Located on the right bank of the Dordogne River, this wine-growing area groups together numerous independent regions and includes a whole series of autonomous designations, with Bourg and Blaye to the North-West, Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac to the South-East, as well as the Libournais region, including Pomerol, Saint-Emilion and numerous surrounding villages. The Côtes de Castillon are located at the eastern end of this area.
The vines were probably already cultivated in Roman times. The poet Ausone, whose name one of the most prestigious châteaux in France bears today, was already producing wine in the 4th century.
A few centuries later, Charlemagne resided in Fronsac and, in the Middle Ages, Pomerol and Saint-Emilion were on the route of pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela. At the end of the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the vineyards developed strongly on this side of the Gironde, and the Dordogne served as a route for the red wines transport from Bergerac to England.