Canon-Fronsac Wine

Canon-Fronsac is an appellation for red wines produced in a small area in the east of the Bordeaux wine region. It is encompassed by the wider Fronsac appellation. Canon-Fronsac's southern boundary is marked by the Dordogne river and lies close to Libourne – the town that gives its name to the Libournais region. Libourne is home to prestigious appellations such as Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, as well as Canon-Fronsac.

Like Saint-Emilion, just a few miles to the east, Canon-Fronsac has a picturesque landscape made up of woodland and hills. It also has a rich history reaching back hundreds of years, when the area was much favored by French nobility.

Theoretically superior to the Fronsac appellation, Canon-Fronsac has historically produced the region's most-respected wines. They must be made from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec grapes grown some distance from the alluvial soils close to the Dordogne. It is the slightly higher land just to the north that produces the better vines. The soils here are more sandstone and limestone than clay, which lends the vines a certain resistance to hotter weather. In vintages like 2003, when the temperatures in August regularly exceeded 40C (104F), Canon-Fronsac wines proved more balanced than those from other, more-famous Bordeaux appellations. Cabernet Sauvignon may also be included in Canon-Fronsac blends, although it is less commonly used because it doesn't ripen as well in the cooler soils.

The second half of the 20th century was a time of improvement in the wines of both Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac, as they attracted attention from further afield than their established European markets. New technology and a change in winemaking philosophy have led to continued progress and these appellations now offer affordable alternatives to the high-priced wines of the Medoc, Pomerol and Saint-Emilion.