Bordeaux - Advanced Flashcards
What are the five First Growths and where are they?
Ch. Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac
Ch. Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac
Ch. Latour, Pauillac
Ch. Margaux, Margaux
Ch. Haut-Brion, Graves
What are Bordeaux’s most planted white and red varietals?
White - Semillon
Red - Merlot
What are the top vintages of Bordeaux (Left Bank) in the 2000s? (Best to worst)
2009, 2005, 2010, 2000
What are the top vintages of Bordeaux (Right Bank) in the 2000s? (Best to worst)
2009, 2010, 2005, 2015, 2016, 2012, 2001, 2006
What is the difference between encepagement and assemblage?
Encepagement - Makeup of the vineyard.
Assemblage - Makeup of the blend of wine
What is the name of the canals that the Dutch created in order to drain the Medoc?
Jalles
When was the first appearance of Ch. Haut-Brion found in text?
1660
What diseases plagued Bordeaux, where were they from, and when did they arrive?
Oidium, Phylloxera and Peronospera - All American in origin
Oidium (Powdery Mildew) - 1852 in the sweet wine vineyards along the Garonne, quickly migrated to the Medoc. Crippled yields and in 1854 - France harvested its smallest vintage since the late 1700s. Application of sulfur in the vineyards mitigated the damage.
Phylloxera - 1869 - Took hold by the late 1870s and caused widespread ruin.
Peronospera (Downy Mildew) - Struck with Phylloxera in the early 1880s
1888 - Bordeaux mixture - a copper sulfate-lime concoction created to defend the vines.
What are considered to be some of the “vintages of the century?”
2000, 2005, 2009, 2010
What is the only current classified chateau to embrace biodynamic practices in all of Bordeaux?
Ch. Climense
What are the communes of Margaux?
Cantenac
Labarde
Arsac
Margaux
Soussans
What are the communes of Pauillac?
Pauillac
Cissac-Médoc
Saint-Estephe
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle
Saint-Sauveur
What are the communes of Saint-Estephe?
Saint-Estephe
What are the communes of Saint-Julien?
Cussac-Fort-Médoc
Saint-Laurent-Médoc
Pauillac
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle
What is the difference between Graves AOP and Graves Superieur AOP?
Graves AOP - allows dry red and dry white production.
Graves Superieur AOP - authorizes only sweet white production, with most appellation wines finishing around 40-50 g/L of residual sugar
What larger appellation are the sweet wine appellations within and what are their names?
Graves.
Sauternes
Barsac
Cerons
What are the communes of Sauternes?
Barsac
Bommes
Fargues
Preignac
Sauternes
What are the communes of Cerons?
Cerons
Podensac
Illats
What is Chateau d’Yquem’s Bordeaux blanc called? (Occasionally Superieur blanc)
Ygrec - First debuted in 1959 and was made intermittently until 2004, when production commenced annually.
What is the method of harvesting in Sauternes called?
tries - multiple hand-harvested passes through the vineyards - very expensive.
Sauternes is situated at the confluence of which two rivers? Why does this matter?
The Ciron and the Garonne
It encourages the development of morning mists and humidity in the early autumn - conditions ripe for botrytis
What are the two red wine-only appellations of Saint-Emillion? What is unique about the appellation’s boundaries?
Saint-Emilion AOP (1936)
Saint-Emilion Grand Cru AOP (1954)
They share the exact same geographical boundaries.
Saint-Emilion Grand Cru AOP - wines must be estate-bottled, unlike the basic Saint-Emilion AOP, which can be blended and bottled by a negociant.
Additionally, there are lower maximum yields and a longer elevage required for the Grand Cru category. While they share exact geographical boundaries, most Grand Cru estates are located on the limestone cotes and plateau rather than in the river plain.
On a wine label, “Saint-Émilion Grand Cru” indicates an appellation;
“Saint-Émilion Grand Cru classé” indicates a classified producer within that appellation
What year was the “great winter” that was so devastating to Bordeaux?
1956 Crippled or killed many existing vines.
Describe the budding and ripening of Merlot and what it is susceptible to.
Merlot is early-budding and early-ripening. Thin skins in comparison to Cabernet Sauvignon. Prone to rot and coulure from the early season spring frosts. It’s chief disadvantage in Bordeaux’s seemingly warmer modern climate is its rush to produce sugar; in warm years like 2009 or 2010 Merlot can easily hit 16% in potential alcohol.
How many hectoliters and what percentage of wine does Bordeaux contribute to the total production of French wine?
14% 5-6 million hectoliters (as of 2011)
What are the two rivers that are associated with Bordeaux and where are they located? What is the estuary? Where does it split?
Garonne (West)
Dordogne (East)
Gironde Estuary Splits between Margaux and Cotes de Bourg
What is the largest mitigating factor to the climate of Bordeaux? What type of climate?
Atlantic Ocean funneled inland by the Gironde Estuary. Maritime Climate warm summers and cool winters
What is unique about the annual rainfall in Bordeaux?
Relatively evenly dispersed throughout the year, driest months July and August
Why is rainfall a challenge at harvest and in springtime in Bordeaux?
Spring time - rain can interrupt flowering, reducing yield and inviting rot
Harvest - Washed out
What is Bordeaux considered on the Winkler Scale?
Region II - average temperatures in August (the hottest month) reach 26C
Bordeaux AOP - Red Varietals
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Petit Verdot
Malbec
Carmenère
Bordeaux AOP - White Varietals
Sémillon
Sauvignon Blanc (and Gris)
Muscadelle
Far less common: Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, Colombard
What is Bordeaux’s insurance policy against it’s at times, volatile climate?
Multiple varietals - each buds and matures at different schedules
What are the genetic parents of Cabernet Sauvignon?
Cabernet Franc
Sauvignon Blanc
What offspring is Cabernet Franc responsible for besides Cabernet Sauvignon?
Merlot
Carmènere
What is the common genetic parent of Merlot and Malbec, making them half-siblings?
The rare Magdeleine Noire des Charentes
What is responsible for the green notes - bell pepper, grass, sage found in Cabernet Franc, Carmènere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc?
2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine
Pyrazine
Merlot Budding and ripening? Favored Soil? Viticulture? Skin? Dangers?
Early to bud, early to ripen (two weeks earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon)
Cool soils like clay to restrain ripening
Severe pruning
Thin skin Prone to rot and coulure - less susceptible to wood-rotting diseases like Eutypa dieback and esca than Cabernet vines.
Rushes to produce sugar - riper years pushes 16% in alcohol
Merlot Palate
Lush blue and plum fruit
Expansive mid-palate
Warmth of alcohol
Can be tannic
Cabernet Sauvignon Budding and ripening? Favored Soil? Skin?
Late to bud, Late to ripen?
Warm gravel soils
Thick skin allow to resist rot more successfully than Merlot and is armor against the rain
Tannic, phenolic grape
Cabernet Franc attributes in Bordeaux
Adds acidity and aromatics to Merlot
Where did Malbec get it’s name?
A grower named Malbec brought the grape, then known as Pressac Noir, from the right bank to the left, and gave it it’s modern name
What does Petit Verdot do to the Bordeaux blend?
Rarely exceeds 5%
Adds color, exotic spice, floral perfume, and tannic backbone to Cabernet Sauvignon-based blends.
Semillion attributes in Bordeaux
Thin-skinned Prone to botrytis - the variety of choice for dessert wines in Bordeaux
In dry wines, waxy and rich, often blended with Sauvignon Blanc as foil to the pungent aromas and high acidity
Sauvignon Blanc attributes in Bordeaux
Rich, barrel-aged or
Racy, grassy wines
What three AOPs apply to the entire area of Bordeaux?
Bordeaux AOP
Bordeaux Supérieur AOP
Crémant de Bordeaux AOP
Who is the natural wine producer on the outskirts of the right bank petitioning the INAO to grant it AOP status?
Chateau le Puy
What are rose wines produced from in Bordeaux?
Red grapes only - blending white and red is not authorized
What are the elevage differences between Bordeaux Supérieur AOP and Bordeaux AOP for red wines?
Bordeaux Supérieur AOP - red wines undergo elevage until mid-June of the year following harvest
Bordeaux AOP - reds can be sold by mid-January
Cremant de Bordeaux AOP
Generic outlet for white and rose sparkling wines in Bordeaux, made in the traditional method and aged for at least nine months on the lees.
What is the Vin de Pays of Bordeaux?
Antlantique IGP
Spans five departments
Gironde, Cognac-producing Charente and Charente-Maritime, Dordogne, and the western part of Lot-et-Garonne
When did Bordeaux fall back into the hands of the French?
1453 - after the Battle of Castillon of the Hundred Years’ War
When was the introduction of selling Bordeaux by a brand name?
17th century. Chateau Haut-Brion appears in the cellar notes of King Charles II as early as 1660
What year was Mouton classified as a first growth?
1973
What were the great vintages in Bordeaux in the 1940s?
1945 1947 1949
What is sur souches?
Pricing based on previous vintages
agreed upon prior to harvest