Côtes de Duras

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical zone forms an extension of the Entre-Deux-Mers plateau, situated 70 kilometres east of Bordeaux and midway between the valleys of the Garonne and the Dordogne.
• The plateau, facing due south, has been carved by a drainage network formed by the Dousset stream to the west, the Dourdèze in the centre, and the Malromé and the Escourrou to the east.
• The lower slopes are composed of the molasses of the Fronsadais, which have given rise to brown clay soils, sometimes clay-gravelly, planted to vine only in the frost-safe sectors of the Dropt valley.
• At mid-slope, the Castillon limestone outcrops — white, chalky, and more or less fissured — bearing very thin rendzinas at the surface where cultivation is difficult, a domain of juniper heathland.
• At the top of the Agenais molasses, the white limestone of the Agenais outcrops very locally — hard and cavernous — culminating as a plateau over the communes of Loubès-Bernac and Soumensac, and carrying decalcification clays.
• The oceanic climate brings rainfall spread throughout the year, with a winter peak and a peak in May, and mild spring temperatures that favour an early start to the growing season.

• The civil court of Agen ruled on 28 June 1927 in a dispute over the denomination, defining the wines of Duras as fruity, full-bodied wines with a character that reveals their origin.
• From 1970 onwards, dry white wines made from Sauvignon became the flagship products of the region, while advances in fermentation temperature control — made possible notably through cooperative investment — allowed wines with distinctive aromas to be produced.
• The appellation d'origine contrôlée Côtes de Duras was recognised on 16 February 1937 for white wines and red wines.

• The dry white wine presents two distinct styles: one very fruity and fresh, with dominant aromas of boxwood or blackcurrant bud based on Sauvignon, the other fuller-bodied thanks to Muscadelle and Sémillon.
• The medium-sweet white wines, made mainly from Sémillon, are generally rich and concentrated without excess, with aromas of ripe fruit, sometimes candied fruit.
• The red wines combine the suppleness and roundness of Merlot and Côt with the tannic power of Cabernet franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, with malolactic fermentation mandatory before bottling.
• The rosé wines, dry and generally produced from blends, may be made by direct pressing, short maceration, or saignée, with a pleasant fruitiness and appealing freshness.

• The decalcification clays and sunny late seasons favour the ripening of the black grape varieties, lending the red wines a solid tannic backbone.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 28 juillet 2025 publié au JORF du 30 juillet 2025, JORF 30 juillet 2025
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — IVBD — Vins de Bergerac & Duras