Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

The place

Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux is 9 communes on the right bank of the Dordogne, above and around Castillon-la-Bataille: Belvès-de-Castillon, Castillon-la-Bataille, Gardegan-et-Tourtirac, Les Salles-de-Castillon, Sainte-Colombe, Saint-Genès-de-Castillon, Saint-Magne-de-Castillon, Saint-Philippe-d’Aiguille, and the part of Puisseguin that was the commune of Monbadon until it was merged in on January 1, 1989. The ground rises more than 110 meters from the water: sand and gravel near the river, clay on the lower slopes, and above them a lacustrine limestone known as the limestone of Castillon, lying on clayey and sandy molasse. About 2,300 hectares are in vine, worked by close to 200 families at some 10 hectares apiece.

The rules

Red only, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot, with Carmenère to 10% and Petit Verdot to 15% as accessory varieties. Malbec is never bottled by itself: here, as in every red of the Côtes de Bordeaux, it must be blended with another principal variety. At least 5,000 vines a hectare, in rows of no more than 2.50 meters and with vines no closer than 0.85 in the row, or 3 meters and 0.74 where the vines are trained on a lyre. 52 hectoliters a hectare with a ceiling of 62, and 11.5% of natural alcohol. The wine is raised until March 15 and sold from March 31 of the year after the harvest. The cahier des charges (the appellation’s official rulebook), the appellation’s official rulebook, homologated on June 4, 2026, also makes every grower calculate and record the treatment frequency index of his own plots.

The names

No classification touches Castillon. What it has instead is a name that has changed 2 times. It was recognized as Bordeaux-Côtes de Castillon on July 15, 1955 and became Côtes de Castillon on February 9, 1989. On October 29, 2009 a decree gathered 4 areas, Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon and Francs, into 1 appellation, Côtes de Bordeaux, where each survives as a place name that may be added to it; Sainte-Foy joined as the 5th in 2016. The base appellation, with no place name after it, is red only; the whites of the family are made under the place names. The plain below these slopes is where the battle of Castillon was fought in 1453.

Color

Red

Communes

9: Belvès-de-Castillon, Castillon-la-Bataille, Gardegan-et-Tourtirac, Les Salles-de-Castillon, Sainte-Colombe, Saint-Genès-de-Castillon, Saint-Magne-de-Castillon, Saint-Philippe-d’Aiguille, and the former Monbadon inside Puisseguin

Vineyard

About 2,300 hectares and close to 200 growing families, at some 10 hectares apiece; the whole Côtes de Bordeaux, more than 10,500 hectares, 1,000 growers, 500,000 hectoliters

Ground

Lacustrine limestone, the limestone of Castillon, over clayey and sandy molasse; more than 110 meters of relief

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot; Carmenère to 10%, Petit Verdot to 15%

The Malbec

Never bottled alone; always blended with another principal variety

Density

5,000 vines a hectare at least

Yield

52 hectoliters a hectare, ceiling 62

Alcohol

11.5% natural at least

Release

From March 31 of the year after the harvest

Farming

Every grower records the treatment frequency index of his plots

Classified

No classification

AOC since

July 15, 1955 as Bordeaux-Côtes de Castillon; Côtes de Castillon from February 9, 1989; a place name of Côtes de Bordeaux from October 29, 2009; cahier of June 4, 2026

Sources: FGVB, cahier des charges Côtes de Bordeaux, arrêté du 4 juin 2026 · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux