Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AC [pruh-MYEHR koht duh bohr-DOH]

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Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AC
[pruh-MYEHR koht duh bohr-DOH]

Located in France’s BORDEAUX region, this AC extends for about 38 miles along the right bank of the Garonne River, across from the better-known APPELLATIONS of GRAVES and SAUTERNES. The Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AC applies to red, ROSÉ, and slightly sweet white wines. Because slightly sweet wines are no longer popular, the white wines are moving toward a drier style, but DRY wines can qualify only as BORDEAUX AC or BORDEAUX SUPÉRIEUR AC wines. The area is shifting to more red-wine production, which now accounts for about two-thirds of the total. Generally, red wines come from the appellation’s northern portion, and whites come from the southern part (particularly around the sweet-wine villages of CADILLAC and LOUPIAC). As with the rest of Bordeaux, the white-wine grapes are MUSCADELLE, SAUVIGNON BLANC, and SÉMILLON; red-wine grapes are primarily CABERNET FRANC, CABERNET SAUVIGNON, and MERLOT. Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AC wines are considered to be of good quality and improving as newly planted vineyards mature. Prices for these wines are relatively inexpensive.

Related Links: Bordeaux, appellation, Graves, Constantia WO

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