Bordeaux Flashcards
In terms of both volume of wine produced and appellation size, Bordeaux is the:
smallest largest
region in France.
Largest in terms of volume and appellation size.
The Bordeaux region makes approximately 900 million bottles of wine each year.
The production of AOC wine is 85% red, 10% dry white, 1% sweet white and 4% rosé.
What kind of wine is produced?
50% of wine produced is only entitled to the modest Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieur appellations and are inexpensive to mid-price.
Around 70% of all bottled wines are inexpensive or mid-priced and 30 % are premium or super-premium priced.
The production of AOC wine is 85% red, 10% dry white, 1% sweet white and 4% rosé.
What is the climate of Bordeaux?
Bordeaux has a moderate Maritime climate.
Bordeaux is known for its high levels of rainfall (950mm/year) and humidity, but it also benefits from the Gulf Stream which limits spring frosts and extends the growing season, alloings ripening to continue into October in certain years.
What are the three main rivers of the Bordeaux region?
Gironde
Dordogne
Garonne
What is the name of the man-made forest that separates the Bordeaux region from the Atlantic Ocean?
The Landes forest
To the west of Bordeaux are the Les Landes forest and coastal sand dunes. What do they do for the region?
Provide protection against storms off the Atlantic Ocean.
Because Bordeaux sees rainfall throughout the year, sometimes excessively, what are some effects that vignerons have to look out for in the vineyard?
Flower + fruit set disruption, if in the early spring
Rot + disease
Flavor dilution, especially if right before harvest
The hardy grape varieties planted across Bordeaux can resist extremes of temperature, but hot dry years such as 2003 can lead to wines, both red and white, with low acidity that lack balance. They can also lead to wines being more alcoholic than in the past as
growers wait for phenolic ripeness before picking.
Are the majority of wines from Bordeaux bottled as blends or single varietals?
Most red and white Bordeaux wines are blends.
13 varieties are permitted.
Because of the uncertainty of the weather (rain in particular, and potentially frost), the Bordelais rely on different grapes that flower and ripen at different times.
White Bordeaux wines are primarily blends of which 2 grapes?
What is the third grape that’s sometimes used?
Sauvignon Blanc (usually not blended, but adds acidity to a blend)
Sémillon (adds body)
Muscadelle (sometimes used and, when it is, only a small percent)
Red Bordeaux wines are typically blends of which 3 red grapes?
What is the fourth red grape that’s sometimes used in the blend?
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Petit Verdot (sometimes used and, when it is, only a small percent)
90% of the plantings are black grapes
What is the most widely planted grape variety in Bordeaux?
Merlot
Merlot accounts for around 66% of the red grapes planted in Bordeaux.
What kind of Bordeaux soil does the Merlot grape thrive in?
Cooler clay soils of the Right Bank.
Merlot is able to grow in soils too cool for Cabernet Sauvignon, making it the most widely planted grape on Bordeaux’s Right Bank (eg St Emilion, Pomerol).
In what Bordeaux soils does Cabernet Sauvignon produce the best wines?
Why does Cabernet Sauvignon thrive in these soils?
Stone + gravel soils of the Left Bank.
The stony, gravelly soils of the Médoc and Graves are the only soils that can consistenly ripen Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux. This is why the wines of the Left Bank are regularly associated with Cabernet Sauvignon (up to 3/4 of the blend in the finest wines).
Cabernet Franc prefers what type of soils in Bordeaux?
Gravel + limestone soils that are relatively warm + well drained.
Historically Cabernet Franc has done well in Saint-Émilion, and somewhat well in Médoc and Graves.
The Cabernet Franc grape variety is known for adding what characteristics to wines?
Has less body and tannins than CBSV.
When ripe, can contribute vibrant fruit and floral notes to a blend.
The Petit Verdot grape variety is known for adding what characteristics to wines?
Petit Verdot is known for adding tannin, color, and some spice flavors to the blend.
Why has Petit Verdot not played a larger part in Bordeaux wines as of late?
Petit Verdot has far fewer plantings than Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc because it is only able to ripen in very hot years.
While even a little Petit Verdot can have a noticeable impact on the wine, its late ripening means that it is the last grape harvested and it does not consistently ripen in Bordeaux.
What are the 2 principal appellations of the Right Bank?
Saint-Émilion
Pomerol
In Bordeaux, which red grape variety dominates the wines on the Right Bank?
Merlot
Cabernet Franc and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Sauvignon, play supporting roles in Right Bank blends.
How do the wines of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol differ?
Saint-Émilion wines tend to be well structured yet soft with a plush mouthfeel and plummy, red berried-fruit, and layers of tobacco and cedar.
Pomerol tends to be even richer and spicier than Saint-Émilion, with a darker blue and blackberry fruit character.
Saint-Émilion can be loosely divided into 3 different groups of soils. What are they?
- North + west of Saint-Émilion: warm, well-draining gravel and limestone plateau;
- South + east of Saint-Émilion: clay and limestone escarpment;
- Sandy soils at the base of the escarpment are found in St-Émilion.
The first two produce the finest wines of the appellation.
What is the difference between St.-Émilion Grand Cru and St.-Émilion Grand Cru Classé?
St.-Émilion Grand Cru is an AOP and only requires a producer to follow the AOP guidelines to label a wine as St.-Émilion Grand Cru.
St.-Émilion Grand Cru Classé is a classification system and only ranked properties may be labeled as St.-Émilion Grand Cru Classé.
How often are the wines of Saint-Émilion reclassified?
At least once every 10 years.
Unlike the Médoc and Graves classifications which have remained fairly consistent since their inception, the Saint-Émilion properties are subject to promotions and demotions at least once a decade. The last classification was completed in 2022.
Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé is subdivided into ___ and ___.
Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé is subdivided into Premier Grand Cru Classé A (the best) and Premier Grand Cru Classé B.
What does the term ‘garagiste’ refer to?
‘Garagiste’ refers to small châteaux or winemaker making red wines that are full-bodied, incredibly ripe and made in minute quantities from small plots of land, usually from the Right Bank of Bordeaux.
These wines typically spare no expense in the vineyard or the winery. They command extremely high prices.
La Mondotte is an example of a garagiste.
What are the areas included in the Left Bank of Bordeaux?
All of the Médoc
Graves
Sauternes
What kind of soils in Medoc?
Predominantly clay, but there are outcrops of gravel.
What kind of soil in Pessac Leognan?
gravelly
What are the 4 communes, or communal appellations, of the Médoc that have the highest reputation for their wines?
Pauillac
St Julien
Margaux
St Estèphe
Describe the 1855 Classification.
In1855, on the occasion of the Paris Universal Exhibition, the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce was approached to produce an official list of their best red wines from the Medoc and white wines from Sauternes. This is now known as the1855 Classification.
Over the intervening years, the classified chateaux have undergone numerous changes in their number, size and ownership, and in the quality of the wine made. Nevertheless, the classification still stands virtually intact.
Chateaux that are listed within this classification are referred to as Crus Classés. In the Medoc, the chateaux were divided into five ranks. The top rank consists of Chateaux Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Margaux and Mouton Rothschild, together with Chateau Haut-Brion from the Graves. In Sauternes there are three ranks, Chateau d’Yquem occupying the top rank.
Which commune in the Médoc is home to the most Premier Grand Cru Classé wines of the 1855 Classification?
PAUILLAC (Latour, Mouton R, Lafite R.)
Name the 5 First Growths in Bordeaux classified for their red wines and include their AOPs/AOCs.
Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac
Latour, Pauillac
Margaux, Margaux
Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac
Chateau Haut-Brion, Graves
Due to the small size of the 1855 Classification, what other classification was introduced to rank the other important properties of the Left Bank of Bordeaux?
Cru bourgeois
is only awarded to wines in a specific vintage, rather than to
the chateau itself, and therefore wines from new vintages must be
submitted each year to gain classification.
The wines of Sauternes were also classified in 1855 and were divided into three growths, with one château achieving the top rank of Premier Cru Supérieur.
Which châteaux achieved this top rank?
Chateau d’Yquem
