Bordeaux Flashcards
1
Q
What are the main grapes of the right bank in Bordeaux?
A
- Merlot
- Cabernet Franc
- Cabernet Sauvignon
2
Q
Why is Merlot the most planted grape variety on the Right Bank in Bordeaux?
A
It does well on the cool, clay soils found throughout the area
3
Q
What are the differences in aging between the Saint-Emilion and Saint-Emilion Grand Cru AOC?
A
- Minimum yields are lower ( 53 hL/ha vs 46 hL/ha)
- Longer minimum aging (6 months vs 20 months)
- Both AOC cover the same area of production
4
Q
True or False,
There is a classification system in Saint-Emilion
A
True
5
Q
When did the Saint-Emilion classification take place?
A
In 1955
6
Q
What are the different levels of the Saint-Emilion classification?
A
- Premier Grand Cru A
- Premier Grand Cru B
- Premier Cru Classe
7
Q
Name the four wineries that are currently Premier Grand Cru A
A
- Chateau Angelus
- Chateau Ausone
- Chateau Cheval-Blanc
- Chateau Pavie
8
Q
Name the four satellite appellations of Saint-Emilion
A
- Lussac-Saint-Emilion
- Montagne-Saint-Emilion
- Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion
- Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion
9
Q
What are the two broad categories of soils in the Right Bank of Bordeaux?
A
- Cotes, which are steep limestone slopes
- Graves, which is a gravelly limestone plateau
10
Q
Of the four satellite appellations of Saint-Emilion, which two are the largest?
A
- Montagne-Saint-Emilion
- Lussac-Saint-Emilion
11
Q
What are the maximum yields for Pomerol?
A
49 hL/ha
12
Q
Name the satellite appellation for Pomerol
A
Lalande-de-Pomerol
13
Q
Is there a classification system for the wines of Pomerol?
A
No
14
Q
What are the names of the 4 communes that can append their names to the Cotes de Bordeaux AOC?
A
- Blaye
- Cadillac
- Castillon
- Francs
15
Q
List three great vintages for Saint-Emilion and Pomerol between 1990 and 2018
A
- 1990
- 1998
- 2000
- 2001
- 2005
- 2009
- 2010
- 2015
- 2016
16
Q
Blaye AOP produces what style(s) of wine?
A
Red Only
17
Q
The Medoc and Haut-Medoc are for ____ wines only
A
Red wine
18
Q
What is a croupes?
A
Gravel Mounds
19
Q
What are the four famous sub-regions within the Haut-Medoc?
A
- Saint Estèphe
- Pauillac
- Saint Julien
- Margaux
20
Q
Can you produce white wines within the four famous sub-regions of the Haut-Medoc?
A
Surprisingly, no.
21
Q
True or False,
Pauillac has the most Merlot plantings out of the four famous communes?
A
False, Saint Estèphe actually does at 40%
22
Q
Does Saint Estèphe contain any 1st growths?
A
No
23
Q
How much of the plantings in Pauillac are dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon?
A
62%
24
Q
The Graves Supérieures AOC is reserved for which style of wine?
A
Late Harvest and/or botrytis-affected sweet wines
25
Where are Barsac and Sauternes located?
At the southern part of Graves
26
What helps create the morning fog needed for the botrytis to take hold in Sauturnes/Barsac/Cerons?
The cold Ciron River meets the warmer Garonne River
27
What makes up the majority of the plantings in Sauternes?
Semillon, with 80% of the plantings
28
Name the largest sweet wine appellation in Bordeaux
Sauternes
29
True or False,
Wines produced in both Sauternes and Barsac, can be labelled under the Barsac AOP
False, while wines from Sauternes can not be labelled under the Barsac AOP, the wines from Barsac can be labelled under the Sauternes AOP
30
Sauternes were split into First and Second growths in the 1855 classification, but which Chateau received its own special designation?
Chateau d'Yquem, which is a Supérieur First Growth
31
What is Cru Bourgeois?
Cru Bourgeois is a classification created in 1932 that is between regular Bordeaux wines and Cru Classe.
32
What are the three different levels within the Cru Bourgeois?
- Cru Bourgeois
- Cru Bourgeois Supérieur
- Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
33
How much of the total land in Pauillac is not apart of a classified growth?
Less than 5%
34
Chateau Lafite-Rothschild owns how many acres in Pauillac?
277 acres (112ha)
35
What is the parentage of Carmenere?
- Cab Franc
| - Trousseau
36
Jalles are____
channels that the dutch installed to drain the Medoc
37
What is another name for Cab Franc
Bouchet
38
What two rivers make up the Gironde Estuary?
- Garonne
| - Dordogne
39
What is the Exposition Universelle de Paris, and when was it held?
It is the name for the major commercial tasting in Bordeaux where the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce asked the regions brokers to compile a classification of wines. This was based off of price
tl;dr the 1855 Classification
40
How many planted ha does the Bordeaux AOC cover?
111,000
41
What is the climate for Bordeaux, and what is the biggest moderating influence on the region
It is a maritime climate with the Atlantic Ocean being the main moderating influence
42
What is the name of the forest that partially protects the left bank of Bordeaux from the Atlantic Ocean?
The Landes
Bonus points if they tell you its a pine forest
43
What are the 3 major frost years in Bordeaux?
- 1956
- 1991
- 2017
44
How did the production amount of 2017 (frost year) compare to the 10 year average in Bordeaux
There was a 33% drop in wine produced when compared to the 10 year overage
45
The gravel soil in Bordeaux is prized for its well draining qualities, but when can that quality back fire?
During years where there is little rainfall throughout the growing season (like 2003 and 2005).
46
Aside from the excellent drainage, what is another benefit from the gravel soils in Bordeaux?
The fact that the soils retain heat during the day and then release it slowly at night to keep the ripening process going
47
Between Saint-Estèphe, Paulliac, Saint-Julien and Margaux, which has the highest amount of clay soils
Saint-Estèphe
48
List some of the defining characteristics of Merlot (e.g. ripening, drought resistance etc...)
- Early Budding, making it susceptible to spring frost
- Mid Ripening, meaning it can be picked before the autumn rains
- Susceptible to coulure, drought and botrytis bunch rot
- Could always ripen fully even in cooler years
- Able to reach high sugar levels, and by proxy high alcohol levels (though this is less prized today due to climate change)
49
What are the flavors, alcohol and tannin level of Merlot from Bordeaux?
- Medium to Pronounced intensity of Aromas
- In cooler years there are strawberry and red plum, with herbaceous flavors
- In warmer years it has more of a baked blackberry and black plum
- medium tannins
- medium to high alcohol
50
List some of the defining characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon (e.g. ripening, drought resistance etc...)
- Late budding, so it has some protection from spring frost
- small berries with thick skins
- Prone to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, Esca and Eutypa
- Late ripening
51
What are the flavors, alcohol and tannin level of Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux?
- Purple Floral notes
- Blackcurrant
- Black Cherry
- Menthol or herbaceous notes
- Medium Alcohol
- High Tannin and Acidity
52
What are the flavors, alcohol and tannin level of Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux?
- Red Fruit
- High Acidity
- Medium Tannins
53
When did the majority of Malbec plantings get replaced by Merlot?
After the hard frost in 1956 which killed off a lot of the Malbec plantings
54
List some of the defining characteristics of Petit Verdot (e.g. ripening, drought resistance etc...)
- Early budding
- Very late ripening (even later than Cabernet Sauvignon)
- Does best in the warmest sites in Bordeaux
- Can have a hard time ripening in cooler years
- While it was rarely used in the past due to ripening issues, it is increasing in value in thanks to climate change
55
What are the flavors, alcohol and tannin level of Petit Verdot from Bordeaux?
- Usually contributes less than 5% of Bordeaux blends
- Powerful dark fruit notes
- Spice
- High tannins
56
List some of the defining characteristics of Sémillon (e.g. ripening, drought resistance etc...)
- Mid-ripening
| - Susceptible to botrytis bunch rot and noble rot (under the right circumstances)
57
What are the flavors, alcohol and tannin level of Sémillon from Bordeaux? (dry wine)
- Low to medium intensity of aromas and flavors
- apple, lemon notes
- If under ripe, grassy notes
- medium body
- medium alcohol
- medium (+) acidity
- Helps temper the intensity of Sauvignon Blanc
- Strong affinity of accepting oak flavors
58
What are the flavors, alcohol and tannin level of Sémillon from Bordeaux? (sweet wine)
- Honey
- dried fruits like lemon and peach
- waxy texture
- As Sémillon is more susceptible to botrytis, and more accepting of oak flavors, top end Sauternes (like Chateau d'Yquem) tend to use a higher proportion of Sémillon in their wines
59
Why does Muscadelle need to be planted on well exposed sites in Bordeaux?
It is very prone to Botrytis Bunch Rot
60
What is the typical planting density in Bordeaux?
Traditionally, top quality Bordeaux vineyards are very closely spaced at 10,000 vines per hectare.
Vines are planted 1 meter apart, with 1 meter between rows
61
What is the planting density for basic Bordeaux AOC vineyards?
3 to 4,000 plants per hectare
62
What are the canopy management techniques in Bordeaux?
- Previously, bunch thinning was common practice as a way to help reduce yields and increase concentration.
- Now, viticulturalist are pruning back shorter, and letting the plant find its natural balance. However if there is no alternative bunch thinning will be carried out.
- Leaf removal is still carried out to help airflow and allowing more sunlight on the grapes.
63
Between the left and right banks, which had exaggeratedly low yields? What were the oddly negative impacts of these low yields?
- The right bank for about the last 2 decades saw a drastic decrease in yields to obtain very concentrated and jammy wines.
- These wines were also heavily oaked
- So between the concentrated, jammy flavors and the heavy oak usage, the sense of place was lost.
Thankfully the practice of exaggeratedly low yields is going out to style
64
Is there any AOC law that states how the grapes must be picked at harvest?
No, it generally depends on the estate or their proximity to the city of Bordeaux.
- Larger estates will hire groups of harvesters (sometimes even boarding them) from other EU countries. But may still use machines depending on weather threats
- Smaller estates that are 2 hours away from the city will generally rent a machine to harvest so that they do not need to worry about getting people out in time.
65
How do the various chateaus in Bordeaux sort their grapes?
It really is going to be winery and vintage dependent.
- Grapes that will become inexpensive wines are generally not sorted
- Grapes that will become premium to super premium wines are sorted in the vineyards, and then either at a vibrating belt, or at well funded estates via a optical sorter
- In the very best vintages, sorting may not take place at all when the grapes come to the winery, just in the vineyards
66
What is a growing trend for chateau's making premium/super premium wines in respect to harvesting and wine making?
Chateau's making premium/super premium wine are moving to plot-by-plot wine making. This means wineries are picking plots at optimum ripeness and then making separate small lots of wine with those grapes.
This does require more care when selecting harvest dates, as well as the need for smaller vessels to age the multiple plots in, adding cost but producing higher quality wines
67
What is the most common cap management technique in Bordeaux?
Pump over
68
What is more popular in Bordeaux, cultured yeast or native yeast fermentation?
Cultured yeast due to its reliability
69
List all of the different fermentation vessels used in Bordeaux
- Wood
- Stainless Steel
- Concrete
Fun fact, all are fitted with temperature control options
70
What is the difference in fermentation temperature and post-fermentation maceration between fruity, early drinking wine, and wines intended to be bottle aged for many years?
Fruity, early drinking wines:
- mid-range fermentation temps (to retain fruity flavors)
- 5-7 days on the skins to limit the extraction of tannins
Intended for bottle age:
- Mid-range to warm fermentation
- 14-30 days on the skins
Maceration times are shortened for both in poor vintages if the fruit isn't fully ripe
71
How is MLC carried out in top-quality producerss in Bordeaux?
Top-quality producers will generally innoculate to ensure rapid completion of MLC before any critics or buyers come through in the spring to try the wines in barrel. Some cellars are even heated to encourage a quick and efficient conversion
72
Traditionally, how often does racking take place in Bordeaux?
By tradition, wines are racked every three months
73
When is blending done in Bordeaux?
- Producers who participate in 'en primeur' will blend over the winter. Blending over the winter also allows estates to have their second and third labels ready for barrel tasting for critics and buyers at 'en primeur'
- A small number of producers blend a two or three months prior to bottling once they have had time to see the evolution of the individual wines/varieties
74
What are the two main varieties used in the production of rose in Bordeaux?
Merlot and Cabernet Savuginon
75
Name the two styles of rose being produced in Bordeaux
- Clairet, which is the deep colored, traditional style of rose
- Rose, which is the typical lightly colored rose
76
How is most of the rose produced, and why?
Most rose in Bordeaux is produced by the Saignée method or direct pressing. The reason for this is because producers will want to make more concentrated and deeply colored wines. By removing some of the juice they increase the amount of juice in contact with the skins.
77
What is the benefit for producers in Bordeaux to let their healthy white grapes sit on their skins for 24 hours?
This increases the aromatic and phenolic complexity of the final wine(s)
78
List the different wine making options for producers in Bordeaux making either inexpensive, mid-priced, premium/super premium, white wines
- Inexpensive whites will be fermented at lower temperatures to retain their freshness and be aged in stainless steel tanks for a few months before be clarified and bottled
- Mid-priced wines are often left on the fine lees for 6-12 months so they will have more weight and complexity
- Premium/Super Premium whites are often fermented and aged in barriques, with a varying portion of new oak.
Many producers will also block MLC from happening to retain the freshness and acidity.
79
How common is it for producers in Bordeaux to carry out bâtonnage on their whites?
It was more common in the past as a way to give their whites more body. Currently, winemakers are wary of it because it can lead to the wines having excessive body in relation to the acid in hotter years.
80
What is the differences in yields between still white wine and sweet white wine in Bordeaux? Why?
Sweet wines are often one third of the production size of still wines. This is done to ensure very sugar levels in the grapes
81
How do producers of sweet wine in Bordeaux achieve the lower yield levels?
This is mainly done by pruning, but producers will also go through and remove any damaged or diseased fruit because that fruit would be prone to grey rot and not Noble Rot
82
While Sauternes and Barsac have a max yield of 25 hL/ha, what is the average yields at top estates?
Less than 10 hL/ha
83
How many passes through the vineyard will top end estates in Bordeaux make when picking for botrytis infected clusters?
10 to 12, adding to the cost of the final wine.
84
What factors determine the level of botrytis in the final wine?
- Whether or not the conditions are correct for the spread of noble rot, which varies from year to year
- The proximity of the estate to areas where mist forms regularly
- The willingness of the estate to wait until the best time to harvest despite the risk of adverse weather
- The willingness of the estate to pay for multiple passes through the vineyard
85
How do top quality, sweet wine estates from Bordeaux handle the botrytis-affected grapes once they reach the winery?
- The grapes are crushed, de-stemmed and pressed, and then fermentation is carried out in barrels
- Generally a high portion of new oak is used (30-50% on average, but some estates, like Chateau d'Yquem, will use 100%)
- Wines will stay in barrel for 18-36 months
86
For the Bordeaux AOC, what are the maximum yields for Red, White, and Rose?
- Maximum for White wines is 67 hL/ha
- Maximum for Rose wines is 62 hL/ha
- Maximum for Red wines is 60 hL/ha
87
For the Bordeaux SupérieurAOC, what are the maximum yields for Red, White, and Rose?
- For red wines it is 59 hL/ha
- For white wines it is 49 hL/ha
- Bordeaux superior does not include rose
88
The Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur AOC's account for what percentage of all wine made in Bordeaux?
50%
89
Name the styles of wine produced under the Medoc and Haut-Medoc AOCs
Rouge/Red
90
The Medoc covers what portion of the Left-bank?
The northern most portion
91
The Haut-Medoc encompasses what four famous AOCs?
- St. Estèphe
- Paulliac
- St. Julien
- Margaux
92
True or False,
Just like the Medoc and Haut-Medoc, St. Estèphe, Paulliac, St. Julien and Margaux are red wine only appellations?
True
93
Name the commune within the Haut-Medoc has the highest percentage of Merlot plantings
St. Estephe with 40%
94
Name the commune within the Haut-Medoc has the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon plantings
Paulliac at 62%
95
Which AOC in the Haut-Medoc has the largest amount of Cru Classe production?
Margaux
96
What percentage of the wines coming from Graves are red?
85%
97
Graves Supérieures AOP is reserved for what style of wine?
Late Harvest/Botrytis-affected sweet wines
98
List the three grapes that can be used in the production of Sauternes and Barsac
- Semillon
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Muscadelle
99
When did the Graves Classification happen, and how many classified chateaus are there?
- 1959
| - There are 16 classified chateaus, but there is not a hierarchy of crus like there is in the Medoc
100
What is the average estate size in Bordeaux?
19 ha
101
How do production cost differ between just normal Bordeaux AOC, Medoc AOC, and Cru Classe wines?
- Bordeaux €0.57
- Medoc €2.35
- Classified Growth €16
It is important to note that this does not include any of the other expenses the winery may be facing
102
Describe La place de Bordeaux
In Bordeaux, very few producers sell wine directly. About 70% of the wine produced in Bordeaux is sold by négociant, collectively called la négoce. The négociant in turn sells it to wholesalers and retailers. The sale of the wines between the producers and the négociants is handled by Courtiers (brokers).
103
What is an average amount of courtiers and négociants that classified chateaus work with?
- 2 or 3 courtiers
| - 40 or 50 négociants
104
How many countries around the world buy Bordeaux wines?
170
105
How much do Courtiers make on sales between Chateaus and Negociants, or negociant to negociant? Who pays their fee?
- Courtiers make 2% of all sales and defined by the syndicate
- This 2% is paid out by the negociant
106
Name one of the top merchant houses in Bordeaux (there are nine listed)
- Joanne
- CVBG-Dourthe
- Ginestet
- Duclot
- Grands Chais de France
- Baron Philippe de Rothschild (Mouton Cadet)
- Castel Freres
- Ballande et Meneret
