Bordeaux Flashcards
Top grapes in Bordeaux
Merlot
Cab sauv
Cab franc
Semillon
Sauv Blanc
muscadelle
Bordeaux system of distribution
Started by entrepreneurial class of merchants with origins in Britain, Ireland, Germany, and Holland. They distributed and established the international reputation. Broker/ merchant distribution remains today
What was the basis of the 1855 classification?
Price
Climate of Bordeaux
Moderate maritime
Warming influence in Bordeaux
The Gulf Stream
What protection does the left bank have from Atlantic storms?
The Landes - pine forests
Variable rainfall in Bordeaux has what affects during key points of the growing season?
At flowering - poor fruit set - low yields
During season - disease pressure
At and Following veraison - unripe fruit/ fungus
At Harvest - dilution/ rot
The estates in Medoc benefit from the Gironde estuary how?
Moderation of extreme weather such as frost, hail, heat, or cold
Soil composition in Left Bank
Deposits of stone and gravel from flood waters if Pyreneees and Massif Central
Top estates planted on gravel mounds - croupes
Benefits and hazards of gravel soils
- free draining in wet weather
- heat retention- radiate warmth at night to facilitate ripening - pro and con
- hot/ dry years can lead to drought stress
Dominant soil on Right Bank?
Clay with some limestone and gravel
Better suited to Merlot
Merlot in Bordeaux: features/hazards
Feature:
- mid ripening to be picked before early fall rain
- can ripen fully in cool years
- clay soils feed the larger berry size
- higher sugar accumulation (pro in past/ con in climate change)
- Ripens in cooler soils
Hazards:
- early budding- prone to spring frost
- susceptible to coulure, drought, and botrytis bunch rot (sort for quality)
- higher sugar accumulation = higher potential alc
Cabernet in Bordeaux, hazards/features
Feature:
Late budding- avoids spring frost
Likes warm/gravel soils of Medoc
Hazard:
Ripens late - fall rain
Can struggle to ripen in cool years
Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux, hazards/features
Feature
Winter hardy
Hazard
Early bidding, prone to spring frost
Needs canopy mgmt for full ripening or it tastes green
Malbec in Bordeaux
Replaced with Merlot after frosts of 1965
Petit Verdot in Bordeaux, hazards/features
Feature
Hazard
Early budding - spring frost
Late ripening- fall rain
Fails to ripen in cool years
Semillon in Bordeaux hazards and features
Feature
Mid ripening
High yielding
Susceptible to botrytis
Softens SB
Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux hazards/features
Feature:
Late budding - misses spring frost
Early ripening- misses fall rain
Hazard
Vigorous- needs control
Leafy- shades fruit causing green flavors
Common planting style of Bordeaux and why
Close, 1m x 1m
Moderates vigor
Makes best use of expensive land
Needs special equipment- over row tractor
Needs more plants, more trellises more time/labor
Most common training systems in Bordeaux
Head trained, replacement cane pruned
Double Guyot in left bank
Single Guyot in right bank
Why is canopy mgmt important and what techniques are used?
Climate is maritime = damp - need to reduce fungus like downy and powdery mildew or botrytis bunch rot
Leaf removal in summer opens the canopy for aeration and exposes grapes to sunlight to aid in ripening
What is soft pruning?
Making only small cuts, leaving extra wood to dry out and maximizing sap flow to prevent Eutypa dieback and Esca
Leaf removal risk
Sunburn
Mitigate by later removal, after intense heat of summer