Expert’s choice: Fronsac & Canon-Fronsac

When it comes to getting bang for your buck on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, many in the know choose to start in the appellations of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac.

Situated 35km northeast of Bordeaux and 4km northwest of Libourne, these Merlot-centric sister sub-regions are inevitably overshadowed by their renowned Right Bank neighbours St-Émilion and Pomerol, and the wines have generally lower price tags as a result – despite similar soil types and taste profile.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from these overlooked Bordeaux regions

From the Romans to today

Both appellations have winemaking histories that date back to Roman times. Between the 12th and 15th centuries, when Bordeaux was governed by the English, their wines were popular in London.

In 1925, some of the local growers divided into two syndicats – the Côtes de Fronsac and the Côtes de CanonFronsac – along local geographical lines (the latter sat between the villages of Fronsac and St-Michel-de-Fronsac), which eventually provided the official names for the appellations. Fronsac received its original AOC status in 1937 and Canon-Fronsac was similarly formally recognised two years later.

The late Professor Henri Enjalbert, a specialist in wine geology from the University of Bordeaux, once described the Fronsac area as ‘the historic cradle of the great Bordeaux wines of Libourne’.

Today, Fronsac covers about 800ha of vineyards, draped across a gently rolling landscape atypical for the region, and consists of seven communes: Fronsac, St-Michel de Fronsac, St-Aignan, La Rivière, St-Germain-de-la-Rivière, Saillans and Galgon. About 5 million bottles are produced annually, from roughly 100 wineries.

Canon-Fronsac, meanwhile, effectively sits within the larger Fronsac AP, with which it shares its two communes, Fronsac and St-Michel-de-Fronsac, and producers located within these two communes can opt to use either the Fronsac or Canon-Fronsac designation on their label. Its 40 or so wineries produce about 2 million bottles a year from a vineyard area of roughly 250ha.

Soil and style

Little divides the two appellations. Their soils are similar, although those of Canon-Fronsac show less diversity in soil types, and Canon-Fronsac also enjoys slightly better exposure, with more of its slopes facing south. The best wines show some airiness in their structure, with pronounced minerality due to the local soil type.

The soils mostly consist of limestone and clay-over-limestone, the former dominant on the hilltops and plateaus, and the so-called Fronsac molasses, an iron-rich mixture of chalk, clay and sand, found on the slopes and foothills.

The wines often exhibit ripe fruit flavours, balanced acidity and firm tannins, with Merlot the dominant grape variety in the blends, as in many other Right Bank appellations.

The grape accounts for almost 80% of plantings, and the remainder is shared between Cabernet Franc (almost 15%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (less than 10%). A few estates also include a dash of Malbec in the blend, although the grape isn’t widely planted.

Yes, these wines lack the level of recognition that those from the more prestigious appellations St-Emilion and Pomerol attract, but they can offer excellent value for money, and similar characteristics in the glass.

The Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac appellations also have a keen commitment to sustainability. Today, 30% of the area under vine is either certified organic or in conversion, and the percentage of estates with high environmental value status has also reached 70% within the two appellations.

Lin Liu MW picks Fronsac & Canon-Fronsac wines to try:

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