Monbazillac AOC

The appellation named after the village of the same name south of the city of Bergerac is an enclave within the large Bergerac area in southwestern France. The name is derived from Mont Bazailhac (Fire Mountain or Goldberg). There were already vineyards in this area in the 11th century and the wine was exported as far as Rome. Later French envoys served this wine as "peace wine" and the statesman Charles-Maurice Talleyrand (1754-1838) proffered it to his guests at the Congress of Vienna (1813-1814).

The vineyards cover some 2,500 hectares of vineyards in the communes of Colombier, Monbazillac, Pomport, Rouffignac-de-Sigoulès and Saint-Laurent-des-Vignes. This extremely long-lasting sweet wine in the style of a Sauternes is made from noble rotten grapes of the Sémillon (the most important vine with over 70% of the area), Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle varieties. The wines with 15% alcohol content and at least three years of ageing may call themselves "Taste d'or" (meaning "golden taste"). Well known producers are Domaine de l'Ancienne Cure, Château de Belingard-Chayne, Château Bellevue, Château la Borderie, Château le Fagé, Domaine Grande-Maison, Domaine du Grand Marsalet, Château de Monbazillac (CV), Château Petit Paris, Château Poulvère and Château Theulet.

Map: From Cyril5555 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link