Bordeaux Flashcards
What Médoc AOC is considered the most “Californian”?
St. Julien
What Right Bank sub-region has a classification system?
St. Emilion
What is the main grape of Bordeaux’s Left Bank?
Cabernet Sauvignon
What Médoc AOC is considered the most “feminine” and perfumed?
Margaux AOC
Why is Graves suited for sweet wine production?
Damp, foggy mornings followed by warm dry afternoons promote noble rot
What French wine region produces more AOC wine than any other?
Bordeaux
What is the difference between St Emilion Grand Cru and St Emilion Grand Cru Classé?
The former is an AOC. The latter is a ranking within a classification system.
What is the main soil type of Bordeaux’s Left Bank?
Gravel
What Bordeaux soils are considered “cold”?
Clay and limestone because they retain moisture
A semi-sweet wine from Graves must labeled as:
“Graves Supérieures AOC”
What is “Les Landes”?
A man-made forest separating Bordeaux from the ocean.
What are the main soil types of Bordeaux’s Right Bank?
Clay and limestone
Where is the wine-producing area of Libournais?
On Bordeaux’s Right Bank, around the city of Liborne
What is the primary grape of Entre-Deux-Mers?
Sauvignon Blanc
What estate is the only Premier Cru Supérieur of the 1855 classification?
Château d’Yquem
What style of wine is produced in the Libournais?
All 10 Libournais AOCs are for dry reds only
What style of wine is produced in the Cérons, Barsac and Sauternes AOCs?
Sweet whites affected by noble rot
What style of wine is produced in the Cadillac, Loupiac and Ste-Croix-du-Mont AOCs?
Sweet whites affected by noble rot
What are the three secondary red grape varieties in Bordeaux?
Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenère
How does Bordeaux Supérieur differ from Bordeaux AOC?
Stricter production standards, lower yields and higher alcohol. Reds must be aged 9 months. Whites are always semi-sweet.
What defines the term “Petit Château”?
“Petit Château” is an unofficial term for an unclassified property in the Bordeaux region
What Bordeaux soils are considered “warm”?
Gravel and sand because they radiate heat back to the vine
How many categories of “growths” were given to red wines in Bordeaux’s 1855 classification?
Five
What did the 1953 Graves Classification rank?
The wines of 16 estates, rather than the estates themselves
What style of wine is made under the Entre-Deux-Mers AOC?
The Entre-Deux-Mers AOC is for dry white wines only
What are the three principal rivers of Bordeaux?
Gironde, Garonne, Dordogne
What are the main grapes of Bordeaux’s Right Bank?
Merlot and Cabernet Franc
What is “Clairet”?
A semi-red wine made by the Saignée method.
What are the four St. Emilion satellites?
St-Georges, Lussac, Montagne and Puisseguin
What are “Crus Artisans”?
Boutique wineries of quality in Bordeaux
What style of wine is made in the Médoc?
Dry reds only
Cabernet Sauvignon is a cross between:
Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc
What are the three primary white grapes in Bordeaux?
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle
What are the four sub-regional designations of the Côtes de Bordeaux AOC”?
Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon, and Francs
Why is Malbec seldom planted in Bordeaux today?
The winter freeze of 1956 destroyed most Malbec plantings.
What three Bordeaux winegrowing areas were included in the 1855 Classification?
Médoc (60 châteaux), Péssac-Leognan (1 château) and Sauternes (26 châteaux)
What Bordeaux AOC produces dry whites mainly from Colombard?
Côtes de Blaye AOC
What contribution did the Dutch make to Bordeaux winemaking in the 1600s?
They drained the Médoc peninsula in order to grow grapes for sweet white table wine and for wine to distill into eau de vie
How are reds from Entre-Deux-Mers labeled?
“Bordeaux AOC” or “Bordeaux Supérieur AOC”
What moderates Bordeaux’s climate?
The Gulf Stream, Les Landes, and the network of rivers
What defines Cru Bourgeois?
A list created in 1932 of 444 châteaux from Médoc not included in the 1855 classification. It remains a member-based syndicate.
What is the climate of Bordeaux?
Maritime
Bordeaux’s first vineyards were planted in what sub-region?
Graves
What makes Bordeaux unique?
- Water, water everywhere.
- Wine is sold as commodities
- Classification system of commercial significance
- Stronghold of wine industry talent (Uni of Bordeaux)
- Top, top quality wine (more AOC than anywhere in France)
- Wines are made for aging
How long has Bordeaux been inhabited by humans?
20-30 thousand years
Romans encountered the Biturges Vivisci tribe in the town of Burdigala
Was originally famous for tin and led
Chateau Ausone is named after which scholar from the Bordeaux area?
Ausonius (310- 393 AD)
Who came into the Bordeaux are straight after the 100 year war in the 1600s?
The dutch. They drained the Medoc peninsula reclaiming vineyard land by raising gravel beds.
What happened to Bordeaux in the 1700s?
A second golden age was heralded and, starting with Chateau Haut Brion, they build amazing chateaus
What happened to Bordeaux during the French Revolution?
Trade dried up. The maritime trade of the past completely dried up. This was revived in the 1800s by the arrival of the railroad.
What happened in 1852 that helped Bordeaux trade?
Nepoleon the 3rd created a coup d’état that created ties with England.
What pest came to Bordeaux in the 1800s?
Powdery Mildew (odium) a fungal disease indigenous to the USA. Thick white filaments blanket the wine. Can reduce yields, retard pigment development and stunt cluster growth.
What pest came to Bordeaux in 1965?
Phylloxera
What was the third pest plague that attacked Bordeaux in 1880?
Downy Mildew (peronospera) a fungal disease. Germinates in warm, humid weather. Attackes leaves and stems, first with ‘oil spots’, then with white cotton filaments. Vines lose leaves which can delay or prevent ripening
What were the two significant events in the 20th Century that devastated the Bordeaux economy?
Two World Wars and the Great depression devastated the economy of Bordeaux
Who separated Bordeaux into 57 AOCs in 1935?
Jean Capus (Jean Capou), he was a father of the AOC system.
Who encouraged the use of young fruit in second labels in Bordeaux after the great freeze of 1956?
Emile Peynaud. Lots of vignerons had replanted with young vines after the great freeze.
In 1982 Robert Parker launched what that helped Bordeaux?
The Wine Advocate. He helped Bordeaux enter tis 3rd golden age.
What are the two UNESCO world sites in Bordeaux?
- The town of Bordeaux (2007)
- The town of St Emilion (1999)
What is Vinexpo?
It is the world’s largest wine fair. It occurs every second year and has taken place since 1981.
Where does Bordeaux lie?
It is in the Southwest quadrant of France
How large is Bordeaux?
- 63 miles/ 100km from north to south
- 78 miles/ 125 kms from east to west
- 280,217 acres/ 113,400 ha of vineyard
- Nearly 5x the six of Burgundy
Although Bordeaux is in the Southwest portion of France, it does not have a………………..
Mediterranean climate. Although it is a Maritime climate it is more temperate and can have some hot spikes.
What regulates the temperatures of Bordeaux due to its proximity to the Atlantic?
The Gulf Stream
What is Les Landes and what does it have to do with Bordeaux?
It is the largest man made forrest in Europe (2.5 million acres/ 1 million ha), this provides a barrier to ocean winds and storms
Spring- Bordeaux
- They are wet and often have frost
- A severe spring frost can severely reduce the potential crop
Summer- Bordreaux
- Warm and Sunny
- Moderate sun; cloud cover
- Grapes often struggle to ripen
Note: Global warming is beginning to change its flavour profile
Autumn- Bordeaux
- Variable; sometimes with rain
- Brings rot to the grapes; dilutes flavour
Winter- Bordeaux
- Moderate winters as a rule…
- Freeze of 1956 destroyed 1/4 of the vineyards
- Malbec lost 1/3rd of its average that year; vignerons replanted with merlot
What determines the blend of each wines in Bordeaux?
It is the soil
Soil + Grape Variety = Blend/ wine style
What sort of soils are in Bordeaux?
Sedimentary soils. Gravel terraces interspersed with sand, soil and clay. Fresh- water and salt-water limestone
What are the nature of the soils in Bordeaux?
Warm Soils:
- Gravel: firmly structured wines
- Sand: fruit- forward wines
Cold Soils:
- Clay: wines with notes of prune/ English walnut
- Limestone: wines with pronounced acidity, polished tannins
Semillon- Bordeaux
- 49% of white plantings
- Tends to dominate sweet wine blends
- Benchmark flavours of apricot and fig
Sauvignon Blanc- Bordeaux
- 43% of white plantings
- Tends to dominate the dry white blends
- Benchmark notes of pineapple
Muscadelle- Bordeaux
- 6% of white plantings: plays a more minor role in white blends
- Not related to the Muscat family of grapes
What are the other white grapes of Bordeaux?
- Ugni blanc, Colombard, Merlot Blanc, Chenin, Folle Blanche, Mauzac, Ondenc
- 2% of the white vineyards acreage and are of minor and decreasing importance
Merlot- Bordeaux
- 65% of red plantings
Characteristics:
- Early ripening
- Prefers clay (cold soils)
- Moderate tannins
- Low acidity
- High alcohol
Cabernet Sauvignon- Bordeaux
- 23% of red plantings
Characterisitics:
- Late ripening
- Prefers gravel and sand (cold soils)
- High acidity
- High pigments
- High tannins
- Moderate alcohol
Cabernet Franc- Bordeaux
- 10% of red plantings
Characterisitics:
- Early ripening
- Preferes limestone
- Moderate tannins
- Moderate acidity
- Moderate pigments
- Moderate alcohol
Malbec- Bordeaux
- Also called Cot, Noir de Pressac
- Low acid
- Blackberry fruit aromas
- Devastated by the winter freeze of 1956
- Prefers limestone
Petit Verdot- Bordeaux
- High tannins and pigments
- A late ripening variety
- Prefers gravel and sand
Carmenere- Bordeaux
- Rich, velvety red
- Susceptible to disease
- Not soil specific
- Has made a resurgence due to climate change
What is the wine style of Bordeaux reds?
- Less fruit driven
- Less alcoholic
- Less overtly naked than their new world counterparts
What is the wine style of Bordeaux dry whites?
- Style is changing
- Past: Mineral- driven and herbal
- Present: tangy pineapple and much more perfumed
What does all botrytised wines made have in common (especially in Bordeaux)?
Honey
Bordeaux roses?
- Always finished dry
- Truly pink in colour, no orange overtones
Cremant de Bordeaux?
- Methode traditionelle; a min of 9 months aging sur lie
- Wines can be white or rose and range from extra brut to doux
White Wine Production- Bordeaux?
- Most dry, white Bordeaux is stainless steel- fermented
- Generally, no oak or malo-lactic
Sweet White Wine Production- Bordeaux
- Moelleux (semi sweet wines): Sound grapes and botrytised grapes. Residual sugar between 1.2%- 4.5% (12- 45 g/l)
- Liquoureux (sweet wines): Only botrytis infected grapes. Residual sugar in excess of 4.5% (+45 g/l)
- Some more expensive bottlings are fermented and/ or aged in oak
Red Wine Production- Bordeaux
- Grape varieties harvested and fermented separately
- Fermentation: 8-10 days. Maceration: 15-21 days or longer
- Blended after malo-lactic fermentation
- Barrels or barriques> adds wood tannins> needs to soften and mellow with time
- Some chateaux: 1 Grand Vin (best barrels) + 2nd and 3rd labels (lesser barrels, younger vines….)
Rose Wine Production- Bordeaux
Two lightly- pigmented wines produced in Bordeaux:
- Rose: pink
- Clairet: semi- red
Clairet: short maceration (24- 36 hours)
Rose: usually saignee method, shorter maceration
Cremant Wine Production- Bordeaux
- Methode traditionnelle: white or rose, sweetness levels range from extra brut to roux; min 9 mo sur lie aging period
- White cremates: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle, Ugni Blanc and Colombard plus any authorised red grape when vinified as blanc de noirs
- Rose cremants: are crafted from any authorised red grape
The Bordeaux Wine Trade
- 7% of production is sold by 300 wine traders that deal with importers in more than 165 countries
- Futures market- wines are pre-sold while still in barrel
- Sold in stages called ‘tranches’ until all sold
Production Stats- Bordeaux
- 58% consumed in France
- 42% exported
- 36 co-ops, 4 co-op unions; almost half of Brodeaux’s growers belong
- Co-ops bottle 25% of Brodeaux’s harvest each year
What is Bordeaux divided into?
Three Sections
- Left Bank
- Right Bank
- Entre- Deux- Mers
Left Bank- Bordeaux
- Relatively flat and level
- Gravel soils
- Cabernet Sauvignon- based blends
- Firmly structured wines
Right Bank- Bordeaux
- String of small hills interrupted by low-lying plateau and deep valleys
- Clay and Limestone soils
- Blends based on Merlot and Cabernet Franc
- Supple wines with soft plummy fruit
Entre- Deux- Mers: Bordeaux
- Undulating terrain with highest elevations in all of Bordeaux
- Varied soils
- Red Blends can be Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon- based
- Sauvignon Blanc- based white blends
The Medoc Peninsula- Bordeaux
- 8 AOC, all red wines only
2 Sub regional AOCs
- Medoc and Haut Medoc, primarily to the west
6 Communal AOCs:
- St. Estephe, Paulliac, St. Julien and Margaux to the east
- Moulis en Medoc and Listrac- Medoc in the centre
Medoc and Haut Medoc- Bordeaux
- Large portion of the west peninsula
- Soils of small Pyrenees gravels
- Medoc AOC is small growing area in the north
- Haut Medoc is south (upstream)
Saint- Estephe- Bordeaux
- Traditionally, very structured wines with tough tannins
- A Wine for the cellar
- More Merlot makes the blend more approachable upon release
Paulliac- Bordeaux
- Signature core of dusty cocoa- like tannins
- Wines of structure and power
Saint- Julian- Bordeux
- The more “Californian” AOC
- Delivers chocolate- covered cherry fruit
Margaux- Bordeaux
- The most “feminine” and perfumed of the Medoc AOCs
Listrac- Medoc: Bordeaux
- Highest elevation point of the Medoc Peninsula” 129 ft/ 43m
- Soils: Pyrenees gravel, Garonnais Gravel Limestone
Moulie- en- Medoc: Bordeuax
- Halfway between Margaux and Saint- Julien
- Three types of soil: small Pyrenees gravel, larger Garonnais gravel and a clay/ limestone mix
Graves- Introduction: Bordeaux
- Warm gravel soils
- 2/3rds of production is red, one third is white, (both dry and sweet)
- White wines are predominately Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon blends
- Reds are Cabernet Sauvignon- based blends
Graves- AOC: Bordeaux
There are 6 AOCs within Graves
2 Sub- Regional AOCs:
- Graves AOC (red and white)
- Graves Supérieures (semi- sweet white> 1.8% RS)
4 Communal AOCs:
- Pessac- Legonan (red and white)
- Cerons (sweet wines)
- Barsac (sweet white)
- Sauternes (sweet white)
Pessac- Leognan: Bordeaux
- Pessac- Leognan received own AOC in 1987
- Northernmost portion of Graves; deep gravel soils
- Note- worthy Cabernet Sauvignon- based reds; Sauvignon- based whites that see oak
Sauternes- Bordeaux
- AOC incorporates 5 comunes: Sauternes, Fargues, Bommes, Preignac and Barsac
- Framed by the Ciron River to the north and west
- Soils: Sands, gravels, clay marl and limestone
- 2/3 of the appellation planted to Semillon, 1/3 Sauvignon Blanc
Barsac- Bordeaux
- Lies at confluence of Ciron and Garonne Rivers
- Soils: clay and limestone
- Dry reds and whites: Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur
- Sweet wines labeled as Barsac or Sauternes
Cerons- Bordeaux
- Soil: gravel and gavel/ sands
- Reds bottled as Graves, Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superieur AOCs
- Dry whites bottled as Graves or Bordeaux AOCs
- Semi- Sweet whites bottled as Graves Superieur
- Sweet whites bottled as Cerons
Entre- Deux- Mers: Bordeaux
Complete Soils:
- Alluvial deposits flank the rivers
- Some slopes are pure gravel
- Plateaus: composites of clay and sand or clay and limestone
White Wines: mainly Sauvignon Blanc
Reds: Blends of Merlot with both Cabernets
Entre- Deux- Mers: Bordeaux- Dry Whites
Dry whites only AOCs:
- Entre- Deux- Mers AOC
- Entre-Deux-Mers- Haut- Benauge AOC
Entre- Deux- Mers: Bordeaux- Semi Sweet Whites
AOCs producing moelleux or semi-sweet whites (1.2-4.5% RS):
- Bordeaux Haut- Benauge AOC (semi sweet only)
- Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux AOC (red also)
- Sainte- Foy- Bordeaux AOC (reds and dry whites only)
- Graves de Vayres AOC (reds and dry whites also)
- Cotes de Bordeaux Saint- Macaire AOC: (dry and sweet whites also)
Entre- Deux- Mers: Bordeaux- Sweet Whites
Sweet Wine AOCs (at least 4.5% RS):
- Cadillac (sweet wine only)
- Loupiac (sweet wine only)
- Sainte- Croix-du-Mont (sweet wine only)
- Cotes de Bordeaux Sainte0 Macaire (also dry and semi-sweet white)
Entre-Deux-Mers: Bordeaux- Dry Reds
The Entre- Deux- Mers red wine producing AOCs:
- Cadillac- Cotes de Bordeaux (red only)
- Sainte- Foy- Bordeaux (dry and semi-sweet whites also)
- Graves de Vayres (dry and semi-sweet whites also)
Libournais- Introduction: Bordeaux
- Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends dominate
- Silken in texture and less powerfully structured than their left-bank counterparts
The Fronsac and Canon Fronsac AOCs: Bordeaux
- Separated from rest of Libournais by Isle River
- Clay and Limestone soils
- Merlot and Cabernet Franc
The Pomerol & Lalande- de Pomerol AOCs: Bordeaux
- Unique iron- rich clay soils
- Lalande de Pomerol wines are less aromatic and less- structured
St Emillion and St Emillion Grand Cru: Bordeaux
Cover the same area of production; Grand Cru AOC has tougher production standards:
- Limestone and clay: high acid wines with polished tannins
- Sand: fruit- forward reds
- Pomerol soils: (iron- rich clays and gravels); walnut, truffle, prune
The Four St Emillion Satelites: Bordeaux
Same flavours and aromas as St- Emillion, but more delicate structure
- St Georges- St Emilion AOC
- Lussac- St Emillion AOC
- Montagne- St Emillion AOC
- Puisseguin- St Emillion AOC
Cotes- Bordeaux
- All cotes are on the right banks of the rivers or estuary and are west- facing
- Soils are principally clay and limestone
- Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends prevail
Cotes de Bordeaux AOC- Bordeaux
- Began in 2008 vintage: Cote de Bordeaux (reds only)
Four stand- alone AOCs joined under one umbrella appellation:
- Premieres Cotes de Blaye
- Bordeaux- Cote de Francs
- Cotes de Castillon
- Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux
Cotes de Bordeaux AOC Sub-regional designations: Bordeuax
- Blaye- Cotes de Bordeaux: dry reds, dry whites
- Cadillac- Cotes de Bordeaux: dry reds
- Castillon- Cotes de Bordeaux: dry reds
- Francs- Cotes de Bordeaux: dry reds, dry whites, liquoreux whites
Blaye- Cotes de Bordeaux: Bordeaux
- Blanc: Sauvignon Blanc- based with Semillon and Muscadelle
- Rouge: Merlot- based with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec
Cadillac- Cotes de Bordeaux: Bordeaux
- Red- only AOC
- Merlot- dominate blend with significant addition of Cabernet Sauvignon
Castillon- Cotes de Bordeaux: Bordeaux
- Red only AOC
- Merlot- dominant (70- 80%) with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon
Francs- Cotes de Bordeaux: Bordeaux
- Reds based on Merlot and Cabernet Franc
- Dry and Liquoureux whites based on Semillon
- Red wine dominates production
Premiere Cotes de Bordeaux
- Moelleux/ Semi Sweet wines
- Semillon dominant
- Minimum 11.5% abv, 3.4% (34 g/l) RS
Cotes de Bordeaux- St Macaire AOC
- A dry, semi sweet and sweet white AOC
- Sweet whites are Semillon dominate
- Dry whites are Sauvignon Blanc dominant
- Limestone soils, or clay-limestone and clay- sand composites
Bourg and Cote de Bourg AOC- Bordeaux
- Reds and dry whites
- Merlot- dominant red blends
- Sauvignon Blanc- dominant white blends
Classification of 1855 (Medoc)- Bordeaux
87 Chateaux were ranked
- 1 estate from Pessac- Leognan
- 60 medoc estates
- 26 estates from Sauternes and Barsac
RED:
- First growths/ Premieres Grand Cru Classes
- Second Growth/ Deuxiemes Grand Cru Classes
- Third Growths/ Troisemes Grand Cru Classes
- Fourth Growth/ Quatriemes Grand Cru Classes
- Fifth Growths/ Cinquiemes Grand Cru Classes
WHITE:
- First Superior Growth/ Premier Cru Superieur
- First Growth/ Premiers Crus
- Second Growths/ Deuxièmes Crus
Crus Bourgeois (Medoc)- Bordeaux
- 1932: List of 444 domains submitted for consideration as Cru Bourgeois
- List never ratified or given offical status
- 2003: Medoc producers submit a new Cru Bourgeois Classification system for ratification
- Classification was officially ratified; 247 Chateaux ranked as Cru Bourgeois
- 2007: Cru Bourgeois Classification rescinded
- Cru Bourgeois remain a member organisation: Alliance de Crus Bourgeois
Note: A Petit Chateau is any unranked or unclassified property. All crus Bourgeois are Petit Chateaux
Crus Artisan (Medoc)- Bordeaux
- Est in 2006: ranked 50 properties
- Small (2.5- 12.5 acres)
- Entirely responsible for their own production process
Graves Classification (1959)- Bordeaux
- Classification of 1953/1959 ranked their wines of 16 properties:
Six Estates for both red and white wine
Three Estates for white wine only
Seven estates for red wine only - All wines ranked fall within the Pessac- Leognan AOC are entitled to “Grand Cru Classe de Graves” status
St. Emillion Classification- Bordeaux
- Established in 1955, revised every 10 years
- Classification of 2012, 82 properties were ranked:
4 Premier Grand Crus Classes A Level
14 Premiers Grands Crus Classes B Level
64 Grand Crus Classe
St. Emillion Grand Cru= an AOC
St. Emillion Grand Cru= a classified growth
