Bordeaux Flashcards
Topography of Bordeaux:
Gironde Estuary
Garonne River (to South)
Dordogne River (to East)
Extensive pine forests “Landes” (West)
What is Exposition Universelle de Paris?
The commercial exhibition that led to the 1855 classification of Bordeaux
Price points of Bordeaux?
70% inexpensive/mid-priced
30% premium/super-premium
Climate of Bordeaux?
Moderate maritime
Sufficient rainfall (varied)
- Climate change is leading to insufficient rainfall
Hail
Significant vintage variation
Soil of Bordeaux:
Left bank: Gravel (heat retention, free draining)
Right bank: Clay (water retaining) - less maritime influence
Describe Merlot:
Early budding (spring frost issue)
Mid-ripening
Large berries
Higher sugar/potential alc
Can fully ripen in cool years
Describe Cab Sauv:
Late budding
Late ripening
Small berries/thick skins
Prone to powdery mildew, Eutypa, Esca
Describe Petit Verdot:
Early budding
Very late ripening
Increasing in popularity with warmer temperatures
Describe Semillon:
Mid ripening
High yielding
Strong affinity to oak
Highly age-worthy
Med body
Med Alc
Med/Med+ Acid
Low flavor intensity - apple, lemon, grass
Describe Muscadelle:
Very prone to botrytis
Needs well-exposed site
Viticulture in Bordeaux:
Head-trained
Replacement cane pruned
Double Guyot on Left, Single Guyot on Right
AOC: 3K-4K vines/hectare
Yields: 50hL/hA
Top quality: 10K vines/hectare
Soft pruning (small cuts in wood to dry it out)
Mostly machine harvest out of necessity
Red winemaking in Bordeaux?
Closed vat fermentation
Pump over
Cultured yeast
Temp controlled
Maceration 5-30 days depending on style/quality
Inoculate for rapid MLF (en primeur tastings)
New oak decreasing
White winemaking in Bordeaux?
Tank fermentation
Some high quality in oak
Mid-priced and higher aged on lees
MLF blocked
Rose winemaking in Bordeaux?
Some traditional style - claret; short maceration/bleeding
Some “newer” style - light from direct press
Sweet wine in Bordeaux:
Low yields - 1/3 of still wine
25hL/hA max, but top wines below 10hL/hA
Harvest lasts Sept-Nov
Barrel fermentation for top quality
Describe Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Superior?
50% of total production
67hL white, 62hL rose, 60hL red, 59hL red Superior
Reds: Merlot-based
Med int red fruit
High acidity
Med+ tannins
Med body
Med alc
Left bank AOCs?
Medoc/Haut Medoc
Saint-Estephe
Pauillac
Saint-Julien
Margaux
Listrac-Medoc
Moulis
Describe Medoc wines?
Red wine only, max 55hL/hA
Pronounced intensity
Black currant/green bell pepper/red plum/vanilla/cedar
Med/High alc
High tannins
Med+ body
Describe St Estephe?
Most Merlot of left bank (40%)
Rustic wines, benefit from age
Describe Pauillac?
High proportion of Cab Sauv
3 first growths
Highest production of cru classe
Most structured - high concentration, high tannin/acid
Describe Saint-Julien?
Midway stylistically between Pauillac/Margeaux
5 second-growths, no first
Describe Margaux:
One first growth
Perfumed wines with silky tannins
Describe Graves:
85% red wine, average yields
Graves Superieures AOC is late harvest and/or botrytis wines only
- 40hL/ha (higher than Sauternes)
Describe Pessac-Leognan:
80% red
One First growth
Best white wines of Bordeaux
54hL
Describe Entre-deux-Mers:
2nd largest appellation
Only white wines
Right bank AOCs?
Saint-Emilion
Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
Pomerol
Cotes de Bordeaux
Cotes de Bourg
Describe Saint-Emilion:
Red wine only
Grand Cru has lower yields and min. 20 months maturation
Red/black plum, vanilla/clove
Full body
High alcohol
Med+/High acid
Med+/High tannin
Satellites: Montagne Saint-Emilion AOC and Lussac-Saint-Emilion AOC
Describe Pomerol:
Small, high quality production
49hL/hA
Red/black plum, vanilla/clove
Full body
High alcohol
Med+/high acid
Med+/high tannin
Satellite: Lalande-de-Pomerol AOC
Describe Cotes de Bordeaux:
Established in 2009
Includes Blaye, Castillon, Cadillac, Francs
Describe Cotes de Bourg:
Highest Malbec % in Bordeaux (10%)
Describe Sauternes/Barsac:
Semillon 80%
Mists burnt off in afternoon to prevent grey rot
Started producing dry wines due to dwindling demand for sweet
Describe 1855 Classification:
60 properties ranked in 5 tiers
Chateau d’Yquem awarded Premier Cru Superior
25% of wines classified Cru Classe
First Growths (Premier Cru Classe)?
Chateau Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac)
Chateau Latour (Pauillac)
Chateau Margaux (Margaux)
Chateau Haut-Brion (Pessac, Graves)
Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Pauillac) - promoted in 1973
Graves classification:
1959
16 classified estates, all in Pessac Leognan
Saint-Emilion classification:
1955
Revised at 10yr intervals
Premier Grand Cru A, Premier Grand Cru B, Grand Cru Classe
Define Cru Bourgeois:
Classification established in 1932 for Medoc wines that didnt quality for 1855
Includes Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Superieur, and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
- Recertify every 5 years
Wine Business in Bordeaux?
800+ million bottles/year
Over 7000 estates
Coops responsible for 25%
Production costs:
0.57 - Bordeaux AOC
2.35 - Medoc
16.00 - classified growth
- increased density, harvest cost, viticultural cost, lower yield, grape selection, barrel aging
Export of Bordeaux:
44% by volume, 52% by value
Hong Kong, China, USA, UK
What is La Place de Bordeaux?
Commercial system
Wine is sold to a merchant/negociant (take 15%)
Courtier (broker) handles relationship between producers and merchant (take 2%)
