Fronsac (; oc, Fronçac) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Gironde department in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in southwestern France. The town gave its name to the

Fronsac AOC Fronsac is a wine growing region named after the commune of Fronsac on the right bank of the Gironde estuary in Bordeaux. It includes the following communes: La Rivière, St.-Germain-la-Rivière, St.-Aignan, Saillans, St.Michel-de-Fronsac, ...

wine.

Geography

The commune is situated in the and is bordered on the south by the river

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...

and on the east by the river Isle, which separates it from

Libourne Libourne (; oc, label= Gascon, Liborna ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Ém ...

. Fronsac is 40 km northeast of

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 ...

and 5 km northwest of

and the Saint-Émilion and

Pomerol Pomerol (; oc, Pomairòus) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine near Bordeaux in southwestern France. Wine With only . Pomerol is the smallest wine producing area in the Bordeaux region. It is more a community where t ...

appellations.

History

Fronsac's

mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher ...

owes its history to its privileged position. It was the site of the Gauls' market, the Romans erected an altar there, and

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

built a fortified camp on the mound ("Franciacus") in 769, where the Basques led by duke Lupo came to pledge allegiance to the Frankish King after

Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Janu ...

's submission. In 849, Fronsac was pillaged by Hasting, the chief of the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

. The Marechal of Richelieu had a "''

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

''" built there, to an extravagant architectural design, where he held courtly entertainments. As word spread of these events, the renown of Fronsac's wines was carried with it to the Court of

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

. In the 18th Century, the names of Fronsac and Canon Fronsac enjoyed a very good reputation. It was at this time that the concept of " cru" first appeared in the

Libournais The wine regions of Bordeaux are a large number of wine growing areas, differing widely in size and sometimes overlapping, which lie within the overarching wine region of Bordeaux, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the ...

Population

Administration

Sights

* Saint-Martin's Church, which is classed as a '' Monument historique'', (historical monument).

Personalities

* Guillaume-Sanche de Pommiers, Sire of Pommiers, Viscount of Fronsac * Joachim Rouhault de Gamaches

International Relations

* Fronsac is twinned with Pasiano di Pordenone.Directory of Twinned Towns and Cities
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Wine

Situated on the right bank of the Gironde River, the commune is an appellation in itself, as well as a sub-appellation, Canon-Fronsac AOC.

References

External links

Fronsac wine information
Communes of Gironde {{Gironde-geo-stub