Wine 

History: The area of the canton of Targon consists of vineyards that have been cultivated since ancient times, with this activity being mentioned in Latin Scripts.  The whole area is extremely important for wine and is much is written about the grapes and different grape varieties. Following the Roman invasion, the building of the ‘Sauve-Majeure’ Abbey and the clearing of land by the monks, the vines became established from the 11^th Century onwards.  Numerous sculptures showing reference to wines decorate the many, small Romanesque churches, notably at Arbis, Courpiac, Targon and Saint-Pierre-de-Bat.

Geography: Geographically located at the heart of the Entre-Deux-Mers and situated between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, the soils of the Canton comprise of clay and chalk or clay and sand with an underlying bank of limestone.  The combination of grape variety, soil and sub-soils, climatic conditions and the expertise of the wine producers impart particularly high quality in the wines of the region.

 Wine Production:  A good repartee exists between the wine producers during the grape-picking season.  Their wines are often sold directly from their respective chateaux, at wine exhibitions or via the ‘Cave de Grangeneuve’ wine cooperative which was established in Romagne for the production and marketing of its wines.

Grape varieties: The nature of the soil together with the geographic position will determine whether white or red wine grapes are grown and which grape varieties will be planted.  The grape type, time of harvest and the wine producers’ objectives are all factors that will determine the variety of wine to be made.

-  Dry and Sweet white wine grape varieties: Sémillon, Muscadelle and Sauvignon.

-  Red wine grape varieties: Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Malbec.

The Wines: Bringing together traditional knowledge and modern oenological techniques results in excellent quality wines, which are often accredited medal status at reputable competitions.  Like all Bordeaux wines, the Canton’s wines consist of grape blends as tradition has always determined.

-    Dry, white wines are appreciated for their fruitiness, fullness and length.

-    Sweet, white wines are appreciated for their sweet fruit aromas and intense flavour.

-    Red wines are fruity and spicy to the nose, rich in tannins and can be drunk young.   However, with maturity, they will improve to the nose and the mouth.

-    Rosé wines are fresh, fruity, bright and lively in colour. Clairets are deeper in colour, fruity and rounder in the mouth.

The Appellations: The wine growers produce their chosen appellation from the following:

 ‘Entre-Deux-Mers’:       Dry white wine.

‘Bordeaux’:                 Red, Rosé, and Claret, Dry and Sweet white wines.

‘Bordeaux Supérieur’:   Wines are aged for a minimum of 12 months before bottling.                                 

‘Haut Benauge’:          This appellation is delimited uniquely by nine communes that belonged to Viscount de

                               Benauge.  Seven of these communes can be found in Targon’s Canton and two are

                               in the canton of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne.  The appellations grapes are Sémillon,

                               Sauvignon and Muscadelle.

                                     o        ’Entre-Deux-Mers Haut Benauge’ Dry, White wines

                           o        ‘Bordeaux Haut-Benauge’ Sweet wines.

Targon:

Known for Wine and cycling.
We can recommend a day trip to discover the wine, the viticulture. There are many vineyards to see in and around the area.  You can make these visits as formal or informal as you like and we can recommend the following:

Chateaux  Toutigeac             Targon (3km from the house)
33760 TARGON
Tel. 05.56.23.90.10
toutigeac.vin@wanadoo.fr

Chateaux Bertin                      Targon (3km from the house)

Chateaux Saint Marie              Targon (2km from the house)

SAINT EMILION:

This is the heartland of the merlot grape, which produces delicious, rich, round wines. There are many vineyards and visits can be arranged independently or by visiting
Office de Tourisme in Saint Emillion
Le Doyenné - Place des Créneaux
33330 – SAINT-EMILION
FRANCE
T.: 33 5 57 55 28 28 - Fax: 33 5 57 55 28 29
E-mail: st-emilion.tourisme@wanadoo.fr

Pomerol:

Is a village and one of the smallest of the Bordeaux appellations and is situated north of Libourne. Its relatively small vineyards produce sumptuous and highly sought after wines. The most famous Pomerol chateaux are found to the east on the ‘plateau of Pomerol’. This gravel bank, which contains some clay, is terrain that supports both merlot and the smaller percentage of Cabernet Franc grapes that are planted. The most famous – Petrus sits as an island of clay rich with iron on this plateau, and this heavier soil suits the Merlot grape used substantially at this Chateaux. The usage of these grapes give Pomerol wines their smooth suppleness, and allow them to mature much faster than Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. Further west the ground becomes more sandy which produces lighter wines.

Some producers:

Outstanding: Château Pétrus, Le Pin, Lafleur

Excellent: L'Eglise Clinet, L'Evangile, La Conseillante, Vieux Chateau Certan, Trotanoy, La Fleur de Gay

Very good: Latour a Pomerol, Clos L'Eglise, Clinet, Gazin, Beauregard, Petit-Village, La Fleur-Petrus, La Croix de Gay, Certan de May, Le Gay

CADILLAC:

Cadillac is famous for its sweet wine. Cadillac wines are known for their sweetness and the yellow colour. The Cadillac wines are not as strong as the Sauternes wines that are made in the adjacent area on the other side of the Garonne river. One of the cities in the Cadillac part of Bordeaux region is the city of Cadillac. The official website of Cadillacgrainsnobles can tell you more, including a map of the area.
http://www.cadillacgrainsnobles.com