FR: Bordeaux Sweet Wine AOPs Flashcards
Sauternes communes of production
- Barsac (largest for production, also its own AC)
- Sauternes
- Fargues
- Preignac
- Bommes
[2200ha]
Sauternes grapes
Muscadelle
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Gris
Sémillon
Sauternes min. ABV & RS?
min 45 g/l RS
12% acquired, 15% potential
Earliest release date for Sauternes AC?
June 30 of year following harvest
Yields, planting density for Sauternes?
6500 vines/ha
25 hl/ha
- overcropping delays maturation, Grapes need to be fully ripe when botrytis sets in to make the best wine, so ripening at time of botrytis is critical. Careful control of yields impacts timing of ripening
Sauternes’ sweet wine production dates to what century?
18th
French word for noble rot
pourriture noble
Sauternes Premier cru supérieur
Only 1 - Chateau d’Yquem
Sauternes is at the convergence of what rivers?
Ciron + Garonne
How does botrytis actually happen
Starts at flowering. Flowers drop, openings where the stems were attached allow spores to enter. ~30% of grapes are colonized.
*dormant until grapes start to mature, inhibited by grape’s anti-botrytis mechanisms
*spores awaken at maturity, eats sugar from the inside - not just from the outside. Eats sugar first, can consume 50% of grape contents. Then attacks acidity.
**needs humidity to activate spores
**botrytis is an irregular event with uneven infections, hence necessity for tries. 3-4x is normal
Passerillage
Shriveled grapes with high sugar and no botrytis
Pourri Plein
Botrytis stage: purple-green; spores will have consumed sugar without increasing concentration of acid and flavors. Less sweet than a non-botrytis grape. An early stage.
Cryoextraction
- what is it
- purpose
*is allowed in Sauternes
PURPOSE: fixes dilution in rainy vintages
Chilling allows water content to turn into ice - frozen fruit is pressed and frozen moisture contnent is compacted and removed
**the more manipulative strategy would be to turn pourri plein bunches @14-15º to concentration at 20º
**invented 1980’s in BDX
Moelleux vs Liquoreux
Moelleux is just a late harvest sweet wine
Liquoreux is a botrytised sweet wine
Typical ABV / RS levels for Sauternes
13.5 - 14% ABV + 80 to 100 gl RS
*climate change = 120 - 160 gl RS range becoming more normal
(min. 45gl RS / 12% ABV)
Botrytis development in Sauternes
- Ciron is colder than the Garonne = early morning mists where they converge
- differences in subsoil temps encourage heavy morning dew in communes further from river (ex Sauternes)
Sauternes soils?
Gravel, clay, sand
*Barsac has reddish sand and clay over limestone subsoil - unique from the rest of the AC
Typical encepagement in Sauternes
80% Semillon, 20% Sauv Blanc
* Semillon’s thin skins and larger, looser clusters favor botrytis development
* SB isn’t as susceptible and has tighter bunches. Un-botrytised SB will add acid/aromatics
* Muscadelle ripens early - typically when botrytis is just beginning to set. Also susceptible to black rot
Climens uses no SB; Guiraud has a higher than normal proportion
Trie de Nettoyage
pre-harvest removal of damaged/compromised bunches (mold, black rot, insect damage, uneven ripening)
Haut-Barsac
- Ironically named - only 20M
- Best sector of Barsac, located on a plateau
- reddish sand and clay over limestone subsoil
Sauternes villages - most planted to least planted
1 Barsac
#2 Preignac
#3 Sauternes
#4 Bommes
#5 Fargues
Sauternes 1er Cru
- Guiraud
- La Tour Blanche, Bommes
- de Rayne-Vigneau, Bommes
- Suduiraut, Preignac
- Rieussec, Fargues
- Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Bommes
- Clos Haut-Peyraguey, Bommes
- Rabaud-Promis, Bommes
- Sigalas-Rabaud, Bommes
Barsac 1er Crus (2)
Chateau Coutet
Chateau Climens
Chateau Caillou
Barsac, 2nd Growth
*no 1980 or 1993 produced
Chateau Climens
Barsac, 1er Cru
100% Semillon
Chateau Coutet
Barsac, 1er Cru
75% Semillon, 25% SB
*produces Cuvee Madame (1922) - special pick, old vines
Chateau Doisy-Daëne
Barsac, 2nd Growth - labels as Sauternes
90% Semillon, 10% SB
Chateau de Fargues
NOT classified - Fargues
Comte Alexandre de Lur-Saluces
*OG d’Yquem family. Excellent estate
Chateau Guiraud
Sauternes, 1er Cru
65% Semillon, 35% Sauv Blanc
*high SB content for Sauternes
*85ha, larger property
Rayne-Vigneau
Bommes (Sauternes), 1er Cru
Rieussec
Fargues (Sauternes), 1er Cru
*owned by Barons de Rothschild
Suduiraut
Preignac, 1er Cru
La Tour Blanche
Bommes, 1er Cru
*owned by Ministry of Ag
* 83% Semillon, 12% Sauv Blanc, 5% Muscadelle
d’Yquem
Sauternes Premier Cru Supérieur
75% Semillon, 25% Sauvignon Blanc
*Ygrec = dry white
Non- d’Yquem vintages
Not produced in:
1910, 1915, 1930
1951, 1952 , 1964
1972, 1974
1992, 2012
Highest Sauternes yields in past 15 years?
2016 - good vintage, high yields
* notable absence of grey rot
Producers that didn’t make 2012 Sauternes?
D’Yquem
Ch. de Fargues
Rieussec
Suduiraut
Raymond-Lafon
Cèrons AOP
Passerillage OR botrytis from Sauv Blanc/Gris, Muscadelle, Semillon
*same rules as Sauternes
Graves Supérieur AOP
Sweet whites - passerillage and botrytis, hand-harvested in tries
*min. 34 g/l RS
Cadillac AOP
sweet whites - passerillage and botrytis, hand-harvested in tries. Usual BDX whites.
*HIGHEST RS here - 51 gl RS, min. must weight 255 gl (vs reg. 221)
*slightly lower yields at 37hl/ha
Loupiac AOP
sweet whites - passerillage and botrytis, hand-harvested in tries. Usual BDX whites.
*min. 45gl RS
Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AOP
SWEET WHITE WINE
* passerillage and botrytis, hand-harvested in tries. Usual BDX whites.
* min. 34gl RS
* (Graves Supérieur is similarly low RS)
Saint-Croix-du-Mont AOP
sweet whites - passerillage and botrytis, hand-harvested in tries. Usual BDX whites.
*min. 45gl RS
RS relationships in BDX Sweet AOPs
51 gl RS: Cadillac stands out as highest min RS
45 gl RS:
* Sauternes, Barsac
* Cerons, Loupiac, Saint-Croix-du-Mont
34 gl RS:
*Graves Supérieur
*Premier Cotes de Bordeaux
17 gl RS: Bordeaux Supérieur
2012 Sauternes
Trash vintage
Rain, low/erratic botrytis spread
*D’Yquem, Ch. de Fargues, Rieussec Suduiraut and Raymond-Lafon didn’t make wine
2018 Sauternes
Weaker vintage - hail and mildew pressure reduced yields, poor botrytis spread. Hot summer. Not good.
2020 Sauternes
Hail = smaller yields, unreliable botrytis patterns. Weaker vintage with very low yields.
Yields as low as single digit hl/ha
*Climens didn’t make wine
2021 Sauternes
Excellent BUT difficult with tiny yields - hail/frost year
*Climens, Guiraud, Doisy-Varenes could not release
(2022 also excellent quality with low yields)
Great Sauternes vintages that were bad red wine vintages
1982 (only D’Yquem, Suidurait did well)
1999
2001
2007
2011
2013
Recent frost years in Sauternes
2008 (average quality)
2017 (good quality)
2021 (excellent quality)
Best Sauternes vintages since 2000
01, 03, 07, 09, 10
11, 13, 14, 15*, 17 (good semillon, concentration + freshness), * really good
Worst Sauternes vintages since 2000
2006
2008
2012: rain in October and November
* D’Yquem, Ch. de Fargues, Rieussec Suduiraut and Raymond-Lafon didn’t make wine
2018: (dry and sunny no botrytis, and some hail damage)
What river forms Barsac’s eastern boundary? Southern?
Garonne = eastern
Ciron = south
What AC sits across the Garonne from Barsac?
Loupiac
Cérons AC - grapes/styles
Sweet whites only!
“overripe, botrytised and/or grapes raisined on the vine”
Made from Sauv Blanc, Sauv Gris, Sémillon, Muscadelle
The Ciron River meets the Garonne River between what two communes?
Barsac and Preignac
Bordeaux’s sweet wine ACs on EAST bank of the Garonne?
1) Cadillac
2) Loupiac
3) Cotes de Bourdeaux
4) Premier Cotes de Bordeaux
5) Saint-Croix-du-Mont
6) Cotes du Bordeaux Sainte-Macaire
