Bordeaux Flashcards
Parents of Cabernet Sauvignon
Sauvignon Blanc x Cabernet Franc
Parents of Merlot
Magdeleine Noire x Cabernet Franc
Parents Malbec
Prunelard x Magdeleine Noire
Parents Carmènere
Cabernet Franc x Gros Cabernet
Terms
Claret
Clairet
Claret = English name for Bordeaux reds Clairet = dark rosé wine
Climate Bordeaux
Maritime
‘Le Lande’
Largest men made forest in Europe, protects Bordeaux from Ocean winds & storms
2 important rivers that flank ‘Entre Deux Mers’
Dordogne
Garonne
Bordeaux:
Warm soils
Cold soils
warm soils: Gravel & Sand, warm up and radiate heat back
cold soils: Clay & Limestone, dense and moisture retaining
limestone: high acidity, lean tannins
White grapes Bordeaux
Sémillon (49%)
Sauvignon Blanc
Muscadelle
Red grapes Bordeaux
Merlot (65%) Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Malbec (Côt, Noir de Pressac) Petit Verdot Carmenère
Left Bank, soils, grapes
Gravel (warm soils), Cabernet Sauvignon dominated
Right bank, soils, grapes
Clay & Limestone (cold soils), Merlot & Cabernet Franc
Wine styles Bordeaux Supérieur AOC
Red
Moeulleux (semi sweet whites)
No dry whites allowed!
Médoc, winestyle, soil, grapes
Only red, Cabernet Sauvignon dominated, gravel (warm soils)
Médoc 8 AOCs
Médoc Haut Médoc St. Estèphe Pauillac St. Julien Margaux Moulis-en-Médoc Listrac-Médoc
6 AOCs Graves & Sauternes
Graves
Graves Supérieur
Pessac-Léognan
Sauternes
Barsac
Cérons
3 sweet wine AOCs in Grave
Sauternes
Barsac
Cérons
Which river flows between Barsac & Sauternes, creating morning fog together with Garonne
Ciron
Which is considered the most ‘Californian’ AOC in Medoc
chocolate covered cherry fruit
St Julien AOC
What winestyles are made under
Graves AOC
Graves Supérieures AOC
Grave: red & white
Grave Supérieures: semi sweet white
How did Bodeaux escape extreme fragmentation of vineyard holdings like in Bourgogne?
Incorporation - gave away shares, not land
As trade began to flourish in 1800s, what 3 pests hit the Bordeaux vineyards?
Powdery mildew
Phylloxera
Downey mildew
What did Emile Peynaud introduce to Bordeaux
2nd labels
What triggered the third golden age of Bordeaux?
Robert Parker merits of 1982 vintage
Gironde - whats that?
Name of river estuary, from l’hirondelle (Schwalbe)
Why were ‘The Lands’ planted
Windbreak, to avoid that sand dunes epand
River that divides Left Bank from Entre Deux Mers
Garonne
River that divides Right bank from Entre Deux Mers
Dordogne
What differences Bordeaux Supérieur AOC from Bordeaux AOC?
Lower yields Higher min alcohol levels Reds must age at least 9 months Whites must be moelleux (no dry whites in supérieur)
Where is the origen on Sémillon?
Sauternes, Graves
Origen of Sauvignon Blanc?
Loire