9.0 The Dordogne and South West France

Question 1

Bergerac AOC and Cotes de Bergerac AOC

Answer 1

Bergerac – either side of Dordogne, 50% R, also W & P; high yields 60+

• Soil: clay & limestone; some gravel
• Climate: drier, warmer than Bordeaux. (Bord var reliably ripen)
• Varieties: CS; CF; Mer; Mal >>min2 = min50% blend
• Aged: old oak, SS > easy drinking styles

Cotes de Bergerac

• • most Merlot
• • lower yields
• • oak aged

Bergerac & Cotes 90% consumed in France (Supermarkets)

Question 2

Monbazillac AOC

Answer 2

Monbazillac (between Dordogne & trib > perf cond for botrytis (humid fm cool am late summer & autumn, dry, warm pm)

Sweet styles only (Bot /L.H. > hand picked, many passes)

SB, SGris; Semmillon, Muscadelle (30hl/ha)

• Ferm in oak rare > cheaper than Sauternes (competition for lesser Bord sweet wines)
• 90% sold in France (supermarkets)

Question 3

Cahors, grow env, wine styles, business summary?

Answer 3

Cahors -be ready to compare with Argentina

• Only FR app allowing Malbec (COT) as principal variety + Tannat/Merlot
• Climate: Atlantic influence, warmer & drier than Bordeaux > Malb & Tannat ripen
  
  • 800mm pa - lower rain & warmth less sprays for fung.
• Soils - alluvial & fertile = high yield, low conc. ~Tradition
  
  • Mid slope – better drainage, less yields and more conc ~ Presitge
  • Highest at 350m on limestone, low butrients = low yield, high conc ~ Speciale
• Machine harvest where poss
  
  • ROI determines hand pick/machine harvest + weather, labour
• AOC rules = min 70% Malbec bal Tannat/Merlot. Most use 100% Malbec
• Destem is NB -remove poss unripe tann fm stalks (not temps but lack of water causes unripe)
• Early drinking style: includes Merlot, 7 - 10 days on skins for ltd extract of tannin
• OR Bottle age: 15 - 25 days on skins for greater extraction flav, tann
  
  • often matured in oak /foudre less oxid.
  • Char of a higher Q example
• Deep ruby, pron violet, red & black plum fruit, m/m+ acid, m+/h tannin. Vanilla +sweet spice from oak. VG/OS
• Business : 80% private 20 Co-op. “Cahors the French Malbec /Capital of Malbec”.
• 70% consumed domestically
• 3 new Q levels+ price: Tradition** (inexp, 70% Malbec, fertile alluvial soil); **Prestige** (mid – midslope); **Speciale – (oft 100% Malbec, highest plateau, lower yield, fruit conc, age potent.)

Question 4

Describe Tannat, what methods for making an approachable wine

Answer 4

Tannat

• Vigorous, needs support on trellis
• mid ripening, (misses autumn rain)
• Susc to BBR

Wine

• deep ruby, pron blackberry, blackcurrant, hi tann; hi acid; Fbody; m/hi alc
• G/OS - mid - prem price

Tannin mgt for earlier drinking

• microoxygenation enables the wine to be approachable sooner
• Pick when riper
• Soft press, light extraction
• Blending

Question 5

Madiran location, climate, topography & soils, var, winemaking, business

Answer 5

M

Madiran TANNAT ~vigorous needs best on VSP, mid-ripe

• Wines principally from Tannat, OR whites: late harvest, sweet white
  
  • Pacherenc du Vic Bilh AOC (local var, sim to Jurancon)

Climate : Hi rain, winter and spring (ROT), Warm sunny summer, dry autums

• Warm days, cool nights & hot dry southern Föhn helps Tannat to ripen most yrs

Grow Env: Close to Pyrenees, 80 km from Atlantic

• Four ridges, North-South, w-f steep slopes, clay Limestone ~ high tann, ageworthy wine
• Flat ~ low conc, less tannic wine

AOC rules: 60-80% Tannat, bal CF, CS, local variety -“FER”, Mid yield 55 hL/Ha.

Winemaking:

• soft extraction, tannin mgmt. i.e. destem, short mac, oak age, bottle age (costs)
• Micro-oxygenation, soften tann; ripest fruit, gentle press >> early drinking style
• AGeworthy: pron black fruit, oak, hi tann, hi acid, f body, m/h alc. (VG/OS)

Business 50/50 private : coop; 80% domestic (Smkt, O-T, SP Ret); Bal BE, DE, CA

Question 6

Jurancon Growing Env & Grape Growing

Answer 6

Growing Environment

• foothills of Pyrenees
  
  • s/sw facing slopes 300m best for ripening
  • terracing is done where necessary - adds cost
• Soils :limestone, sand, clay and stones
• Hi rain 1200mm of rainfall throughout the year (can disrupt F & FS)
• Mild and humid climate (risk= frost, fungal disease)
  
  • slopes > drainage helps
• Föhn - dries canopy, raises the temp, assists ripening
  
  • helps produce over-ripe berries for sweet wines

Viticulture

• Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng
  
  • budding zone is trained high to avoid frosts
  • slopes >> hand pick
    
    • dry wine October
    • sweet > passes Nov - Dec
    • passerilage (extended hang time) due to
      
      • ​warmth, dry autumn
      • Föhn
      • low yields only sound grapes

Winemaking AOC rules - 3 Styles

• ALL must have 50% min. of Petit and/or Gros Manseng

Jurancon Sec (Dry) >Yield 60 hl/ha

Jurancon > M-sweet; Min. 40 g/l RS; Yield 40 hL/Ha. (G/VG)

Jurancon Vendanges Tardives > Sweet; min. 55 g/l RS; No enrichment allowed; Yield 40 hL/Ha.

Winemaking

• HiQ Sweet (Petit Manseng) typically ferm in barriques
• Aged 12 - 18m, old oak, sometimes new, for complexity (cost)
• Malo c does not happen as PH too low, acid too high - acidity retained, and preserves primary fruit
• Pron int lemon, mango, h acid, m/h alc, f body (VG/OS Prem)

Increasingly dry styles being made

• include small vol Petit Manseng
• Typically aged on lees, often in SS

Business

• Almost all sold in France: direct /smarkets/hospitality
• Attention turning to dry wines > sweet harder to sell/ more competition for sw in FR

Question 7

Petit & Gros Manseng

Answer 7

Petit Manseng

• Early bud (frost) > Mid/late ripe
• Thick skins – resists BBR
• Highly aromatic and retains high acidity

Gros Manseng

• Similar to Petit Manseng –higher yields; less conc; most for dry wines

Question 8

Describe Cotes de Gascogne, typical wines, why successful.

Answer 8

• IGP Cotes de Gascogne

White wines

• Colombard: neutral; m/m+ acid usually blended. Sb and CH
• Fruity, easy drinking varietally labelled.
• 80% exported, recent incr competition non-EU
• A/G inexp - mid.