Bordeaux (Winemaking) Flashcards
How many hectares are under vine in Bordeaux?
Around 111,000
How much of Bordeaux’ production is dedicated to inexpensive and mid-priced wine?
70% is used in Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur
How much of Bordeaux’ production is used in premium and super-premium wines?
3%
How many hectares does Appellation Pomerol cover?
Around 800 hectares
What is the climate in Bordeaux?
Moderate Maritime
What provides the greatest cooling influence on Bordeaux?
The Atlantic Ocean
What is the ideal growing season in Bordeaux?
Gentle heat throughout the growing season
Sufficient rainfall to promote growth and ripening
Relatively dry and warm autumn
Is the Left Bank protected from Atlantic storms? Why or why not?
Yes. The Landes pine forest protects much of the Medoc by shielding it from oceanic influences. Estates nearer the forest are generally cooler than others. The Northern Medoc is less protected.
What amount of rain can be expected in Bordeaux?
The average is 950mm per year, but there is a significant deviation among vintages both in quantity and timing.
What effect has climate change had on Bordeaux?
Summers are hotter and drier with less rainfall.
How do Bordeaux varieties handle extreme dry, hot climates?
Well, though they produce wines that lack acidity and balance (as with 2003) and possess more alcohol
What is the influence of the Atlantic ocean on the Libournais?
Not as pronounced as on the Left Bank, but it remains a factor
Where would you typically find the vineyards for Bordeaux’ most prestigious wines? Why?
Close to the Gironde Estuary due to the moderating influence it has on the climate.
What happened in 1956, 1991, and 2017 in Bordeaux and what does it tell us about the growing conditions?
Vines in Bordeaux were decimated by frost in those years. The cool growing conditions lead to increased frost and hail risk that is often mitigated in vineyards close to the Gironde.
Is volume consistent from vintage to vintage in Bordeaux?
No. For example, the frost-affected 2017 vintage was 33% below the ten year average and 40% lower than 2016.
What type of soil pervades the Left Bank? Where did it come from? When was it deposited?
Gravel and stony soil brought to the region by floodwaters from the Pyrenees and the Massif Central many thousand years ago.
Depending on where the soils are from, the gravel may be mixed with clay, sand, and minerals.
Describe the depth and consistency of the gravel mounds in the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
The mounds of gravel deposits are not consistently deposited across Bordeaux and are somewhat shallow. The deepest gravel soil is in Margaux where it reaches 32m deep.
The best estates are on these gravel mounds, called ‘croupes’
What is the benefit of growing on gravel soils in the Left Bank?
Unlike clay, gravel drains well and allows vines to dry out quickly after rainfall. This allows the traditionally better vineyards to continue ripening grapes while other vineyards cannot. In the rainy Left Bank, this is particularly beneficial.
The gravel also absorbs heat and releases it upward, facilitating a slow, steady ripening of the grapes.
Do vines in Pomerol risk drought stress?
Due to the shallow soils (rarely more than a meter deep), vines in Pomerol can suffer from drought as occurred in 2016.
What are the risks of growing on gravel soils in Bordeaux?
In drier years, the lack of water retention can cause drought stress.
Are there clay soils on the Left Bank?
Yes, particularly in Saint-Estèphe. The wines grown on these soils are robust and characterful, but have not achieved the same acclaim as those from gravel soils.
What type of soil dominates the Right Bank?
Clay, though there are significant patches of gravel in some parts of the Libournais.
Why is Merlot the dominant variety of the Right Bank?
Merlot is ideally suited to clay soils.
Why is Merlot prized in Bordeaux?
It ripens in almost all vintages and delivers more sugar than Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, thus providing more alcohol. This was a benefit in the past when temperatures were lower.
Where do the best Right Bank wines come from?
Vineyards on the limestone plateau or the gravel section bordering Pomerol.
What kind of soil do we find in the northern Medoc?
Fertile soils with a high clay content
What is the traditional planting density for top quality vineyards in Bordeaux? What is the vine and row spacing? Why?
10,000 vines per hectare. One meter between vines in a row, one meter between rows.
The soils are relatively infertile, resulting in moderate vine vigor.
How does vineyard density in Bordeaux affect costs of grape and wine production? How does it affect profitability?
Costs are higher. More vines need to be bought, more trellising used, more labor for training/ploughing/spraying, and over-the-top tractors for automation.
High densities improve profitability on expensive vineyard land.
How does vineyard density on less prestigious appellations compare to that of the most desired appellations?
Less prestigious vineyards are often planted at lower density.
Are vines in Bordeaux more often spur pruned or cane pruned?
Cane pruned
What is the most common form of vine training on the Left Bank?
Double Guyot, a form of 2-cane pruning
What is the most common form of vine training on the Right Bank?
Single Guyot, a form of cordon pruning, spur pruned training that is rare in Bordeaux overall
How do prestigious estates feel about Single Guyot?
They favor it as they believe it naturally reduces yields and offers better aeration
Why is canopy management important in Bordeaux?
Bordeaux has a damp, moderate climate that encourages downy mildew, powdery mildew, and botrytis bunch rot.
When does leaf removal take place in Bordeaux? Why?
During the summer to improve aeration and deter rot. It also exposes grapes to ultraviolet light that encourages ripening
Describe the difficulties a grower would have if an attack of mildew is followed by rain.
Rain will wash away treatments applied to the grapes. Tractors will also have difficulty entering the vineyards due to the soft terrain, compounding the problems.
Which diseases have recently become a problem in Bordeaux? What kind of diseases are they?
Eutypa Dieback and Esca. They are Trunk Diseases.
What has been successful at preventing/treating trunk diseases in Bordeaux? Describe it and where it came from.
Soft Pruning is a technique devised by Italian company Simonit and Sirch that insists on making the smallest cut possible while respecting the flow of sap and branching development as much as possible.
What is Flavescence Doree? Why does it concern organic and biodynamic growers?
A Phytoplasma disease recently renamed ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma vitis’ that is spread by the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus. The most successful treatment is synthetic insecticide, worrying organic and biodynamic winemakers who cannot use such treatments.
In regard to vineyard rows, on which side of the rows can leaf removal in Bordeaux take place? When is the safest time of year to remove leaves?
Leaf removal can take place on both sides of the vine rows. It is least risky to remove leaves late in the season so as not to raisin the grapes during hot seasons (as in 2003)
