Bordeaux

Question 1

What are the major & minor red grapes of Bordeaux?

Answer 1

Major: Cab, cab franc, merlot
petit verdot, carmenere, malbec

Minor: Castets, Touriga Nacional, Marselan, Arinaroa

Question 2

What are the major & minor white grapes of Bordeaux?

Answer 2

Major: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle, Sauvignon Gris

Minor: Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Merlot Blanc, lilorilla, alvarinho

Question 3

What styles of wine are made in Bordeaux?

Answer 3

Dry red, dry rosé, claret, dry white, off dry white, sweet white, sparkling white & rosé

Question 4

How is Bordeaux Supérior AOC more strict than Bordeaux AOC?

Answer 4

Higher minimum alcohol for dry red and off dry whites only!

Question 5

What does merlot contribute to a blend?

Answer 5

lush, full body, juicy black fruit

Question 6

What does cabernet contribute to a blend?

Answer 6

power, tannin, structure, color, ageability

Question 7

What does cab franc contribute to a blend

Answer 7

fresh acid, bright red fruit, herbaceous aromatics

Question 8

What does sauvignon blanc contribute to a blend?

Answer 8

Citrus fruit, lively acid.

Question 9

What does semillon contribute to a blend?

Answer 9

Body & texture, tones down sauvignon blanc’s acid, interesting aromatics with age (beeswax, honey)

Question 10

What does muscadelle contribute to a blend?

Answer 10

intense floral character

Question 11

Why were 6 new varieties added to Bordeaux AOC’s list of allowed grapes? What % is allowed?

Answer 11

As a hedge against climate change

5% combined in red, rosé, & claret
10% in white

Question 12

What do petit verdot, malbec, & carmenere contribute to blends?

Answer 12

pv adds intense color & exotic perfume

Carmenere & malbec add similar qualities as merlot but are rarely planted these days

Question 13

What is the climate of Bordeaux?

Answer 13

Maritime, with the most rainfall in all of France

Question 14

What moderates Bordeaux’s climate?

Answer 14

The bodies of water: atlantic ocean, gironde estuary, dordogne & garonne moderate temperature, protect agains winter freeze & spring frost

la landes man-made pine forest & coastal sand dunes keep the worst of the atlantic storms & westerly winds from damaging vines.

Question 15

What are the important soils of the left bank, right bank, & graves?

Answer 15

Left bank is gravel dominant with clay outcroppings

Right bank is clay & limestone dominant

Graves has boulbenes, a unique mix of clay, gravel, & sand.

Question 16

Who drained the swamps of the left bank? When?

Answer 16

The dutch in the 1600s

Question 17

When did the English control Bordeaux? What was the affect of this control?

Answer 17

From 1152 to 1453; it created a market for bordeaux wines in england, and an age-old british affinity for claret. This wine-trade relationship helped give rise to the merchant class!

Question 18

What is a negociant vs a courtier in Bordeaux?

Answer 18

negociants historically bought fruit or wine and bottled and sold it under their own label. They were fully eclipsed by courtiers by WWII as estate bottling became the norm. Courtiers provide estates financial backing, control the wine trade, & sell wine en premeur

Question 19

What was the 1855 Classification?

Answer 19

Chateaux of the left bank were ranked ahead of the 1855 worlds fair, and resulted in the brand, not the vineyard, holding primacy in bordeaux. The original classification rated 4 estates and has held with the exception of 1 addition in 1973.

Question 20

Why is blending dominant in Bordeaux?

Answer 20

It’s a hedge agains a marginal climate with significant vintage variation (if early budding merlot’s wiped out by spring frost, there’s always the late budding cab, for instance), there’s a patchwork of soils where different varieties thrive in bordeaux, and, these varieties have a natural affinity for each other and increase complexity in a blend!

Question 21

Will reds always be a blend in Bordeaux?

Answer 21

Virtually yes, perhaps not in the case of Pétrus.

Question 22

Will reds always see oak in Bordeaux?

Answer 22

No, oak usage varies greatly in Bordeaux. While the best reds will often see up to 2 years in a large % new oak barrique, most chateaux don’t have the money; large neutral barrels & stainless steel are prevalent too.

Question 23

Will whites always be blends in Bordeaux? Will they always be dry? Will they always see oak?

Answer 23

Whites can be varietal or blends
They can see oak or not, and they can be dry or off dry and still be considered table wine.

Question 24

What are the important rules of Bordeaux AOC?

Answer 24

Can be red, dry white, rosé, claret.
Has one subzone for whites: Haute Benauge, which is allowed to run the rs gamut.

Question 25

What are the most important rules of Bordeaux Supérior AOC?

Answer 25

Higher alcohol dry reds and off-dry to sweet whites

Question 26

What are the most important rules of the Crémant de Bordeaux AOC?

Answer 26

rosé uses only big 6 red grapes, white uses mostly red grapes but allows whites too (6+4)

second fermentation must take place in-bottle & spend at least 9 months on the lees

Question 27

What are the most important rules for Côtes de Bordeaux AOC?

Answer 27

Includes Francs, Castillon, Cadillac, & Blaye. Mainly for dry reds based on Merlot. Blaye also allows dry whites, Francs also allows dry to sweet whites.

Question 28

What rules govern Premières cotes de Bordeaux?

Answer 28

sweet white wines only

Question 29

What are the big 5 first growths from the 1855 classification?

Answer 29

Latour
Lafite
Mouton
Margaux
Haut Brion

Question 30

What are the second growths of the 1855 classification?

Answer 30

Cht Cos d’estournel
Cht Montrose

Cht Pichon-Longueville Baron
Cht Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Cht Léoville Las Cases
Cht Léoville Poyferré
Cht Léoville Barton
Cht Gruaud-Larose
Cht Ducru Beaucaillou

Cht Rauzan-Ségla
Cht Rauzan-Gassies
Cht Dufort-Vivens
Cht Lascombes
Cht Brane-Cantenac

Question 31

What are the 4
Premier Grand Cru Classé A of St Emillion?

Answer 31

Cht. Ausone
Cht Angelus
Cht Cheval Blanc
Cht Pavie

but all have opted out of classification except Pavie

Question 32

What is the only superior first growth of sweet wine from the 1855 classification?

Answer 32

Chateau D’Yquem

Question 33

How does the graves classification differ from the rest?

Answer 33

It ranks properties for white wines as well as reds

Question 34

How does the St. Emillion Classification differ from the rest?

Answer 34

It’s built into the appellation system and anyone who meets the higher viticultural standards there can be grand cru, but only the best estates are premier* grand cru classé, and of that there’s the A & B team. It’s also reclassified about every 10 years.

Question 35

How many estates were classifed in 1855 for dry reds? How many categories? How? Is it fixed?

Answer 35

61 chateaux were ranked by price into 5 growths (premier cru to cinquiem cru). There’s only been 1 change.

Question 36

How many levels are there to the Sauternes & Barsac classification of 1855?

Answer 36

3: Supérior premier cru, premier cru, deuxieme cru.

Question 37

What was the graves classification?

Answer 37

Chateaux in graves (all of which ended up being in Pessac-Leognan) were ranked in 1953 and again in 1959 for red & white wines. There’s only 1 level: grand cru classé. Haut Brion has this honor as well as 1er cru of 1855.

Question 38

What’s the cru bourgois classification?

Answer 38

The chateaux in the Médoc left out of the 1855 classification came up with their own. It reevaluates every 5 years, has 3 levels: cb exceptionelle, cb supérieur, and cb. Currently includes 249 estates.

Question 39

What’s the St. Emilion classification?

Answer 39

Of 1952, ratified in 1955, to be reevaluated every 10 years or so, built into the appellation system, there’s a grand cru status classé if you meet superior viticultural standards, then a premier grand cru classé for exceptional estates, and a subdivision of A or B.