Blaye () is a

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

region in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

, centred on the town of

Blaye Blaye (; oc, Blaia ) 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 Bordea ...

, 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, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, 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 n ...

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 The Carménère grape is a wine grape variety originally planted in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France, where it was used to produce deep red wines and occasionally used for blending purposes in the same manner as Petit Verdot. A member of t ...

. 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 is the offspring of Chenin blanc and Gouais blanc.winepros.com.au. This makes the grape the sibling of the Armagnac Meslier-Saint-François ...

and Ugni blanc, whereas white wine under the label ''Côtes de Bordeaux (Blaye)'' is made predominantly from Sauvignon blanc, Semillon and

Muscadelle Muscadelle is a white wine grape variety. It has a simple aroma of grape juice and raisins like grapes of the Muscat family of grapes, but it is unrelated. DNA analysis has indicated that Muscadelle is a cross between Gouais blanc and an unid ...

. 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