Blaye () is a
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
region in
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
, centred on the town of
Blaye
Blaye (; ) is a commune and subprefecture in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. For centuries, Blaye was a particularly convenient crossing point for those who came from the north and went to Bordeaux or fur ...
, producing both red and white wine, plus a small amount of rosé and sparkling wine. It is located on the right bank of the
River Gironde, and surrounds
Côtes de Bourg.
Appellations d'origine contrôlée
A number of different
Appellations d'origine contrôlée (AOCs) apply, or have previously applied, to Blaye. In 1936, 3 AOCs were created for this region: ''Blaye AOC'', ''Côtes de Blaye AOC'' and ''Premières Côtes de Blaye AOC''. These all covered the same geographical area, with ''Premières Côtes de Blaye'' including the most prestigious properties. These AOCs were revised in the 1990s, and ''Blaye AOC'' was used for the top reds (while still being used for some simple dry whites). In 2007, the AOCs were revised again. ''Blaye AOC'' is now exclusively red, and ''Côtes de Blaye AOC'' is exclusively white. ''Premières Côtes de Blaye'' has been absorbed into
Côtes de Bordeaux AOC, which covers both red and white wines, and may have the word ''Blaye'' appended, subject to stricter controls. Rosé wines are not covered by any of these AOCs, and must be sold under a
generic Bordeaux appellation.
Geography
The area is hillier than the
Médoc, rising to a height of over 70m above sea-level. The soil is mostly clay over limestone. The area under vines is around 7000 hectares. A little river, called ''Rau de Brouillon'' separates Blaye from the Bourgeais.
Wines
Red wine is made predominantly from
Merlot
Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...
,
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...
and
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...
, with small quantities of
Malbec
Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are ...
,
Petit Verdot
Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...
and
Carménère. White wine under the label ''Côtes de Blaye'' is made predominantly from
Colombard
Colombard (also known as French Colombard in North America) is a white French wine grape variety that may be the offspring of Chenin blanc and Gouais blanc. This makes the grape the sibling of the Armagnac Meslier-Saint-François and the nearl ...
and
Ugni blanc
Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it ...
, whereas white wine under the label ''Côtes de Bordeaux (Blaye)'' is made predominantly from
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...
,
Semillon and
Muscadelle. The red wines are fresh and fruity, and should be drunk relatively young, while the whites (which are usually dry) are light and softly fruity.
[Rowe, p104]
Châteaux
There is no classification for the châteaux of Blaye, and this is therefore necessarily a somewhat arbitrary list, but the following are considered noteworthy by one or other of the references:
Château du Grand Barrail, Château Barbé, Château le Menaudat, Château Segonzac, Château Bourdieu, Château l'Escadre, Château Bel-Air la Royère, Château Bertinerie, Château Haut-Bertinerie, Château Gigault, Château les Jonqueyres, Château Mondésir-Gazin, Château Rolande-la-Garde, Château Crusquet Sabourin, Château Les Moines, Château Gauthier
Notes
References
*
*
*
* {{cite book , last=Rowe , first=David , title=Collins Gem Wine Dictionary , year=1999 , place=Glasgow , publisher=HarperCollins Publishers
Bordeaux AOCs