Fronsac

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical area lies on the right bank of the Dordogne, at its confluence with the Isle, in the northeast of the Gironde department.
• The relief is rugged, marked by several rocky promontories known as "tertres," the highest of which, the Tertre de Fronsac, rises to 76 metres overlooking the valley of the Isle and the Dordogne.
• The fairly steep hillsides and the proximity of the two rivers, the Dordogne and the Isle, help protect the vines from frost and from pockets of cold air.
• The vineyard is mainly planted on the molassic slopes of the Fronsadais, with brown calcareous soils, and on the plateau over Astérie limestone, with clay-limestone or clay-sandy soils.
• The "Castillon" limestone forms a generally wooded ledge that outcrops on the flank of the plateaus running along the Dordogne.
• The temperate oceanic climate, unpredictable in nature, can bring rainy autumn depressions in some years or warm, sunny late seasons in others, giving rise to a pronounced vintage effect.

• Charlemagne had the fortress of Franciacus, the camp of the Franks, built on the Tertre de Fronsac, over former Gallo-Roman fortifications, giving the region its name.
• Louis-François Armand du Plessis, known as "Fronsac," promoted the use of these wines at the court of Versailles in the 18th century, while Professor Henri Enjalbert described these hillsides as the historic cradle of the great wines of the Libournais.

• The wines are deep in colour, tinged with purple or ruby, with a powerful nose of red fruit aromas and notes that are often truffled, sometimes gamey or mineral depending on the nature of the soil.
• Their texture combines both robustness and elegance, which is a guarantee of excellent aging potential for these wines.

• The delimited plots allow for the optimal expression of local grape varieties, particularly Merlot, which is especially well suited to the clay-limestone hillsides.

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 10 décembre 2024 publié au JORF du 12 décembre 2024, JORF 12 décembre 2024
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — Syndicat Viticole de Fronsac