Bordeaux Flashcards
What is a 225 liter barrel called?
Barrique
Left bank Bordeaux blends are ______ dominated
Cabernet Sauvignon
Right Bank Bordeaux blends are _______ dominated
Merlot
What’s important to note about Cabernet Sauvignon?
Low yields, small berries, and thick skins provide intense raw materials
Dominant grape of Medoc
Cabernet Sauvignon
Where is Cabernet Franc found in Bordeaux?
Both left and right bank
What does Cabernet Franc add to Bordeaux blends?
Aromatic lift
What is Cabernet Franc called on the right bank?
Bouschet
What is the most planted grape in Bordeaux?
Merlot
When is Merlot troublesome?
cooler vintages
What is Malbec called on the right bank?
Pressac
Why have Malbec plantings declined in Bordeaux
Susceptible to rot/coulure
What is important to note about Petit Verdot?
very minor; always in small percentage in blends
- Deeply colored, tannic, acidic
- Not easy to grow but adds a boost of structure/color
6 Red Varietals of Bordeaux
Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc Malbec Petit Verdot Carmenere
Major White Varieties of Bordeaux
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Muscadelle
What does Sauvignon Blanc offer?
Fresher, fruitier results
What is Sauvignon Blanc susceptible to?
Noble Rot
What’s important to note about Semillon?
- Neutral in youth; Rich & honeyed with age
- Time it takes Semillon to develop flavor in bottle is roughtly equal to time Sauvignon Blanc takes to lose flavor
- Highly susceptible to noble rot
- Important for sweet winemakers
Important notes about muscadelle
Not related to Muscat
Aromatic & Perfumed
Used in dry/sweet wines
Why is it called Left Bank?
Refers to the part left of the Gironde Estuary
Major regions of Left Bank
Medoc
Graves
Sauternes-Barsac
What wines are made in the Left Bank?
Cabernet Sauvignon dominated reds
Sweet wines
What wines are grown in Medoc?
only red wines
What wines are made in Haut-Medoc AOC?
Only Red Wines, Generally higher quality
What are the commune AOC of Haut Medoc?
Saint-Estephe Pauillac St Julien Margaux Moulis Listrac
What wines are grown in Graves?
Red & White Wines
What wines are made in Pessac-Leognan?
Red & White Wines
What’s the main difference between Northern & Southern Graves?
Northern - more Gravel mounds
Southern - Higher proportion sand & clay; Less consistency of quality
Why and When was Pessac-Leognan AOC formed?
Because of the difference between North and South Graves - some historic, high quality producers near the town of Bordeaux requested their own appellation
IN 1987, the request was granted Pessac and Leognan became Pessac-Leognan AOC
Where is Sauternais?
Bordeaux, Left Bank, Southern Graves
Sub-regions of Sauternais
Sauternes
Barsac
Cerons
What wines are made in Sauternais?
sweet wines
What’s important to note about the climate of Sauternais?
Higher humidity, windy, and misty
When the small and cooler Ciron River meets the larger, warmer Garonne, the region gets misty
Favorable Botrytis conditions
Where are Loupiac and Ste. Croix-du-Mont?
Facing Sauternes on the other side of the Garonne
How do the sweet wines of Loupiac & Sainte Croix du Mont compare to Sauternais?
Lighter/Less Expensive
What style of wine is the majority of what is made in Entre-deux-mers?
Dry white wine
Subregions of Entre-deux-mers
Sainte-Croix-du-Mont Graves de Vaijres Sainte-foy Cotes du Bordeaux Bordeaux Haut Benauge Entre-deux-mers Haut Benauge Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux Cotes de Bordeaux Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux Saint Macaire Loupiac
Graves de Vayres
Entre Deux Mers
Sweet + White + Red
Sainte-Foy Cotes de Bordeaux
Entre Deux Mers
Sweet + White + Red
Bordeaux Haut-Benauge
Entre Deux Mers
Sweet and Dry Whites
Entre Deux Mers Haut Benauge
Entre Deux Mers
White
Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux
Entre Deux Mers
Sweet
Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux
Entre Deux Mers
Red
Cotes de Bordeaux
Entre Deux Mers
Red
Cadillac
Entre Deux Mers
Sweet
Cotes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire
Sweet + Dry Whites
Loupiac
Entre Deux Mers
Sweet
Sainte-Croix-du-Mont
Entre Deux Mers
Sweet
What’s important to note about the right bank?
Red wines only
Merlot dominant
Smaller estates
Cooler soils
What are the communes of the Right Bank?
Saint Emilion Saint Emilion Grand Cru Pomerol Lalande-de-Pomerol Fronsac Canon-Fronsac Saint-Emilion Satellites (all AOC/AOP) - Montagne- St Emilion - Lussac - St. Emilion - Puisseguin-St. Emilion - St Georges- St. Emilion
What are the Cotes de Bordeaux?
Collective recognizable “brand” AOC Cotes de Bordeaux
official since 2009
What terroirs are included in Cotes de Bordeaux?
Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon, Francs, and Saite-Foy
What are the 6 appellations of Cotes de Bordeaux?
Cotes de Bordeaux Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux Francs Cotes de Bordeaux Sainte Foy Cotes de Bordeaux
What was created to delimit and enforce France’s wine appellation system?
Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO)
1935
When was the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO) Created?
1935
What was the Appellation d’Origine Controlee System modeled after?
self-imposed guidelines in Chateauneuf-du-Pape
What does the AOC stipulate?
- Limits on yields
- Vineyard density
- Training/pruning techniques
- Grape varietals
- Methods of production
- Minimum alcohol levels
- Minimum must weights
- geographical boundaries of each appellation
True/False: AOC must pass a tasting panel
True
When did INAO award the first AOCs?
1936
In 2015, approximately how many AOCs were there?
over 366 - wine /brandy
44 agricultural products
What percent of French wines were released AOC?
Over 50%
What’s the problem with the AOC?
it’s become a bloated category and no longer one necessarily indicative of quality
What did the INAO become?
When?
L’Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualite (kept former acronym of INAO)
2007
What changes were made to the INAO appellation system? When?
Brought in line with new EU standards/creation of Appellation d’ Origine Protegee (AOP)
2009
What category do French AOPs fall within the EU?
Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
What can a French wine be labeled as?
AOC/AOP - they are complementary - either may be used
AOC
Appellation d’Origine Controlee
AOP
Appellation d’Origine Protegee
What are the EU regulations on wine?
- only vitis vinifera
- all grapes must be exclusively sourced from - and resulting wine produced in - stated geographical area
What is the VDQS?
Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure (VDQS or AOVDQS)
It was created as a stepping stone to AOC
When was the VDQS created & eliminated?
1949; 2011
What happened to VDQS in 2011?
most advanced to full AOC/AOP status
How much of French wine production is regional wines?
One-third
What are regional wines released as?
Vin de Pays
What is VDP?
Vin de Pays - a less restrictive category of widely varying quality
What regulations are in place for VDP?
- controls added sulfur/total acidity
- wines submitted to tasting panels
- grapes sourced from within specified region
- yields: 90 hl/ha for white; 85 hl/ha for red/rose; 100 hl/ha total output
- minimum alcohol 9-10%
What other category may VDPs be labelled as?
Indication Geographique Protegee (IGP)
What corresponding EU category do VDP fall under?
PGI (Protected Geographic Indication)
PGI requirements
- must be vitis vinifera or hybrids
- minimum 85% sourced from geographical area
What are the levels of IGP zones?
regional, departmental, local
What is the lowest rung of French production?
Table wines (Vin de Table; Vin Ordinaires)
What changed in 2009 in regards to Table Wines?
Previously could not state varietal, vintage, or place of origin
2009 - category changed to Vin de France - vintage & Varietal may now appear
Why did the changes to table wines occur in 2009
to allow French wines to compete with New World varietal wines
What are the current French wine classifications from top to bottom?
Appellation d’Origine Controlee/Protegee (AOC/AOP)
Vin de Pays/Indication Geographique Protegee (IGP)
Vin de France (formerly Table wines)
Negociant
Buyers of fruit/wine in barrel that aged it in their own cellars before selling
Courtiers
Brokers of wine
En primeur
yearly offering of Bordeaux wines as futures
What is Clairet?
darker more aromatic style of rose that evokes the original claret wines shipped to England in the middle ages
Assemblage
Blend
encepagement
proportions of different grape varieties