The Côtes de Bordeaux is understood as the merger of four appellations, namely Côtes de Castillon, Côtes de Blaye, Côtes de Franc and 1er Côtes de Bordeaux. This was done with the intention of making the Bordeaux appellations clearer and thus more marketable and has resulted in an provenance totaling about 11,000 hectares. Perhaps the most important contribution was made by the Côtes du Castillon, which had been one of the up-and-coming regions at least since the acquisition of Château d'Aguilhe by Stefan Graf Neipperg, owner of the famous Château Canon-La-Gaffelière in Saint-Émilion.
The Côtes de Bordeaux are mostly on the right bank of the Dordogne River, but some are opposite on the left bank, bordering the vineyards of the highly renowned Saint-Émilion region to the west. The range of grape varieties includes the classic varieties of the Bordelais. However, since the soils here are limestone and calcareous clay, Merlot occupies the largest area, with the remainder distributed among Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.
In the past, the now-merged regions were suppliers of inexpensive mass-produced wines, but in recent years some producers, most notably Château d'Aguilhe, have proven that there is great ageing potential in this region.
The wines are developing steadily but so far remain reasonably priced.
