13. Bordeaux Flashcards
1
Q
What impact does Bordeaux have in France?
A
It’s the largest appellation in France in terms of both volume and value.
2
Q
What’s the climate of Bordeaux?
A
Moderate maritime
3
Q
What are the benefits of the climate of Bordeaux?
A
It benefits from the gulf stream which makes that:
- Spring frosts are rarely a problem.
- Grape ripening can continue well into october.
4
Q
What are the downsides of the climate of Bordeaux?
A
There are high levels of rain fall and humidity, which can:
- Disrupt fruit set and flowering.
- Promote rot.
- Create dilution of flavours in the grapes during harvest.
5
Q
What’s an important consequence that the climate of Bordeaux has on its vineyard culture?
A
The different aspects of the climate result in vintage variation. This is an important consideration in Bordeaux.
6
Q
What protects Bordeaux from the worst of the climate?
A
The Landes forest (which is manmade) and the coastal dunes which both lie to the west of the region and form a buffer between the region and the worst of the atlantic storms.
7
Q
What’s a consequence of the risk of vintage variation in Bordeaux?
A
Almost all wines are blends.
8
Q
What are the three important main rivers of Bordeaux?
A
- Gironde
- Dordogne
- Garonne
9
Q
What are the predominant black grape varieties in Bordeaux?
A
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cabernet Franc
- Merlot
- Petit Verdot
10
Q
Where is Cabernet Sauvignon dominant in Bordeaux and why?
A
It dominates the Haut-Médoc and is also very important in Graves. In these areas it accounts for three quarters of the blends.
The high stone/gravel content of the soils there means they are warm and well draind and can aid the ripening of the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon.
11
Q
Where is Cabernet Franc dominant in Bordeaux?
A
Saint-Emilion and to a lesser extent in the Médoc and Graves.
12
Q
How does Cabernet Franc differ from Cabernet Sauvignon?
A
It has less body and tannin.
13
Q
What flavours can Cabernet Franc have when unripe?
A
Herbaceous and stalky flavours.
14
Q
What flavours can Cabernet Franc have when ripe?
A
It can contribute vibrant fruit and floral notes to a blend.
15
Q
What soils does Cabernet Franc like?
A
Like Cabernet Sauvignon it likes warm and well drained soils.
16
Q
What’s the most widely planted grape variety in Bordeaux?
A
Merlot.
17
Q
What area of Bordeaux is Merlot particularly important and why?
A
The premium wines of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol.
It can successfully grow on the cooler clay soils found in these areas.
18
Q
What’s a consequence of the softness of Merlot?
A
It’s usually the grape that is predominant in high volume, inexpensive wines.
19
Q
What black main grape variety of Bordeaux has the fewest plantings and why?
A
Petit Verdot.
It only grows in very hot years.
20
Q
What sort of wine does Petit Verdot provide?
A
A deep-coloured tannic wine that ages slowly.
21
Q
What role does Petit Verdot play in a Bordeaux blend?
A
It never plays more than a minor role in a blend where it is used mainly to add tannin, colour and some spicy notes.
22
Q
What fermentation vessels are traditionally used in Bordeaux?
A
There’s little agreement. Both traditional oak vats as steel/concrete vats are used.
23
Q
What’s a barrique?
A
A small oak barrel of 225 liters. Used for top quality wine in Bordeaux.
24
Q
How much oak does a generic wine of Bordeaux see in the vinification process?
A
It’s highly unlikely that they’ll see any oak at all.
25
When are most wines in Bordeaux blended?
Most wines are blended in the spring/summer following the vintage.
Some winemakers prefer to keep them seperate until the end of maturation to maintain quality and style.
26
What's a grand vin?
It's the best wine of a Bordeaux château.
27
What's a second wine?
Wine made from the blends that weren't suitable for a Grand Vin.
28
What are the predominant white grape varieties in Bordeaux?
Sémillon
Sauvignon Blanc
Muscadelle
29
What grape variety is most important for the production of sweet wines in the Bordeaux area?
Sémillon.
It's very suspectible to noble rot.
30
How are the best examples of sweet wines from the Bordeaux region being produced?
They're fermented and matured in new oak barrels for anything up to three years.
31
Is sémillon used for dry wines in the Bordeaux region?
Yes, it's blended with Sauvignon Blanc in Pessac-Léognan and Graves.
It's used to add body to the dry wines.
32
What sort of wines does Sauvignon Blanc produce in the Bordeaux area?
Wines with citrus and green fruit aromas.
33
What's the exception in the use of Sauvignon Blanc in the Bordeaux area?
It's increasingly used for varietal, dry white wines while most wines from the Bordeaux region are blends.
34
What does Sauvignon Blanc bring to the table in a Bordeaux Blend?
It provides high acidity.
This is particularly neccessary for sweet wines.
35
What sort of flavour does Muscadelle have in the Bordeaux area?
A pronounced grapey, floral flavour.
36
What does Muscadelle bring to the table in a Bordeaux Blend?
It plays an important supporting role but only makes up a small percentage of any blend.
37
What are the traits of a white Bordeaux wine on the lower end of the market?
It tends to be fresh and fruity.
They're fermented in temperature controlled, inert vessels with minimal further ageing yet somehow still show toasty hints of oak.
38
What are the traits of a white Bordeaux wine on the higher end of the market?
They are frequently fermented and matured in new oak barrels and have a richness en concentrated nutty flavour overlaying the fruit.
39
What's so special about the Bordeaux classification systems?
With the exception of Saint-Emilion, all of them lie outside the appellation system.
The system ranks individual châteaux and estates, not individual vineyards.
40
What's the 1855 classification?
It was founded by the Bordeaux chamber of commerce on the occassion of the universal Paris exhibition.
The wines are classified throughout five different tiers.
The list hasn't changed over the years and so the quality of the list is source of debate.
41
What are the 5 red first growth châteaux of the 1855 classification and where are they located?v
1. Château Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac
2. Château Latour, Pauillac
3. Château Margaux, Margaux
4. Château Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac (since 1973)
5. Château Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan
42
What are the Cru Bourgeois?
Châteaux in Bordeaux that didn't make the 1855 classification. Châteaux are classified as belonging to one of three tiers:
1. Cru Bourgeois
2. Cru Bourgeois Superieur
3. Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
43
What's the classification of Graves (Pessac-Léognan)?
The wines are classified with two parallel but seperate lists for red and white wines.
There is no ranking. All classified wines may simply call themselves "Crus Classés".
All châteaux are now located in the Pessac-Léognan area. An appellation that was drawn up after the creation of the classification.
44
What's the classification of Saint-Emilion Grand Cru?
This is integrated into the appellation system. Within the appellation there's a seperate appellation called Saint-Emilion Grand Cru that holds this classification system within.
There are three tiers:
1. Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé
2. Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé B
3. Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé A
45
When does the reclassification of Saint-Emilion Grand Cru happen?
Every 10 years.
46
What rivers divide the Bordeaux area into different regions?
The Dordogne and the Garonne which combine to form the Gironde Estuary.
47
What three broad areas is Bordeaux divided into?
1. Left Bank
2. Right Bank
3. Entre-Deux-Mers
48
Where can you find the left bank?
West and south of the Gironde/Garonne.
49
What can you find on the left bank?
Médoc, Graves and Sauternes.
50
Where can you find Entre-Deux-Mers?
The area between the Garonne and the Dordogne.
51
Where can you find the right bank?
North and east of the Gironde/Dordogne.
52
What can you find on the right bank?
Saint-Emilion and Pomerol.
53
What's the difference in the formation of the appellations between Bordeaux and Burgundy?
Burgundy: The appellations form a neat hierarchy.
Bordeaux: The appellations are best looked at in groups based on the style of wine.
54
What's the name of the output of generic appellations in Bordeaux?
Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieur.
55
What's the difference between Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur?
Bordeaux Supérieur has slightly stricter appellation rules and requires a higher level of alcohol in the wine.
56
What labels are used for rosé generic appellations in Bordeaux?
Bordeaux Rosé or Bordeaux Clairet.
57
What's the difference between Bordeaux Rosé and Bordeaux Clairet?
Bordeaux Rosé = Fresh and fruity with an increasing number of producesrs making high-quality examples.
Bordeaux Clairet = A style of wine that is mainly popular on the French market. It undergoes a longer maceration than a typical rosé and is deeper in colour and fuller in body.
58
What grape dominates the white generic Bordeaux classification? And what character does it show?
It is dominated by Sauvignon Blanc.
It shows a grassy character.
59
Where lies the Médoc area?
On the left bank. It lies to the north of the city of Bordeaux.
60
Where lies the Graves area?
On the left bank. It lies to the south of the city of Bordeaux.
61
What's the northernmost part of the Médoc area called?
It's called the Bas-Médoc. Wines from here are simply labelled Médoc.
62
What's the dominant soil of the Bas-Médoc area?
The soil is predominantly clay, with outcrops of gravel.
63
What's the typical style of wine of the Bas-Médoc?
These wines tend to have a higher proportion of Merlot in the blend than those just to the south.
They tend to be more early drinking in style.
64
What region do you find south of Saint-Estephe and north of Bordeaux?
The Haut-Médoc.
65
What are the communes in Haut-Médoc?
They are a number of smaller appellations in which most of the higer classified châteaux can be found.
From north to south, those with the highest reputation are:
1. Saint-Estèphe
2. Pauillac
3. Saint-Julien
4. Margaux
66
What is the typical style of wines from the communes in the Haut-Médoc?
They tend to have a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend and generally display a core of blackcurrant fruit, complemented by cedar notes from oak.
They can have grippy tannins when young, and often have a long ageing potential.
67
What area lies immediatly to the south of Bordeaux?
Pessac-Léognan, the most highly rated area in Graves.
68
What are the soils of Pessac-Léognan like?
Like the Haut-Médoc they are gravelly and well-suited to Cabernet Sauvignon.
69
How do the wines of Pessac-Léognan differ from those of the Haut-Médoc?
They are lighter in body and more fragrant than the finest wines of the Haut-Médoc.
70
Where does Graves extend from Pessac-Léognan?
To the south.
71
How do wines from Graves differ from those of Pessac-Léognan?
They are similar in style but less concentrated and complex.
They usually have a higher proportion of Merlot.
72
What's the dominant grape in the wines on the right bank?
They are dominated by Merlot and to a lesser extent Cabernet Franc.
73
What's so special about the soils of Saint-Emilion?
They can be divided into distinct groups of differing soils.
1. The plateau to the north and west of Saint-Emilion
2. The escarpment to the south and east of Saint-Emilion
3. The vineyards at the foot of the escarpment
74
Describe the soils of the plateau to the north and west of Saint-Emilion.
Areas of warm, well-drained gravel and limestone soils encourage the inclusion of Cabernet Franc and occassionally, some Cabernet Sauvignon.
75
Describe the soils of the escarpment to the south and east of Saint-Emilion.
They have clay limestone soils. The most pestigious wines from Saint-Emilion come form here.
76
Describe the wines from the escarpment to the south and east of Saint-Emilion.
The wines have medium to high tannins.
Compared to the more structured wines of the left bank, they have a soft and rich texture with complex red berry fruit and plum aromas.
They develop tobacco and cedar notes as they evolve.
77
Describe the wines from the vineyards at the foot of the escarpment.
They are sandy and typically a source of ligher-bodies, less prestigious wines.
78
How do the wines of Pomerol differ from those of Saint-Emilion?
The wines tend to be richer, with a spicier blackberry fruit character.
79
What movement is associated with the Right Bank appellations?
Those of the vins de garage.
80
What are vins de garage?
Full-bodied, incredibly ripe wines made in tiny quantities from small plots of land, with no expense spared in the vineyard or the winery.
81
How have the vins de garage evolved up to today?
Many of them are now famous in their own right and have been classified within the Saint-Emilion appellation system.
Many producers have moved away from producing very ripe styles and aim instead for greater freshness.
Examples of the original vins de garage can however still be found today.
82
What are the Côtes de Bordeaux?
A group of lesser-known red wine appellations that have agreed to share this name.
83
What appellations are included in the name Côtes de Bordeaux?
1. Blaye
2. Cadillac
3. Castillon
4. Francs
84
What are the wines from the Côtes de Bordeaux like?
They tend to be Merlot based and are meant for early drinking.
85
How do the wines from Côtes de Bourgh differ from those of Côtes de Bordeaux?
They don't. They make wine in a similar style but chose not to join the group of Côtes de Bordeaux.
86
What's the Premières Côtes de Bordeaux?
A sweet wine appellation that is unconnected to the Côtes de Bordeaux group.
87
What wines are produced in Entre-Deux-Mers?
It can only produce white wines.
Red wines from this area must be labelled with a generic appellation name.
88
What grapes are used in white wines from Entre-Deux-Mers?
Sauvignon blanc in an unoaked style.
89
What wines are produced in Graves?
White wines as well as red.
90
What grapes are used in white wines from Graves?
Sauvignon blanc in an unoaked style.
91
What wines are produced in Pessac-Léognan?
White wines as well as red.
It is home to some of the very best white wines and here the whites may be eligible for cru classé status.
92
What grapes are used in white wines from Pessac-Léognan?
They tend ot be blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon and have usually been fermented and/or matured at least partly in new oak, giving toasty oak flavours.
93
Where are the top sweet wine appellations of the Bordeaux located? And why?
They are grouped on the banks of the Garonne and its tributary the Ciron.
The rivers create the ideal misty autumn conditions for noble rot to develop on fully ripened grapes.
94
Why is passerillage needed when growing grapes for sweet wines in Bordeaux?
The level of noble rot in the vineyard varies from year to year. Passerillage is needed to help concentrate sugars in years when there is little noble rot.
95
Where do the best sweet wines from Bordeaux come from?
Sauternes, which lies on the west bank of the Garonne.
96
What village that's also important for the production of sweet wines lies within Sauternes?
Barsac.
Producers within Bersac have the right to use either the appellation of Barsac or that of Sauternes.
97
What grapes are used within the sweet wine appellations of Bordeaux?
Sémillon dominates because of its thin skin and suspectibility to botrytis.
Sauvignon Blanc supplies refreshing acidity and fruity aromas.
Muscadelle adds exotic perfume.
98
What are the characteristics of the best sweet wines of Bordeaux?
They tend to be high in alcohol.
Sweet yet balanced with high acidity.
Display the apricot and citrus peel aromas of noble rot, along with notes of toast and vanilla from oak fermentation and/or maturation.
