A near-vanished red of the Gironde and the south-west, once grown in the old Bordeaux mix and then let go almost to nothing. Castets is hardy and disease-tolerant, holds its acidity and colours well — qualities that had no market when uniformity ruled, but read very differently against a warming climate.
That is why it re-emerged. In 2021 Bordeaux approved a short list of new varieties to help the region adapt, and Castets — one of the few genuine heritage grapes among them, rather than a modern breeding — was included. A grape that survived in conservation plots is being asked, cautiously, back into the working vineyard.