Bordeaux General/History

Question 1

What is the climate in Bordeaux?

Answer 1

Maritime, with both the Atlantic and Gironde estuary acting as moderating influences. Short winters, springtime is damp and summers can reach high temperatures. The climate becomes more continental toward St Emilion and Pomerol.

Question 2

What manmade area protects the Medoc vineyards from harsh west and northwesterly winds?

Answer 2

The western sections of the Médoc are covered in coastal pines—the manmade Landes Forest—that help to shield the region’s vineyards from Atlantic weather and winds.

Question 3

What is Bordeaux mixture?

Answer 3

a mix of lime, copper sulfate, and water applied to avoid fungal problems

Question 4

What are dry white wines labeled as in Bordeaux?

Answer 4

Sec

Question 5

What are the six grapes allowed for Bordeaux red?

Answer 5

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenere.

Question 6

What soil does Merlot prefer and why?

Answer 6

Clay based soils, as to delay its natural vigor.

Question 7

What soil does Cabernet Sauvignon prefer and why?

Answer 7

Well-drained gravel, which allows the vine’s root system to dig deeply while slight water stress adds concentration to the fruit. The grape has difficulty ripening in colder limestone and clay soils.

Question 8

What soil does Cabernet Franc prefer and why?

Answer 8

Limestone based soils, which promote acidity and freshness.

Question 9

What is the difference between Encépagement and Assemblage?

Answer 9

Encépagement refers to grape varieties in the vineyard, while assemblage refers to the composition of the final wine. Often prescribed percentages for varieties in vineyard and winery align exactly; however, there are many instances in which they do not.

Question 10

How does encépagement act as a form of insurance in Bordeaux?

Answer 10

The make up of the different grape varieties in the vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, for instance, may avoid late spring frosts that can spell disaster for Merlot as it buds later, but the grape may fall prey to heavy fall rains after the Merlot is safely harvested.

Question 11

What is the last of the Bordeaux grape varieties to ripen?

Answer 11

Petite Verdot

Question 12

Two synonyms for Malbec in Bordeaux (right bank)?

Answer 12

• Cot
• Pressac (right bank)
• *performs similarly to Merlot and is infrequently encountered in Bordeaux.

Question 13

What are the “other” white grapes of Bordeaux and what are their restrictions in usage?

Answer 13

Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, and Colombard are restricted to a maximum proportion of 30%.

Question 14

What are jalles?

Answer 14

Drainage channels which criss-cross low-lying landscape and prevent the Médoc from reverting to swampland. Dutch engineers built a system of canals to drain the marshy lowlands of the Médoc, reclaiming the gravelly, alluvial lands north of the city of Bordeaux.
**Jancis says “jalle” is the Médoc word for stream.

Question 15

What are croupes?

Answer 15

Gravel mounds; the Dutch unearthed these during their drainage work in 1600’s and the better chateaux are usally located upon these deeper banks of gravel, primarily located in Haut-Médoc.

Question 16

Who commissioned the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux?

Answer 16

Emperor Napoleon III prior to international exposure at the Universal Exposition in Paris later that year.

***The nephew and heir of Napoleon I, he was the first Head of State of France to hold the title of President, the first elected by a direct popular vote and the youngest until the election of Emmanuel Macron in 2017.

Question 17

What is the Cru Artisan classification?

Give an example

Answer 17

Cru Artisan, a designation that has been in use for nearly a century and a half, was formally recognized in 2002. From the 2005 vintage forward, 44 small producers throughout the Médoc’s appellations have the right to use the designation, denoting their place as exceptional stewards of the land and craft of winemaking, without the financing or apparatus of large-scale operations.

Question 18

What is the Cru Bourgeois classification?

Answer 18

—embattled classification introduced in 1932, gave 444 properties that were considered, well, bourgeois—i.e., lacking the breed of the more aristocratic 1855 estates—some collective marketing power in a time of worldwide depression.
—three categories: Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, and Cru Bourgeois.
—was not official until 2003, when only 247 of 490 châteaux retained their status. However, excluded châteaux contested and after lengthly legal battle, the entire classification was annulled.
—Cru Bourgeois has been reinstated for the 2008 vintage, but it is no longer a specific classification; rather, the term acts as a guarantor of quality and châteaux must apply for it regularly, submitting their wines to a blind tasting panel. Many châteaux (including the 9 promoted to Exceptionnel in 2003) withdrew from selection.
***The higher designations of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel and Cru Bourgeois Supérieur have been eliminated.

Question 19

What is the most planted white grape in Bordeaux?

Answer 19

Sémillon

Question 20

From 1152-1453 who owned Bordeaux?

Answer 20

England

Question 21

What caused the historical rise and commercial success of Bordeaux?

Answer 21

The regions importance as a center of trade, made possible by its proximity to the Atlantic, supplanted by the important Dutch trade market, giving Bordeaux and advantage in international trade distribution.

Question 22

What are courtiers?

Answer 22

Brokers of wine.
–Became a powerful force in the Medoc, supplying the chateaux with financial backing while gaining total control over the actual trade of wine. They maintain their authority to this day and are responsible for en primeur sales, the yearly offering of Bordeaux wine as futures.

Question 23

When did Merlot surge into popularity on the right bank?

Answer 23

When phylloxera first struck in the 19th century, and its adoption intensified with the devestating winter freeze and spring frosts of 1956,

Question 24

What odd image is outlawed on a label of Bordeaux AOP?

Answer 24

“No mythical creatures allowed on labels as deemed “mythical” by the INAO”

Question 25

What are the three regional appellations that apply to the entire area of Bordeaux?

Answer 25

—Bordeaux AOP
—Bordeaux Supérieur AOP
—Crémant de Bordeaux AOP

Question 26

Are they two different sweet white wines in Bordeaux?

Answer 26

—Moelleux: sweet, soft, tender, smooth and mellow slightly sweet.
—Liquoreux”: a rich and sweet wine; typically the most luscious of dessert wines.