Bordeaux Flashcards
What Médoc AOC is considered the most “Californian”?
St. Julien
What Right Bank sub-region has a classification system?
St. Emilion
What is the main grape of Bordeaux’s Left Bank?
Cabernet Sauvignon
What Médoc AOC is considered the most “feminine” and perfumed?
Margaux AOC
Why is Graves suited for sweet wine production?
Damp, foggy mornings followed by warm dry afternoons promote noble rot
What French wine region produces more AOC wine than any other?
Bordeaux
What is the difference between St Emilion Grand Cru and St Emilion Grand Cru Classé?
The former is an AOC. The latter is a ranking within a classification system.
What is the main soil type of Bordeaux’s Left Bank?
Gravel
What Bordeaux soils are considered “cold”?
Clay and limestone because they retain moisture
A semi-sweet wine from Graves must labeled as:
“Graves Supérieures AOC”
What is “Les Landes”?
A man-made forest separating Bordeaux from the ocean.
What are the main soil types of Bordeaux’s Right Bank?
Clay and limestone
Where is the wine-producing area of Libournais?
On Bordeaux’s Right Bank, around the city of Liborne
What is the primary grape of Entre-Deux-Mers?
Sauvignon Blanc
What estate is the only Premier Cru Supérieur of the 1855 classification?
Château d’Yquem
What style of wine is produced in the Libournais?
All 10 Libournais AOCs are for dry reds only
What style of wine is produced in the Cérons, Barsac and Sauternes AOCs?
Sweet whites affected by noble rot
What style of wine is produced in the Cadillac, Loupiac and Ste-Croix-du-Mont AOCs?
Sweet whites affected by noble rot
What are the three secondary red grape varieties in Bordeaux?
Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenère
How does Bordeaux Supérieur differ from Bordeaux AOC?
Stricter production standards, lower yields and higher alcohol. Reds must be aged 9 months. Whites are always semi-sweet.
What defines the term “Petit Château”?
“Petit Château” is an unofficial term for an unclassified property in the Bordeaux region
What Bordeaux soils are considered “warm”?
Gravel and sand because they radiate heat back to the vine
How many categories of “growths” were given to red wines in Bordeaux’s 1855 classification?
Five
What did the 1953 Graves Classification rank?
The wines of 16 estates, rather than the estates themselves
What style of wine is made under the Entre-Deux-Mers AOC?
The Entre-Deux-Mers AOC is for dry white wines only
What are the three principal rivers of Bordeaux?
Gironde, Garonne, Dordogne
What are the main grapes of Bordeaux’s Right Bank?
Merlot and Cabernet Franc
What is “Clairet”?
A semi-red wine made by the Saignée method.
What are the four St. Emilion satellites?
St-Georges, Lussac, Montagne and Puisseguin
What are “Crus Artisans”?
Boutique wineries of quality in Bordeaux
What style of wine is made in the Médoc?
Dry reds only
Cabernet Sauvignon is a cross between:
Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc
What are the three primary white grapes in Bordeaux?
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle
What are the four sub-regional designations of the Côtes de Bordeaux AOC”?
Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon, and Francs
Why is Malbec seldom planted in Bordeaux today?
The winter freeze of 1956 destroyed most Malbec plantings.
What three Bordeaux winegrowing areas were included in the 1855 Classification?
Médoc (60 châteaux), Péssac-Leognan (1 château) and Sauternes (26 châteaux)
What Bordeaux AOC produces dry whites mainly from Colombard?
Côtes de Blaye AOC
What contribution did the Dutch make to Bordeaux winemaking in the 1600s?
They drained the Médoc peninsula in order to grow grapes for sweet white table wine and for wine to distill into eau de vie
How are reds from Entre-Deux-Mers labeled?
“Bordeaux AOC” or “Bordeaux Supérieur AOC”
What moderates Bordeaux’s climate?
The Gulf Stream, Les Landes, and the network of rivers
What defines Cru Bourgeois?
A list created in 1932 of 444 châteaux from Médoc not included in the 1855 classification. It remains a member-based syndicate.
What is the climate of Bordeaux?
Maritime
Bordeaux’s first vineyards were planted in what sub-region?
Graves
What makes Bordeaux unique?
- Water, water everywhere.
- Wine is sold as commodities
- Classification system of commercial significance
- Stronghold of wine industry talent (Uni of Bordeaux)
- Top, top quality wine (more AOC than anywhere in France)
- Wines are made for aging
How long has Bordeaux been inhabited by humans?
20-30 thousand years
Romans encountered the Biturges Vivisci tribe in the town of Burdigala
Was originally famous for tin and led
Chateau Ausone is named after which scholar from the Bordeaux area?
Ausonius (310- 393 AD)
Who came into the Bordeaux are straight after the 100 year war in the 1600s?
The dutch. They drained the Medoc peninsula reclaiming vineyard land by raising gravel beds.
What happened to Bordeaux in the 1700s?
A second golden age was heralded and, starting with Chateau Haut Brion, they build amazing chateaus
What happened to Bordeaux during the French Revolution?
Trade dried up. The maritime trade of the past completely dried up. This was revived in the 1800s by the arrival of the railroad.
What happened in 1852 that helped Bordeaux trade?
Nepoleon the 3rd created a coup d’état that created ties with England.
What pest came to Bordeaux in the 1800s?
Powdery Mildew (odium) a fungal disease indigenous to the USA. Thick white filaments blanket the wine. Can reduce yields, retard pigment development and stunt cluster growth.
What pest came to Bordeaux in 1965?
Phylloxera
What was the third pest plague that attacked Bordeaux in 1880?
Downy Mildew (peronospera) a fungal disease. Germinates in warm, humid weather. Attackes leaves and stems, first with ‘oil spots’, then with white cotton filaments. Vines lose leaves which can delay or prevent ripening
What were the two significant events in the 20th Century that devastated the Bordeaux economy?
Two World Wars and the Great depression devastated the economy of Bordeaux