Bordeaux Flashcards
What is the largest producing AOP region in France?
Bordeaux, 5 times the size of Napa Valley
What did the Dutch do to what is now left bank Bordeaux? When?
They drained the marshland and grew the port city of Bordeaux in the mid 1600s
T/F - A famous Bordeaux Château can purchase the land next door to
its property, and still legally label the wines from that
property under the Château’s name.
True
Major Bordeaux grape varieties (5)
Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc
semillon, sauvignon blanc
Minor Bordeaux grape varieties (8+)
Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenere
Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle, Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, Colombard;
Newly approved varieties are Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, and Touriga Nacional (red); and Alvarinho and Liliorila (white)
Bordeaux wine styles
Nearly all styles of wine
Dry red, dry white, off-dry white, sweet white, moelleux (sweet wines which contain less natural residual sugar), liquoreux (rich and sweet wine), rosé, clairet (full-bodied and deep-coloured type of rosé), sparkling white, sparkling rosé (Cremant de Bordeaux)
Describe what Bordeaux Merlot adds to the wine
Most planted in Bordeaux because it ripens first
Softer than cabernet sauvignon, friendlier on the palate
Med acid and tannin, friendly plum flavors
Describe what Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon adds to the wine
Muscle, strength, black fruit
Describe what Bordeaux Cabernet Franc adds to the wine
Elegance, violets and herbal and vegetal, graphite
Limestone and sand grown
Describe what Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc adds to the wine
Main dry white wine
High acid and herbal
Describe what Bordeaux Semillon adds to the wine
Rounder and more exotic
Good mold, botrytis, noble rot, sweet wines
Describe what Bordeaux Muscadelle adds to the wine
Aromatic
Bordeaux Rosé and Rosé Cremant de Bordeaux are mainly what two grapes?
Merlot with Cabernet Franc
White Crémant de Bordeaux are mainly what two grapes?
Semillon and sauvignon blanc
Bordeaux clairet (full-bodied and deep-coloured type of rosé) are mainly what three grapes?
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc
Where is Bordeaux located geographically?
West coast of France
Major Bordeaux rivers and bodies of water
Gironde Estuary splits into:
Dordogne River, to the north, passes St. Emilion and Pomerol
Garonne River, to the south, passes Pessac-Leognan, Graves, and Sauternes
Medoc Peninsula and the Landes of Gascony
Man made peninsula and forest (to mitigate climate variations)
Bordeaux climate
Maritime
Receives the most annual rainfall in France and can receive frost
Short winters, damp springs, warm humid summers (causes rot)
No drastic temperature changes
General Bordeaux soil types (left bank and right bank)
Gravel with clay on the left bank
Sand, gravel, clay in Graves
Clay and iron on the right bank
Why there is such a strong trade arrangement between Bordeaux and England today?
1152-1453 Bordeaux was under English rule, this is why clairet became popular
T/F - As the merchant class was rising and trade between England and Bordeaux increased, demand for wine decreased.
False - Demand for wine increased
Negociant
Merchants who buy grapes and/or finished wine for blending and bottling under their own label
Courtiers
Provided financial support to Chateau and other estates and became the authority
over the wine trade
Chateau concept
Estate under single ownership
Size of estate varies and can change
Individual winery, like a brand
1855 Classification
Napoleon III, emperor of France, threw a world fair
Ranking of Bordeaux’s top chateaux (growths), brought acclaim to single estates
61 properties or chateaux
It is the name in Bordeaux that is important, not the vineyard
An estate can purchase new vineyards, not attached to the original property and still bottle it under their name
Bordeaux First Growths (4 original + 1 elevated)
Château Lafite Rothschild - Pauillac
Château Latour - Pauillac
Château Margaux - Margaux
Château Haut-Brion - Pessac, Graves (since 1986, Pessac-Léognan)
Château Mouton-Rothschild (elevated to first-growth in 1973) - Pauillac
General Bordeaux winemaking preferences
Mainy blends due to instability of weather, different varieties ripen at different times
All reds will be a blend aged in either stainless steel, neutral oak, or new French oak for 2 years
White wines can be a single varietal or a blend, dry or off-dry aged in stainless steel or French oak
Small family farms to large wealthy estates
New French oak barrels (size and add what to wine)
225 liters, reds and whites aged for about 2 years, adds flavor and aroma
Left Bank Bordeaux AOPs (3 major)
Medoc
Haut-Medoc
Graves
Typical Left Bank red blend % (2 grapes)
70% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot
Typical Left Bank white blends % (2 grapes, 2 styles)
Dry white wines
80% sauvignon blanc, 20% semillon
Sweet white wines
80% semillon, 20% sauvignon blanc