Bordeaux Flashcards
How much wine is produced in BDX each year?
661 million bottles
Nearly ___ % of the wine made in BDX is red
90
BDX is the largest AOC in France, T or F?
True
BDX is how many acres?
290,350 (6x Napa, 4x Burgundy)
How many appellations are in BDX?
60
What three rivers does BDX lie along?
Gironde Estuary, Dordogne River, Garonne River
What are the three main white grapes grown in BDX?
Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon.
What six red grapes are grown in BDX?
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot.
What is BDX’s climate?
Maritime
BDX is edged on the south and west by what?
Les Landes, 2.5 million acres of manmade pine forests that help to shield the region from extreme weather
An old BDX saying has it that the best vineyards _________
Can see the river
Why plant Merlot in clay instead of Cabernet Sauvignon?
Clay does not drain well, as a result clay stays cool in the spring, delaying budbreak and slowing the ripening of grapes. Because of its slightly less tannic structure, and because it tends to ripen early, merlot has a better chance of reaching maturity.
What percentage of all red grape vineyard land in BDX is merlot?
60%
What percentage of all red grape vineyard land in BDX is cabernet sauvignon?
20%
In BDX, merlot is described as
Fleshy, mouthfilling, and supple.
IN BDX, cabernet sauvignon is described as
Angular, structured (so high in tannin).
Why is BDX red wine so perfect for aging?
Merlot and Cab both have very high tannin, tannin acts as a preservative, thus is ages well.
What percentage of all red grape vineyard land in BDX is Cabernet Franc?
10%
Which of BDX’s red grapes are native to France?
All of them, except Cabernet Franc, which is from the Basque region of Spain
Name all white grapes grown in BDX
Semillon, Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot Blanc, Colombard, Ugni Blanc, and Sauvignon Gris
How many grape varieties were allowed to grown in BDX in the 1780’s? How many now?
63 then, 13 now.
What does Entre-Deux-Mers mean?
“Between two seas”
In BDX, the main classifications are based on ______ not _______ .
Estate, not land.
How many chateaus were ranked in the famous 1855 Classification, what are the ranking categories?
60 top chateaux in Medoc, plus Château Haut-Brion in Pessac-Leognon. The are ranked from 1st to 5th growths. Sauternes and Barsac were ranked into three categories separately: First Great Classified Growth, First Growths, and Second Growths.
Name the 1855 First Great Classified Growths in Sauternes and Barsac?
d’Yquem
Name the original 1855 First Growths
Margaux, Lafite, Latour, Haut-Brion
What amendment was made to the 1855 classification? What year was it made?
Mouton-Rothschild, 1973
Why did the 1855 Classification occur?
Napoleon III asked BDX’s top chateaus to rank their wines from best to worst for the Paris Universal Exhibition, they stalled, and the BDX CHamber of Commerce did it. The ranking was based on one stark question: how much the wine sold for. The classification was never to be revised.
What year were the wines of Graves classified, and what year was that classification revised?
1953 and 1959. There was no hierarchical order, instead the top 16 chateaux were given the legal right to call themselves Grand Cru Classe.
Who is the man responsible for the amendment to the 1855 classification?
Baron Philippe de Rothschild, who petitioned the government for twenty years to upgrade Mouton.
What does selling wine ‘en primeur’ mean?
Selling wine as futures, which is common in BDX. Usually futures are sold two or more years before the wine will actually be ready to be drunk.
Which chateaux shocked the world in 2012 by declaring they would no longer sell their wine ‘en primeur’
Chateau Latour
What year was St. Emilion classified, and with what provision?
1954, it will be revised every ten years.
What are the classification levels in St. Emilion?
- Premier Grand Cru Classe (A and B)
- Grand Cru Classe
- Grand Cru
Which region has no ranking system?
Pomerol
What is the classification for all chateaux in Medoc who are unranked in their region?
Crus Bourgeois du Medoc
The Medoc is broken into what two smaller appellations?
Medoc (South) and Haut Medoc (North)
What are the two dominate grapes in Medoc?
Cabernet Sauvignon followed by Merlot
The flat plateaus of Medoc were originally marshland, how and when did this change?
In the 17th century BDX nobility brought Dutch engineers to cut huge drains in the land, lowering the water table and creating riverside gravel banks (riverside meaning Gironde-side.
What is the largest commune in Medoc?
Margaux
Describe the soil in Margaux
The lightest and most gravelly in Medoc, giving its wines soaring elegance and refinement.
What are the two most famous chateaux in Margaux
First Growth: Chateau Margaux
Third Growth: Chateau Palmer
What is the smallest commune in Medoc?
St. Julien
What are St. Julien’s three most famous chateaux
Leoville-Barton, Leoville-Las Cases, and Leoville-Poyferre (All Second Growths)
What three First Growths are in Pauillac?
Mouton, Lafite, Latour
What are the three most famous chateaux in St. Estephe?
Cos d’Estournel, Calon-Segur, and Montrose
What is the soil in Graves like?
It is famously gravelly, hence the name. The gift of Ice Age glaciers, which also deposited tiny white quartz pebbles which are found in all the best vineyards.
What part of BDX holds the distinction of being the only where both red and white wines are made by most chateaux
Graves
What is the most famous chateau in Graves?
Haut-Brion
What is Pessac-Leognan?
An appellation within Graves composed of ten tiny communes, grouped together by the French government in 1987
Classically, all white Graves are blends of _____ and ______
Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon
Name five top Chateaux in Graves for red wine
Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Domaine de Chevalier, Pape-Clement, and Haut-Bailly.
Name three top Chateaux in Graves for white wine
La Mission Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion, Domaine de Chevalier
What are BDX’s five sweet wine producing communes?
Sauternes, Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, Preignac
What grape is especially susceptible to botrytis cinera? Why?
Semillon, because of its large bunches of thin-skinned grapes with high sugar content.
Why are Sauternes and Barsac perfect for making sweet wine?
They are situated where the Ciron River meets the Garonne River, creating gentle morning mists. Nearby forests hold this moisture in the air, and when the day warms up a perfect stage is set. Botrytis loves humidity and warmth.
What does botrytis cinera do to grapes?
The mold punctures the grapes’ skins in search of water to germinate its spores, then dehydrates the grapes, leaving concentrated sugar and acid (it also alters the structure of said acid).
How long does sweet wine fermentation take, and why?
Because of the concentration of sugar in the must, fermentation is difficult and takes a long time- up to the year (dry wine takes two weeks-month)
How many First and Second Growth wines are there in Sauternes/Barsac
11 First Growth, 15 Second Growth
In off years, d’Yquem makes a dry wine called what?
Y (pronounced E-GREK)
Is St. Emilion on the Right or Left Bank of BDX?
Right
What is unique about St. Emilion’s chateaus?
It is very modest, often most of the work is done in the vineyard and in the cellar by the proprietor and his family.
What is Eglise Monolithe?
One of Europe’s only underground churches, carved by hand by the Benedictine monks out of one massive block of limestone. It is in the center of the village St. Emilion.
The topography of St. Emilion is characterized by
Hillsides (the cotes), limestone outcroppings and plateaus, plus gravelly terraces.
What is the soil of St. Emilion?
Clay, sand, chalk, and quartz.
Only red wines are made in what BDX region?
St. Emilion and Pomerol
Name four top chateaux in St. Emilion
Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angelus, Pavie
Which of BDX’s major wine regions is smallest?
Pomerol
What two grapes are most widely planted in Pomerol?
Merlot and Cabernet Franc
What is the soil in Pomerol?
Gravel and Clay
Pomerol was fairly unknown until when? What chateaux made its name?
1940-50’s, Petrus
Who is Jean-Pierre Moueix?
A talented businessman who bought exclusive rights to Pomerol’s best chateaux, in 1964 he bought 50% of Petrus. He also owns Dominus in Napa Valley!
What is the average size of a vineyard in Pomerol?
10 acres! SO SMALL.
What region are Listrac and Moulis within?
Medoc
Why is wine from Listrac and Moulis so much cheaper than the famous communes in Medoc?
They are more inland, and not positioned on the gravelly banks of the Gironde Estuary. Away from the riverbanks the soil tends to be heavier and hold more water.
All wines classified to the Appellation Entre-Deux-Mers are what?
WHITE, mostly sauvignon blanc
What are red wines in Entre-Deux-Mers classified as?
Appellation Bordeaux.
What is the soil of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac?
clay/sand interlaced with limestone
Are white wines made in Fronsac and Canon Fronsac?
No
What are the four subregions of the Cotes?
Cotes de Bourg, Cotes de Castillon, Cotes de Francs, Premieres Cotes de Blaye.
What five Second Growths are in Margaux?
Rausan-Segla, Rausan-Gassies, Durfort-Vivens, Lascombes, and Brane-Cantenac
What five Second Growths are in St. Julien?
Leoville Las Cases, Leoville Poyferre, Leoville Barton, Gruard-Larose, and Ducru-Beaucaillou
What three Second Growths are in Pauillac?
Mouton, Pichon-Longueville, and Pichon-Longueville comtesse de Lalande
What two Second Growths are in St. Estephe?
Cos d’Estournel, and Montrose
