FR: Bordeaux Left Bank Flashcards
Bordeaux Haut-Benauge AOP
Entre-deux-Mers AOP
Blanc with 5 - 60 gl RS
Rosé in Bordeaux
Bordeaux AC or Cremant de Bordeaux only
*only 2-3% of total production is rosé/clairet - usually saignee
Bordeaux’s Rivers
Garonne = Left Bank
Dordogne = Right Bank
*both flow into Gironde Estuary
Bordeaux climate
MARITIME - moderated by Atlantic Gulf Stream current
No dry season - rain dispersed throughout year. July and August typically are driest months
*mild but unpredictable
*35.5in/year avg.. decreases slightly as you go inland
* Medoc sees 38in/yr - rainiest AC in France
* 2052 sunshine hrs avg; 1550 in growing season
Most planted white and red in Bordeaux?
Merlot
Semillon
Bordeaux climate change varieties
WHITE: Castets, Albariño
REDS:
Marselan
Touriga Nacional
Arinarnoa
Liliorila
(“new varieties of interest for adapting to climate change”)
Communes of Margaux
- Cantenac: most planted, 500 of 1500ha. 17 classed growths here
- Labarde: Giscours, Dauzac
- Arsac: Tertre
- Margaux
- Soussans: no classed growths
*Margaux-Cantenac were merged in 2017
Bordeaux mixture
copper sulfate, lime, and water
*1st used at Chateau Dauzac
Forest between BDX and the Atlantic?
La Forêt des Landes
What year was the first Cru Bourgeois classification published?
1932
Chateau Chasse-Spleen
Moulis-en-Medoc
Cru Bourgeois Crus Exceptionnels
Top 2 properties in Moulis?
Chateau Chasse-Spleen
[Cru Bourgeois Exceptional]
Chateau Poujeaux
[Cru Bourgeois Exceptional]
Highest point in the Medoc?
Listrac AC
141ft
Medoc AC with most classified growths?
Margaux
21 originally, 20 now
Which commune ripens first: Margaux or Pauillac? contributing factors?
Margaux by 3 to 5 days on average
Soils in Margaux have less clay, aren’t quite as deep - meaning they warm up fast
Chateau Palmer’s historical name
Chateau de Gasq
*the current name comes from its English owner who bought it in 1814
Left Bank commune with longest mandated elevage?
Listrac: earliest release September 15 of next year
Margaux: cannot bottle until June 1- earliest release Sept 1
Others: release on June 15 of year following harvest
Max. RS for dry reds in 4 major Medoc communes?
2 g/l RS
How do Margaux’s soils differ from Pauillac and St-Estephe?
Margaux features more gravel and shallower soils. Less clay.
communes for Pauillac AC
Pauillac
Saint-Sauveur
Saint-Estephe
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle
Medoc AC with highest density of Cru Classé vineyard land?
St-Julien - 11 classified growths control 80% of vineyard land
Most southerly Medoc growth?
Chateau La Lagune
[3rd growth]
Latour neighbors what classified St-Julien estate?
A pebble’s toss from Leoville-Las-Cases [2nd growth]
Lafite and Mouton are located in what hamlet?
Le Pouyalet
stream between Pauillac and St-Estephe
Jalles de Breuil
(separates Lafite-Rotschild and Cos d’estournel)
What is the northernmost classed estate in Pauillac?
Lafite
Pauillac has a total of how many classed estates?
18
How do the soils of Pauillac differ from the rest of the Medoc, speaking generally?
There’s more clay. Higher concentrations of gravel in the north
Where is the Grand-Puy Plateau?
Pauillac
Connection between Lafite, Latour, and Calon?
Lafite, Calon, and Latour came under same ownership through a few marriages - the 3 managed by Nicolas-Alexandre de Segur “Prince of Vines”
1695 to 1755
Lafite, Latour separated ownership in 1755 after Nicolas-Alexandre death
His son fucked up his finances - the family lost Calon in 1798
Latour’s core vineyard?
L’Enclos (47ha encircling the chateau and chais)
What Bordeaux property pioneered the use of stainless-steel tanks?
Haut-Brion, 1961
Margaux encepagement?
The usual 6 +
Max 5% Castets “in interest of adaptation purposes”
**only Medoc communal AC with that
Bordeaux vs. Bordeaux Supérieur AC
Both cover the same regional area
*SUPERIEUR = dry red, white only. BDX has sweet whites, rose, clairet styles
*higher min. alc for Sup. & reds stipulate longer elevage
IGP for Bordeaux?
Atlantique IGP - shares with Cognac areas, part of Lot-et-Garonne dept, and the Dordogne
Origin of name Bordeaux?
Burdigala - place to where the tides flow
Jalles
canals
1st Bordeaux wine sold as a brand name?
Haut-Brion, 1660
*owner Arnaud de Pontac III exploited this further by opening Pontac’s Head in London to sell/serve his own wine
Bordeaux’s police des vins
1300s - 1700s - export regulations for Bordeaux’s port that favored local wines with various protectionist measures, including the “privilege de la barrique” - which requires barrels to be branded/list commune of production and only allowed local wines to be shipped/sold in barrique
Malbec in Bordeaux?
1730 in St-Emilion - a Cahors native purchase of Chateau de Pressac
Phylloxera in Bordeaux?
1869
Liv-Ex
London International Vintners Exchange
*published list of Left Bank Bordeaux (REDS only) since 2009 based on current trading prices on the exchange
* kind of a … modern day classification
American viticultural threats in 1800’s Bordeaux?
Oidium: 1852; treatable with sulfur
Phylloxera: 1869
Peronospera (Downy mildew): 1880s - treated with BDX mixture
1st Chateau to estate bottle?
Mouton-Rothschild, 1924
(this was also the 1st year of their artist label - Jean Carlu. Although the label idea was dropped due to criticism and only revived in 1945)
1st year that chateau bottling was compulsory for Bordeaux classed estates?
1972
Name 3 Bordeaux consultants
Emile Peynaud
Michel Rolland
Stéphane Derenoncourt
Denis Dubourdieu
Place de Bordeaux
3-tier:
1. wine production (Chateau)
2. Brokerage (worked on commission, intermediary between chateau and negoce)
3. Sales (negociant/merchant class)
The En Primeur system developed out of this - it was internal before, allowed producers to manage risk, recoup production/inventory costs by selling futures to merchants. Became public in the 1980’s
En Primeur
Evolved from the Place de Bordeaux’s internal system - became public in 1980’s
*Benefits: mitigates risk, allows producers to recoup production/inventory cost via futures sold to merchants. Guaranteed cash flow + discounted price for buyer
En Primeur Week = late March; Union des Grand Crus
En Primeur Week
Started 1970’s, institutionalized by Baron Philippe de Rothschild in the 1980s
*held in late March yearly; put on by Union des Grands Crus - 132 members strong
Union des Grands Crus
- biggest event
- 3 honorary members
Promotional organization, 132 members strong
*En Primeur Week, late March
*3 honorary members: Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau d’Yquem, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
S.C.E.A.
société civile d’exploitation agricole
* eliminates the actual transfer of property by creating shares in a real estate-owning company
* a way around Napoleonic inheritance code
Bordeaux vine training
(most) on Vertical Trellises/Guyot system
Double Guyot on Left Bank, Simple Guyot on Right Bank
Cordon-training is rare except for sweet wines - produces smaller, more botrytis-friendly berries
Bordeaux’s vine density on Right Bank vs Left
St-Em, Pomerol = 5500 vines/ha
*shallower soil, roots go out not down
Premier communes of the Left = 7000 vines/ha
Organic treatment for downy and powdery mildew?
Bordeaux mixture/fixed copper sprays (are considered organic)
* de-leafing is also important after veraison to give fruiting zone air flow in the humidity of late summer
Bordelais methods to bolster a thinner/weak vintage?
- saignage: bleed off the tank
- reverse osmosis/vacuum distillation: remove water content, concentrate alc
- chaptalization
Remontage vs Piégeage in Bordeaux
Cap management technique favored in BDX - pump wine from bottom over top of tank’s fermenting must/cap to re-submerge skins and to push CO2 to top to release
Pigeage = more even extraction but risks over extraction with a tannic/phenolic grape like Cab
Chateau Sociando-Mallet
Haut-Medoc (north of St-Estephe)
*one of the leading unclassifieds
St-Estephe soils?
Heavier clay atop limestone. Not as stony as the other premier communes
*favors Merlot - plantings are on the rise. Poor drainage, Cab can’t ripen well here
2nd Growths of Saint-Estephe?
Cos d’Estournel
(Les Pagodes des Cos)
Montrose
(Le Dame de Montrose)
3rd growths of St-Estephe?
Calon Segur
4th growths of St-Estephe?
Lafon Rochet
5th growths of St-Estephe?
Cos-Labory
Château Cos d’Estournel
St-Estephe
2eme
Les Pagodes des Cos
Château Montrose
St-Estephe
2eme
Le Dame de Montrose
Château Calon-Ségur
St-Estephe
3rd Growth
Le Marquis de Calon-Ségur
(Prior to the 2013 vintage, Marquis de Calon)
Chateau Lafon-Rochet
St-Estephe
4th Growth
Les Pélerins de Lafon-Rochet
Chateau Cos Labory
St-Estephe
5eme
Le Saint Estèphe de Cos Labory (since 2011, previously Charme de Cos Labory)
What shelters Pauillac from cold Atlantic winds?
Landes Forest
What is the name for the type of gravel in the Medoc, Graves, and Pomerol?
Gunzian gravel - Pleistocene ice age (Quarternary period where sediment from the Pyrenees during their formation & Massif Central was carried down the Garonne)
What type of vine training is most common in the Medoc?
Double Guyot - trained lower to absorb heat radiation from gravel (Single in Libourne, Cordon in Sauternes to produce smaller berries to attract noble rot)
Name the dry white wine labels for
a) Ch. Margaux
b) Ch. Mouton Rothschild
c) Ch. d’Yquem
d) Ch. Rieussec
a) Pavillon blanc
b) l’Aile d’argent
c) Y
d) R
What is Liv-Ex?
Top 5 wines in most current classication?
LONDON INTERNATIONAL VINTNER’S EXCHANGE, 1st compiled in 2009
Biennial, modern classification of wine reflecting the current economic context/trading values. Started with Bordeaux, but now includes other countries. Based on secondary market trading values.
2023 Tier 1:
DRC 1. Romanee-Conte, 2. La Tache, 3. Richebourg
4. Armand Rousseau Chambertin
5. Petrus
Which Commune in the Medoc has the highest percentage of classed growth vineyard land?
Saint-Julien - 85%
What are the 2nd wines of the 5 First Growths?
Les Carruades, Les Forts, Le Petit Mouton, Pavillon, Clarence (Bahans) - white is called la Clarte
What are the Second Growths of St. Julien?
Leoville las cases, Leoville Poyferre, Leoville Barton, Gruaud Larose, Ducru Beaucaillou
Who invented the “bouillie bordelaise” in 1885?
Ducru Beaucaillou
What are the Second Growths of Margaux? (5)
Rauzan Segla, Rauzan Gassies, Durfort-Vivens, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac
What are the classified growths of the Haut Medoc outside of the 4 main communes?
La Lagune 3e (Ludon), La Tour Carnet 4e (St. Laurent), Belgrave 5e (St. Laurent), Camensac 5e (St. Laurent), Cantemerle 5e (Macau)
What are the communes of Pauillac?
Pauillac,
Saint-Saveur,
Saint-Estephe,
Saint-Julien Beychevelle
What are the communes of Saint-Julien?
Saint-Julien-Beychevelle,
Cussac-Fort-Medoc,
Saint-Laurent-Medoc
What are the 5 communes of Margaux?
Cantenac, Labarde, Arsac, Margaux, Soussans
3 great LB vintages in the 2010’s
2010, 2015, 2016, (2017), 18, 19
3 great LB vintages in the 2000’s
2000,
2005,
(2008),
2009
3 great LB vintages in the 90’s
90,
95,
(96)
3 great LB vintages in the 80’s
82,
86,
(88),
89
3 great LB vintages in the 70’s
70, 78
Any great old vintages still drinking well?
61, 59
Vintages to avoid?
1977, 1980, 1984, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2002, 2003 (super hot), 2007, 2011, 2013
What is the difference between coulure (shatter) and millerendage (hens and chicks)?
coulure happens when flowers remain closed and do not pollinate (frost, or wind/rain),
millerandage is when some berries do not mature fully due to wind or rain disrupting pollination (small, sweet, seedless berries)
Name some current Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels (14) 2020 Revision
MARGAUX:
Paveil de Luze,
d’Arsac;
SAINT-ESTEPHE:
Le Bosq,
Lillian Ladouys,
Le Crock;
LISTRAC:
Lestage,
HAUT-MEDOC: d’Agassac, Arnauld, Belle-Vue, Cambon La Pelouse, Charmail, Malescasse, Malleret, du Taillan
Only Cru Bourgeois in the Bas Medoc to have been ranked Cru Exceptionnel?
Potensac
Is the minimum planting density higher on the LB or RB?
LB - 7,000 vines/ha in the communes,
6,500 in haut medoc,
5,000 in medoc
RB - 5,500 vines/ha in SE and POM
What are some methods of dealing with excess water during the growing season?
Must concentration techniques - vacuum distillation, reverse osmosis, saignage
Name one estate from Moulis?
Ch. Poujeaux,
Ch. Chasse Spleen,
Ch. Branas, Ch.
Clarke
Name one estate from Listrac?
Fourcas Borie,
Fourcas Dupre,
Fourcas Hosten,
Lestage
Average elevage for classed growth Bordeaux Blanc?
12-15 months
Average elevage for classed growth Bordeaux Rouge?
18-24 months
Name a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel of Saint-Estephe
Ch. Le Crock, Le Bosq, Lillian Ladouys Les Ormes de Pez, Phelan Segur, Ch. Haut Marbuzet
Name (11) Fifth Growths of Pauillac
Lynch-Bages, Grand Puy Lacoste, Grand Puy Ducasse, Armailhac, Clerc Milon, Batailley, Haut Batailley, Pedesclaux, Haut Bages Liberal, Lynch Moussas, Croizet Bages
What are the (5) Second Growths of St. Julien?
Leoville Las Cases, Poyferre, Barton, Gruaud Larose, Ducru Beaucaillou
What are the (4) Fourth Growths of St. Julien?
Talbot,
St. Pierre,
Branaire Ducru,
Beychevelle
What are the (5) Second Growths of Margaux?
Brane Cantenac, Rauzan Segla, Rauzan Gassies, Durfort Vivens, Lascombes
Name Third Growths of Margaux (10)
Palmer, d’Issan, Kirwan, Giscours, Cantenac Brown, Boyd Cantenac, Malescot, Marquis d’Alesme, Desmirail, Ferriere
What is En Primeur?
Tasting of the previous year’s wine (barrel samples or sample blends) in April - wines are sold in advance of their release date - started as a way to bring cashflow to wineries and lower market prices
Name one classified property in the Medoc still under ownership of the original family
Mouton Rothschild,
Leoville Barton,
Langoa Barton
When did phylloxera arrive to Bordeaux?
1869
When did Oidium first appear in Bordeaux?
1859 - on the Garonne (sweet wine vineyards)
What’s the reason for malbec and carmenere disappearing from Bordeaux vineyards?
Less successful at grafting onto rootstock
Pauillac growths north to south
Lafite,
Mouton (between plots of Lafite),
Lafite,
Latour (touching the two pichons to the west - a stone’s throw to Las Cases to the south in Saint Julien)
Cos or Montrose - who uses more Cab Sav?
Montrose - is on a gravel croupe,
closer to the Gironde than Cos
What Medoc commune is the first to ripen ?
Margaux - thinnest gravel soils with bands of clay underneath- 1 -2 weeks early
Inaugural Vintage of Ygrec
1959
How many 5th Growths are there in Saint Julien
0, no first or fifths in saint julien
What is the man-made forest protecting the western border of the Medoc?
Landes
How is Peronosopera treated?
Copper Sulfate - Bdx mixture
Terrible hail vintage of the 2010s
2017
When did Estate Bottling become compulsory in the Medoc?
1972
Most southerly classed growth in the Medoc?
La Lagune - Frey Family
Most northerly classed growth in the Medoc?
Calon Segur
Pavillon blanc
Ch. Margaux - 100% SB
Properties in Margaux
Cantenac-Brown, Issan, Kirwan, Giscours, Durfort Vivens (Biodynamic), (Baron de - 2nd wine) Brane-Cantenac
