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Brock - Certified Sommelier > Bordeaux > Flashcards

Bordeaux Flashcards

Basic Mastery

1
Q

Name the 5 best vintages of Left Bank Bordeaux of the last 20 years.

A 
2009
2016
2018
2010
2015

2005
2000
2014

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2
Q

What are the classic grapes in a Bordeaux Blend?

A
  1. Merlot
  2. Cabernet Sauvignon
  3. Cabernet Franc
  4. Petit Verdot
  5. Malbec (and tiny amounts of Carmenere)
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3
Q

What are the First Growths and where are they located?

A

Château Lafite (now Château Lafite Rothschild) - Pauillac
Château Latour - Pauillac
Château Margaux - Margaux
Haut-Brion (now Château Haut-Brion) Pessac, Graves
Mouton,[b] now Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac

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4
Q

Describe the geographical layout of Bordeaux.

A

Bordeaux is in Southwestern France, centered around the Gironde Estuary, which divides it into left and right banks. The Medoc and Graves are on the Left bank, and Bourg and Blaye and the Libournais are on the right bank. The Gironde Estuary then splits, with the Garonne flowing west and the Dordogne flowing east - the area between is known as the Entre-Deux-Mers.

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5
Q

What are the sub-regions of the Medoc?

A

There are 8 sub-regions.

It is first divided into the Bas-Medoc (or simply Medoc) in the North and Haut-Medoc in the South.

Then, moving South, there are the sub-regions of Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Saint Julien, Listrac-Medoc, Moulis, and Margaux.

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6
Q

What are the sub-regions of Graves?

A

Graves encompasses 4 smaller regions. They are (from North to South) Pessac-Leognan, Ceron, Barsac, and Sauternes.

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7
Q

How big is Bordeaux?

A

About 290,000 acres (117,000 hectares).

Six times the size of Napa.

Four times the size of Burgundy.

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8
Q

What geographical features influence the climate of Bordeaux?

A
  1. Water - The Gironde Estuary, Garonne and Dordogne rivers, countless streams, and the Atlantic Ocean (warmed by the Gulf Stream) temper the region’s climate, making it’s vineyards milder and more stable.
  2. Forests - Bordeaux is bordered on the South and West by Les Landes, 2.5 million acres (just over 1 million hectares) of manmade pine forest.

These features and a maritime climate protect Bordeaux from storms, cold snaps, and frosts.

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9
Q

Is Bordeaux hilly?

A

It is relatively flat, with gently rolling hills.

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10
Q

What is the soil like in Bordeaux?

A

Bordeaux varietals are sensitive to too much water, so drainage is key. The best vineyards are on gravel and stone, or sometimes limestone (especially in St.-Emilion). Lesser vineyards are on clay, which is more suited to earlier-ripening Merlot.

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11
Q

Which red Bordeaux varietals are actually from SW France?

A

All but Cab Franc, which is from Northern Spain.

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12
Q

How many white grapes are permitted in Bordeaux? What are they?

A

7

Main 3: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.

In Tiny Amounts: Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Merlot Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Mauzac, and Ondenc

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13
Q

How did the 1855 Classification come about?

A
  1. In 1855, Napoleon III asks Bordeaux’s top Chateau owners to rate their wines from best to worst for the Paris Universal Exhibition.
  2. Understandably, the owners stalled.
  3. In response, the Bordeaux Chamber of commerce stepped in and ranked the wines based on sale price.
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14
Q

What is the only change ever made to the 1855 Classification?

A

The promotion of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild from Second to First Growth in 1973, after 20 years of petitions by Baron Philippe de Rothschild.

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15
Q

When was St.-Emilion first classified, and what are the rankings?

A

1954

  1. Premier Grand Cru Classe (Sub-divided into A and B)
  2. Grand Cru Classe
  3. Grand Cru
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16
Q

Which St.-Emilion wines are considered Premier Grand Cru Classe A?

A
  1. Chateau Angelus
  2. Cheateau Ausone
  3. Chateau Pavie
  4. Chateau Cheval Blanc
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17
Q

How often are Medoc wines reclassified?

A

Never

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18
Q

How often are Graves wines reclassified?

A

Never

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19
Q

How often are St.-Emilion wines reclassified?

A

Every 10 years.

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20
Q

How often are Pomerol wines reclassified?

A

Pomerol vineyards are not ranked or otherwise officially classified.

21
Q

Name a Second Growth from the four most important regions of the Medoc.

A
  1. Chateau Montrose (St.-Estephe)
  2. Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron (Pauillac)
    or
  3. Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac)
  4. Chateau Gruaud-Larose (St.-Julien)
  5. Chateau Lascombes (Margaux)
22
Q

Which Chateau is the only Premier Cru Superieur of Bordeaux and where is it located?

A

Chateau d’Yquem (Sauternes)

23
Q

Which two communes of the Medoc feature less well-drained soils, and often less refined wines?

A

Listrac and Moulis

24
Q

On what parallel is Bordeaux located?

25
Q

How did the wine region of Bordeaux come to be?

A

It was salt marshes and pine forests until the mid 1600s when Dutch merchants drained the area and exposed the gravel banks to make great vineyard areas.

This, coupled with its easy trade location brought the region to prominence.

26
Q

What type of soil is in the Entre-Duex-Mers?

A

Fertile silt

27
Q

When was the most recent revision of St.-Emilion classifications?

28
Q

What is the only type of wine produced in Entre-Duex-Mers AOP?

A

Dry, white wines.

29
Q

Name the 5 best vintages of Pomerol and St.-Emilion of the last 20 years in descending order.

A 
2009
2015
2018
2010
2005

2000
2016

30
Q

What did the INAO stand for?

What does it stand for now?

A

Institut National des Appellations d’Origine

L’Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité
the acronym remains the same

31
Q

Minimum alcohol levels in France range from ___% to ___%.

32
Q

List the current French wine classifications in descending order.

A

Appellation d’Origine Contrôlee / Protégée (AOC/AOP)

Vin de Pays / Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP)

Vin de France (formerly Table Wine)

33
Q

How does the climate change moving from the Medoc to the Pomerol St-Emilion area?

A

It moves from Maritime to a more Continental climate.

34
Q

What is clairet?

A

A darker, more aromatic style of rosé

35
Q

Explain the soils in which the following grapes excel and why:

Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Cabernet Franc

A

Cab - well-drained gravel, which allows the vine’s root system to dig deeply while slight water stress adds concentration to the fruit

Merlot - clay, which delays the early-ripening grapes vigor

Cab Franc - limestone-based soils, which promote acidity and freshness

36
Q

Which red Bordeaux grape is latest ripening?

A

Petit Verdot

37
Q

What are courtiers?

A

Wine brokers

38
Q

What does the Cru Artisan designation signify?

A

A non-1855 classified estate that is less than 5 hectares and is an exceptional steward of the land and winemaker.

39
Q

What does the Cru Bourgeois designation signify?

What are the 3 levels?

A

A non-1855 classified estate.

Cru Bourgeois
Cru Bourgeois Supérieur
Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel

40
Q

What is boulbenes?

Where is it found?

A

A soil made up of a mixture of sand, gravel and light clay.

It is found in Graves

41
Q

What is the minimum RS of Sauternes AOP?

42
Q

Which right bank wine is known for its generous usage of Cabernet Sauvignon?

Where is it located?

A

Chateau Figeac (St.-Emilion)

43
Q

St-Émilion contains a diversity of soils broadly categorized into two types:

A

The côtes (steep limestone slopes)

Graves (a gravelly limestone plateau resembling soils of the Médoc)

44
Q

What are the requirements of St-Emilion Grand Cru AOP?

A

Wines must be at least 11.5% alcohol (St-Emilion is normally 11%) and undergo longer elevage.

45
Q

What is Cabernet Franc known as in Pomerol?

46
Q

Name 5 of the top Pomerol producers.

A 
Château Pétrus
Château Lafleur
Château Le Pin
Château Trotanoy
Vieux-Château-Certan
47
Q

Name the 4 satellite appellations of St-Emilion.

A

Lussac
St-Georges
Montagne
Puisseguin

48
Q

Which famous, unclassified wine of Sauternes is known for its decades-long maturation process in concrete vats?

A

Chateau Gilette - “Creme de Tete”

49
Q

Name the 5 worst vintages of Bordeaux of the last 30 years.

A 
1980
1984
1987
1991
1992

Brock - Certified Sommelier (19 decks)

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