Bordeaux Flashcards
Who created a complex system of drainage channels throughout the Medoc and when?
The Dutch, 1600’s
What is a Courtier?
Broker of wine, financially backing Chateau
Climate of Bordeaux
Maritime, with both the Atlantic and the Gironde estuary acting as moderating influences, protecting the vines from winter freezes and spring frost. Winters are short, springtime is usually damp and summers can reach high temperatures. Coastal pine forests protect the Médoc vineyards from harsh west and northwesterly winds, but rain is a worry, especially at harvest. The climate becomes more continental toward St-Émilion and Pomerol.
4 Styles of Bordeaux AOP
Red, Rose, White, Clairet
What is Clairet?
A darker, more aromatic style of rosé that evokes the original claret wines shipped to England in the Middle Ages
6 Grapes allowed for Bordeaux AOP Reds
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc Petit Verdot Malbec Carmènere
Most widely planted grape in Bordeaux
Merlot
Preferred soil type of Merlot
prefers clay-based soils, as they delay its natural vigor
Preferred soil type of Cabernet Sauvignon
well-drained gravel, which allows the vine’s root system to dig deeply while slight water stress adds concentration to the fruit
Preferred soil type of Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc excels in limestone-based soils, which promote acidity and freshness in the wines
Why does planting so many different grapes and blending them help in Bordeaux?
It gives insurance against specific types of weather events. Cabernet Sauvignon, for instance, may avoid late spring frosts that can spell disaster for Merlot as it buds later, but the grape may fall prey to heavy fall rains after the Merlot is safely harvested.
Cabernet Sauvignon contributes this to a blend
structure, power, and longevity
Merlot contributes this to a blend
fleshy, juicy texture that can soften the austerity of Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc contributes this to a blend
a more tannic grape than Merlot but less muscular or weighty than Cabernet Sauvignon, imparts herbal spice and red fruit aromatics
Dominant Grape of the left bank
Cabernet Sauvignon
Dominant Grapes of the right bank
Merlot and Cabernet Franc
Grapes of Bordeaux AOP White
Sémillon
Sauvignon Blanc
Muscadelle
3 grapes restricted to 30% or less of the blend in Bordeaux AOP White
Ugni Blanc
Merlot Blanc
Colombard
What wines qualify for Bordeaux Superior AOP
Reds and Off-Dry Whites with higher minimum alcohol content
How is Cremant de Bordeaux AOP made?
Tradtional Method
Medoc AOP covers
Entire 50 mile stretch of the left bank of the Gironde from the city of Bordeaux Northward
Who labels their wines Medoc AOP
those located in the marshy region north of St-Estèphe, the Bas Medoc
How many acres of white grapes are planted in Medoc AOP
123
What must white wine be labeled if from Medoc AOP?
Bordeaux AOP
Soils of the Bas Medoc
More clay, so they grow more Merlot
Best Vineyards in the Haut Medoc are characterized but what type of Soil?
Well drained Gravel, unearthed in the 1600’s by the Dutch while draining the swamp that used to be there
6 Quality Appellations in the Haut Medoc, north to south
St. Estephe Pauillac St. Julien Listrac Moulis Margaux
What part of an Estate holds status?
The Name, as vineyards change hands, they change status.
Only Chateau to move its classification after 1855.
Mouton-Rothschild in 1973 from 2eme to 1er
What is Cru Artisan?
A designation that has been in use for nearly a century and a half, was formally recognized in 2002. From the 2005 vintage forward, 44 small producers throughout the Médoc’s appellations have the right to use the designation, denoting their place as exceptional stewards of the land and craft of winemaking, without the financing or apparatus of large-scale operations.
What is Cru Bourgeois?
An embattled classification originally introduced in 1932, divided 444 properties into three categories: Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, and Cru Bourgeois. The classification was not official until 2003, when only 247 châteaux retained their status. The resulting legal action nullified the entire classification. Cru Bourgeois has been reinstated for the 2008 vintage, but it is no longer a specific classification; rather, the term acts as a guarantor of quality and châteaux must apply for it regularly, submitting their wines to a blind tasting panel.
St-Estephe AOP
The wines are sturdy and full-bodied reds with a slightly higher percentage of Merlot, due to a higher proportion of clay amongst the gravel. St-Estèphe does not contain any first growths, and it hosts only five classified growths overall. Château Cos d’Estournel, a “super-second” growth, is the most notable, making powerful wines in a polished modern style.
