Bordeaux Flashcards
Location and Climate
- Located on the Atlantic coastline of southwest France
- Temperate-maritime climate that keeps conditions from getting too hot or cold through the year
Bordeaux top white grapes
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Sémillon
Bordeaux top red grapes
- Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cabernet Franc
“claret”
-term used often in England to refer to red bordeaux
A winery or estate in Bordeaux is known as
Château
Major bodies of water in Bordeaux
- Gironde Estuary (flowing northwest)
- Dordogne River (northeast)
- Garonne River (southwest)
Bordeaux’s bodies of water divide it into
left bank, right bank and Entre-Deux-Mers
Bordeaux: left bank
- located south west of the Gironde Estuary and the Garonne River
- city of Bordeaux
- made up of gravel and sand, retains heat and drains well
- since it extends into the Atlantic climate here is slightly cooler than inland vineyards of the right bank
- ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon
Bordeaux: Important left bank regions
Médoc
Haut-Médoc (subregion of Médoc)
Graves
Bordeaux: AOC/Ps Left bank
Médoc -Médoc AOC/P Haut-Médoc -Haut-Médoc AOC/P -Saint-Estèphe AOC/P* -Pauillac AOC/P* -Saint-Julien AOC/P* -Listrac-Médoc AOC/P -Moulis/Moulis-en-Médoc AOC/P -Margaux AOC/P* Graves -Graves AOC/P -Graves Supérieures AOC/P -Pessac-Léognan AOC/P -Cérons AOC/P -Barsac AOC/P -Sauternes AOC/P*
Margaux AOC/P
- southernmost commune of 4 important in Haut-Médoc
- wines often very elegant and smooth w/ soft tannings and intense aroma
- most important Premier Cru estate: Château Margaux
Saint-Estèphe AOC/P
- northernmost commune of 4 important in Haut-Médoc, north of Pauillac
- produces some of the most age worthy wines because of its powerfull tannin structure
Pauillac AOC/P
-between Saint-Julien to the south and Saint-Estèphe to the north
-has 3/5 recognized premier cru estates in the left bank:
Château Latour
Château Lafite-Rothchild
Château Mouton-Rothchild
-wines are powerful, full flavored, and long-lived
Saint-Julien AOC/P
- south of Pauillac
- smallest commune of the important ones in left bank
- wines have great power and structure
Graves
- top-quality reds and whites
- along the banks of the Garonne River
- “gravel”
Pessac-Léognan AOC/P
- northern Graves
- Cabernet Sauvignon-based and Sauvignon Blanc wines