Bordeaux Flashcards
Are white wines under Bordeaux Supérieur AOP dry or off-dry?
Off-dry
Describe the wines of St-Estèphe.
Sturdy and full-bodied with a slightly higher percentage of Merlot, due to a higher proportion of clay amongst the gravel
Entre-Deux-Mers lies on the conflux of what two rivers?
Dordogne (north) and Garonne (south)
How long are Sauternes generally aged in cask? What type of oak are they usually aged in?
- up to 2 years
- Moderate-to-high percentage of new oak
How long do the best red and white wines of Bordeaux spend in oak?
- Red - 18 months
- White - 16 months
How many acres of the Médoc are planted to white grapes?
123 acres
How many chateaux were classified in Graves?
- 13 estates for red
- 9 estates for white
- 16 in total
How many Grand Cru Classé are classified for St-Émilion?
64
How many Premier Cru Classé B’s are classified for St-Émilion?
14
In the 1855 Classification how many 2ème Crus are there?
14
In the 1855 Classification how many 3ème Crus are there?
14
In the 1855 Classification how many 4ème Crus are there?
10
In the 1855 Classification how many 5ème Crus are there?
18
Name 3 garagistes producers.
- Le Pin - Pomerol
- Valandraud - St-Émilion
- La Mondotte - St-Émilion
Name 5 producers of Pomerol.
- Ch Pétrus
- Vieux-Chateau-Certan
- Ch Lafleur
- Ch Le Pin
- Ch Trotanoy
Name the 2 lesser appellations of the Médoc.
- Listrac-Médoc AOP
- Moulis-en-Médoc AOP
What are the AOPs of the Médoc?
- Médoc
- Haut-Médoc
- St-Estèphe
- Pauillac
- St-Julien
- Listrac-Médoc
- Moulis-en-Médoc
- Margaux
Sauternes lies at the conflux of what two rivers?
- Ciron
- Garonne
What % of St-Julien is AOP cru classé?
≈80%
What AOP encompasses both Blaye and Bourg?
Côtes de Bordeaux AOP
What AOP is for whites produced in Blaye?
Cotes de Blaye AOP
What are boulbenes? Where is it most commonly found?
A mixture of sand, gravel and light clay that characterizes Graves
What are courtiers?
Brokers of wine
What are croupes?
Gravel mounds that were unearthed by the Dutch in the 1600s
What are the “super-seconds” of the 1855 Classifications?
- Cos d’Estournel
- Ch Léoville Las Cases
- Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou
What are the 4 satellites of St-Émilion?
- Lussac
- St-Georges
- Montagne
- Puisseguin
What are the 5 villages of Margaux?
- Cantenac
- Labarde
- Arsac
- Margaux
- Soussans
What are the communes of Pessac-Léognan?
- Pessac
- Léognan
- Cadaujac
- Canéjan
- Gradignan
- Martillac
- Mérignac
- Saint-Médard-d’Eyrans
- Talence
- Villenave-d’Ornons
What are the drainage channels of Bordeaux called?
Jalles
What are the five villages of Sauternes AOP?
- Sauternes
- Barsac
- Fargues
- Preignac
- Bommes
What are the general Bordeaux Appellations?
- Bordeaux AOP
- Bordeaux Supérieur AOP
- Crémant de Bordeaux AOP
What are the grapes and the blend of Bordeaux blanc AOP wines?
-Sémillon
-Sauvignon Blanc
-Muscadell
max 30% combined:
-Ugni Blanc
-Merlot Blanc
-Colombard
What are the major communes of the Médoc?
- St-Estèphe
- Pauillac
- St. Julien
- Listrac-Médoc
- Moulis-en-Médoc
- Margaux
What are the sweet white AOPs of Graves?
- Graves Supérieur
- Cérons
- Barsac
- Sauternes
What are the two broad categories of soil in St-Émilion?
- côtes - steep limestone slopes
- graves - gravelly limestone plateau
What areas of origin may be listed with Côtes de Bordeaux?
- Francs
- Castillon
- Blaye
- Cadillac
What classified chateau of Graves produced its final vintage in 2008?
Chateau Laville Haut-Brion - classified for white wine
What classified chateau of Graves produced its last vintage in 2005?
Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion - it was classified for red wine
What color wines are produced in the Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac AOP?
Red for both
What color wines are produced under the Côtes de Blaye AOP? From what grapes?
White - Ugni Blanc and Colombard
What color wines does Blaye AOP produce?
Red
What colors can Médoc AOP wines be?
Red only
What commune has the largest number of classified growths?
Margaux (21)
What communes are located within Lalande-de-Pomerol AOP?
- Lalande-de-Pomerol
- Néac
What first growths are located in Pauillac?
- Ch Lafite-Rothschild
- Ch Mouton-Rothschild
- Ch Latour
What is Cabernet Franc known as in Pomerol?
Bouchet
What is Chateau Latour’s annual production?
150-180,000 bottles
What is Chateau Le Pin’s annual production?
6,000 bottles
What is crasse de fer?
Rich clay that dominates Pomerol
What is Cru Artisan?
- Formally recognized in 2002
- From the 2005 vintage forward, 44 small producers in the Médoc have the right to use the appelltion
- It denots their place as exceptional stewards of the land and craft of winemaking, without the financing or apparatus of large-scale operations
What is Cru Bourgeois?
- Originally intro’d in 1932
- Divided 444 properties into 3 categories: Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, and Cru Bourgeois
- It was not official until 2003, when only 247 chateaux retained their status
- The resulting legal action nullified the entire classification
- Cru Bourgeois was reinstated for the 2008 vintage, but it is no longer a specific classification
- The term now acts as a guarantor of quality and chateaux must apply for it regularly, submitting the wines to be blind tasted
- Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel and Cru Bourgeois Supérieur has been eliminated
What is mainly produced in the Côtes de Bourg?
the vast majority is red
What is Malbec known as on the Right Bank?
Pressac
What is pourriture noble?
Noble rot
What is the largest communal appellation of the Haut-Médoc?
Margaux
What is the min must weight for harvest in Sauternes?
221 g/l
What is the min RS of Sauternes?
45 g/l of RS
What is the traditional method sparkling wine AOP for Bordeaux?
Crémant de Bordeaux AOP
What may the wines of Barsac be sold as?
Barsac AOP or Sauternes AOP
What portion of Graves production is white?
25.00%
What producer of St Emilion is notable for having Cabernet Sauvignon?
Chateau Figeac
What relatively common Bordeaux variety is essentially non-existent on the Right Bank?
Petit Verdot
What river is the “Right Bank” on?
Dordogne River
What river is the Haut-Médoc located on?
Gironde Estuary
What size are barriques?
225L
What soil type does Cabernet Franc excel in?
Limestone-based soils
What style of wines are produced under Côtes de Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire AOP? Where is it located?
Whites:
- Sec
- Moelleux
- Liquereux
Southern portion of Entre-Deux-Mers, borders; borders Haut-Benage to the SE
What style of wines are produced under the Graves de Vayres AOP? Where is it located?
Red and white
Northern portion of Entre-Deux-Mers along the banks of the Dordogne River across from Fronsac
What style of wines are produced under the Graves Supérieur AOP?
Sweet whites
What style of wines are produced under the Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux AOP?
Red and white
What sweet white AOPs are one the eastern shores of the Garonne?
Cadillac AOP
Loupiac AOP
Ste-Croix-du-Mont AOP
Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AOP
What style wines can be labeled as Graves AOP?
Red and dry whites
What sub-appellation of northern Graves was created in 1987?
Pessac-Léognan - it effectively became the prestige appellation for both red and white while sidelining the producers of Southern Graves
What two AOPs may use the geographical designation “Haut-Benauge”?
- Bordeaux AOP
- Entre-Deux-Mers AOP
What two classified chateaux no longer produce wine under their own labels? Both properties now supply fruit for a second red and a new white wine under what label?
- Ch La Tour Haut-Brion & Ch Laville Haut-Brion
- Ch La Mission Haut-Brion
What vintages from 1900-1950 did Ch d’Yquem not produce wine?
10, ‘15, ‘30, ‘51, ‘52
What vintages since 1960 has Ch d’Yquem not produced wine?
64, ‘72, ‘74, ‘92, 2012
What was the first identifiable vineyard estate in Bordeaux?
Chateau Pape-Clément in 1305
What was the only Chateau in the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux that was for both red and white?
Chateau Haut-Brion in Graves
What year was Chateau Mouton-Rothschild upgraded?
1973
When did Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion produce its final vintage?
2005
When did Chateau Laville Haut-Brion produced its final vintage?
2008
When did Cru Artisan become formally recognized?
2002
When were the three-tier ranking of chateaux of St-Émilion? When were the revisions made?
- 1954 (published in 1955)
- ‘69, ‘85, ‘96, ‘06, ‘12
When were the wines of Graves first and last classified? What changed?
- 1953
- 1959 - six wines were added
When were the wines of Sauternes classified?
Alongside those of the Médoc in 1855
Where are the oldest cultivated vineyards in Bordeaux?
Bourg - they were well regarded until being eclipsed in the late 1600s by the Médoc and Graves
Where in the Haut-Médoc is the gravel topsoil at its deepest point?
Pauillac
Where is Ch Chasse-Spleen located?
Moulis
Where is Chateau Roc de Cambes located?
Cotes de Bourg
Which of the major communes of the Médoc produces the least wine?
St-Julien
Who commissioned and carried our the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux?
- Emperor Napoleon III commissioned it
- Courtiers carried it out
Who organized the classification of Graves?
INAO
Who produces the “Crème de Tête”? What is special about it?
- Chateau Gilette (Sauternes)
- A decade-long maturation in concrete vats
Bordeaux is France’s largest wine appellation at ______ acres
306,000