1.2 Regions & Styles Flashcards
Answer these questions about the styles of wine in each of these regions.
Médoc
Mostly Merlot
Some Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc
Petit Verdot and Malbec are not often grown
Haut-Médoc
50-60% Cabernet Sauvignon
30-45% Merlot
Small amounts of Cabernet Franc
Saint Estéphe
50-60% Cabernet Sauvigon
25-40% Merlot
Small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
More clay soils here, so more Merlot than Paulliac to the south
“Rustic”
Pauillac
70% Cabernet Sauvignon
20% Merlot
Northern part is limestone & gravel (more Cab)
Southern part is more gravel & clay (more Merlot)
“Most powerful and long-lived”
Saint Julien
“Precision and refinement”
Margaux
Light, gravelly soils = elegant and refined wine with generous aromas
Larger percentage of Merlot by comparison
“An iron fist in a velvet glove”
Moulis & Listrac
Heavy soils with less drainage
Rougher texture and less polish
Graves & Pessac-Léognan
75% Reds
25% Whites
Barsac & Sauternes
Dessert wines from botrytis grapes
Some production of well made white table wines
Pomerol
Typically have the most percentage of Merlot of all Bordeaux AOCs, usually over 90%
More approachable young, but top chateaux are still very ageworthy
Saint-Émilion
70-85% Merlot
15-30% Cabernet Franc
Some Cabernet Sauvignon
Some top chateaux (Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angelus) are atypical with high percentages of Cabernet Franc (47-58%)
Home of “garagistes” movement of the 90’s (high alochol, fruit forward, heavily oaked wines)
Fronsac
Blends of Merlot and Cabernet Franc
“a more rustic Saint-Émilion”
Côtes de Bordeaux
97% red wine dominated by Merlot
Sauvingon Blanc is primary white varietal
Collection of disparate regions that unified in 2007 to gain more exposure
Côtes de Bourg
Mostly Merlot
More Cabernet Sauvignon than other right bank AOCs
10% Malbec (more than any other region)
Entre-Deux-Mers
Only white wine, reds must use generic Bordeaux AOC labeling
