Bordeaux Flashcards
BORDEAUX
France’s largest AOC/AOP region
300,000 acres of total vineyard area
Second in volume of production to the Languedoc
What years was Bordeaux ruled by England?
1152-1453
What is a Negociant?
Someone buying fruit or wine in barrel to age in their own cellars before selling the bottled wine
What are Coutiers?
Brokers of wine. Supplying the Château with financial backing while gaining total control over the actual trade of wine.
What is en primeur?
Sales, the yearly offering of Bordeaux wine as futures.
What does the term “second wine” mean?
A less expensive wine comprised of fruit considered inappropriate for the grand vin.
What is the climate of Bordeaux?
Maritime, with both the Atlantic and Gironde estuary acting as moderating influences, protecting the vines from winter freezes and spring frost.
What type of climate change happens toward St Emilion and Pomerol?
Continental
What type of weather causes a celebration for Graves?
Autumn humidity causes the development of noble rot.
What is the Bordeaux mixture?
A mix of lime, copper sulfate, and water.
It is applied throughout the region to avoid fungal problems.
MERLOT
The most widely planted grape and the earliest to ripen. Prefers clay based soils, as they delay its natural vigor.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Prefers well drained gravel which allows the vine’s root system to dig deeply while slight water stress adds concentration to the fruit.
Cabernet Sauvignon has difficulty ripening in colder limestone and clay soils.
Bordeaux Supérieur AOP
Red and off-dry white with a higher minimum alcohol content
Cremant de Bordeaux AOP
Traditional method sparkling wines produced in Bordeaux.
MEDOC AOP
Covers the entire wine producing left bank of the Gironde Estuary. The actual appellation is typically used by those chateaux who do not qualify for a more precise appellation.
Merlot is grown in higher proportion
The Haut-Medoc AOP
The best vineyards have well drained gravely soils perfectly suited for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Haut-Medoc AOP communes
Saint-Estephe
Pauillac
St. Julien
Listrac-Médoc
Moulis-en-Medoc
Margaux
What is jalles in the Medoc AOP?
Draining channels
Cru Artisan
Recognized in 2002, approval of the first 44 Château did not occur until 2006.
44 small Producers have the right to use this designation, denoting their place as exceptional stewards of the land and craft of winemaking, without the financing or apparatus of large scale operations.
Must be smaller than 5 hectares and reviewed every ten years.
Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Cru Bourgeois Superieur, Cru Bourgeois
Originally introduced in 1932. Not official until 2003 when only 247 of the original 444 properties retained their status.
In 2008 Cru Bourgeois was reinstated but the higher designation of Exceptionnel and Superieur were eliminated
In 2018 Château may once again apply for all three including Exceptionnel and Superieur
The terms will appear on labels in 2020. The classification will be reviewed every 5 years.
St-Estephe AOP
Northern most appellation in Haut-Medoc
Slightly higher percentage of Merlot due to higher proportion of clay amongst the gravel
Host to only five classified growths overall. No first growths
Château Cos d’Estournel (Second Growth)
Château Montrose (Second Growth)
Château Calon Segur (Third Growth)
Château Lafon-Rochet (Fourth Growth)
Château Cos Labory (Fifth Growth)
Pauillac AOP
Considered classic claret and boasts three first growths
Château Lafite Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Latour
Gravel topsoil at highest point. Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are structured and long lived.
Two Second Growths (Pichon Longueville Baron) and (Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande)
St-Julien AOP
Produces less wine than the other communes
No first growths but five second growths
Château Leoville-Las Cases(“super-second”)
Château Leoville-Poyferre
Château Leoville Barton
Château Gruaud-Larose
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou (“super-second”)
Listrac-Medoc AOP and Moulis-en-Medoc AOP
Lesser appellations without classified growths
Château Chasse-Spleen In Moulis-en-Medoc is the most famous estate
Margaux AOP
The largest communal appellation of the Haut-Medoc spread throughout five villages:
Soussans
Margaux
Cantenac
Labarde
Arsac
Largest number of classified growths (21) including one first growth (Margaux)
Graves AOP
Soil is similar to the Medoc only it becomes sandier toward the south
Château Haut-Brion (First Growth)
Graves wines first classified in 1953, 16 Château in total are included
Château La Tour Haut-Brion (final vintage in 2005) and Château Laville Haut-Brion (final vintage in 2008) now supply fruit for a second red and new white under the Château La Mission Haut-Brion label
Pessac-Leognan AOP
Created in 1987 in northern Graves
All cru classe properties are located within the communes of Pessac-Leognan AOP
Graves Superieur AOP
Three smaller sweet wine appellations: Cerons, Barsac, and Sauterns are located within the region
Produced from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle
What is Botrytis Cinerea called in Graves?
Pourriture noble-the noble rot
What five villages does Sauterns AOP cover?
Sauterns
Barsac
Fargues
Preignac
Bommes
What is the Côtes soil on the right bank?
Steep limestone slopes
What is the graves soil on the right bank?
A gravelly limestone plateau resembling soils of the Medoc
St-Emilion Grand Cru AOP
An appellation rather than a classification
Required to show an additional 0.5% alcohol and must undergo a longer elevage than wines of St-Emilion
All Grand Cru Classe wines must meet the requirements of the St-Emilion Grand Cru AOP
Pomerol
A tiny AOP
Soil is dominated by sand, clay, and gravel
Merlot is most successful due to the subsoil clay rising very close to the surface
There is no classification in Pomerol
What term is Cabernet Franc known as in Pomerol?
Bouchet
What is the new trend the “microchateau” or garagistes movement?
Le Pin In Pomerol, and Valandraud and La Mondotte in St-Emilion were among the vanguard of small Château making powerful ripe and polished modern wines from just a handful of acres.
Le Pin only produces around 6000 bottles of grand vin a year
What are the four satellite appellations for St-Emilion?
Lussac
St-Georges
Montagne
Puisseguin
Lalande-de-Pomerol AOP
Pomerol’s neighboring red wine district
Contains the communes of Lalande-de-Pomerol and Neac
Fronsac AOP and Canon Fronsac AOP
Red wine district near Pomerol
Min. 80% combined Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot
Bourg and Côtes de Bourg
The oldest vineyards in Bordeaux
Romans brought viticulture to the limestone slopes
Finally faded by those of the Medoc and Graves in the late 1600s
Château Roc de Cambes
Leads the appellation of Côtes de Bourg
Blaye AOP
Reds: Min. 50% combined Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot
Côtes de Blaye AOP
Whites: Blanc sec 60-90% combined Colombard and Ugni Blanc, plus Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and Semillon
Côtes de Bordeaux AOP
An alternative to the luxury priced grand vins
Predominantly red and may list the area of origin: Francs, Castillon, Blaye, Cadillac, Sainte Foy on the bottle
Entre-Deux-Mers AOP
The “land between two seas” the Dordogne and Garonne rivers
Produces dry whites
Enter-Deux-Mers May use the geographical designation Haut-Benauge, but the wines must be dry in style
Loupiac AOP
A sweet wine appellation that may or may not be affected by Botrytis
Sainte-Croix-du-Mont AOP
A sweet wine appellation that may or may not be affected by Botrytis
Cadillac AOP
Grapes are affected by Botrytis and or passerillage, and must be harvested by hand in successive tries
Premiers Côtes de Bordeaux AOP
Sweet wines in the department of Gironde
Cotes de Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire AOP
South of Loupiac
May produce white wines in sec, moelleux, or liquereux styles
Liquereux must be affected by Botrytis, chaptalization is prohibited for Liquereux
Graves de Vayres AOP
Releases both red and white wines
Blanc: Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and Semillon. Plus max. 30% Merlot Blanc
Red: All six Bordeaux red grapes allowed
