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MONTH 4- Bordeaux, Loire Valley > Bordeaux- Climate and Grapes > Flashcards

Bordeaux- Climate and Grapes Flashcards

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WSET ® Level 4 D2 Business of Wine flashcards
1
Q

Bordeaux second in volume of production in France only to what?

A

the Languedoc

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2
Q

What was the total vineyard area in 2004?

A

encompasses 306,000 acres, establishing Bordeaux as France’s largest wine appellation

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3
Q

Evidence of wine production near the Garonne dates back to when?

A

the 4th century AD

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4
Q

The Dutch provided the framework for the Médoc’s eventual dominance by creating what?

A

a complex series of drainage channels throughout the area, making it suitable for viticulture in the mid-1600s

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5
Q

When was Bordeaux ruled by England?

A

From 1152 to 1453

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6
Q

As the marshes became habitable, what followed?

A

the wealthy noblesse de la robe followed, establishing the great châteaux foremost in modern wine markets

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7
Q

As the business of Bordeaux expanded, what widened?

A

the disconnection between consumer and producer

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8
Q

What emerged with the resources to store and sell wine on a commercial scale in the 18th century?

A

a merchant class

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9
Q

Traditionally, négociants acted as what?

A

one type of intermediary, buying fruit or wine in barrel to age in their own cellars before selling the bottled wine

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10
Q

What were Courtiers?

A

brokers of wine

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11
Q

Courtiers became a powerful force in the Médoc, supplying the châteaux with what?

A

financial backing while gaining total control over the actual trade of wine

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12
Q

When did the négociants influence fade?

A

after World War II with the rising appeal of estate bottling

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13
Q

The courtiers of Bordeaux maintain their authority over the trade, and are responsible for the current method of what?

A

en primeur sales, the yearly offering of Bordeaux wine as futures

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14
Q

What is the climate of Bordeaux?

A

maritime

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15
Q

What act as moderating influences protecting the vines from winter freezes and spring frost?

A

the Atlantic and the Gironde estuary

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16
Q

Describe the seasonal weather of Bordeaux

A

Winters are short, springtime is usually damp and summers can reach high temperatures.

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17
Q

What protect the Médoc vineyards from harsh west and northwesterly winds?

A

Coastal pine forests

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18
Q

What is a worry, especially at harvest?

A

RAIN!!

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19
Q

How does the climate change towards St-Émilion and Pomerol?

A

becomes more continental

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20
Q

The wet spring season and humidity of the region can result in what?

A

severe problems with mold and rot

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21
Q

While autumn humidity in the sweet wine districts of Graves is a cause for celebration due to the development of noble rot, what can take hold in cooler years and destroy the fruit?

A

the more malevolent grey rot

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22
Q

Springtime frost can lead to what?

A

coulure and millerandage

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23
Q

What does coulure and millerandage lead to?

A

reduced eventual yield

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24
Q

What is the Bordeaux mixture?

A

a mix of lime, copper sulfate, and water—is applied throughout the region to avoid fungal problems

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25
Q

The Bordeaux climate, while less marginal than the Loire, Burgundy or Champagne, is nonetheless what?

A

varied enough to produce wide vintage variation in the finished wines

26
Q

Standard Bordeaux AOP wines may be what?

A

red, white, rosé, or clairet

27
Q

What are clairets?

A

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

28
Q

Dry white wines are generally labeled what?

A

sec

29
Q

Bordeaux AOP wines provide a base level of quality and may be produced-

A

throughout the entire Bordeaux region

30
Q

What Six grapes are allowed for Bordeaux AOP red wines?

A

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmènere

31
Q

Varying soils throughout the region, coupled with the different speeds of ripening for each grape, invest the Bordeaux estate in the practical wisdom of what?

A

the assemblage, or blend

32
Q

What is the earliest grape to ripen?

A

Merlot

33
Q

What is the most widely planted grape in Bordeaux?

A

Merlot

34
Q

What soil does Merlot prefer? Why?

A

clay-based soils, they delay its natural vigor

35
Q

Where does Cabernet Sauvignon perform admirably? Why?

A

In well-drained gravel, which allows the vine’s root system to dig deeply while slight water stress adds concentration to the fruit

36
Q

Where does CS have difficulty ripening?

A

in colder limestone and clay soils

37
Q

Where does Cab Franc excel? Why?

A

in limestone-based soils, which promote acidity and freshness in the wines

38
Q

What gives the estate a form of insurance?

A

An overall encépagement of mixed grapes that flower and are harvested at different times

39
Q

____, may avoid late spring frosts that can spell disaster for ___ as it buds later, but the grape may fall prey to heavy fall rains after the ___ is safely harvested.

A

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Merlot

40
Q

What does CS add to the blend?

A

highly pigmented, tannic, gives the wine structure, power, and longevity

41
Q

What does Merlot add to the blend?

A

a fleshy, juicy texture that can soften the austerity of CS

42
Q

What does CF add to the blend?

A

more tannic grape than Merlot, less muscular or weighty than CS, imparts herbal spice and red fruit aromatics

43
Q

On the Left Bank (Médoc and Graves) CS comprises approximately ___ of the blend and Merlot, CF,etc make up the remainder.

A

two-thirds

44
Q

Merlot and Cabernet Franc typically dominate blends on the Right Bank, at __ and ___ respectively.

A

three-quarters, one-quarter

45
Q

What is the last grape to ripen?

A

The inky Petit Verdot

46
Q

What is used on the Left Bank in minute quantities for color, depth and exotic perfume?

A

Petit Verdot; it is essentially non-existent on the Right Bank

47
Q

What is Malbec known as on the Right Bank?

A

Pressac

48
Q

How does Malbec perform in the blend?

A

similarly to Merlot, is infrequently encountered in Bordeaux

49
Q

____ is virtually extinct in the region

A

Carmenère

50
Q

What are the white Bordeaux AOP grapes?

A

Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle (Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, Colombard max 30%)

51
Q

What does SB offer the blend?

A

pungency, high acidity, and citrus flavors.

52
Q

The sharpness of Sauvignon Blanc can be leavened with what?

A

Sémillon and rounded with oak

53
Q

The best white wines (whether dry or off-dry) achieve what?

A

creamy, waxy texture while emitting unique aromas of honey and beeswax

54
Q

What white grape is added sparingly in the blend?

A

The fragile Muscadelle, as its lovely, intense floral character can quickly overtake the wine’s balance

55
Q

Producers bottling under the basic Bordeaux AOP may only age their wine for a short period in what?

A

used barrels of larger size

56
Q

A top château in one of the commune appellations will often age its red wines for up to what?

A

2 years in barriques (225-liter capacity barrels), a large percentage of which will be new each vintage.

57
Q

White wines from a top Graves estate will also be aged in new oak, although the percentage of new wood varies greatly by producer. The best white wines typically what?

A

spend a year to 16 months in barrel

58
Q

Red and off-dry white wines with a higher minimum alcohol content may qualify for what AOP?

A

Bordeaux Supérieur AOP

59
Q

Traditional method sparkling wines are produced in Bordeaux as what?

A

Crémant de Bordeaux AOP

60
Q

Ageing requirements for Crémant de Bordeaux AOP?

A

min. 9 months on the lees prior to dégorgement, and may not be released for a min. 12 months after the date of tirage

MONTH 4- Bordeaux, Loire Valley (7 decks)

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