TERROIR PROFILE
Blaye & Bourg
Gironde hills, Merlot & Malbec
Blaye & Bourg: citadel hills facing the Médoc — honest Bordeaux for every day.
Climate, site & wine
Clay and limestone, in places with gravel, form the soils; Merlot dominates. Côtes de Bourg has the highest concentration of Malbec in Bordeaux, alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The hills provide good drainage, the river a balancing climate.
The wines are juicy and Merlot-led, with red and dark berries, soft tannin and a round texture; they are accessible earlier than Médoc wines. The style is fruit-driven and medium-bodied.
TERROIR PROFILE · Bordeaux
Blaye & Bourg Gironde hills, Merlot & Malbec
Blaye & Bourg: citadel hills facing the Médoc — honest Bordeaux for every day.
SOILS
Loambody-rich, velvety
Loamy soils give wines volume and a soft, velvety mouthfeel.
Limestoneprecise, mineral
Limestone delivers tension, structure and a cooler, more mineral character.
Gravel / Sandlight, approachable
Gravel and sand drain heavily — vines struggle for water, wines turn fine, light and elegant.
CLIMATE · Maritime
Oceanic climate on the broad bank of the Gironde opposite the Médoc; the large body of water moderates frost and heat. Ripening is mid-season and autumn is usually moderate. Bourg lies on the bank of the Dordogne shortly before its confluence with the Garonne to form the Gironde.
TOPOGRAPHY · moderate
Hill country on the right bank of the Gironde and the Dordogne; because of its hills and valleys, Bourg is nicknamed the 'Petite Suisse girondine'. The citadel of Blaye (Vauban, UNESCO World Heritage since 2008) stands above the river, and vineyards are spread over knolls and slopes.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Médoc & Haut-Médoc
Bordeaux
100% similar
- Blaye & Bourg and Médoc & Haut-Médoc share a strikingly similar fingerprint — the differences lie in soil and grape varieties.
Lalande-de-Pomerol
Bordeaux
100% similar
- Blaye & Bourg and Lalande-de-Pomerol share a strikingly similar fingerprint — the differences lie in soil and grape varieties.
Wineries on this terroir
See all 28 →This terroir's soils in the glossary