Bordeaux Flashcards
Bordeaux Climate
Moderate Maritime Climate
Little spring frost, later warmth allows full ripeness
Wet weather – can increase rot, impact flowering, impact sugar levels / ripeness / concentration
Left bank – Gravely soils w/ limestone – well drained
Right bank – Clay soils w/ limestone
Bordeaux Winemaking
Highly varied, reflects style of wine and resources
Some still using large oak vats, some using steel and concrete
Most wines blended the following spring, some keep lots separate until end
Best use 225l barriques, up to 100% new oak
Constant improvements have led to riper, fruitier, concentrated wines even in difficult vintages
Bordeaux Classifications
Bordeaux – simpler, non-GI, mostly white wines
Bordeaux Superior – stricter rules, higher alcohol
Bordeaux Rose
Bordeaux Clariet – (Rose) longer maceration, greater color and body
Cru Bourgeois – vintage-specific designation awarded
1855 Cru Classe: 5 Red levels, 3 White levels
Left Bank Communes
Medoc (Bas Medoc)
Haute Medoc
St Estephe, Pauillac, St Julien, Margaux
Graves
Pessac-Leognan
Sauternes
Left Bank - Premiere Cru
Pauillac - Ch Lafite Rothschild
Ch Latour
Ch Mouton Rothschild
Margaux - Ch Margaux
Graves - Pessac-Leognan - Ch Haut Brion
Graves - Sauternes - Ch d’Yquem (white)
(Bas) Medoc
‘Bas Medoc’ labeled as ‘Medoc’
Predominantly clay, some gravel outcrops
Mostly MERLOT
Haut Medoc
Gravely soils, good drainage and warming
High% Cabernet Sauvignon
Core of blackcurrant fruit and cedar (oak)
Grippy young tannins and long aging potential
Graves
from city of Bordeaux along R. Garonne
Very similar to Haut-Medoc, gravelly soil
Less body, tannin, ripe fruit, complexity
More Merlot in low-lands and farther SE
Whites are typically unoaked Sauv Blanc, labelled generic ‘Bordeaux’
Graves - Pessac-Leognan
Newer sub-app, w/ all the Graves red Cru Classe
Ch Haut-Brion – 1er Cru
Significant CS, with similar winemaking as Haut Medoc
A little lighter and more fragrant
Whites (AOC) – Blends of Semillion and Sauv Blanc, often oaked (new), eligible for Cru Classe status
Graves - Sauternes
Down on the cool banks of the Garrone, misty autumns ideal for Noble Rot (Botrytis)
They make distinct sweet white wines from Semillion and Sauv Blanc (some Muscadell)
Often made w/ Botrytis (or Passerillage if its needed)
Barsac - a village in Sauternes with village sub-AC
The Right Bank
Clay soils, less well drained than the Left bank, dominated by Merlot (with some Cab Franc)
Saint-Emilion
Pomerol
Surrounding regions also Merlot dominated
Saint-Emilion Appellations
Saint-Emillion
Saint-Emillion Grand Cru Classe
Saint-Emillion Premier Grand Cru Classe B
Saint-Emillion Premier Grand Cru Classe A
Reclassification occurs at least once every 10 years
Saint-Emilion Soils
Clay soils dictate it’s mostly Merlot. Three distinct groups of vineyard on different soils
- Warm plateau w/ well-drained gravel & limestone with significant Cab Franc and some Cab Sauv
- Escarpment to south and east with clay limestone soils, mostly Merlot
- Sandy soils at the foot of the escarpment = lighter bodied wines
Right Bank Wines
Saint-Emilion and Pomerol
Med-to-high tannins, less structure than Left Bank
Soft, rich mouth, complex red berry, plum
Develop tobacco and cedar notes
Pomerol - reputation is as high as Saint-Emilion
Tend to be richer, spicier blackberry fruit than Saint-Emilion
Entre-Deux-Mers
Lowlands between the two rivers, cooler and often wet
Very heavy in Sauv Blanc, mostly unoaked
Whites can bear the region name, but reds can only be labelled as generic appellation
