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Bordeaux Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the three rivers and estuary?

A

Dordogne, Garonne, Ciron and Gironde.

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2
Q

What do the French call the Right Bank?

A

Libournais.

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3
Q

What are the dominant varieties of the Pomerol?

A

Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

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4
Q

What soil types dominate in Fronsac?

A

Limestone and sandstone; but the soils are widely diverse.

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5
Q

How many hectares of vineyards in Fronsac?

A

750 ha [2013].

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6
Q

How many hectares of vineyards in Canon-Fronsac?

A

250 ha [2013]

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7
Q

Where does Canon-Fronsac lie in relation to Fronsac?

A

To the south. Almost an enclave within it.

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8
Q

What is the nature of landholding in St-Émilion?

A

It is not dominated by large estates like Médoc is. 400 smallholders.

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9
Q

What is Cabernet Franc called on the Right Bank?

A

Bouchet.

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10
Q

Describe the St -Émilion classification system.

A

Established 1955.
Revised roughly every 10 years ; most recently 2012.
Several 100 properties called Grand Cru - misleading. (1491 ha bog-standard St-Émilion in 2013 but 3,891 ha Grand Cru).

The 2 important ranks are
St-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A [4]
St-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé B [14]
St-Émilion Grand Cru Classé [64]

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11
Q

What are the four St-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A ?

A

Cheval Blanc
Angélus
Ausone
Pavié

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12
Q

Which is the largest estate in St-Émilion? In what percentages is it planted?

A

Figeac, a Premier Grand Cru Classé B.
35% Cabernet Sauvignon; 35% Cabernet Franc; and 30% Merlot. Unusual in having a large proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon.
- next door to Cheval Blanc and has even more gravelly soil than it

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13
Q

Who pioneered British interest in Pomerol?

A

Harry Waugh and Ronald Avery, in the 1950s.

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14
Q

What is the classification system in Pomerol?

A

There isn’t one.

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15
Q

Where is Château Petrus?

A

Pomerol.

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16
Q

Describe Château Petrus.

A

In Pomerol.
100% Merlot since 2010.
On iron-rich clay [crasse de fer] which provides very good drainage.
On highest part of the plateau where, in general, Pomerol’s finest wines are made.

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17
Q

Where is Le Pin?

A

Pomerol.

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18
Q

Describe Le Pin.

A

In Pomerol.

2.5 ha

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19
Q

What is the appellation to the immediate north of Pomerol called?

A

Lalonde-de-Pomerol.

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20
Q

What is produced in Entre-Deux-Mers?

A

Red: cabernet/merlot blends sold as Bordeaux AOC.
White: dry, called Entre-Deux-Mers.

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21
Q

Where is Premiéres Côtes de Bordeaux?

A

Between Entre-Deux-Mers and the Garonne. It produces a sweet white. Its red goes under the appellation Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux.

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22
Q

What are the two appellations within Entre-Deux-Mers which produce sweet wine?

A

Loupiac

Ste-Croix-du-Mont

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23
Q

What percentage of wine from the Left Bank is white?

A

10%

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24
Q

Who drained the Médoc marshes when?

A

The Dutch in the 17th century.

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25
Q

What climate does Bordeaux have?

A

Maritime.

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26
Q

What helps protect Bordeaux from the Atlantic?

A

The Landes forest.

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27
Q

What is the main threat from the weather in Bordeaux?

A

Rain at harvest time.

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28
Q

What percentage of Bordeaux vineyard areas is Merlot?

A

65%.

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29
Q

Where in Bordeaux does Merlot predominate?

A

Right Bank and Entre-Deux-Mers.

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30
Q

What is the third most planted variety in Bordeaux?

A

Cabernet Franc.

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31
Q

What is Cabernet Franc called in Bordeaux?

A

Bouchet.

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32
Q

If Malbec and Carmenère are included in a Bordeaux wine why are they now mentioned on the label?

A

Because of their good, respectively, Argentinian and Chilean connotations.

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33
Q

What is the typical Bordeaux blend for sweet wine?

A

Sémillon with a much smaller part of Sauvignon Blanc to give acidity. Classic blend is 80% Sémillon/20% Sauvignon Blanc.

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34
Q

What is a typical dry white Bordeaux wine made up of?

A

Sauvignon Blanc with smaller proportion of Sémillon; or Sauvignon Blanc alone.

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35
Q

Why are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon combined in Bordeaux?

A
  1. the are complementary; Merlot give flesh and Cab Sav gives frame.
  2. Insurance policy. Merlot buds, flowers and ripens first but is more prone to coulure; Cab Sav ripens so late that cloudy late summer can hit its quality.
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36
Q

What are the percentages of typical blends from the Médoc and St-Émilion?

A

Médoc: 70% Cab Sav; 20% Merlot; 10% Cab Franc.

St-Émilion: 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc.

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37
Q

What training system is used in Bordeaux?

A

Guyot.

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38
Q

What is vine density in Bordeaux?

A

In less glorious vineyards it averages 5/6,000 per hectare. But in Médoc up to 10,000 per hectare.

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39
Q

What is a recurring problem in Bordeaux and how is it dealt with?

A

Fungal disease; much spraying.

40
Q

Talk about Émile Peynaud.

A

1912-2004. Established complete control of MLF. Greatly improved production habits and techniques. Worked at University of Bordeaux and as consultant. Michel Rolland was his pupil.

41
Q

Who is Michel Rolland?

A

Born Libourne 1947. Pupil of Émile Peynaud. Runs lab in Pomerol. Widely used as consultant. Has been criticised for being responsible for ‘overtly ripe, deep-coloured, supple red bordeaux’.

42
Q

Describe making of red wine in a Bordeaux classed growth (or a chateau which aspires to that level).

A

Destemmed before crushing;

  • fermented for 5 to 10 days or more;
  • temperature control installed in 1970s and early 1980s;
  • can be used to heat a cuvee at start of fermentation;
  • fermentation temperatures generally slightly higher in Bordeaux (30C a common maximum) than New World;
  • post fermentation maceration seen as essential; a week or more;
  • free wine runs off skins; press wine, about 15%, is harsher;
  • put into barrels of Limousin oak;
  • malolactic conversion (not always);
  • during 1st year racked off its lees and put in to a new barrel every 3 months or so;
  • clarified with egg white fining;
  • then moved to a second year chai until it is ready for blending prior to bottling;
  • length of time spent in barrel means considerable amount of storage space is necessary.
43
Q

How does the making of ordinary Bordeaux AOC red differ from cru wine?

A

Most Bordeaux AOC red is not given any barrel maturation. It is bottled after a few months in tank.

44
Q

In white wine making in Bordeaux what process is favoured?

A

Cryomaceration (prefermentation skin contact at low temperatures).

45
Q

What is cryomaceration?

A

Prefermentation skin contact at low temperatures (used for white wine in Bordeaux).

46
Q

What is cryomaceration known as in Bordeaux?

A

Maceration pelliculaire.

47
Q

Does dry white wine see oak in Bordeaux?

A

Yes, long tradition of barrel maturation in better chateaux of Graves and Pessac-Léognan.

48
Q

What are the three methods of making sweet white wine used in Bordeaux?

A
  1. Cheap moelleux made by halting fermentation by sulphur dioxide or sterile filtration and/or chilling. Falling demand for this.
  2. Botrytized wines. Financial risk. Prices for such sweet wines not as good as they might be.
  3. Cryoextraction. Controversial technique for freezing grapes before crushing.
49
Q

Who produces most Bordeaux AOC?

A

Cooperatives.

50
Q

What percentage of Bordeaux wines are red?

A

90%.

51
Q

What are the rules for Bordeaux Supérieur?

A
  • higher density;
  • maximum yield of 56hl/ha rather than 60 hl/ha;
  • must be aged for 10 months;
  • must have natural alcohol level of 10 % rather tahn 9.5% (so grapes have to be picked riper).
52
Q

Describe the soil in St-Émilion.

A
  • varied
  • Cheval Blanc and Figeac in NW on deposits of gravel
  • other areas of clay, loamy clay, and soft limestone
53
Q

Who or what is Jean-Pierre Moueix?

A

JP Moueix (1913-2003)
- négociant based in Libourne
- founded 1937
- bulk grape merchant
- exclusive distributor for certain chateaux
- has own Pomerol and St-Émilion estates
- started investing in properties in 1950s; - played leading part in raising reputation of Pomerol
- bought Chateau Magdelaine, St-Émilion, 1952
Own
- Château Pétrus
- La Fleur-Pétrus, Pomerol
- Château Hosanna, Pomerol (next to Petrus)
- Château Providence, Pomerol
- Château Fonroque, St-Émilion
- Château Belair, St-Émilion
- Dominus Estate, Napa Valley
Son Christian Moueix, b. 1946 runs it. His son is Edouard.

54
Q

Talk about La Fleur-Pétrus.

A

In Pomerol.

  • 18.7 ha
  • Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
  • unclassified but v highly rated
  • over road from Château Pétrus
  • bought by Jean Pierre Moueix in 1950
55
Q

What is all white from Médoc called?

A

Bordeaux AOC. Only red can be styled Médoc.

56
Q

What are the 10 sweet white appellations of Bordeaux?

A 
Sauternes
Barsac
Sainte-Croix-du-Mont
Loupiac
Cérons
Cadillac
Premiéres Côtes de Bordeaux
Graves Supérieures
Ste-Foy-Bordeaux
Côtes de Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire
and
Bordeaux Superior
57
Q

Which four appellations make up Côtes de Bordeaux?

A

Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux - red
Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux - red
Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux - red and dry white
Francs Côtes de Bordeaux - red and dry and sweet white

58
Q

What are the possible ingredients of a Bordeaux Blend?

A 
Usually red so:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Merlot
Petit Verdot
Malbec
Carmenére.
But if white:
Sauvignon Blanc
Sémillon
Sauvignon Gris
Muscadelle
59
Q

What is a courtier in bordeaux?

A

A middleman, a broker between growers and producers and négociants.

60
Q

Where is Cru Bourgeois a ranking?

A

Only in Médoc.

61
Q

Talk about Cru Bourgeois.

A
  • Médoc only
  • 40% of its production from 250+ small estates
  • since 2008 a self-regulated accolade awarded annually to wines on basis of blind tasting; no hierarchy within it
  • announced each September two years after harvest
62
Q

What percentage of Médoc production is Cru Classé and what percentage Cru Bourgeois?

A

25% and 40%.

63
Q

Explain ‘en primeur’.

A
  • wine sold as futures before being bottled
  • consumer pays as soon as offer is accepted
  • shipping costs and duty paid when he receives the bottled wine
  • good for cash flow of the producer
  • consumer’s three risks: 1. may be duff wine; 2. the market may fall; 3. in bad economic times a middleman may go bust.
64
Q

Talk about assemblage in Bordeaux.

A
  • assembling of different lots of fine wine to make the final blend
  • typically takes place between 3rd and 6th months after harvest
  • decision made as to which wine will go into the first wine and which into the second
  • is terroir driven
  • does not happen in Burgundy because the producer plots are too small
65
Q

Talk about Ausone.

A
  • small but fine estate on edge of town of St-Émilion
  • one of the 4 Premier Grand Cru Classe A
  • 7 ha
  • planted 55% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot
  • 1,500 cases a year
  • only it and Cheval Blanc ranked ‘A’ in original 1955 classification
  • Alain Vauthier in charge. He cut yeilds, reduced number of cases sold, introduced a second wine and improved quality.
66
Q

Talk about Cheval Blanc.

A
  • one of 4 Premier Grand Cru Classe A
  • 39 ha
  • 51% Cabernet Franc, 47% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • the high proportion of Cabernet Franc gives deep colour and a rich, concentrated, black currant bouquet and flavour
  • 7,000 cases per year
  • Petit Cheval is the second wine
  • now owned by Bernard Arnaud , chairman of LVMH, and Belgian Albert Frère
  • new 2013 winery designed by Christian de Portzamparc
67
Q

Talk about Haut-Brion.

A

Haut-Brion, Graves.

  • wine mentioned by Pepys 10 April 1663
  • bought by Clarence Dillon, a American, in 1930. Now run by his grandson, Prince Robert of Luxembourg
  • 50.5 hectares
  • gravel, 65m in deep in places
  • 40% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 49% Merlot
  • 11% Cabernet Franc
  • 9,000 cases per annum on average
  • Second wine : Le Clarence de Haut Brion
  • Semillon/Sauvignon 52%/48% produced
68
Q

Describe climate in Bordeaux.

A
  • moderate maritime climate that benefits form the Gulf Stream
  • Gulf Stream extends growing season: spring frosts rare, grape ripening continues well into October
  • Landes forest shields and coastal sand dunes protect from Atlantic storms
  • rain falls throughout year and it leads to vintage variation (rain can disrupt flowering and fruit set, promote rot and dilute flavours at harvest)
69
Q

How have changes in canopy management helped in Bordeaux?

A
  • led to healthier grapes and less use of sprays

- rise in sugar levels and flavour at harvest

70
Q

Why are nearly all Bordeaux wines blends of grape varieties?

A
  • unreliability of weather makes it unsafe to rely on one variety (flower and ripen at different times)
71
Q

How many varieties are allowed in Bordeaux?

A

13

72
Q

What are the four main black varieties in Bordeaux? Describe their qualities.

A

Cab Sav

  • dominates in Haut-Médoc, and very important in Bas-Médoc and Graves
  • can only ripen on the heat-retaining high stone/gravel soils here

Cabernet Franc

  • widely used in Saint-Émilion and to lesser extent in Graves and Médoc
  • produces wines with less body and tannin than Cab Sav
  • when ripe contributes vibrant fruit and floral notes to a blend

Merlot

  • most widely planted variety in Bordeaux
  • particularly important St-Émiliion and Pomerol
  • can grow in cooler areas where Cab Sav would struggle
  • its softness means it is usually the grape that predominates in high volume cheap wines

Petit Verdot

  • smaller plantings than the other three
  • a minor role in blends
  • adds tannin, colour and some spicy notes
73
Q

Talk about wine making in Bordeaux

A
  • practices are very varied
  • oak, steel and concrete used for fermentation vessels
  • blending in the spring following vintage, although some makers keep their parcels apart until the end of maturation
  • most leading chateaux now make second and even third wine to maintain quality of their first (and may sell of inferior stuff to a négociant)
  • top quality red is aged in 225 litre barriques, lesser properties use less oak. Generic Bordeaux red unlikely to see any red.
74
Q

What have improvements in winemaking techniques on Bordeaux led to?

A

riper, fruitier and more concentrated wines even in difficult vintages

75
Q

What are the three main white varieties in Bordeaux? Describe their qualities.

A

Sémillon

  • thin skin and propensity to rot nobly
  • most important for sweet wines but also blended with Sauvignon Blanc in the premium dry whites of Pessac-Léognan and Graves to add body

Sauvignon Blanc

  • gives citrus and green fruit aromas in Bordeaux
  • increasingly used for a varietal wine (the one exception to Bordeaux wines all being blends)
  • its role in sweet wines is to provide high acidity

Muscadelle
- pronounced grapey, floral flavour which plays important supporting role in sweet whites. Only a small percentage of any blend.

76
Q

What are the styles of white wine in Bordeaux?

A
  • lower end of the market: fresh and fruity, fermented in temperature controlled inert vessels, with minimal further ageing. Some have a bit of oak.
  • premium (Pessac-Léognan) frequently fermented and matured in new oak a richness and nutty quality overlays the fruit
  • sweet wines, as a result of botrytis. The best fermented and matured in new oak.
77
Q

What are the two generic Bordeaux appellations?

What is their character?

A

Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur.

  • Easy drinking medium-bodied wines with ripe red and black fruit, sometimes with notes of cedar from oak.
  • White Bordeaux increasingly dominated by Sauvignon Blanc, showing strong grassy character
78
Q

How is Bordeaux Supérieur different from Bordeaux?

A

Stricter appellation rules result in a higher level of alcohol in the final wine.

79
Q

What is clairet?

A
  • undergoes a longer maceration than typical rosé
  • deeper in colour and fuller in body
  • popular in the French market
80
Q

Where do Médoc and Graves lie in relation to the City of Bordeaux?

A

Médoc to the north, Graves to the south.

81
Q

Talk about wines of Bas-Médoc.

A
  • labelled simply ‘Médoc’
  • soil predominantly clay but outcrops of gravel
  • more Merlot than wines to the south, and more early drinking in style
82
Q

Talk about Haut-Médoc.

A

4 apellations with highest reputation from north to south
- Saint-Estèphe
- Paulliac
- Saint-Julien
- Margaux
High % of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend;
generally display a core of blackcurrant fruit, complemented by cedar notes from fruit.

83
Q

Talk about Pessac-Léognan.

A
  • immediately to the south of Bordeaux
  • most highly rated area in Graves
  • soil gravel
  • wines a little lighter in body and more fragrant than finest wines of Haut-Médoc
  • oak-matured whites
84
Q

Which grape dominates in the Right Bank?

A

Merlot, followed by Cabernet Franc.

85
Q

Describe geography and wines of St Émilion.

A

Three distinct groups of vineyards on differing soils:

  1. vineyards on plateau to the north and west of the town. Warm, well-drained gravel and limestone encourages inclusion of Cabernet Franc and some Cabernet Sauvignon.
  2. vineyards on escarpment to the south and east of the town. Clay, limestone soils.
  3. vineyards on sandy soils at foot of escarpment. Source of lighter-bodies, less prestigious wines.

Areas 1 and 2 produce the prestigious wines. Medium to high tannins but compared with wines of left bank have soft and rich mouthfeel with complex red berry and plum aromas, and tobacco and cedar notes as they evolve.

86
Q

How do wines of Pomerol differ in flavour from those of St. Émilion?

A

They tend to be richer, with spicier, blackberry fruit character.

87
Q

What is the typical style of vins de garage of St. Émilion?

A

Full-bodied, incredibly ripe. Made exceptionally carefully in tiny quantities.

88
Q

What is Premières Côtes de Bordeaux?

A

A sweet wine appellation not to be confused with the four in the Côtes de Bordeaux group.

89
Q

What does the appellation Entre-Deux-Meurs produce?

A

Dry white. No red ( the reds from the area must go out under smaller appellations).

90
Q

Who uses and does not use oak in dry white wine production in Bordeaux?

A

Graves and Entre-Deux-Mer tend not to use oak and to be Sauvignon Blanc. Pessac-Léognan ferments and/or matures in at least partly new oak.

91
Q

If you produce white wine in Sauternes or Médoc, as some do, what can you sell it as?

A

Only as generic Bordeaux.

92
Q

If there is not enough noble rot what is done in Bordeaux?

A

Passerillage - drying of grapes to concentrate the sugar.

93
Q

What is sometimes added to Semilion and Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux sweet wine making and what does it bring?

A

Muscadelle

- exotic perfume

94
Q

How deep is the gravel in Haut-Brion?

A

Up to 65 feet deep in places.

95
Q

What is the second wine of Ausone?

A

Chapelle d’Ausone.

WSET dip Old World (11 decks)

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