Right Bank (Bordeaux)

The Saint-Émilion specification points to the Roman villa site of Le Palat as the probable home of the poet Ausonius, and the Fronsac rules state that Charlemagne built a fortress on the Tertre de Fronsac. In 1199 the Charter of Falaise gave Saint-Émilion its privileges, Libourne was founded as a port in 1269, and in 1289 Edward I extended the rights of the Jurade of Saint-Émilion to the neighbouring parishes. From the twelfth century the Knights Hospitaller of St John set up commanderies at Pomerol and Lalande-de-Pomerol. Unlike other parts of Bordeaux, the Libournais did not pass from feudal holdings to large estates but kept many small farms. A Pomerol record of 1761 shows a vineyard replanted from white to red varieties, and after phylloxera Merlot became dominant once grafting made its yields regular.

The Bordeaux specification names "Nord-Gironde, on the right bank of the Dordogne and the estuary" as one of the region's three natural units. In everyday use "the Right Bank" usually means the Libournais, the country around the river port of Libourne: Saint-Émilion on its limestone plateau, Pomerol and Lalande-de-Pomerol on gravel terraces to the north, and Fronsac on the hills where the Isle meets the Dordogne. The Bordeaux wine council also places Blaye and Bourg, further down the estuary, on the right bank.

Saint-Émilion and Fronsac sit on Tertiary limestone full of fossil starfish, with Fronsadais molasse on the slopes. At Pomerol the Isle cut away the limestone and laid terraces of sand, gravel and pebbles from the Massif Central over clay, with an iron-rich layer in the subsoil. The specifications describe the climate as oceanic but more continental than further west, with warmer summers and autumns; the Saint-Émilion rules cite holm oaks as a sign of Mediterranean nuances.

At Saint-Émilion, the specification says, Merlot prefers the cool, moist clay soils, where it ripens well, and gives deep colour, red and black fruit, roundness and silky tannins. Cabernet Franc, locally called bouchet, takes the limestone and the warmer sands and gravels and adds spice, freshness and firmer tannin. At Pomerol the Tertiary clay slows ripening and regulates the water supply, the surface gravel reflects light into the canopy, and the crasse de fer is credited with part of the wines' character: deep colour, black fruit, sometimes violet and truffle, and no hardness. The Fronsac rules add truffle and sometimes gamey or mineral notes, depending on the soil.

Merlot dominates: about 80 % of the vineyard in Pomerol and in Fronsac, according to the Bordeaux wine council. Cabernet Franc is the usual partner. The rules of Pomerol and Lalande-de-Pomerol tie Merlot's rise to the replanting after phylloxera, when grafting made its yields more regular.

Estates are often small, and Libourne's merchants and port carried their wines to market. The appellations include Saint-Émilion and Saint-Émilion Grand Cru with its four satellites, Pomerol, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac, and further north Blaye and Bourg. Only Saint-Émilion Grand Cru has an official classification of estates.