In his day, in a study (1) that is still authoritative, the geographer Henri Enjalbert brought all his knowledge to bear to demonstrate the quality potential of the Fronsadais terroir by linking its morphology to that of Saint-Émilion. In doing so, he objectively warded off the unjust fate that befell these wines, penalised by the low esteem in which the Bordeaux négoce then held them. Yet Fronsac’s past has had its hour of glory, at least in a privileged sector that forms a sort of large enclave within its territory and is called Canon-Fronsac. The renown of the “Côte de Canon” can indeed be traced in 1816 in the Jullien (2), the sole source on the state of viticulture in its day. Subsequently, the famous Féret guide recorded this recognition through its various editions, just as it did, moreover, for Fronsac’s productivist orientation, embodied by the part of its vineyard located in the palus, that is, bordering the two waterways framing its area: the Isle and the Dordogne. The coexistence of these two types of viticulture throughout the 19th century was to the detriment of the vineyard’s image, durably degraded despite the granting of AOC status in 1937 to its best-placed sectors. And even when recognised as such in 1939, the Canon-Fronsac area did nothing to halt the phenomenon of depreciation. As a result, the situation of the Fronsadais as a whole earned it no more esteem from an omnipotent négoce, so that it never joined the Right Bank’s gotha, Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, to name them. This had the effect of uniting the destinies of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac, which today cultivate their differences through an emulation beneficial to both, without any spirit of secession or parish-pump quarrel.
Affinities with Saint-Émilion
While the Fronsadais’s viticultural potential was recognised empirically, with a discernment that says a great deal about the appraisal criteria of the past, Henri Enjalbert had the merit of establishing it through a scientific and comparative approach. Thus, the parallel he drew between the respective topographies of Fronsac and Saint-Émilion identifies the same organisation of relief, with a plateau/slope/foot-of-slope distribution, combined with similar stratigraphies. In lithological terms, their plateau areas share fossiliferous limestone soils known as asteria limestone (3), particularly high in quality and found in classified growths of Saint-Émilion, and not the least among them. As for the sectors on slopes, they boast soft rocks of clay facies, called “molasses du Fronsadais” to describe their remarkable specificities in the Fronsac area, a major vector of the identity of its wines. As for the foot of the slopes, they combine clays and soft, mainly siliceous materials, and are less suited to ambitious viticulture. In any event, despite its coherent pattern, the configuration of the relief carrying the vineyard shows many variations in places, which increases all the more the many particularities of its terroir, if only the combes linking the slopes.
The emergence of Cabernet Franc
Having become traditional over time, Merlot is very much in the majority in Fronsac’s overall grape-variety mix, with some 80% of the planted area. Still widely prized, it is the sole source for certain châteaux; however, global warming means that the marginal Cabernet Franc is arousing growing interest. I have noticed this phenomenon in some of the best-known châteaux, where the share of the variety is gradually gaining ground, bringing nerve and finesse to normally rich expressions, characterised by an opulent bent in the hot vintages that have not been lacking over the last decade. Are we therefore witnessing a shift in the style of Fronsacs towards wines that are even better balanced than they already are overall? The near future will tell us even better whether a direction that is, after all, recent among highly visible players is well founded, while others had already adopted Cabernet Franc successfully, in a more than meagre proportion in the wines thus composed. As for the other varieties in use, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, they remain very much in the background, not to say confidential in the case of the latter, without being mere extras; the châteaux that use them make them precious seasoning to assert the personality of their product.
Fronsac vs Canon-Fronsac, an outdated debate
Besides these remarks and reflections on grape varieties, my recent immersion in the Fronsadais also allowed me to observe that the distinction between Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac no longer had the resonance that history had bequeathed to it. I rather sensed a reciprocal pride in showcasing one’s own terroir, with increasing recourse to responsible viticulture, and notably organic, with to date nearly 30% of the area converted or in conversion to this mode of farming. As for winemaking, it seems to follow a global trend towards moderating extraction and limiting the use of new barrels for ageing. On this last point, alternatives to the traditional barrel have been introduced here and there, in the form of amphorae or large oak vessels, the foudres. It is in any case by such methods that the Fronsadais winegrowers seek to reinforce the identity of their respective terroirs, so as to move beyond the question of the primacy of one appellation over the other. One can therefore say that, at equal quality, the differences between Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac are now only stylistic, the style that the terroir imprints on them, together with the know-how specific to each producer. That said, on the strength of a relatively exhaustive tasting carried out under strictly anonymous conditions and with the 2020 vintage as a reference, I was able to detect an extra measure of grace in some particularly accomplished Canon-Fronsacs. However, beyond a fine analysis of the characters that may differentiate them, all the Fronsadais wines share a remarkable freshness of constitution, the true soul of their expression and the source of a balance suited to satisfy the pleasure of palates more epicurean than aesthete.
Mohamed Boudellal
Notes:
(1) Les grands vins de Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Fronsac, Éditions Bordas-Bardi, 1983
(2) Topographie de tous les vignobles connus… by André Jullien, 1816
(3) Asteria limestone is a geological formation whose rock contains fragments of starfish known as asteria.
