Bordeaux Flashcards
Bordeaux bodies of water
Atlantic Ocean
Gironde Estuary
Garonne River
Dordogne River
Bordeaux Grape Varieties & %’s
Merlot - 60% Cabernet Sauvignon - 20% Cabernet Franc - 8% Sauvignon Blanc - 5% Semillon - 5% Muscadelle - 1%
Split of AOC Wine: Red, Dry White, Sweet, Rose
85%
10%
1%
4%
INAO - Stands for now and then
Year of establishment
Institute National des Appellations d’Origine
Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualite
Founded in 1935
AOC
Appellations d’Origine Controlee
IGP - stands for and when founded
Indication Geographique Protegee
2009
Types of things AOC controls
varieties planting density training systems max yileds min alcohol length of maturation earliest date can be sold
Varietal Labels
allowed since 2009 to compete with new world wines that feature variety prominently
Average size of vineyard holding
comparison to SP and IT
10.5 ha
much larger
Cooperative production (total FR)
40%
Wine consumption per capita
Less than half a century ago
Largest FR producers
Castel Freres 12%
Carrefour
ITM Enterprises
Export value vs IT and SP
50% more value than IT
3x value of SP
Bordeaux area under vine
111,000 ha
% of inexpensive and mid priced
% of premium or super premium
70%
3%
Climate overview
Moderate Maritime Gentle heat in the growing season sufficient rainfall dry and warm autumns leading to excellent balance of tannin, sugar, acidity
Left Bank climate differences
Protected from Atlantic storms by the Landes pine forests
Climatic feature of Listrac
Next to the forest so not as protected from Atlantic influence.
Climatic feature of northern Medoc
Landes forest less of a feature so more exposed to the Atlantic, hence cooler and wetter than southern Medoc and Graves
Average rainfall and when
variable but averages 950 mm
Excessive rain impact on vintage
Flowering poor fruit set
growing season, disease pressure
at and after veraison, fungal diseases
harvest dillutes flavors and can cause berry split and rot
Climate Change
some hot dry summers without adequate rainfall
2003 hot low acidity and lack of balance
more alcoholic wines as growers wait for phenolic ripeness
Right bank climatic influence
Maritime influence less felt
Left Bank Soils
Deposits of gravel and stony soils deposited from the Pyrenees and Massif Central
Can be mixed with clay, sand, minerals
Low gravel mounds (32m) found at the top estates
called croupes
Impact of Gravel Soils
Drain quickly so even after storms, roots dry out quickly so vine can continue ripening
In very hot years (2003 and 2005) can cause water stress
Heat retention that is released at night facilitating ripening
Pomerol soils
Very shallow and in dry years can cause water stress (like 2016)
Other soils on Left Bank
Some pockets of Clay (St. Estephe) but wines do not reach same potential as on gravel
Right Bank soil
Far more clay with some pockets of gravel
Merlot vs Cab Sauv & Franc
Ripens in almost every vintage, more sugar (hence alcohol)
Merlot - budding / ripening
Early budding (spring frosts) Mid ripening (pick before autumn rain)
Merlot hazards
Coulure, Drought, Botrytis bunch rot
Merlot where planted
Most widely planted, dominant on right bank, and cooler northern Medoc where Clay soils are more prevalent
Clay impact on Merlot
Water holding capacity enables large berries associated with Merlot
Merlot characteristics
Medium to pronounced fruit (strawberry, red plum / blackberry black plum)
medium tannin
medium to high alcohol
Cab Sauv budding / ripening
Late budding and late ripening
Cab Sauv hazards
fungal diseases, powdery mildew
Eutypa and Esca
Cab Sauv characteristics
small berries, high tannin
pronounced violet, black currant, black cherry, menthol, herbaceous
medium alcohol, high acid and tannin
Cab Sauv soils
best on the well drained soils of the Medoc
Cab Franc
contributes red fruit, high acid, med tannin
Malbec
mainly replanted with Merlot after frosts of 1956
Petit Verdot basic
Buds early and ripens later than even Cab Sauv
Spring frosts, autumn rains, failure to ripen in cool years
Petit Verdot in blends
Usually less than 5%
deeply colored, spice notes, high tannins
Semillon budding / ripening
mid ripening
Semillon hazards
botrytis bunch rot, noble rot
Semillon characters
light lemon, apple
medium body, alcohol
medium to medium plus acid
Semillon in Bordeaux
In dry whites, Softens Sauv Blanc’s intense flavors and acidity
strong affinity with vanilla and sweet spice of new French oak
In botrytized wines, pronounced honey, dried fruit, waxy texture.
more susceptible to botrytis so top wines have more Sem than Sauv
ageability, toast and honey
Sauv blanc’s flavors don’t evolve with age
Sauv Blanc in Bordeaux
grassy and gooseberry
high acidity
in both dry whites and botrytis
increasing dry white production due to worldwide popularity
Muscadelle
very prone to botrytis bunch rot
Used in sweet whites, grapey and floral
not related to Muscat
Row spacing
10,000 vines / ha one meter apart one meter b/n rows results in moderate vigor on the infertile soils less prestigious lower density
Impact of row spacing
higher costs as more trellis material is needed, over the row tractors, more time / labor for training, plowing, spraying
But makes best use of expensive land
Vine training
Most common is cane pruning
Left bank, two canes, Double Guyot
Right bank, single, Single Guyot
Cordon spur pruned is rare but some prestigious use it saying it naturally limits vigor
Canopy management
Very important in this damp climate to reduce threat of fungal diseases (powdery, downy, botyrtis bunch rot)
Leaf removal in summer to increase aeration
Also exposes bunches to ultra violet light to aid ripening
Unique Bordeaux hazards
Eutypa dieback and Esca, trunk diseases that eat the vine from inside.
Soft pruning seems to help
Flavescence Doree, insecticides
Leaf Removal cons
Sunburn and extreme heat (2003)
remove later in the season when cooler
Green harvesting
common 20 years ago to correct yield and improve concentration
now less popular and better to short prune to control yield
allow vines to find balance
Yield trends
decreased over past two decades to avg of 50hl/ha
trend on right bank for exaggerated low yields for super jammy and fatiguing wines but in decline
Harvest
Used to be random process based on a guess resulting in some under some over ripe grapes
today hired for a long time with some expected idleness
Large teams hired by big estates (100) many from other EU countries (boarding)
Machine vs hand harvest
No Medoc (2 hours no of city) hard to find labor so machine top estates by hand
Pre winemaking
Inexpensive wines not sorted
High quality sorted in vineyard, then at sorting table by hand or optical
Plot winemaking
high quality pick individual plots for optimal ripeness and make separate small lots
requires more small vessels and labor
Red wine fermentation
In closed vats with pump over
wood, stainless, concrete with temp control
Yeast
Most use cultured for reliability
Early drinking red wines fermentation
mid range temps and short period on the skins after fermentation (5-7 days) to preserve primary fruit and limit tannin
Age worthy red wines fermentation
mid range to warm fermentation temps and 14 - 30 days on the skin
Press types
pneumatic or modern vertical or hydraulic which give gentle extraction
Press wine
put into barriques to be decided on how to use in final blend
Red wine malo
takes place in tank or barrel for better wood integration
Many will inoculate and heat cellars to ensure it completes before the spring tasting with journalists
Simpler red wines post fermentation
aged in stainless or concrete for 4 - 6 months and oak chips may be added
High quality red maturation
Matured in French oak barriques 18 - 24 mo Mix of first, second, three year old some very prestigious use 100% new oak but % of new oak decreasing many choose a range of cooperages
Red wine racking
every three months
some use micro oxygenation instead to soften tannins
Two approaches to blending
Most, espec those that will present at the en primeur tasting, blend over the winter. this will result in a near final blend of the main wine and a deselection of wine for the second or third label or bulk
A minority blend a few months before bottling when each variety can be assessed
Most top work with consultants for blending
Rose Winemaking
Two styles Deeper colored traditional Clairet Lighter colored Rose Merlot & Cab Sauv historically saignee (by product) now direct press
White Wine Pressing
Two styles
Directly pressed upon arrival for max freshness
Skin contact up to 24 h for aromatic and phenolic complexity, but need fully healthy and ripe grapes to avoid off flavors
White fermentation temp
early drinking are generally cool temps in stainless
White wine maturation
early drinking, few months in stainless before bottling
mid price 6 - 12 mo on fine lees
high quality fermented and matured in barrique with varying new
aged on fine lees with battonage for further body and complexity
White wine malo
Higher end block to preserve acidity and may not battonage to preven too full body
White Bordeaux pioneers
Denis Dubourdieu and Andre Lurton
advocated for focus on Sauv Blanc, skin contact, and reduction of new oak in fermentation and maturation
Sweet wine yields
Need to be kept very low, typically 1/3 of what is acceptable for still wines. Buds are pruned low. Many do not achieve the max of 25 hl/ha. Top are more like 10 hl/ha
Sweet wine viticulture
Any grapes with any sign of disease must be removed as they will be highly susceptible to rot later in the season
Sweet wine harvesting
Harvesters must be well trained to distinguish noble rot from grey rot
Must go through the vineyard more than once to get the right level of botrytis. up to 10 - 12 times
Can last from September through November
Level of botrytis impacted by:
Weather conditions that promote the spread of noble rot (varies year to year)
Position of estates - proximity to areas where mists form most regularly
Willingness of estates to wait for the best time to harvest and risk losing fruit to weather
willingness to pay for multiple pass throughs
Sweet wine fermentation
As a dry white wine
Fermented in stainless, concrete or barriques
Aged for varying times in those containers
Top quality are barrel fermented (for the best oak integration) with a high proportion of new and barrel aged 18 - 36 mo for gentle oxidation that will aid complexity
New oak is 30% - 50% but can be 100% (d’Yquem)
Less prestigious often unoaked
Key Appellations of the Left Bank
Medoc, Haut Medoc, St. Estephe, Paulliac, St. Julien, Listrac-Medoc, Moulis, Margaux
Key Appellations of the Graves
Graves, Pessac Leognan, Barsac, Sauternes, Graves Superieures
Key Appellations of the Right Bank
St. Emilion, Pomerol, Lalande de Pomerol, Castillon Cotes de Bourdeaux, Francs Cotes de Bordeaux, Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux, Cotes de Bourg,
Key Entre Deux Mers Appellations
Entre-Deux-Mers, Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux, Sainte Croix du Mont
Bordeaux AOC
Bordeaux Superieur AOC
Vast generic appellation
Still White, Rose, Red
Max yields, 65hl/ha, 62, 60 for some low concentration
Superieur 59 hl / ha for red
Together are 50% of all wine produced in Bordeaux
Reds are typically Merlot: Med intensity red fruit, high acidity, medium plus tannin, med body, med alcohol
Whites are increasingly Sauv blanc: medium gooseberry and lemon, med body, high acid, med alcohol
Acceptable to good, Inexpensive to mid
Medoc AOC and Haut Medoc AOC
Left bank of the Gironde north of Bordeaux city
Red wine only
Max yield of 55hl/ha
Only sold as of mid June after the harvest
Wide range of quality and price levels
Medoc is the northern end
Equal parts Merlot & Cab Sauv
Haut Medoc is close to Bordeaux and contains the famous single communes
50% Cab Sauv, 44% Merlot
Left Bank Single Communes
St. Estephe, Paulliac, St. Julien, Margaux
Adjacent to the Gironde estuary and its moderating influence
High proportion of warm gravelly soils that enable Cab Sauv to ripen
Red wines only
Max yields of 57 hl/ha
Pronounced blackcurrant, green bell pepper (espec in cooler years), and red plum, with cedar and vanilla
Medium to high alcohol, high tannin & acid, medium plus body
Very good to oustanding and premium to super premium
Saint Estephe AOC
Most northerly and coolest of the prestigious left bank communes
Closest to the Atlantic
40% Merlot, more than the other three (does well on the clay away from the estuary)
50% Cab Sauv, best on gravel near the estuary
Reputation for rustic wines that need many years in bottle to soften the tannins
Some are softer and more accessible if they are from warmer gravel soils or high proportion of Merlot
Water holding of clay soils has proven advantageous in recent hot dry summers
No first growths, number of second, large number of Cru Bourgeois
Paulliac AOC
62% Cab Sauv often on gravel banks near estuary
Many of top estates are even higher Cab Sauv (70% - 80%) for high concentration and longevity
Most structured of the Left Bank; high tannin and acidity for long ageing capacity
Three of the 5 first growths (Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild)
Highest proportion of production of cru clasee wine (85%)
St. Julien
Very high proportion of Cab Sauv and of cru clasee (second only to Paulliac)
Regarded as midway point between powerful structure of Paulliac and finese of Margaux.
No first growths, but five second growths: Leoville les Cases, Leoville Poyferre, Leyoville Barton, Gruaud Larose and Ducru Beaucaillou
Margaux AOC
High proportion of cru clasee and one first growth, Chateau Margaux
Slightly less Cab and slightly more Merlot
Stony gravelly soils
Farther south than other three and so picked a week earlier on avg that more Northern Medoc regions
Can be an advantage in cool years or if rain threatens
However Clay seams means some soils need supplementary drainage
Reputation for perfumed wines with silky tannins
Listrac-Medoc and Moulis AOC
For red wines only
Further from the moderating effect of the river
Less moderating impact of the estuary
Less gravel in the soils
wines can be released for sale slightly earlier
Same AOC requirements as the big 4 (57hl/ha)
good to very good and mid priced to prem
Graves AOC
Graves Superieures AOC
Large appellation stretching south of Bordeaux city
for white and red with 85% red
Max yields are 58 and 55 hl/ha
Superieures are late harvested or botrytized sweet wines
Most Graves are acceptable to good and inexpensive to mid
Pessac-Leognan
Sub region within Graves
Gravel soils
80% red / 20% white
Max yield 54hl/ha for both red and white
Moderating impact of the Garonne
High quality barrel fermented and aged white and high quality red
One first growth from 1855 - Haut Brion and all cru clasee’s from the Graves classification
Produces best white wines of Bordeaux
Whites are blend of Sauv Blanc and Semillon; pronounced gooseberry, lemon, grapefruit, with vanilla and clove; medium plus body, medium plus to high acid, medium to high alcohol
Very good to outstanding and premium to super
Reds are similar in style and quality to the four most prestigious Medoc communes
Entre-deux-Mers AOC
Second largest AOC in terms of ha but distant second to Bordeaux AOC
Makes only white wines (reds are made but labelled Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superieur)
Max yield 65hl/ha resulting in some low intensity
Acceptable to good and inexpensive to mid
Saint Emilion & Saint Emilion Grand Cru AOC
Cover the same large area producing red wine only
Max yield 53hl/ha and 6 mo maturation
46hl/ha and 20 months maturation
Merlot 60% with Cab Franc next
Great range of quality from simple to those of the top first growths
Pronounced red and black fruit, vanilla and clove new oak, full body, high alcohol, medium plus to high acid and tannin
Best can age many years
Saint Emilion satellites
Four AOC’s close to St. Emilion but farther from the Dordogne
Similar wines and same rules as St. Emilion
Two biggest are Montagne St. Emilion and Lussac St. Emilion
Pomerol AOC
Small and prestigious site
80% Merlot with Cab Franc second
Max yield 49 hl/ha
No classification system but many top quality
Very good to outstanding and premium to super premium
Top wines are Pronounced red and black fruit, vanilla and clove new oak, full body, high alcohol, medium plus to high acid and tannin
Best can age many years
Command some of the highest prices in the world because of quality and size (Petrus is 12 ha vs 80 - 100 for first growths)
Lalande-de-Pomerol AOC
Larger Pomerol satellite appellation with slightly higher yields than Pomerol’s 49
Cotes de Bordeaux
Created for red and white in 2009 for a group of right bank appellations
A number of communes can append their name before the AOC name:
Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon, Francs Cotes de Bordeaux
For red max yield is 55 for Cotes and 52 if a commune name is appended
Cotes de Bourg is similar but not in the Cotes de Bordeaux umbrella. 10% Malbec, highest of any appellation
Merlot is dominant and similar in style and price to Medoc
Sauternes & Barsac AOC
For sweet botrytized wines made from Semillon (80%), Sauv Blanc and tiny plantings of Muscadelle
Conditions for noble rot because the cold Ciron river meet with the warm Garonne promoting morning mists
Ideally these are burnt off by afternoon sun drying the grapes and preventing gray rot
Sauternes is largest sweet wine appellation accounting for 50% of all production
Barsac may be labelled Barsac or Sauternes
Max yield is 25 hl/ha but in reality are much lower to ensure grapes are fully ripe before noble rot develops
Pronounced citrus peel, honey, apricot, tropical fruit, with vanilla
Full bodied, high alcohol, medium to medium plus acid, and sweet finish
good to outstanding prem to super
Many producers are switching to more dry wines as sweet fall out of fashion
Other sweet appellations
Sainte Croix du Mont AOC (40hl/ha)
Loupiac AOC (40hl/ha)
Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux AOC (45hl/ha)
these may have botrytis or just be late harvest
good to very good and inexpensive to mid
1855 Classification
1855 classification of Grand Cru Classe
Based on prices then being achieved for wines of the Medoc plus Haut Brion in the Graves and Sauternes
Ranked 60 producers from first to Fifth Growths
Ch d’Yquem got a special place of its own; Premier Cru Superieur
Minor modifications including the promotion of Ch Mouton Rotschild in 1973 but largely the same
Continues to impact prices today
Cru Classe wines represent 25% of Medoc wine
Must be estate bottled
The Graves Classification
Established in 1959 based on pricing, fame, and quality as judged by tasting
16 classified chateaux for their red, white, or both
All are in Pessag-Leognan
Simple list with no further sub divisions
Due for a revision with too many top notch not on the list
The Saint-Emilion Classification
Dates from 1955 and revised every 10 years
Judged on terroir, methods of production, reputation and commercial considerations and a blind tasting of 10 vintages
Includes four tiers:
Premier Grand Cru Classe A and B
Grand Cru Clasee
Grand Cru
2012 is most recent
Has been challenged by lawsuits which have dented reputation and value
Grand Cru for the lowest tier is seen as misleading
Crus Bourgeois du Medoc Classification
Created in 1932 Cru Bourgeois is a level below Cru Classe but still of superior quality
In 2010 it was revised with Cru Bourgeois label awarded annually to individual wines instead of chateaux
Based on an assessment of production methods and final quality
Any property in the Medoc may apply
From the 2018 vintage wines will be classified in three tiers: Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Superieur, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
# and size of estates Annual production
7,000 estates mostly called chateaux
Number shrinking due to takeovers to make more commerically viable operations
Average size is now over 17ha
Annual production 800 million bottles
Coops
25% of production from 40% of grape growers
Percentage by type of wine
Bordeaux, Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux Rose: 47% Medoc & Graves: 18% Cotes de Bordeaux: 12% Saint-Emilion, Satellites, Pomerol: 11% Dry White: 9% Sweet whites: 3%
Production Costs: Bordeaux AOC, Medoc Estate, Classified Growth
Euro 0.57; 2.35; 9.80
Increased vine density, harvest costs, viticulture costs, lower yield, rigorous selection, barrel aging (cost of new and time)
Point Scales
In addition to the classee system
Robert Parker, Wine Spectator 100 pt system
Initially USA then around the world
La Place de Bordeaux
Wine is sold to a negociant (la negoce) who handle 80% of the wine
They sell it to wholesalers and retailers
Courtier handles the relationship between the producer and the negociant
Each charge a fee: Negociants 15%; Courtiers 2%
Sold in over 170 countries with as many as 40 negociants
There is an allocation system where each negociant gets an allotment and may need to take lesser vintages to not lose their spot
Market for inexpensive Bordeaux
Struggled to achieve over 1 Euro per liter
lower demand in France
huge competition from other low priced countries like Chile and Australia on export
most sold in French supermarkets
En Primeur
Top chateaux sell en Primeur a futures sytem which is a paper transaction for a future production wine
Sold in spring following harvest while wines are in barrel and not finished or bottled
Late 70s and vintage of 1982 took off
In April 5,000 journalists, critics, and pros taste the wines in barrel
In May and June the chateaux release prices
The first tranche is released by the negociants to test the market for prices which are influenced by the critics
Prices are adjusted depending on how it sells (usually up)
Consumers can buy a future through a merchant
highly rated wines are sold out immed while those in lesser vintages may be on the books for years
Debates about en primeur
Since 2010 debates on if it still works
boom period of the 2000’s fueled in part by Chinese demand led to ever increasing prices even in poor vintages like 2011
This led to prices falling and some losing money
Critics are concerned about how much their opinion influences pricing, particularly since wines they taste are not finished
2012 Latour decided to no longer sell via en primeur and others have reduced volumes
Pros and cons of en primeur
Estates
Pros: Test the market by releasing small lower prices tranches early
Early payment and return on investment allowing financing of the next vintage
Cons: Potentially selling at a lower price that what might be obtained eventually
potential for financial mismanagement or losses by negociants that could impact the estate reputation
Consumers
Pros: secure sought after wines theoretically at lower prices
Option to keep or sell sought after wines
Cons: wines bought on opinions and may not represent final wines
intermediaries may go out of business before wine is delivered
prices may fall after the wine is bought
