Bordeaux Flashcards
Topography (Cities, water bodies, mountains)
Factor effecting climate, hazards, Terroir
City: Bordeaux, Langon, Libourne
Moderate Maritime climate:
Low continentality (low annual difference between the hottest and coldest months).
Rainfall can damage flowering and dilute grape flavour.
Wet and humid condition higher the risk of fungal disease (grey rot) and clouds may slower the growing season of the grape.
Vertical shoots positioning (VSP) trains the vine high, avoiding frosts and improving air circulation in wet and humid condition, reducing fungal disease.
A correct canopy management of the leaves has to be applied in order to allow the grape to benefit the most from the sunlight.
Vineyards on slopes, are well drained, and benefit from good air circulation.
Warm current from water bodies stretches the grape maturation and also prevent from spring frost.
Ocean: Atlantic (play an important thermoregulatory role)
The warming ocean current stretches the grape maturation till October and it prevents spring frosts by air circulating.
Rivers: Gironde, Dordogne, Garonne and Ciron (The joining of these two rivers produces the morning fogs needed to develop Noble Rot)
Forest: Les Landes pine forest (along side the sand dunes) protects from Oceans storms and strong winds
The terroir are mainly:
Left Bank: Gravel (for heat retention - cab sav)
Right Bank: Clay (for water retention - merlot)
White grape varieties (7)
Semillon (high susceptibility to botrytis)
Sauv blanc (adds acid and fruity aromas)
Muscadelle (brings exotic aromas to the wine)
Others: Colombard, merlot blanc, sauvignon gris, uni blanc
Red grape varieties (6)
Merlot (most planted grape, 66%. Prefers cooler clay soils of the Right Bank)
Cab sauv (Prefers warmer stone and gravel soils of the Left Bank)
Cab franc (Prefer gravel and limestone soils that are relatively warm + well drained)
Petit verdot (add tannin, color, and some spice flavors to the blend. Ripens only in very hot years)
Others: malbec, carmenere
Grapegrowing / winemaking
White wines:
The premium dry and sweet wines from graves and sauterne are fermented and matured in oak barrels.
Inexpensive, unoaked white wines are made in entre deux mers
Red wines:
The best ones are aged in small Barriques made from French oak (225 L) for an average of 18 months.
“Wine matured in barrels” on the label assumes at least six months in barrels.
Bordeaux classification
Medoc
“Appellation of 1855 Bordeaux” - Napoleon III. (61 wines) April 18, 1855
The Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce categorised the top wines into First (Premier cru) through Fifth Growths.
Then there are:
- Cru Bourgeois
- Cru Artisan
- Generic Bordeaux
Sauterne
- Premier Cru Supérior
- Premier Crus
- Second Crus
Graves and Pomerol:
There is no ranking
Saint-Emilion 1955: Revisable every 10 years (last in 2012)
- Premier grand cru classe A and B,
- Grand Cru Classé
- Grand Cru
- AOC Saint-Emilion
The last classification in 2006 was challenged and canceled by the Bordeaux court.
In 2012, the classification was revised under new regulations, under the authority of the INAO. Some areas have been promoted, others invalidated.
The three regional appellations of Bordeaux are:
Bordeaux AOP
Bordeaux Supérieur AOP
Crémont de Bordeaux AOP
Appellations (AOP) Left bank
Medoc - 16 500 ha
Mainly cabernet-sauvignon (more than 50%)
Then merlot (40%) with a little Cabernet-Franc.
- Saint Estephe
- Pauillac
- Saint Julien
- Margaux
- Listrac
- Moulis-en Medoc.
Graves - 3 000 ha
Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc for the whites.
Also Merlot (around 50%) and Cabernet-Sauvignon for the reds
- Graves
- Passac-Leognan (Sauvignon)
- CDB Cadillac
- Loupiac
Sauternes - 1 800 ha
- Sauternes
- Ceron
- Barsac (can be label as either Sauternes or Barsac)
Appellations (AOP) Right bank
Here, we will have a very large predominance of Merlot, add a little Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.
Wines here are deeper in colour, richer, fuller bodied.
Redberries and spices
Pomerol (only 800 ha)
Lalande Pomerol
Saint Emilion (5 400 ha)
Saint Emilion Grand Cru
CD Francs
CD Castillon
CD Blaye (white also)
CD Bourg (white also)
Fronsac
Canon Fronsac
Premières Côtes de Bordeaux (semi-sweet white only)
Appellations (AOP) Between rivers
32 500 ha
It was mainly dry and sweet white wines made there, from the blend of Sauvignon and Sémillon. Today, more and more red wines are produced there, mainly using the Merlot grape variety.
Entre deux mers
Graves de Vayres (white and red)
Côtes de Bordeaux
Premier crus Medoc (4), Graves (1) and Sauternes (1)
Pauillac (3): Chateau Lafite, Chateau Latour, Mouton Rothschild
Margaux (1): Chateau Margaux
Pessac Leognan (1): Chateau Haut-brion (the only present in two classification)
Sauternes (1er grand cru superieur): Chateau d’Yquem
Pomerol (4)
Château Pétrus, Château Le Pin, Lafleur, Conseillante
Saint emilion premier cru classe A (4)
Cheval blanc, Ausone, Chateau Angelus, Chateau Pavie
Few important names
Andre Lurton, Comte de Lur Saluce, Debourieux, Roland, Parker,….
Liber Pater
Liber Pater is now worth 30,000 euros a bottle.
The grape varieties used are indigenous Castet, Petite Vidure, Tarnay, Saint Macaire and Malbec.
The reason for this significant price increase is explained by the use of exclusively “free standing” grape varieties from 2015. This means from ungrafted grape varieties.
How do the wines of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol differ?
Saint-Émilion wines tend to be well structured, soft. Red berried-fruit, and layers of tobacco and cedar.
Pomerol is even richer, spicier than Saint-Émilion, with blue and blackberry fruit character.
In Bordeaux vintages where there is little noble rot, what technique is used in the vineyards to help concentrate grape sugars?
Passerillage
List general points of how the white wines of Entre-Deux-Mers differ from those of Pessac-Léognan.
Entre-Deux-Mers whites:
fresh and fruity with minimal ageing
rarely see new oak
easy drinking
more affordably priced
Pessac-Léognan whites:
Complex able to bottle age
Tipically fermented or matured in oak
higher quality
higher prices
What are reds from Graves like compared to reds from Pessac-Léognan?
Graves will have more Merlot in the blend. Less concentration and complexity than Pessac-Léognan.
Trade structure
Bordeaux is the largest producer of AOC (65) wine in France and represents 2% of the world’s wine production.
Producers account for an average of 850 million bottles each year.
The region is responsible for 5,800 winegrowers, 300 wine négociants and 29 cooperatives.
What are the Co-operatives
Co-operatives offers vinification, blending and packaging facilities to producers.
60% make wines on their own properties. The rest is processed and marketed by the region’s co-operatives.
En Primeur
It became institutionalized in the early 1980s.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild organized a tasting of his wine in April, while his wine was still maturing.
The advantage is that the trade “reserves” a certain number of bottles, at a more attractive price than the price of the wine sold in bottle.
The other advantage, for the owners this time, consists making profit in advance (useful to be invested in the vineyard).
Négociant
They are responsible for tasting the region’s wines, comparing vintages, ensuring quality and selling the finished product on the market — allowing the producers and winemakers to do what they do best.
The sector is responsible for selling 75% of all Bordeaux’s production to more than 160 different countries.
Few Second Growth
St Estephe
- Chateau Montrose
- Chateau Cos d’Estournel
St Julien
- Chateau Gruaud Larose
- Chateau Leoville
- Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
Margaux
- Chateau Brane Cantenac
- Chateau Durfort Vivens
- Chateau Rauzan Segla
Few Third Growth
St Estephe
- Chateau Calon-Segur
Margaux
- Chateau Ferrière
- Chateau Kirwan
Few Fourth Growth
Medoc
- Chateau La Tour Carnet
St Julien
- Chateau Beychevelle
Margaux
- Chateau Prieure Lichine
Few Fifth Growth
Pauillac
- Chateau Batailley
- Chateau Lynch-Bages
- Chateau Pontet Canet
Bordeaux AOP Hierarchy
- Commune Appellation
e.g. Margaux AOP - Sub-Regional / District Appellations
e.g. Haut-Médoc AOP - Bordeaux AOP
When you see the word ‘château’ on a bottle of Bordeaux, what do you immediately know about the wine?
- The estate is under single ownership
- The château’s name isn’t the name of its vineyard(s), it’s the brand name
What are the top Left Bank Bordeaux vintages between 2005-2016?
2005
2009
2010
2015
2016
What are some notes that Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, and Sauvignon Blanc share
Green notes:
Bell Pepper
Grass
Sage
