Appellation exploration

Since the turn of the year, I've noticed that I've started to become a bit more daring in my choice of wine regions. Having recently carried out an in-depth tasting of wines from the Riverland region in South Australia, it got me thinking of the other lesser-known areas under vine from which I've sampled wines in the recent past. Notable examples include a gorgeous southern French red from Latour de France AOC, a zippy Spanish Godello from DO Monterrei, as well as a liquor-laden Touriga Nacional from Portugal's Alentejo wine region. And that's not to mention some of the bottles I've got stashed away for future enjoyment (a Rothschild Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile's Colchagua Valley anyone?). I guess it's inevitable that lovers of wine will always want to explore and, as the palate develops, seek out new and exciting styles from the more unfamiliar of the world's many growing regions.

One wine region which certainly won't be unknown to any oenophile worth their salt is Bordeaux. An area steeped in history, wine has been produced in Bordeaux since Roman times in the 1st Century AD, and is today universally considered to be the fine wine region of our planet. However, although it is known as an area for the Châteaux Lafites and Margaux of this world, Bordeaux is also a producer of vast amounts of inexpensive, reasonable quality red wine, made in an accessible style by the region's Châteaux and négociants in some of the lesser appellations. One such appellation is the recently created Côtes de Bordeaux, which came into existence in October 2009 and united the previous appellations of Blaye, Francs, Castillon and Cadillac. The umbrella appellation covers an area of 11,000 hectares and is responsible for 10% of the production from the entire Bordeaux region. Aimed at increasing brand awareness in export markets, Côtes de Bordeaux is intended to represent a step up in quality from the basic Bordeaux AOC label and permits each sub-appellation to be named on the bottle, as well as allowing blending from across all four.

The wine I'm reviewing here is an example of a blend from across the sub-appellations, and as it was from the 2009 growing season, it represents the first vintage to don the Côtes de Bordeaux AOC designation. It's the Château Deville Côtes de Bordeaux 2009, purchased from Bacchus Wines, Olney at £9.95 (www.bacchus.co.uk). The winemaker Jean-Paul Deville is actually better known for his range of eponymous Champagnes, but since the mid-Eighties his estate has also been involved in Bordeaux, where it produces a white Entre-Deux-Mers and a rosé, as well as the red Côtes de Bordeaux tasted here. A Merlot-dominated blend, the wine is a mid-intensity ruby in appearance, just showing its age and fading to garnet at the rim. The nose is classic Bordeaux, and evokes the essence of the complex aromas of great old vintages from the region: slightly dusky and sultry, with prunes, plums and a dash of black pepper. The fruit on the palate is a little brighter (ripe plums and fresh nectarine) and gives the wine an accessible, fresh feel. The wine's tannins are well-integrated, and coupled with the medium body and decent weight, they go together to create a smooth and supple Claret. I'd be perfectly happy to spend an evening with the wine by itself, but it would also show well with the mellow, meaty flavours of a slow-cooked beef bourguignon.

On the whole, I thought the Château Deville was a good value wine which really showed what the lesser appellations of the most famous of French regions can do: that is, to provide 90% of the character of the Bordeaux First Growths at a fraction of the price. Of course, the Château Deville showed no complex secondary aromatics, nor did it provide the sort of lingering finish that persists for five minutes, but then you wouldn't expect it to at just shy of ten pounds. What you do get with this wine is a very good quaffer which would be an excellent introduction to anyone looking to understand the ethos and spirit of the wines of Bordeaux. Aside from anything else, the Château Deville Côtes de Bordeaux really goes to show the benefits of exploring different wine regions, even those which you thought you knew inside out. I, for one, will certainly be keeping an eye out for more wines from this up-and-coming appellation in the future.