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Definitive Bordeaux WSET DIPLOMA > Bordeaux AC Structure DIPLOMA WSET > Flashcards

Bordeaux AC Structure DIPLOMA WSET Flashcards

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1
Q

Generic Appellation of Bordeaux

A
  1. Largest production of Ac wine in France. 3 Millions of hectolitres per year.
  2. 2/3 of 3 Millions are red labelled as Bordeaux AC or Bordeaux Supérieur AC.
    1/3 it is a white Bordeaux Ac, or Bordeaux Rose or Bordeaux Clairet (benefited from improved vinification techniques.
    Largest appellation is Bordeaux AC. Cover whole region.
  3. Style of wine: Medium bodied red, blackberry and cedar flavours. Sometimes with astringent tannins and unripe flavours. Merlot becoming more common.
  4. Style of white wines: Light, plain white wine with some herbaceousness if Sauvignon Blanc in blend.
    Style of Roses: The best Bordeaux Rose is fresh and fruity whereas Clairet undergoes a longer maceration and is deeper in colour and fuller bodied.
  5. Bordeaux AC classification covers some exceptional wines that are outside of regulation like Pavillon blanc from Margaux and dry white Sauternes.
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2
Q

How you will describe a Haut Medoc style of wine?

A
  1. Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon.
  2. Best wines are very structured with high tannins and acid and have a concentrated core of blackcurrant fruit overlaid by flavours of toasted oak.
  3. They can age for decades and develop cibar box and cedar aromas.
  4. With improved ripeness modern expressions are increasingly fruit forward in style. Merlot is also using on the blend.
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3
Q

Medoc AC

A
  1. Red grapes only for AC wine.
  2. North of Saint Estephe AC
  3. Soil is clay with some gravel.
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4
Q

Haut Medoc AC

A
  1. Yields lowers than in Medoc.
  2. From 1855 classification are coming from here less one.
  3. The most important reputations are: Saint Estephe AC, Pauillac, Saint Julien AC and Margaux. Each one has a distinct style.
  4. Listrac AC and Moulis AC offer a good value for money. No inside of the classification.
  5. Cabernet Dominates the blend.
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5
Q

Which commune in the Médoc has the most classified growths?

Which has the most First Growths?

A

Margaux

Pauillac

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6
Q

As of 2008, what are the 5 communes that may list their name in the Cotes de Bordeaux appellation?

A

2009

Chateau La Mission Haut Brion

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7
Q

Which is the only Medoc First Growth not to sell its wines “en primeur”?

A

Chateau Latour

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8
Q

What is ‘Clairet’?

A

A deeper coloured Rose wine with fuller body made by longer maceration.

a darker, more aromatic style of rosé that evokes the original claret wines shipped to England in the Middle Ages.

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9
Q

In what year did Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion stop producing wine?

Who do they now supply grapes to?

A

2006

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion

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10
Q

How are wines from Pauillac generally characterized?

Which 3 First-Growths are found there?

A

Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines that are structured and long-lived.

Chateau Latour, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild.

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11
Q

Chateau Lafite is associated with which wine/vineyard area?

A

Bordeaux/Medoc

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12
Q

Chateau Lynch-Bages is a ___ Growth in which commune?

A

5th Growth, Pauillac.

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13
Q

What type of soil would you expect in Haut-Medoc and Pessac-Leognan?

A

Gravelly, slightly more sandy towards the south.

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14
Q

Match the following châteaux with their respective classification/Growth and commune.

Château Léoville Las Cases

Château Cos d’Estournel

Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild

A

Château Léoville Las Cases: 2nd Growth, St-Julien

Château Cos d’Estournel: 2nd Growth: St-Estephe

Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild: 4th Growth, Pauillac

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15
Q

In which commune of the Médoc is Chateau Lafite produced?

A

Pauillac

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16
Q

Top 5 recent vintages of the Médoc?

A

2005

2009

2010

2015

2016

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17
Q

What is the main difference between Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur?

A

Superior has slightly stricter appellation rules and has a higher alcohol content than plain Bordeaux

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18
Q

What style do wines from St-Julien generally deomstrate?

A

A more elegant style.

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19
Q

How are wines from Margaux generally characterized?

A

Often described as feminine, with an emphasis on floral bouquet, exotic character and finesse.

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20
Q

How are wines from St.-Estephe generally characterized?

A

Sturdy and full-bodied, with a slightly higher percentage of Merlot.

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21
Q

What are the 5 First Growths of Bordeaux?

Which Chateau is unusual and for what reason?

A
  • Latour
  • Lafite-Rothschild
  • Mouton-Rothschild (not originally classified as a First Growth in 1855, later added in 1973)
  • Margaux
  • Haut-Brion
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22
Q

Chateau Lynch-Moussas is a ___ Growth in which commune?

A

5th Growth, Pauillac

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23
Q

Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou is a ___ Growth in which commune?

A

2nd Growth / St.-Julien

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24
Q

Chateau Marquis D’alesme Becker is a ___ Growth in which commune?

A

3rd Growth / Margaux

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25
Q

Chateau Montrose is a ___ Growth in which commune?

A

2nd Growth / St.-Estephe

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26
Q

Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron is a ___ Growth in which commune?

A

2nd Growth / Pauillac

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27
Q

How are Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and Chateau Latour geographically situated in Pauillac?

How do the wines differ stylistically?

A

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild: Very northern end of Pauillac, near St-Estephe.

Chateau Latour: Very southern end, near St - Julien.

Wines from Lafite-Rothschild tend to be smooth, finessed, perfumed, polished.

Those from Latour trend towards firmness, solidity, power.

28
Q

Identify 9 superior vintages of Bordeaux between 1950 and 1990:

A

1990 / 1989 / 1985 / 1982 / 1970 / 1966 / 1961 / 1959 / 1953

29
Q

Why is 1982 such a historically significant vintage in Bordeaux?

What was the vintage like, on the whole?

A
  • Rise of Robert Parker as an unequivocally influential critic. Identified the importance of the vintage, encouraged people to buy as much 1982 as they could.
  • This brought a huge cash-flow into Bordeaux, marking the end of the “Old Era” and the beginning of Modern Bordeaux; producers began focusing on power and richness, leading to more manipulation of the wines and attempts to recreate this historic vintage.
  • Long, hot, dry year yielding rich, ripe, opulent wines.
30
Q

Who was Émile Peynaud, and why was he so significant?

A
  • A French oenologist known as the “forefather of modern oenology.”
  • Encouraged winemakers in Bordeaux to harvest later (they had been harvesting earlier to avoid rot), limit yields, use only the best fruit and pursue a richer, riper style of wine that elevated quality over quantity.
  • Also encouraged winemakers to create 2nd and 3rd labels, made with grapes that were of lesser quality.
31
Q

What are 2 hallmarks of wines from Chateau Latour?

A
  • Very slow to mature; highly tannic in youth.

- Remarkably consistent, equally impressive in vintages considered great, average or even disappointing.

32
Q

Where is a Pessac Leognan Ac and the style of the wines?

A
  1. To the south of Bordeaux
  2. All the finest vineyards and all the Cru Classé Chateaux.
  3. Soil are gravelly and well suite to Cabernet Sauvignon.
    4 In general the wines are a little lighter in body and more fragrant than the finest wines of the Haut Medoc.
  4. Wines here tend to mature more quickly, but no as quickly as Merlot in Saint Emilion.
  5. High Prices.
33
Q

Wines from Graves, which style?

A

Graves AC extends to the south of Pessac Leognan, making red wines similar in style, but less concentrated and complex, and usually with a higher proportion of Merlot.

34
Q

Wines from Sauternes AC, which style?

A

Only sweet wines permitted for AC.

  1. Wines from Barsac Ac can use Barsac or Sauternes as its appellation.
  2. High alcohol and sweetness, balances with acidity, flavour characteristics of apricot, botrytis, honey and vanilla.
35
Q

In which recent vintage did Chateau d’Yquem choose not to produce any wine?

Why?

A

2012

A poor vintage in Sauternes, particularly in October, proved too much for the grapevines, and the wines did not pass the house’s strict taste tests for quality.

36
Q

What kind of wine is produced under the Graves Superieur AOP?

A

Sweet white wines.

37
Q

What two rivers border Sauternes AOC?

A

The Garonne

The Ciron

38
Q

What are the 3 grapes used for Sauternes production and what do they contribute to the wine?

A

Semillon: thin-skinned, susceptible to Botrytis, ages well.

Sauvignon Blanc: acidity and flavors.

Muscadelle: aromas of exotic perfume.

39
Q

Who is the producer of “Creme de Tete”?

Where are they based?

What is unique about this wine?

A

Chateau Gilette.

Sauternes.

It is aged only in concrete, no oak.

40
Q

Name the most highly rated area in Graves

A

Pessac-Leognan

41
Q

Sauternes AOP covers which 5 villages?

A

Sauternes, Barsac, Fargues, Preignac, and Bommes.

42
Q

What is the soil composition in Graves and what is it known as?

A

A mixture of sand, gravel and light clay is known as “boulbenes”.

43
Q

What is the minimum acquired alcohol level and sugar in g/L for Sauternes?

A

12% abv

45g/L

44
Q

Name the 3 Sweet Wine appellations within Graves Superieur.

A

Sauternes

Barsac

Cerons

45
Q

Saint Emilion

A
  1. North and east of the Gironde and Dordogne.
  2. Merlot with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet
  3. 3 vineyards soils styles.
  4. Vineyards on plateau: with warm, well drained gravel and limestone soil. (good for CF)
  5. Vineyard on the escarpment to the south with clay limestone soils. Prestigious wines, as Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe and Saint Emilion Premier Cru Classe are coming from this 2 areas.
  6. Vineyard on the sandy soils at the foot of the escarpment. ( slightly lighter and prices lower, style premium wines)
46
Q

Style of wines in Saint Emilion

A
  1. Low yields vineyards.
    2 Aged in new french oak.
  2. Wines moderates high tannins, but more structured wines of the Left Bank.
  3. Wines has a soft and rich mouthfeel with complex red berries fruit and plum aromas with developing tobacco and cedar nuances as they evolve.
47
Q

Tell me the satellites of Saint Emilion

A

Lussac, Montagne, Puisseguin and Saint Georges.

48
Q

Put the following wines in order of price and quality, lowest to highest

St Emilion,

St Emilion Satellites,

St Emilion Grand Cru Classé ,

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A,

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé B

A

St Emilion Satellites,

St Emilion,

St Emilion Grand Cru Classé,

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé B,

St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A

49
Q

How many chateaux are currently ranked as St.-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A?

What about B?

What about Grand Crus Classé?

A

4

14

64

50
Q

Name the two leading appelations of the ‘right bank’.

A

St. Emilion and Pomerol

51
Q

Describe a high-end wine from St. Emilion

A

Full-bodied red wine based on Merlot w/some Cabernet Franc.

Med-High tannins

Soft, rich mouthfeel

Complex red berry fruit/plum aromas that evolve into tobacco/cedar.

52
Q

What are the 2 broad categories of soils on the Right Bank, and what are they made of?

A

The Côtes: Steep, limestone slopes.

The Graves: Gravelly, limestone plateau similar to Medoc.

53
Q

What is the minimum alcohol level for St-Emilion Grand Cru AOP?

A

11.5%

54
Q

What is the main taste difference of Pomerol Vs Saint Emilion wine?

A

Pomerol tends to be richer with a spicier blackberry fruit character

55
Q

Which river does St-Emilion border?

A

The Dordogne

56
Q

From which region does Chateau Cheval Blanc come?

A

Bordeaux - St. Emilion

57
Q

Cabernet Franc is most associated with which appellation in Bordeaux?

A

St. Emilion

58
Q

Pomerol AC

A
  1. Reputation as higher than Saint Emilion.
  2. Most estates are tiny. Wines gained value because of their rarity.
  3. Wines tend to be richer, with spicer, blackberry fruit character.
  4. Petrus and Le Pin are the highest prices in Bordeaux.
  5. No formal classification.
59
Q

Describe the soil and topological factors that contribute to Petrus’ power and opulence:

A
  • Iron-rich clay soils (crasse de fer) give the wines power and structure.
  • Clay helps retain water, creates a cooler mesoclimate ideal for early-ripening Merlot.
  • Average age of vines = 45 years.
  • Located on a gentle slope which aids in draining.
60
Q

What is unique about the composition of Petrus’ wine?

A

Almost entirely Merlot, whereas much of Right Bank wine is Merlot blended with Cabernet Franc.

61
Q

What 3 components dominate the soil of Pomerol?

What is the subsoil made from?

What is the French term for this specific subsoil?

A

Clay, Sand and Gravel.

Subsoil: Iron pan and Rich Clay (Crasse de Fer / literally “Iron Dirt/Grime”)

62
Q

Where is Chateau Trotanoy located?

A

Pomerol

63
Q

Chateau Petrus is associated with which region/vineyard area?

A

Bordeaux/Pomerol

64
Q

What is the “microchateau” or “garagiste” movement in Bordeaux?

Name 3 examples and where they produce wines.

A

A group of small châteaux making powerfully ripe and polished modern wines from just a handful of acres.

Le Pin in Pomerol.

Valandraud and La Mondotte in St-Émilion.

65
Q

Garagistes or vins de garage

A

From Right bank.
2 Super ripe grapes from low yieldings vines * Merlot, to created a full bodied, concretrated wines, often with high alcohol, moderate acidity and soft , velvet textured tannins.
3. Using a new french oak barriques, give a meaty , toasty flavorus to the wine.
Add complexity to the rich dark berry fruit and spice.
Also producers a microcuvees of more concentrated wines to sell at high prices.

66
Q

Satellites of Pomerol

A

Lalande de Pomerol AC, Fronsac AC, Canon-Fronsac AC. Merlot dominates and stylistically similar to the other ones.

67
Q

Cotes de Bordeaux AC

A
  1. Hillside vineyards on right bank.
    2.Merlot dominates for early drinking.
    Previously 4 different appellation (Blaye, Premiers Cotes de Bordeaux ,Cotes de Franc and Cotes de Castillon)
  2. Similar geography and climate.

Definitive Bordeaux WSET DIPLOMA (6 decks)

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