Some of the lesser known vineyards inside the Bordeaux region are doing quite well, thank you very much, and you might want to get familiar with them since they ooze quality and the prices won’t send you running. We are all pretty in tune to the Medoc, St. Emilion, and to a lesser extent, Pomerol. Pessac-Leognan doesn’t exactly flow off the lips, but you probably know some of her famous estates by name! What about the Cotes de Bordeaux? These hills (cotes) produce about 10% of the wines in the region, but probably fly under your radar.

The Cotes are divided into four different, geographically separate areas. Castillion-Cotes de Bordeaux, once called Cotes de Castillon, is very close to St. Emilion and very well known in the US, thanks to wines like Cap de Faugeres and Ch. d’Aiguilhe, among others. Cadillac-Cotes de Bordeaux, previously named the Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, is making strong headway with bargains like l’Orangerie de Carignan 2010 ($13.99). The third area was formerly the Premiere Cotes de Blaye is now called the Blaye-Cotes de Bordeaux, and again offers solidly built wines loaded with that ‘Bordeaux thing’ at sensible prices. Lastly, the Francs-Cotes de Bordeaux (the old Cotes de Francs) is home to a few gems you should become familiar with. This appellation began in 1967, with some of the highest elevation vineyards in the entire region.

20 years before the Francs-Cotes de Bordeaux was granted appellation status, George Thienpont purchased Ch. Puygueraud. Thienpont, from Oudenaarde (Flanders) began replanting Puyguerauds’ vineyards in the 1970s, and produced the first wines there in the early 1980s. The Thienpont family is the true driving force behind the appellation. At present, members of the extended Thienpont family have influence all throughout the region, including Vieux Ch. Certan and the rare Le Pin in Pomerol, as well as Ch. Pavie Macquin, Ch. Larcis-Ducasse and Ch. Berliquet in St. Emilion and Ch. Puygueraud,  Ch. La Prade and Ch. Charmes Godard in the Francs-Cotes de Bordeaux.

Nicolas Thienpont purchased the Ch. Charmes Godard in 1988 and has pushed the quality of the estate forward in both the red and white wine. We currently offer the 2012 vintage of the Ch. Charmes Godard ($18.99) an excellent example of the style of the area. The Charmes Godard incorporates an unusually high proportion of Semillon (70%) old vines, of course, and near equal parts of Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle—so expect depth and richness, backed by a judicious but well-integrated 25% new oa….rather than a Sauvignon Blanc dominated white, typical of the Bordeaux region.

Shayne Hebert, Central Florida Wine Supervisor

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