If you're looking for a silky smooth Bordeaux, full of luxurious Merlot then the first name on most people's lips will almost certainly be St. Emilion. However, if you're looking for those same flavours but at a lower price tag then look no further than Côtes de Castillon.
Choose to visit a few properties in the part of the appellation closest to its border with St. Emilion. Some years ago I had the fortune to visit Vieux Chateau Saint Magne the property of M. Roux and had one of those unforgetable experiences that make it all worth while.
It was a scorchingly hot August day and we'd located the property which straddles the border between Côtes de Castillon and St. Emilion, selling a range of both AC's wines. At the front of the house was a long table with a checked plastic table cloth, under some trees. After exchanging pleasantries with M. Roux we sat in the welcoming shade and prepared to sample the wines. After tasting and selecting the 1995 Côtes de Castillon we followed M. Roux and his son to the outbuildings where the wine was stored.
Inside the building was an enormous hole starting about 1 metre from the front wall beyond which was a ground floor store room. They were building a new below ground cellar but the hole was a bit in the way. To get to the wine that we had requested M. Roux's son took a ladder, climbed down the near side of the hole, took the ladder to the other side of the hole, climbed up, boxed the wine and then repeated the trip in reverse. Once the wine was safely at the near side of the hole it was taken out of the box as it had no labels or capsules, just a year stamped into the top of the cork.
The labelling and capsuling machines were old but functional, however, there was only one power point so the machines had to be plugged in one at a time! Eventually we said our farewells to the Roux family and left with our wine safely stowed in the car.
Appellation: Appellation Côtes de Castillon Controlée(since 1989)
Location: Right bank of the Dordogne river
Places: St Magne de Castillon, Castillon la Batille and 7 other villages
Soil: Sandy gravels and clayClayey-limestone
Size: 2,900 ha (7,500 acres)
Vineyards: Most of the domains are less than 10 ha (25 acres)
Production: 22 million bottles (No white wine)
Grapes in Côtes de Castillon: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec
Type of wine: Red wine
Age: 2 to 5 years
Vintages:(recommended) 2005, 2003
Aromas: Strawberry; Dried plum; Vanilla
Côtes de Castillon and Food: Grilled red meat; Spare ribs; Turkey; Leg of lamb
Côtes de Castillon and Cheese: Cantal; Salers; Tomme de Savoie
