Bordeaux * Flashcards
What is the climate of Bordeaux
Maritime
What is Les Landes
Largest man made pine forest
What are the principle viticultural hazards
Spring frost, hail and Rain (rot)
What are warm soils. Where are they found and which grapes need to grow on them
Sand and gravel which warm quickly
Found Left bank and entre deux mers
Late ripening such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot
What are cool soils. Where are they found and which grapes grow best on them
Clay and limestone which are dense and moisture retaining
Found on Right bank
Early ripening such as Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc
Bordeaux’s climate is fundamentally maritime - but which phenomenon regulates and tempers the climatic conditions?
The Humboldt Current
The Gironde Estuary
The Gulf Stream
The Benguela Current
The Bay of Biscay
Gulf Stream
What is the name of the large man-made forest to the west of Bordeaux which provides a barrier to ocean winds and storms, so protecting the region’s vineyards?
La Forêt de Notre-Dame
Chevaux
Les Landes
Limousin
Allier
Vosges
Les Landes
Define Bituriges Vivsci
Pre roman tribe living in Bordeaux
Who were the Plantagenets
1152 Henry and Eleanor Kingdom of England and Aquitaine lasted 300 years
When was 100 year war
1337 -1453
Final battle near St Emilion
What was the Dutch influence on Burgundy
Sweet white wine for Bardjiwine
Drained Medoc peninsula
Who was Haut Brion
Bodeaux merchant - built chateaux in vineyards- now wineries known as Chateaux
In Pessac-Leoganan
What were the 4 natural disasters of 19c-20c
Powdery mildew
Downy Mildew
Phylloxera
Big Freeze 1956
Why was Cot replaced with Merlot
Cot killed off in Big Freeze of 1956. Merlot more cold hardy
Who was Emile Peynaud
Émile Peynaud was Professor of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux.
Peynaud encouraged wine makers to use the fruit from young vines in a second label wine – a second wine.
Who was Robert Parker
Robert Parker launched his Wine Advocate and was evangelical about the merits of the 1982 vintage – giving high scores to the wines.
This brought world attention to Bordeaux – Robert Parker rocketed to stardom and Bordeaux entered its third Golden Age.
What % of trade is via negociants
70%
Majority of Bordeaux is exported - True or False
False
How many co-ops
29 and 3 unions
Which vintages were heavily oversold en primeur
2009 and 2010
Which French duchess married Henry Plantagenet in 1152, bringing her lands under English rule?
Elaine of Anjou
Matilda of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Castile
Isabelle of Angoulême
Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Aquitaine
In which year did the extreme winter destroy much of the Côt crop in Bordeaux and South-West France – causing many producers to replace the grape with Merlot?
1855
1982
1956
2017
1956
Which are the three top white grapes of Bordeaux
Semillon (sweet wines) 54%
Sauvignon Blanc 34%
Muscadelle (used in small amounts for aromatics) 7%
Which is the rose/gris grape of Bordeaux
Sauvignon Gris
Which are the top 3 red grapes of Bordeaux
Merlot (soft flesh) ~ 68%
Cabernet Sauvignon (shoulders and backbone)~14%
Cabernet Franc (backbone with leaf)~14%
Which are the 3 minor red grapes of Bordeaux
Cot (Malbec)
Petit Verdot (tannin and spice)
Carmenere
Which are the 2 new white allowed grape varities)
Alvarinho and Liliorila
no more than 5% vineyard/10% blend
What are the 4 new allowed red grape varities
Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan and Touriga Nacional - no more than 5% vineyard/10% blend
Which are the top 3 Bordeaux grapes
Merlot 59%
Cabernet Sauvignon (20%)
Cabernet Franc (8%)
Which grape variety is the most widely planted in Bordeaux?
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Sauvignon Blanc
Sémillon
Merlot
Which white grape is the primary variety for sweet wines from Bordeaux?
Sauvignon Blanc
Sémillon
Muscadelle
Semillon
Which are the two main VTS in Bordeuax
Taille Medocaine and and Guyot (single or double)
What is an average density planting
High in Medoc 10,00/ha
Low in Cotes 5,000/ha
What climate change measures are in place
New varities
disease restitant hybrids
Drought tolerant hybrids
Rethinking leaf removal
Delay budbreak by delay winter pruning
working towards Terra Vitis/Demeter etc standards
What is the French term for punch downs?
Remontage
Pigeage
Délestage
Montage
Bâtonnage
Pigeage
What is the French term for pump over?
Remontage
Pigeage
Délestage
Montage
Bâtonnage
Remontage
Which AOC covers the entire region and makes dry white, rosé, red, light red/clairet and semi-sweet/moulleux wines.
Bordeaux AOC
Which are the 3 regional AOCs
Bordeaux AOC
Bordeaux Superier
Cremant de Bordeaux
Which grapes cannot be used in Bordeaux Superiere but can be in Bordeaux AOC
Alvarinho
Which wines must be a blend of at least 70%
Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, Sauvignon Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Côt, Carmenère.
Cremant de Bordeaux
Whiich Bordeaux AOC wines are made from blends based on Merlot – they have light tannins and are best drunk young.
Bordeaux Rouge
Which wines are primarily Sauvignon Blanc – sometimes 100% – or blends with Sémillon.
The great majority of these wines are bright and fresh. They are mainly fermented and matured in stainless steel, with no malolactic conversion – so that aromatics are preserved. Oak is sometimes used
Bordeaux Blanc Sec
What would you expect to find in a Bordeaux Haut-Benage
Haut-Benauge is a strip of land in the Entre-deux-Mers sub-region that runs parallel to the Garonne River.
dry and semi-sweet wines largely from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc.
Haut-Benauge is a DGC of Bordeaux AND Entre-deux-Mers –
Which is this wine
made from the red varieties with the possible addition of Sémillon and/or the two Sauvignons.
They are always dry and most often made by the saignée method.
Bordeaux rose
Which are paler Clairet or Rose
Bordeaux Rose
What is this wine binf described
Includes all white varieties except Alvarinho
semi-sweet
Grapes can be handpicked – but selective sorting is not mandated.
Normally ripe grapes are harvested along with the those that are affected by botrytis.
Bordeaux Molleaux
Which are the two types of Bordeaux superior
Rouge and Blanc
(sweet)
What is the minimum aging requirement for Bordeaux Superior rouge
15 June following year after harvest
What sweetness levels does Bordeaux Superior Blanc come in
Only semi-sweet
Which ate the six sub-regions of Bordeaux
Medoc
Graves
Sauternes
Libournais
Entre deux mers
The Cotes
Why is Cotes called ‘Cotes’
and which are the important grapes
vineyard areas that slope towards the rivers in Bordeaux – or to the Gironde estuary.
Merlot and Cabernet Franc
There are 9 AOCs in Libourne - how many only make red wine (excluding DGCs)
9
DGCs of Cotes de Bordeaux - Balye, Francs and St Foye can all make white- Blaye dry only and makes 3% of all Bdx whites)
Which grape is not permited in Pomerol
Carmenere
Which is the dominant grape in Entre deux mers
Sauvignon Blanc
Why is the Sauternes area good for Botrytis
Early morning mists - cool Ciron river meets warm waters of Gironde
There are only sweet wines in Sauternes AOC - True or False
True. Any red wines produced are labeled as Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieur AOC. Dry whites are labeled as Bordeaux AOC.
Where were the first vineyards planted in Bordeaux
Graves
Which are the white wines of the Medoc AOCs?
None - all only make red wine.
White wines are Bordeaux AOC
Which wine style is not included in the regional Bordeaux AOC?
Dry white
Rosé
Sparkling
Light red/Clairet
Sparkling
Bordeaux AOC rosés can only be made from red grape varieties. True or False?
True
False
False - Bordeaux Rosés are made from the red varieties with the possible addition of Sémillon and/or the two Sauvignons.
Describe the typical soils of the Medoc
Gravel mounds on limestone
Which are the primary grape varieties of the Medoc
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Secondary include
Cabernet Franc. Merlot, Cot and Carmenere
Which are the 8 AOCs of the Medoc
Medoc and Haut-Medoc bookend
Three big structure AOCs=Sainte Estephe, Paulliac and Saint Julien
Elegant= Margeaux
Two randoms= Listrac and Moulis=en-Medoc
Which is the most northerly Medoc commune AOC
Saint Estephe
How many classified growths in Paulliac
and how many Premier Crus
17
3 Premier - more than oany other commune
What does Listac mean
Fringe