Côtes du Marmandais is a satellite district of the Bordeaux wine region in Southwest France. It owes its name to the town of Marmande at its centre, which Lies on the North bank of the Garonne. The appellation AOC Côtes du Marmandais covers red, white and rosé wines produced from grapes grown in defined areas of the parishes around Marmande. The Garonne River divides the Marmande district into two Parts, the north and the south, which are eastern extensions of the Entre-deux-Mers and Graves regions respectively.
The northern part has the clay-limestone soils of Entre-Deux-Mers, in which Merlot grows well, while the gravels provide excellent growing conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The alluvial silts of the plateaus are also suitable for wine growing. The quality of the wines produced in the Côtes du Marmandais has steadily improved over the last few decades, with the prestige of Bordeaux having reached its current peak and the region having obtained its own appellation contrôlée in 1990. Previously, its wines were labelled with the less prestigious VDQS designation.
Ribs have travelled a long way! In the Middle Ages it was indeed cultivated in the Yonne region. In Bordeaux, it was used in the production of vins clairets and was present in the Loire Valley where today it is only used in the AOC Touraine and Rosé d'Anjou. It goes by different names: Malbec in Bordeaux or Auxerrois in Cahors, in the Quercy vineyards, where it flourishes.it is a very old red grape variety with medium-sized bunches and berries with melting, juicy and sweet flesh. Very sensitive to frost, disease and temperature changes, it is very productive if preserved and if it reaches a good maturity.côt is used in the vineyards of several major appellations such as the AOC Médoc, Graves, Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Bergerac, Pécharmant, Buzet, Malepère, Marcillac... Wines made from this grape variety are fruity, tannic, deep in colour and have good ageing potential Cultivated on a surface of 5.000 hectares in France, the côt is also very present in Argentina and Chile.
wines from the region of Côtes du Marmandais go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or poultry such as recipes of beer goulash, navarin of lamb or basque chicken.
On the nose in the region of Côtes du Marmandais often reveals types of flavors of tropical fruit, cherry or oaky and sometimes also flavors of red fruit, black currant or cheese. In the mouth in the region of Côtes du Marmandais is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.
