2 - Bordeaux Flashcards
Name the main rivers in the region
River Garonne + River Dordogne = Gironde Estuary
Name the three largest sub-zones and describe their location relative to the main rivers of the region
Left Bank - west of Garonne and Gironde
Right Bank - east of Dordogne and Gironde
Entre-Deux-Mers - between Garonne and Dordogne
What are the seven most planted grapes and give the % of ha planted for each
Merlot 60%
Cabernet Sauvignon 20%
Cabernet Franc 7%
Other Black grapes (combined) >5%
Semillon 5%
Sauvignon Blanc 5%
Muscadelle >5%
Outline major historical developments in the region’s history (3)
c17/18th - Medoc peninsula drained by Dutch merchants
Mid-c18th - properties like Lafite and Margaux enjoy int’l reputation
1855 - formal classification of left bank properties
Outline how the 1855 classification was established (3)
Bordeaux chamber of commerce asks merchants to rank estates
Estates of Medoc, Graves and Sauternes placed into bands - five for Medoc and Graves, three for Sauternes
They did so based on price
How large is the area under vine?
110,000ha
Roughly breakdown the distribution of price brackets (2)
Inexpensive or mid-priced = 70%
Premium or super-premium = 30%
Describe the climate of Bordeaux and how it is changing (5)
- Moderate, maritime
- Atlantic provides a cooling influence and brings rainfall
- Rainfall is an average of 950m but varies
- Rivers provide a moderating influence on temperature –> frost
- Climate change has brought hotter, drier summers with low rainfall
Using the example of Medoc and nearby sub-regions, explain how the climate and wines vary within the left-bank (5).
Protection from Atlantic storms communes and Haut Medoc better protected than Medoc, Graves
Soil type most gravel found in the four communes and Haut Medoc, more clay in Medoc, Moulin Medoc etc.
Yields max yields vary very little (mid-high 50s) but actual yields lower in gravel soil
Proximity to river communes on the river, Listrac-Medoc further
Plantings more Cab is planted on the gravely communes, whereas as Merlot more popular in Medoc (50/50 Cab/Merlot)
Describe the weather conditions that characterise the best vintages in Bordeaux (4)
- Gentle heat throughout the growing season –> ripening
- Sufficient rainfall –> growth and ripening
- Relatively dry and warm autumn –> steady final ripening
- No excessive rain during flowering or veraison –> fruit set and ripeness
Outline the main climatic hazards and the impact they have in terms of yield/quality (4)
- Untimely and excessive rainfall - interrupts flowering, growing season, veraison and harvest –> yield and quality
- Hot / dry summers - slow ripening if severe or speed up impacting balance e.g. 2003/05 –> yield and quality
- Frost - yield
- Best sites in Medoc are protected by the moderating influence of Gironde
- 2017 saw 1/3 reduction cf 10-yr average –> financial implications - Hail - yield (+ quality via fungal disease) –> more widespread and destructive
Describe the soils and how they impact grape growing
- Gravel (5)
- Clay (3)
Mix of clay, sand and gravel
Gravel - mainly found in Medoc/Graves
- Drains extremely well –> wet climate –> ripening
- Hotter years (e.g. 2003/05) vines can be drought-stressed esp. with shallow soils e.g. Pomerol (soils 1m deep)
- Retains heat - absorbs and gradually releases warmth after a hot day –> ripening speed
- Ideal for ripening Cabernet Sauvignon
- Significant patches on Right Bank esp. on limestone and gravel section near Pomerol
Clay - mainly on Right Bank/Libournais
- Less well-drained, cooler, fertile
- Ideal for ripening Merlot
- Pockets on the Left Bank e.g. Saint Estephe but lower quality
Describe characteristics of Merlot incl the following:
- Budding and ripening
- Vulnerabilities
- Favoured soils
- Ideal vintage conditions
- Flavour characteristics
- Structural characteristics
- Early budding and mid-ripening –> frost, autumn rain
- Coulure, drought, botrytis –> yields, sorting
- Clay soils –> temp, berry size
- Ripens well in cooler vintages, relatively fast sugar accumulation –> warmer years
- Med-pronounced intensity strawberry, red plum, herbaceous (cooler years), cooked blackberry, plum (warmer years)
- Med tannin and med-high alcohol
Describe characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon incl the following:
- Budding and ripening
- Vulnerabilities
- Favoured soils
- Ideal vintage conditions
- Flavour characteristics
- Structural characteristics
- Late budding –> frost
- Late ripening
–> required warmth –> soils
–> autumn rain
- Vulnerable to fungal diseases esp. powdery mildew and trunk disease (Eutypa and Esca)
- Prefers warm and well drained soil –> ripening
- Warmer vintages –> tannin ripeness and balanced acidity
- Violet, blackcurrant, black cherry, menthol, herbaceous
- Med alcohol, high acid and high tannin (small berries)
Describe characteristics of Cabernet Franc incl the following:
- Budding and ripening
- Vulnerabilities
- Flavour characteristics
- Structural characteristics
- Early budding –> frost
- Mid ripening –> autumn rains
- Vulnerable to coulure
- Red fruit, leafy if picked early or canopy dense
- High acid, medium tannin
Describe characteristics of Malbec incl the following:
- Vulnerabilities
- Flavour characteristics
- Structural characteristics
When was it largely replaced, with what and why?
- Vigorousness, coulure
- Violet, plums
- Med acidity, med(+)-high tannin
NB Mainly replaced by Merlot after 1956 frost - easier to grow
Describe characteristics of Petit Verdot incl the following:
- Budding and ripening
- Vulnerabilities
- Ideal site / vintage conditions
- Flavour characteristics
- Structural characteristics
How is it used in blends?
Why may plantings increase?
- Early budding –> frost
- Late ripening (later than Cab S) –> tricky to ripen in cool years, autumn rain
- Best in warmer areas / vintages
- Spice notes
- Deep colour and high tannin
Usually <5% as to add colour and tannin
Warmer years mean it can be reliably ripened
Describe characteristics of Semillon incl the following:
- Ripening
- Vulnerabilities
- Yield
- Flavour characteristics
- Structural characteristics
How is it used in blends?
- Mid-ripening
- Vulnerable to coulure, botrytis, noble rot
- High yields
- Light intensity, apple, lemon, grass (if underripe). Works well with oak –> vanilla, sweet spice –> toast and honey with age
- Med(+) acid, med alcohol, med body
Blends
- Dry whites - softens Sav B’s high acid and intense flavour with lighter intensity flavour, more body and lower acid
- Sweet - susceptible to botrytis, adds honey, dried fruit and waxy texture
Describe characteristics of Savuignon Blanc incl the following:
- Ripening
- Vulnerabilities
- Yield
- Flavour characteristics
- Structural characteristics
Increasingly, how is it being used in blends and why?
- Late budding –> frost
- Early ripening –> autumn rain
- Vulnerable to vigourousness (canopy mngt, soils), powdery mildew, botrytis, trunk disease (Esca + Eutypa dieback (if cordon trained)
- Grass, gooseberry
- High acidity, med alcohol, med body
Dominant or single variety dry white wines due to the popularity of the grape variety
Describe the characteristics of Muscadelle including:
- Vulnerabilities
- Flavour characteristics
- Which wines it is usually used in
- Vulnerable to botrytis - well-exposed site
- Flower and grape
- Used in sweet wines with Semillon and Sav B
What are the typical vineyard densities seen in Bordeaux and why? What are the cost implications?
High quality - 10,000 VPH with 1m x 1m spacing
- Infertile soils –> vigour –> canopy density limited
- Higher costs due to more vines purchased, trellising, specialist tractors and more time for training, ploughing and spraying BUT best use of £££ land
Lower quality Bordeaux AOC - 3000-4000 VPH
How are vines trained, pruned and trellised? (2)
1. Head trained, replacement cane pruned
- Left Bank - Double Guyot
- Right Bank - Single Guyot
2. Cordon trained, spur pruned
- Rare but used by prestigious estates –> reduces yield, bunch aeration
What role does canopy management have to play in improving yields and quality? (3)
- Fungal disease pressure - damp climate –> mildews and botrytis –> leaf removal during summer –> aeration
- Sunlight interception –> ripening
- Reduces need for sprays –> rainfall make it more difficult for tractors to enter vineyards, washes off sprays
Why may removing leaves be risky? How can this risk be mitigated?
Increases vulnerability to sunburn and heat - e.g. 2003 –> raisins
Removes leaves later in season after hottest months have passed
Describe how Eutypa dieback and Esca affect the vine and how growers mitigate the problem (3)
Eutypa - rots the wood, reduces yield and kills the vine
Esca - tiger stripes, yield and death
- Soft pruning - when pruning make small cuts, allow extra wood at the cut site, allowing it to dry out and maximising opportunity for sap to flow around the plant