Bordeaux Flashcards
Bordeaux climate
moderate maritime
Bordeaux pine forest is called…
landes
main climatic influences in Bordeaux
- Atlantic Ocean
- Landes pine forest
atlantic ocean influences
- cools the area down
- atlantic storms
main hazards in Bordeaux
- excessive rain
- frost
- hail
pine forest location
left bank (mostly south Medoc and Graves)
pine forest influence
protects from Atlantic Storm when is not present climate has more maritime influence and is cooler
when excessive rain is important re vintage variation and negative results
- flowering (poor fruit set)
- throughout growing season (diseases)
- veraison (unripe fruit, fungal)
- harvest (dilute flavours)
climate change in Bordeaux
hot dry summers with insufficient rainfall (low acidity, high alcohol)
maritime influence is less present in which bank?
right
best years in Bordeaux climatic specs
- gente heat (growing season)
- sufficient rainfall (growth/ripening)
- dry/warm early autumns (end ripening)
worst years affected by frost in Bordeaux
1956 1991 2017
best vineyard location in the Medoc
close to Gironde estuary moderating influences and frost protection
how a vintage variation mainly affects the price
yields ex 2017 less 33% of total producton
left bank soils
gravel and stones
small pocktes of clay (especially St-Estephe)
gravel is not high (highest 32m in Margaux) and mixed with clay and sand
top estates vines are planted in gravel mounds called…
croupes
how the soils of Left Bank Bordeaux originated
gravel and stones carried by floodwaters from Pyrenees and Massif Central
gravel soil characteristics
- drains well (vine roots dry fast so rain is less of a problem, but can put vines in drought stress especially where soils are shallow)
- heat retention (stones/pebbles retain heat releasing it through the day)
soils in Bordeaux right bank and grapes
- more clay in the Libournais area (Merlot)
- limestone plateau (Cabernet Franc)
- gravel
2 and 3 mostly borders Pomerol
grape varieties planting %
70% merlot
20% cab sauv
10% cab franc
small plantings of all the other varietals
merlot budding/ripening cycle
early budding mid ripening (can pick before early autumn rains)
merlot hazards/diseases
- spring frost
- coulure
- drought
- botrytis bunch rot (sorting necessary)
they all reduce yields
coulure
poor or imperfect pollinations leads to reduced yields
coulure is caused by..
poor flowering conditions and/or imbalance of nutrients
two types of spring frost
- advection (cold air dispaces warmer air, rare)
- radiation (dry night, rapid cooling of the air around vines thanks to radiation from ground to air with no cloud cover or water vapuor concentration)
botrytis bunch rot problems
- yield reduction
- lowers quality
- in red wines creates off flavour in fermentation
what botrytis bunch rot needs to form
- wet and damp condition
- loves sugar
merlot grape profile in bordeaux blends
mid/high-intensity fruit (red and herbaceous in cool vint, black in hot ones)
medium tannins
mid/high acidity
high alcohol
why Merlot is so widely planted?
- high yields in clay soils
- can ripen fully even in cooler vintages (mid ripening)
main feature of clay soils and effects
high water holding capacity
- help in hotter vintages
- bigger grapes (ex Merlot, especially combined w/ fertile soils)
modern problem of Merlot
warmer climate creates wines not balanced with too much alcohol and not much acidity
early budding vs late budding in case of spring frost
early budding in spring so cold air can became frost late is pretty temperature is higher so frost is more diffiult to form
cabernet sauvignon budding/ripening cycle
late budding late ripening
late ripening grapes needs and they are vulnerable to what?
- warmer soils
- autumn rains
cabernet sauvignon hazard and diseases
- early autumn rains (late ripening)
- powdery mildew
- eutypa
- esca
cabernet sauvignon characteristics in bordeaux blend
blackcurrant, leaf, menthol, herbaceous medium alcohol high acidity high tannins
cab sauv skin
thick
why cabernet sauvignon is blended in Bordeaux?
in cooler season struggle to ripen fully with unripe tannins and little fruit (late ripening)
esca
fungal shows on leaves with light coloured areas the eventually will turn brown
grapes shrivel and drop, if severe vine will die
remedy for esca
keep vineyard clear of old wood, disinfect pruning wounds and avoid permanent wood based pruning systems
eutypa/dead arm
fungus introduced via grafting (trunk disease) sping shoots will be short and stunned, short internodes and yellow leaves a portion of the arm will die
powdery mildew/oidium
fungal disease, produces spores that carried by the wind affects the whole vineyard attacks the leaves with white powdery cover and splits grapes exposing the seeds, those grapes will then not ripen also causes taint flavours
what cabernet franc gives to the blend?
red fruits high acidity medium tannins
why Malbec was replaced in Bordeaux?
hard frost in 1956 grafting Malbec gave reduced yields
petit verdot budding/ripening cycle
early budding (spring frost) late ripening (later than cab sauv, gets loads of autumn rains)
what petit verdot adds to Bordeaux blends?
deep colour high tannins spicy notes
why is petit verdot valuable now?
with warmer climates ripens perfectly every year
semillon ripening
mid-ripening
semillon main features
carries high yields affinity with oak ageing potential highly susceptible to botrytis
semillon character
low intensity apple, lemon, grassy flavour medium body, alcohol medium/m+ acidity
what gives semillon to dry Bordeaux whites in the blend?
low to mid intensity aromas nd body medium acidity
what semillon gives to Bordeaux sweet wines in the blend?
honey, dried fruit of lemon and peach waxy texture botrytis notes toast, honey in ageing
name two sweet chateaux in Bordeaux with high proportion of semillon in the blend
Climens
d’Yquem
sauvignon blanc in bordeaux blend (both dry and sweet)
grassy, gooseberry high acidity
muscadelle contribution in blends
mostly in sweet wines flowery, grapey notes
muscadelle is prone to…
botrytis bunch rot
vines per hectare and spacing in top quality Bordeaux production
10.000 vines per hectare one metre apart one metre between rows aka close planting
which soils in Bordeaux can sustain close plantings?
infertile soils equals in moderate vigour
close plantings advantages
best use of expensive land
close planting cost
more plants, trellis tractors training, plouhing, spraying professional workers/consultants
basic Bordeaux AOC planting density
3/4.000 vines per hectare
most common training sytem in bordeaux
- head training, replacement cane pruned (left bank two canes aka double guyot, right bank single cane aka single guyot)
- cordon training, spur pruned
cordon training with spur pruning advantages
winemakers might prefer it for lower yields and better bunches aeration
main canopy management techniques used in Bordeaux
- leaf removal
- soft pruning
- insecticides
- bunch thin
why leaf removal is used in bordeaux?
- improve aeration
- prevent rot (downy/powdery mildew and botrytis bunch rot)
- ultraviolet light exposure
- a preventive measure astractors cannot access the vineyard to spray after heavy rain
what is soft pruning? and against what is used?
making small cuts leaving extra wood to dry so the sap can flow around the plant mostly used against vine trunk diseases like eutypa and esca
insecticides are used in Bordeaux mainly against what?
flavescence doree
why eccessive leaf removal is a problem in bordeaux?
leaves protects from sunburn and excessive heat
advantages and disadvantages of bunch-thinning
adv
- correct vines with high yields
- improve flavour concentration
disadv
- unbalance the vine
- you can prune short in winter to get same effect and helps vine balance
flavescence doree
group of diseses carried by sap-feeding insect or by nuseries infected materials leaves turn yellow giving poor ripening and reduced yields
current yields in Bordeaux
50 hectolitres per hectare (drastically decreased and even more in the right bank for super concentrated wines even if is goind down in fashion)
main cost hand harvesting in bordeaux and why
workers are hired for longer periods for tries passages and rain problems during picking mostly from other EU countries so also travel cost (hard to find locally as most times vineyards like nortern Medoc are far from living centers)
advantages of machine picking
- less workers are required
- collect quickly if fungal diseases are high
mostly for inexpensive wine
sorting in high level estate
- picking and tries passages
- moving/vibrating belt
- optical reader
- no sorting in best vintages (uniformly high quality of fruit)
plot by plot winemaking
many estates are starting to vinify individual plots smaller vessels are adding to the overall costs
fermentation vessels in red bordeaux
wood
stainless steel
concrete
main fermentation techniques in red bordeaux
- closed vats with pump over
- cultured yeasts
- temperature control
temperature and maceration early drinking vs ageing wine
- mid-temperature, 5-7 days maceration (early drinking)
- mid to warm temperature, 14-30 days maceration) maceration
can be reduced in poor vintages
presses type in red bordeaux
- pneumatic
- vertical/hydraulic
how a pneumatic press works?
pneumatiuc bag expands (compressed air or cold water) pressing the grapes against the cylinder
main problem of the pneumatic press
dissolving oxygen in the atmosphere might destroy some grapes constituents
advantages of a vertical/hydraulic press
- gentle extraction
- skins bed funcion as a filter for fine juice
press wine in bordeaux
goes into barrique then in final blend depending how much structure and tannins are needed
how big is a barrique?
225lt
why many top estates inoculate MLF in red wines?
- for the en primeur tasting in the following spring
- better integration with the wood
ageing for inexpensive red bordeaux
stainless steel, concrete 4-6mos
are oak chips allowed in inexpensive red bordeaux?
yes
high quality red bordeaux ageing
1yr + 2yr old barrique 18-24mos sometimes 100% new oak recently many estates are reducing it
traditionally red bordeaux wines are racked every …
1-3 months
alternative to racking in red bordeaux
micro oxygenation
advantages of micro-oxygenation
- replace racking
- prevents reduction
- softens tannins
two main types of blending in red bordeaux
- en primeur blending outcome is a near-final blend achieved by selecting the wines that will be going into the second and third label
- prior to bottling blending team and consultant
two main types or rose in bordeaux
- deep coloured claret (bleeding off/shorter maceration)
- lighter coloured (direct pressing)
historical aim of rose in bordeaux
bleeding off to produce deeper coloured and concentrated reds
main grapes in bordeaux rose
cabernet sauvignon merlot
bordeaux rose is made from which vines?
younger vines
skin maceration options in white bordeaux
- direct press (with minimum possible maceration)
- up to 24hr maceration
main problem of skin maceration in white bordeaux
if the grapes are not healthy there’s a high risk of off-flavours
contemporary style of white bordeaux developers and techniques
prof denis dubourdieu and andre lurton skin maceration on sauvignon blanc reduction in new oak usage
white bordeaux ageing: inexpensive, mid, high quality
inexpensive - few months in tank
mid - fine lees 6-12mos
high quality - barriques (and some new oak)
fermentation vessel in white bordeaux
- stainless steel for early drinking and inexpensive 2. barrique for high quality
main winemaking techniques in high quality white bordeaux
- fermenting ageing in barrique
- block MLF to retain acidity and freshness
- batonnage (avoided in hot years)
viticulture techniques to ensure low yields in bordeaux sweet wines
- pruning low number of buds
- removal of any damaged fruit (prone to grey rot)
why yield must be kept low in bordeaux sweet wine production?
to ensure high sugar levels
yields for sweet wines in sauternes
25 hL/ha usually a top estate will produce 10 hL/ha
bordeaux sweet wines harvest last from..
september till november
harvesters skills for sweet bordeaux wines
- they need to identify noble from grey rot 2. understand ripeness of grapes and pick in tries (sometimes 12 times a year)
final level of botrytis decisive factors
- optimal conditions and vintage weather
- estate position (some areas have more myst than others)
- risk (can the estate wait to pick or scared of autumn rains)
- cost (can the estate pay for tries)
sweet bordeaux wines generical range
can go from heavy botrytis from late harvest
high quality sweet wine ageing
barrique (new can start from 30 up to 100% like Yquem) 18-36mos
ageing for less prestigious sweet wines appellation
unoaked with 1yr release
fermentation vessels for sweet bordeaux wines
stainless steel concrete tanks barrique
general AOC rules on varietals in bordeax
in many AOP (ex Pomerol, Pauillac) there’s no min/max set for the grapes, just a list of permitted varietals
bordeaux production %
85% red
10% white
1% sweet
4% rose
bordeaux/bordeaux superior AOC main grapes
Merlot (fruity) Suvignon Blanc acceptable to good, inexpensive to mid priced
largest producion of bordeaux is under what AOC?
bordeaux/bordeaux superior AOC 50% of production
bordeaux AOC maximum yields
67 hL/ha whites 62 hL/ha rose 60 hL/ha reds
bordeaux superior AOC maximum yields
59 Hl/ha red wines
medoc/haut medoc AOC maximum yields
55 hl/ha (red wines only)
medoc/haut medoc AOC wines can be sold from
mid june of the year after the harvest
medoc/haut medoc AOC plantings
mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
4 main haut medoc villages influences
gironde estuary moderating influnces gravel soils helps cab sauv to ripen
4 main haut medoc villages max yield
57 hL/ha (reds only)
saint estephe influences
northern (cooler) closest to the atlantic
saint estephe soils
good proportion of clay (away from the estuary, more than the other villages) can grow 40% Merlot gravel banks (close to the estuary) have up to 50% Cab Sauv
cabernet sauvignon percentages on planting and blend in pauillac
planting 62% blends around 70/80%
village with more cru classe production
pauillac 85%
saint julien style
mid way between Pauillac and Margaux
saint julien main varietal
cabernet sauvignon (gravel is homogeneus)
margaux soils
more stony gravelly for cab slightly higher percentage of clay for Merlot
margaux influences
southern (grapes ripens 7-10 days later than Pauillac) rain is well absorbed by higher clay percentage (can be also a problem as need drainage costs)
listrac/moulis location and influences
further from the river, less moderating influences far from the gravel banks
listrac/moulis AOC requirements
same as the other villages can release the wines earlier
graves aoc max yields
58 hl/ha white 55 hl/ha red (85% production)
graves superior aoc style
late harvest/botrytis sweet wines
graves superieures aoc yields
40 hl/ha higher than sauternes
pessac loegnan is a sub region of ..
graves
pessac loegnan infuences
garonne river moderating influences gravel soils
pessac loegnan production
80% reds 20% whites
pessac loegnan maximum yields
54 hl/ha both red and white
pessac loegnan is famous for what style?
white wines
main varietals for pessac loegnan whites
sauvignon blanc semillon
entre deux mers maximum yield
65 hl/ha white only
under what aoc falls a red wine made in entre deux mers aoc?
bordeaux aoc bordeaux superieur aoc
two biggest bordeaux appellation
bordeaux aoc entre deux mers aoc
right bank main varietals
merlot dominant (clay) cabernet franc (limestone plateau) cabernet sauvignon
Saint Emilion Grand Cru maximum yields
46 hL/ha
Saint Emilion Grand Cru varietals
Merlot 60% Cabernet Franc follows
Saint Emilion Grand Cru vs Saint Emilion minimum maturation
20 months vs 6 mos
Pomerol main grape varieties
Merlot 80% Cabernet Franc
Pomerol maximum yield
49 hL/ha
size of Petrus
less than 12 ha
main feature of Lalande de Pomerol
higher yields of Pomerol
what is the appellation Cote de Bordeaux AOP?
created in 2009 by a group of communes to improve their marketing
cotes de bordeaux maximum yield for red wines
55 hL/ha 52 hL/ha if commune name is on label
cotes de bourg main varietals
merlot malbec 10% planted
cotes de bourg wines are similar in style and price to what other appellation?
medoc aoc
sauternes/barsac main varietals
semillon 80% sauvignon blanc muscadelle (small plantings)
sauternes best condition to create botrytis
- cold Ciron meets warm Garonne promoting mist 2. afternoon sunshine burns mist avoind grey rot formation
maximum yields for sauternes/barsac
25 hl/ha in reality are lower
barsac labeling
can be either labeled barsac or sauternes AOC
sauternes accounts for what amount of the total sweet wine production
50%%
sauternes sales
dropped in the last 30yr prduction of dry whites increased
style and maximum yield of other sweet wines appellation in bordeaux
40 hL/ha (sainte croix and loupiac) 45 hL/ha (1er cotes) botrytis or late harvest
name other sweet wine appellations in bordeaux
sainte croix du mont
loupiac
1er cotes de bordeaux
cru classe represents how much of the total production
1/4
main rule of 1855 classification
wines needs to be estate bottled
main classifications of bordeaux
1855 graves saint emilion crus bourgeois
year of the establishment of the graves classification
1959
graves classification is based on..
pricing, fame and quality judged by a tasting panel
how many chateau are classified in graves?
16 red, white or both
differences between graves and other classifications
no sub-divisions
date of the saint emilion classification
1955
st emilion classification last revision
2012
st emilion classification is updated
every 10 years
st emilion classification is judged upon what criteria?
terroir method of production reputation commercial consideration blind tasting panel
st emilion classification tiers
Premier Grand Cru A Premier Grand Cru B Grand Cru Classe
what AOP is considered for the saint emilion classification?
saint emilion grand cru
cru bourgeois date of establishment
1932
2010 revision of the cru borgeois
review yearly indivudual wines rated
2018 review of the graves classification
chateaux classified cru borgeois cru borgeois superieur cru borgeois exceptionnel revied every 5 years
graves classification imminent review cause
too many top estates not featured
st emilion classification controversy
grand cru term misleading revisions got top estates to leave
quality production vs inexpensive %
70% inexpensive/mid priced 30% premiums
average estate size in bordeaux
19 hectares
bordeaux annual production
800 million bottles
roughtly how many estates are in bordeaux
7000 chateaux (can be a castle or a farmhouse)
co-op production in bordeaux
1/4 of overall production. 40% bought from growers
how much a bottle of bordeaux costs?
0.57 euro (bordeaux aoc) 2.35 euro (medoc estate) 16 (cru classe) bank loan/land cost not included
additional cost of cru classe wines
vine density harvest canopy management lower yields grape selection barrel ageing
the most important way to sell a way apart from classification
critics points (ex parker 100 point scale)
sales % divided by style/aop
44% bordeaux aoc
18% medoc/grave
12% cotes de bordeaux 1
2% st emilion/pomerol/fronsac
9% dry whites
4% rose
1% sweet
1% cremant
sales in 2018
4 billion
sales % by volume and value
56% volume in france (48% supermarkets) 44% export volume (52% value hong kong, china, usa, uk)
2018 average price of a supermarket bordeaux
5.80 euro
the commercial system of bordeaux is called…
la place de bordeaux
place structure
producer (estate, co-op, large winery) - sells through
a… courtier/broker (manages relationship) - to a….
merchant/negociant (negoce) - that sells to…
distributors (importers, wholesalers, retailers)
place fee charges
broker/courtier 2% merchant/negoce 15%
generally how the wine is sold across the world
170 countries 1 chateau can have up to 40 negociants allocation systems (every negoce has a % of production)
sales problem of bordeaux/bordeaux superior
struggling to raise the price above 1 euro per litre lower demand/competition from other part of the world mostly sold to larger wine companies (ex castel) and then in supermarkets
en primeur definition
wine sold as futures, 18mos before bottling
when did the en primeur started
- after ww2 when chateaux were struggling financially
- after 1982 boom
en primeur steps
- april following vintage - barrel samples to critics/journalists/buyer
- may/june - price release
- first tranche - a small amount for sales based on chateau reputation and critics score
- second tranche - based on how well the 1rst went (usually go up)
allocation system, negociants disadvantages
a negociants to keep his allocation needs to buy every year, even minor vintages
en primeur success defining points
- wine’s quality - top vintage, stock might be stored for long because of high prices
- state of the market - many good vintages in a row, need to reduce price to attract buyers
ex cellar prices
no taxes
where is the en primeur wine stored when reaches the country?
secured storage units, correct temperature/humidity buyer can decide when to take the wine (decades sometimes)
modern market of bordeaux
2000 - chinese boom prices increase (high also in minor vintages ex 2011) now prices are dropping
latour and en primeur
in 2012 they stopped selling en primeur now many estates have followed them or reduced the amount
en primeur advantages for the estate
- test the market by selling in tranches 2. early cash flow
en primeur advantages for the customer
- get sought after wines at reduced prices 2. options to keep or trade the bottles
en primeur disadvantages for the estate
- they might be selling at lower price 2. might end up create business problems for negociants that might run out of business
en primeur disadvantages for the customers
- wines bought on basis of scores of barrel samples, might not reflect the final version 2. prices might fall when the bottle hit the market because of economy of successful next vintage
bordeaux wine visitor center is called…
La Cite du Vin