France Flashcards
What is the inao and when was it founded
Institute national appellation origin. (Institute national origine qualite) Governing body over appellation origin system. 1935. Delimiter and enforce graces appellation system
What was the first aoc
Chateauneuf du pape 1936
St emillion classification system
Unique to st emillion with 4 levels - premiere grand Cru classe A (4 chateaux), premiere grand Cru classe ( 18 incl A group), grand Cru classe (64) grand Cru (hundreds). Regrade do every 10 years, last in 2012. Houses can be promoted and demoted. First graded in 1955.
What is Cru bourgeois
A Bordeaux classification created in early 1939s, rates quality chateaux that were left out of the 1855. To identify and give commercial boosts to lesser known, quality driven chateaux. Started after post-war economic downturn as a way to boost
Sales and notoriety. Not an official rating in the eyes of ministry agriculture but helps as a guide to drinkers working their way through the the many Petit chateaux.
40% of medocs production
Changes and issues with Cru bourgeois
Originally 444 estates included. Never officially ratified. Was to be regarded
Every decade or so. Substantial changes happened between 2000-03 to tighten up rules even more. Only 247 made it through. Various accusations of unfair rating and legal issues caused the govt to overturn 2003 rating in 2007, and eventually banning the use of the term entirely.
Revival of Cru bourgeois in 2010 - how does it differ?
Reintroduced in 2010 but drastically different. It is not a chateaux rating system but is a mark of good quality wine. Rated every year and any chateau can apply.
Wines are rated based on production method and finished product. Lists are published 2 years after the vintages
What is the graves classification
Introduced 1959 - roughly 100 years after 1855 classification.
Brought about as a means of grading and getting notoriety for graves wines which were left out of 1855 (with exception of classed haut Brion).
System rates wines in red and white categories - Cru classe (haut Brion stands alone as Cru classes for red, did not participate for white). It is officially ratified and recognised but can be confusing to the consumer and as it is only 1 tier, does not separate the extraordinary chateaux from the very good or good.
All Cru classe sit in pessac leognan which has had its own appellation
Since 1987. Arguably more important than graves classification.
Ratings:
Cru classe red & white
Cru classe red
Cru classe white
Key Bordeaux appellations
Bordeaux AC
Bordeaux AC Superier
Bordeaux rose AC
Left bank Medoc AC Haut medoc AC St esteph AC Paulliac Ac St Julian Ac Listrac-medoc ac Moulis AC Margaux ac
Graves AC Peassac leognan AC Sauternes AC Barsac AC Cerons AC
Entre deux mer AC
Premiere cotes de Bordeaux (sweetish)
Cadillac AC
Louiac AC
Cotes de Bordeaux (2008)
Blaye, Cadillac, castillon, francs
Cote de bourg
Côte de Blaye
Right bank St emillion AC (St emillion classifications) St emillion satellites Cote de francs AC Cotes de castillon ac
Pommerol AC
Lalande de Pommerol AC
Fronsac AC
Canon Fronsac AC
Right bank
What bdx appellations can append cotes de Bordeaux to their name since 2008 vintage?
And what appellation bowed out?
Blaye
Cadillac
Castillon Franc
They are all spread about around different parts of bdx but can be considered as one AC group
Cote de bourg (next to Blaye) opted out of joining the group
What is passerillage
Term used to describe the shriveling of grapes (late harvest) - after growing season ends, grapes stop receiving water from stems and water evaporates through the skin causing fruit to shrivel.
Satellite appellations on Sauternes
Loupiac
Cerons
Premieres cote de Bordeaux
St croix du Mont
Barsac AC
Sweet wine appellation in graves next to Sauternes. Producers can choose
Whether to use barsac or Sauternes AC.
When was mouton Rothschild added to the 1855 classification as a first growth
1973
La place de Bordeaux - bdx trade structure
Chateaux traditionally did not bottle own wine / negotiants would.
Now all ranked and top houses bottle their own.
Producer
Courtier - middle man. Takes 2% fee of sale. Negotiates deal between prod and neg. gives insight to both sides.
Negotiants - buys up tranches of wine at en premeiur to then sell to distributors, importers, wholesalers, etc.
consumer.
What is the civb
Conseil interprofessional vin du Bordeaux. Professional body that controls bdx trade. Currently working on improving quality and image of lesser bdx brands and chateau.
Mouton cadet
One of the best selling wine brands in the world. Started by baron Philippe Rothschild in early 1900s as a means of producing wine in poor vintages that were not deemed good enough for mouton, or mouton carrudes.
Became widely popular low cost table wine. Now run by daughter Phillipine Rothschild.
Cadet - name for Philippe as he was the youngest in the family.
Early 2000s saw 15’mil bottles sold ww.
Now owned by constellation brands
Axa
French insurance company that has acquired and heavily intvested in wine and estates - particularly bdx
Elevage
French term for progression on wine between fermentation and bottling. Like an adolescent, this is when it’s very character is formed due to a variety of factors - ageing, vessel, filtering fining and good wine maker decisions.
Leoville la case
Flagship wine of St Julian. It is a super second. Meaning second growth but seen price and prestige wise as on part with first growths.
Clos du marquis is their second label. Also very highly rated.
Second wines of 1st growths
Layour - forts de Latour
Margaux - pavilion rouge (Margaux du margaux)
Mouton Rothschild - Le petit mouton
Haut Brion - Le Clarence de haut Brion
Lafite Rothschild - carrudes de Lafite Rothschild
Role of negotiant in BDX
3 key aspects
Buys, blends and sells generic wine to market
Buys individual chateau bottling to sell to market in bulk or bottle (prices agreed through broker after sample tasting)
Buys individual ch wine and sells at different Maturity levels.
Four key soil types in BDX
Alluvial - found on riverbanks- for simplest lightest wine.
Gravel over marl base - haut
Medoc and pessac. Free draining, high quality wine.
Clay limestone base with stone and sand top - st emillion
Clay rich soils - pommerol. Famous blue clay.
ACs of South west France 8 & key grape types
Bergerac - BDX red and white Montbazillac - muscadelle, SB Sem Cahors - cot (auxerras/Malbec), fer, CF Madiran - tannat, CS, CF, fer & ugni blanc, colombard Buzet - BDX Galliac - fer servadou, duras Jurancon - gros and petit manseng Fronton - local grape negrette
White grapes
Of jurancon
Petit manseng and gros manseng.
Sweet and dry appellation. Dry has own ac - jurancon sec AC
Vineyard techniques that can be used to improve quality of wine in BDX (and other cool climate regions)
Bdx is a wet, moderate maritime climate with high rainfall and high humidity - this meaning that rot, mold and mildew are big threats to the vineyard and underripe grapes to the winery.
Key things to do:
Canopy management - keeping grapes exposed to sunlight,
Trimming leaves to create airflow, high density planting to keep excess water at bay, planting to better sites akin to draining soils and good sun exposure. VdP Training to keep foliage and fruit off ground. Using bdx mixture to keep molds and fungus at bay, green harvesting to concentrate best grapes, sorting out underripe grapes on sorting table. Low yeilds.
Vinification and oenological methods that reflect level of quality in finished wine
Green
White grapes key to south west France
Sauvignon bl Semillon Ugni blanc Muscadelle Petit manseng Gros manseng ColombArd
Bergerac and montbazillac ACs
Both east of entire deux mers
Climate geography and topography of south west France
Southwest wine region is located east of BDX. Bordered by Atlantic on the west and Pyrenees mountains and Spain to the south. It is influenced by both the Atlantic (maritime) but also influenced by continental aspects - hot summers, not as tempered by the Atlantic as BDX, but still wet winters,
Colder than BDX. Variety of soils ranging from calcareous limestone in Bergerac to more gravelly soils further south.
Gaillac ac
South west - dry white from sauv and Sem. Sweet whites from mauzac, dry reds from duras and fer servadou
Fer servadou
Red grape varietal predominantly in southwest France in gaillac, marcillac and lesser
Importance in Madiran and cahors.
Acs northern Rhone
Cote Rotie Condrieu Chateau grillet St Joseph Cornas St Peray Hermitage Crozes Hermitage
Key acs southern Rhone (10) + ac satellites (3)
Chateauneuf du pape Gigondas Vacqueras Tavel Lirac Vinsorbes Beaumes de venise Carianne - just promoted Cote du Rhone Cote du Rhone village
Satellites:
Luberon, ventoux, costieres de nimes
Climactic Factor that allows botrytis to form in Sauternes and barsac
In autumn, the cooler Ciron River flows into warmer Garonne River - mist forms. Must be followed by dry afternoon or grey rot can form.
Main soil type in medoc/left bank - why important
Gravel and stone - soil type reflects heat back into the grapes allowing cab to reliably ripen. Without this it would be less possible to grow Cabernet s as bdx climate is cool.
2 key soil types in St emillion.
North of St emillion - warm well drained gravel and limestone - CF and some occasional CS can ripen here. Cheval Blanc.
South of St Emilion - clay limestone. Cooler soils. Merlot dominates - Ausone, angelus, pavie.
Favored soil types for Chardonnay vs Pinot noir in burgundy
Chardonnay - prefers calcareous-clay
Pinot noir - Limey-Marl
Both types of soil sit on limestone bedrock
Soil types in Alsace ( 8 key)
Alluvial, granite, schist,
Clay, volcanic, gneiss, sandstone, gravel
Very mixed and varied from village to village.
How are the soil types laid out in Alsace
Huge variability from town to town, vineyard to vineyard but:
Steeper mountain slopes: granite, schist Quartz sandstone and volcanic
Lower slopes limestone, clay, calcareous marl
Flatter base of mountains - alluvial, clay and gravel
Vineyard that permits Sylvaner as GC in Alsace
Zotzenberg - only one
What is gentil
Labeling term in Alsace. Must be a blend of min 50% noble variety. Remainder from Sylvaner, Pinot
Blanc, chasselas
What is edelzwicker
Random blend of
Different wines in Alsace. Lowest ranking
Don’t have to state varietals or blending component %. Also called
Noble mixture
VT and SGN
Vendage tardive and selections grains nobile I. Alsace. Late harvest and botrzed wine. Must be noble varietals. Min sugar requirements for both cats.
Vt - 235g reis & muscat. 157 PG and Gewurtztraminer
SGN - 276 Muscat and reis. 306 Pg and Gewurtztraminer. Highest must weights in France at this level.
Key villages and those GC vineyard in Alsace - north to south of haut rhin
Bergheim - altenberg de Bergheim - clay-limestone, Quartz, schist - upper slope
Ribeauville (alluvial granite gneiss) - Clos st Hune/In Rosacker GC -upper slope
Turkheim - brand GC - alluvial granite gneiss - upper slope
Thann - rangen GC - volcanic soil - upper slope
Alsace noble grapes and preferred
Soil types
Reisling - granite, schist - 25% plantings
Gewurtztraminer - marl soils
Pinot Gris - volcanic and/or clay rich
Muscat - sandy and or calcareous 3% of plantings
Varietal labeling in Alsace
If varietal is stated, must be 100% that varietal.
3 AC labels for rose in Anjou - and what grapes?
Rose d’anjou - off dry from grolleau, CF gamay
Cabernet d’anjou - medium sweet from CS and CF
Rose d’loire - dry from min 30% cab grapes. Can be produced in other Loire regions as well
Sur lie requirements
In nantais for muscadet. 100% melon blanc. AC rules. Aged on lees post fermentation. 1 racking of gross less permitted, fine lees kept and wine aged on them for at least the winter following vintage. Filtering permitted before bottling, some bottle right from barell. 2 bottling dates:
1st March - 30 June or
15th oct - 30 Nov (1 year after harvest) more complexity, intensity from autloyis. Wine released for sale 3rd Thursday in March
Muscadet acs
Muscadet ac
Muscadet serve et main
Muscadet Sevre grandlieu
Muscadet coteaux de la Loire
German wine classifications
Tafelwein - lowest ranking - can come from one of the 4 larger regions. Must state which.
Landwein - like VdP. 17 permitted areas. Must be stated. Trocken or halbtrocken only
Qualititatswein bestimmer anbaugebiete (qba) wkne prod from 13 anbaugebiete. Must state region plus style. Chaptalisation permitted.
Pradikatswein - 13 anbaugebiete and single beirech within Anbaugebiete. Chapit not allowed but suissreserve permitted. Wines then classified in pradikat ranking.
