Bordeaux (R) Flashcards
Main wine style in Saint-Emilion?
Dry red (Merlot/Cab Franc)
Bordeaux - primary climate moderators?
- Waterways and Atlantic Ocean
- Gulf Stream current brings warm water up from the Caribbean, keeping weather mild yet humid
Which rivers divide Bordeaux?
- Gironde
- Dordogne
- Garrone
Entre-Deux-Mers - soil?
Very fertile silt
Entre-Deux-Mers - grape varieties?
White Only
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Semillion
- Muscadalle
Medoc AOPs - communes?
- Saint-Estephe AOP
- Pauillac AOP
- Saint-Julien AOP
- Margaux AOP
Aging wine in __________ is a routine practice in Bordeaux.
- Barriques (225-liter oak barrels)
Graves - sub-regions?
- Pessac-Leognan AOP
- Sauternes AOP
Typical wine style - dry white wines from Graves (Pessac-Leognan) (left bank) and Entre-Deux-Mers?
- 80% Sauvignon Blanc
- 20% Semillion
- Majority of inexpensive wines made without oak
- Prestigious wines in upper price tiers tend to be aged in new, French oak barriques
Typical wine style - red wine from Saint-Emilion and Pomerol (right bank)?
- 70% Merlot
- 30% Cabernet Franc
- Also some time in French oak barrels
Graves - soil?
Gravel
Where is Bordeaux located?
- Southwestern France; inland from Atlantic Ocean
Pessac-Leognan AOP - location?
- Northernmost part of Graves (contains Chateau Haut-Brion)
Bordeaux - red grape varieties?
- Merlot (most widely planted)
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cabernet Franc
- Petit Verdot (small quantities)
- Malbec (allowed but rarely seen today)
- Carmenere (also allowed bu rarely seen)
What year did the classification of first growths take place?
1855
Top recent vintages of the Medoc?
2005, 2009, 2010, 2015
Medoc - location?
- North of Bordeaux
- Along the Gironde Estuary
Where is the Right Bank in relation to the main rivers?
East of the Gironde and North of the Dordogne
Each of the regions in Bordeaux is known for a specific __________ that is matched with the __________ that grow best there.
- Soil type
- Grape varieties
Pomerol AOP - grape varieties?
- Merlot and Cabernet France-based blends
How many properties and tiers were included in the 1855 classification?
61 properties; five tiers (1st growth - 5th growth)
Saint-Emilion - soil?
Proportions vary depending on location:
- Large bed of silt, clay, gravel
- Limestone plateau
- Sand
Bordeaux - climate threats?
- Rain (at harvest)
2. Frost
Sauternes AOP - primary vinification practices?
- Botrytis-affected sweet wines
- Oak aged; often new, French barrique
Appellations in Saint-Emilion?
- Saint-Emilion AOP
- Saint-Emilion Grand Cru AOP
Pomerol AOP - soil?
- Sand
- Clay
- Gravel
- Subsoild of iron pan and rich clay
Explain the four aspects that characterize the Bordeaux chateaux concept.
- Vineyards known by names of a Chateaux (rather than a plot of land like Burgundy)
- A Bordeaux chateaux is an estate under a single ownership
- Size of an estate can change over time with the sale and purchase of vineyards and land (ie. Petrus 50% more land today than 50yrs ago)
- Thus a Chateau name is more a brand than a specific vineyard location
What is the 1855 Classification?
- Napoleon III commission the ranking of Bordeaux’s top chateaux for the Universal Exposition in Paris
Bordeaux - climate?
- Maritime; moderated by waterways and Atlantic Ocean
- Gulf Stream current brings warm water up from the Caribbean, keeping weather mild yet humid
Pomerol AOP - location?
- Along Dordogne River, near town of Libourne; northwest of Saint-Emilion
- Only 3 square miles!
What is important about the soil in Medoc and what grows best there as a result?
- Drainage; Cabernet Sauvignon
Evidence of wine production in the greater Bordeaux region dates back to __________.
The 4th century AD
What is Bordeaux’s commercial success and international reknown linked to?
The region’s importance as a center of trade and easy access to the Atlantic Ocean
Pomerol AOP - appellations?
Pomerol AOP
- Red wines only
Main wine style in Medoc?
Dry red (Cab Sauv/Merlot)
Bordeaux - primary viticultural considerations?
- Region suffers from rain at harvest and frost
Saint-Emilion - location?
Right bank; along the Dordogne River near town of Libourne
Where is Entre-Deux-Mers in relation to the main rivers?
In between the Dordogne and Garonne