs was originally an important military stronghold controlled by the English from 155 to 1453, the date of the battle of Castillon. Only a part of the castle building were used as a residence for the lord, the rest being reserved for the soldiers who must have been in the region of 300 in number, along with their animals and retinue.
The Segur family placed their castle and arms at the service of the English, but were forced to sell later, once Aquitaine had become French again under King Henry IV.
Over the years, the Chateau gave up its purely military role and was transformed for residential purposes.
Today, a 17th –century gateway leads into a courtyard with the main residential building at the far side. Behind this building lies a second courtyard of which one of the sides is occupied by a 14th century edifice with a round towe.
THE VINEYARD
TECHNIQUES
Red Wines :
The harvests are carried partly by hand .The wine is made in stainless steel vats with
temperature control and plot-by-plot selection.
Maturing lasts 12 months in oak barrels of which 20% are renewed each year.
White wines :
The grapes are picked up by hand to select only the best. The wine is made in oak barrels,
of which 50% is renewed each year.
The wines are stirred during the first 8 months before being taken out of the barrels to be
bottled.
The wines of the Côtes de Francs are all reminiscent of each other: you will always find the same silky, almost unctuous texture so characteristics of the wines of the right bank of the Garonne River. Another particularity is their very mature aromatic notes, due to the fact that the estate owners in the area are always the last to start the harvests. The appellation is also the only one on the right bank to stand out for its white wines, which account for 10 to 20% of production.
CHATEAU DE FRANCS LES CERISIERS 2005Tasting notes :
Aromatic and flavoursome with lovely scents of small berries and raspberry, along with a slight chocolate note. Medium bodied with silky tannins and a smooth finish. Superb.
• Average production :
25,000 to 30,000 bottles (red wine production).
Château de Francs red 2005
THIS VINTAGE WAS AWARDED A GOLD MEDAL AT THE PARIS 2006 AGRICULTURAL SHOW
Tasting notes :
With its deep ruby-crimson colour, this great vintage releases spectacular aromas of ripe blackcurrant with a hint of redcurrant. On the palate it develops in stages, with roundness to the fore. If offers great complexity and is medium bodied and moderately tannic. The finish is also very rounded and long-lasting.
• Average production :
120 000 to 140 000 bottles (wine production).