The oldest cultivated vineyards in Bordeaux are not found in Médoc or on the Right Bank of the Dordogne, but within the lesser AOPs of Bourg and Côtes de Bourg. The Romans brought viticulture to the limestone slopes of Bourg and neighboring Blaye, but the wines, well-regarded for centuries, were finally eclipsed by those of the Médoc and Graves in the late 1600s. Today, the vast majority of Côtes de Bourg wines are red. Château Roc de Cambes is one of the leading lights of the appellation. To the north of Bourg, the larger Blaye AOP produces red wines and Côtes de Blaye AOP uniquely incorporates a large percentage of Ugni Blanc and Colombard in its dry whites, although many estates in this northernmost Bordeaux region are now allying to the new Côtes de Bordeaux concept.
As of the 2008 vintage, several preexisting Bordeaux appellations were consolidated as the new Côtes de Bordeaux AOP in an effort to simplify labeling language and offer consumers an alternative to the luxury-priced grand vins that govern the image of Bordeaux. The resulting Côtes de Bordeaux wines are predominantly red and may list the area of origin—Francs, Castillon, Blaye, Cadillac, Sainte Foy—on the bottle.
Entre-Deux-Mers AOP, the “land between two seas”—the Dordogne and Garonne rivers—is one of Bordeaux’s largest regions and exclusively produces dry white wines. Like Bordeaux AOP, Entre-Deux-Mers may use the geographical designation Haut-Benauge, but the wines must be dry in style. On the eastern shore of the Garonne lie the sweet white wine appellations of Loupiac, Ste-Croix-du-Mont, and Cadillac. These wines may or may not be affected by botrytis. Exclusively sweet wines are also produced as Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AOP, whereas the Côtes de Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire AOP south of Loupiac may produce white wines in sec, moelleux, or liquoreux styles. The lesser appellation, Graves de Vayres AOP, releases both red and white wines.