Bordeaux Flashcards
Bordeaux Climate
Maritime
What Rivers meet north of the city of Bordeaux?
- Garonne
- Dordogne
What rivers form the Gironde Estuary?
- Garonne
- Dordogne
(both in Bordeaux)
Medoc and Graves Soil?
Gravel
Saint-Emilion Soil?
Gravel, limestone, and sand
Pomerol Soil?
Iron pan under sand and clay
Bordeaux Grape Varieties?
White
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Semillon
- Muscadelle (small quantities)
Red
- Merlot (the most widely planted)
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cabernet Franc
- Petit Verdot (small quantities)
- Malbec (allowed, but rarely seen today)
- Carmenere (allowed, but rarely seen)
Vinification from Medoc
- 70% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 30% Merlot
- Some Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
- Aged usually in French oak barrels
Vinification Saint-Emilion and Pomerol
- 70% Merlot
- 30% Cabernet Franc
- Aged in French oak barrels
Vinification Dry White Wines Graves (left bank) and Entre-Deux-Mers
- 80% Sauvignon Blanc
- 20% Semillon
- The majority of inexpensive white wines from Bordeaux are made without oak. Prestigious white wines tend to be aged in new French oak barriques.
Vinification of Sweet Wines Bordeaux
- 80% Semillon
- 20% Sauvignon Blanc
- Muscadelle (small percentage)
- Many sweet wines in Bordeaux are aged in new French oak barrels.
Bordeaux Appellations
- Bordeaux AOP
- Sub-Regional of District Appellations (ex. Haut Medoc AOP and Entre-Deux-Mers AOP
- Commune Appellations (ex. Pauillac, Margaux, Pomerol, Saint Julien, Saint Estephe, St. Emilion)
Bordeaux Left Bank Most Renowned Wine Area
Medoc
Name Medoc’s Wine Appellations
- Medoc
- Saint-Estephe
- Pauillac
- Saint-Julien
- Haut-Medoc
- Margaux
Medoc’s Soil
Gravel, with great moisture draining properties. Perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon
Medoc Grape Varieties
Red wines only,
Cabernet Sauvignon based blends.
Medoc AOP’s
- Sub-Regions
- Medoc AOP
- Haut-Medoc AOP
- Commune
- Saint-Estephe AOP
- Pauillac AOP
- Saint-Julien AOP
- Margaux AOP
Explain Bordeaux 1855 Classification
Emperor Napoleon III commissioned a ranking of Bordeaux top chateaux for the Universal Exposition in Paris. Merchants and brokers ranked 61 properties in five tiers: first growth through fifth growth. They used historical record of the prices that each property’s wines commanded. The higher the price, the higher the ranking.
- Communes in the Right Bank were not part of the classification.
- One property in the Pessac-Leognan commune in Graves was included because Chateau Haut-Brion had long fetched a very high price.
- This was all a marketing decision
Name Bordeaux First Growth Chateaux of the 1855 Classification
- Chateau Lafite-Rothchild
- Chateau Latour
- Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (elevated to first growth in 1973)
- Chateau Margaux
- Chateau Haut-Brion (Graves)
Graves AOP Soil
Gravel
Graves AOP Grape Varieties
White
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Semillon
Red
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Graves AOP Sub-Regions
- Pessac-Leognan AOP
- Vinification
- Dry white wines
- Dry red wines
- New French Oak
Sauternes AOP Vinification
- Botrytis-affected sweet wines
- Oak aged, often in new French barrique
Entre-Deux-Mers AOP Soil
Very fertile silt
Entre-Deux-Mers AOP Grape Varieties
White
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Semillon
- Muscadelle
Entre-Deux-Mers AOP Vinification
- Dry white wines only
- Little to no oak, stainless steel
- Red wines made in this area fall under the Bordeaux AOP Appellation
Name the Right Bank Wine Region
Saint-Emilion
Saint-Emilion Soils
(Proportions vary depending on the location)
- Large bed of silt, clay, and gravel
- Limestone plateau
- Sand
Saint-Emilion Grape Varieties
- Merlot
- Cabernet Franc
- AOP for red wines only
Saint-Emilion AOP Appellations
- Saint-Emilion AOP
- Saint-Emilion Grand Cru AOP (wines have an additional 0,5% alcohol and must undergo a longer aging than wines labeled Saint-Emilion AOP
Saint-Emilion Classification System
- Instituted in 19556 with a goal to revision every 10 years. The most recent revision was in 2012.