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Certified Somm General > France - Bordeaux > Flashcards

France - Bordeaux Flashcards

1
Q

Where in France is Bordeaux Located?

A

Southwest France

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2
Q

What are the two major areas of Médoc?

A
  • Haut-Médoc
  • Medoc (Bas-Médoc)
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3
Q

Wines labeled “Appellation Médoc Controlèe were made from what part of Mèdoc?

A

Châteaux in Bas-Médoc

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4
Q

What is the dominant grape of Médoc?

A

Cabernet Sauvignon

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5
Q

What are the two main red wines used to blend with Cabernet Sauvignon left bank wines?

A
  • Cabernet Franc: used to soften the tannin structure and to add herbaceous and aromatic notes.
  • Merlot: used to soften tannins and add ripe fruit characteristics.
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6
Q

True or False:

Haut-Médoc has the more superior type of soil than the rest of Medoc?

A

True

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7
Q

How are high quality wines from Haut-Médoc labeled?

A

Appellation Haut-Médoc Contrôlèe

Note:
Are often high quality wines

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8
Q

What are the 4 communes of Haut-Médoc?

A

From north to south

  • St. Estèphe
  • Pauillac
  • St. Julien
  • Margaux
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9
Q

What is the main soil type of Médoc?

A

Gravel

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10
Q

What are the two largest areas on the left bank of the Gironde Estuary and Garonne River?

A

Médoc and Graves

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11
Q

What is the most widely grown grape in Bordeaux?

A

Merlot

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12
Q

What are the 5+1 red grape varietals used in Bordeaux?

A

Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Petite Verdot
Malbec
* Carménère

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13
Q

What are the 3 primary white grape varietals in Bordeaux?

A

Sauvignon Blanc
Sémillon
Muscadelle

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14
Q

What is the northernmost Commune in Haut-Médoc?

A

St. Estèphe

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15
Q

Which commune in Bordeaux is known to being an important appellation, including three of the five Premier Cru Château?

A

Pauillac AOC

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16
Q

What are the five 1st Growth Classification Wines of 1855?

A

Château Latour (Pauillac)
Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac)
Château Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac)
Château Margaux (Margaux)
Château Haut-Brion (Pessac-Leognon, Graves)

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17
Q

What are the three communes found in Pauillac?

A

Château Latour
Château Lafite-Rothschild
Château Mouton-Rothschild

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18
Q

What is the smallest commune in Haut-Médoc?

A

St. Julien

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19
Q

What type of soil is Boulbènes?

A

Boulbènes is a fine, compacted silt which is easily compressed, hard to work with and creates a barrier for all but the most determined vine roots. Boulbènes is found on the right bank of Bordeaux.

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20
Q

True or False:

Graves may only produce red wines?

A

False

Graves may produce both red and white wines.
Médoc and Haut-Médoc may only produce red wines.

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21
Q

What are the 3 major bodies of water in Bordeaux?

A

Gironde Estuary
Garonne River
Dordogne River

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22
Q

What area in the Left Bank is known for its sweet white wines?

A

Barsac and Sauternes

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23
Q

What is the name of the fungus in Sauternes and Barsac that helps produces sweet white wines?

A

Botrytis Cinerea

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24
Q

Which grape in Bordeaux is most susceptible to Botrytis Cinerea and why?

A

Sémillon - Thin skin and high sugar content.

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25
Q

What conditions cause Noble Rot?

A

Cool misty mornings followed by later sunshine.

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26
Q

What white wine that is produced in Pessac-Lèognan?

A

Sauvignon Blanc

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27
Q

What type of soil is most common in the right bank of Bordeaux?

A

Clay

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28
Q

What are the two most common grapes grown in the right bank of Bordeaux?

A

Merlot and Cabernet Franc

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29
Q

Which right bank appellations in Bordeaux produce white wines?

A

Côtes de Blaye and Côtes de Bourg

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30
Q

What are the two primary red wine regions in the right bank of Bordeaux?

A

Pomerol and Saint-Èmilion

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31
Q

What is the smallest commune of all the quality communes in Bordeaux?

A

Pomerol

Note: Limited supply has caused prices in the appellation to skyrocket.

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32
Q

What is the major grape grown in Pomerol?

A

Merlot

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33
Q

What is the top château in Pomerol?

A

Château Pètrus

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34
Q

What is the main grape of Saint-Èmilion?

A

Merlot

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35
Q

True or False

Saint-Èmilion was apart of the 1855 Classification?

A

False :
Saint-Èmilion created its own appellation,
Appellation Saint-Èmilion Grand Cru Contrôlèe”

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36
Q

What are two top producers in Saint-Èmilion?

A

Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone

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37
Q

What does ‘Entre-Deux-Mers’ mean?

A

Between two seas

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38
Q

What type wines are exclusively sold in Entre-Deux-Mers?

A

Dry white wines

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39
Q

What is the dominant grape in Entre-Deux-Mers?

A

Sauvignon Blanc

40
Q

What type of wine is produced in Sauternes?

A

Sweet white wine

41
Q

What is the Southern most sweet wine region of Bordeaux?

42
Q

True or False:
Sauternes wines are made every year?

A

False

Sauternes are made only during the best vintage years. During bad vintages the wines are sold off to other producers

43
Q

What is the only Premier Cru Supérieur Château in Sauternes?

A

Château d’Yquem

44
Q

On which bank of Bordeaux is Sauternes located?

45
Q

What is the vast stretch of land between the Garonne River and Dordogne River in Bordeaux?

A

Entre-Deux-Mers

46
Q

The Entre-Deux-Mers sits between which two rivers in Bordeaux?

A

Garonne River and Dordogne River

47
Q

What is the climate of Bordeaux?

A

Moderate Maritime
(Atlantic influence)

48
Q

What area in France receives the most rainfall?

49
Q

What are typically the driest months of Bordeaux?

A

July and August

50
Q

Which parallel runs just north of Bordeaux?

A

45th parallel

51
Q

What influence does the Atlantic Gulf Stream Current bring to Bordeaux?

A

Warm Caribbean water keeps the climate mild.

52
Q

What is the most widely planted white grape in Bordeaux?

53
Q

What are some notes that Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, and Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux share?

A

Green notes:
Bell Pepper, Grass and Sage

54
Q

Cabernet Franc goes by what other name on the right bank of Bordeaux?

55
Q

Malbec goes by what two other names in France?

A

Côt - West France
Pressac - Bordeaux right bank around Lisbourne

56
Q

How many châteaux were chosen in the classification of 1855 and how many categories were designated?

A

57
5 categories called Grand Cru Classé

57
Q

How many Sauternes were chosen in the classification of 1855 and how many categories were designated?

A

21 across 3 categories
Second Crus
Premier Crus
Premier Cru Supérior

58
Q

What were the original 4 châteaux chosen for the classification of 1855?

A

Château Latour (Pauillac)
Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac)
Château Margaux (Margaux)
Château Haut-Brion (Pessac-Leognon, Graves)

Château Mouton-Rothschild was upgraded in 1973.

59
Q

What château received the Premier Cru Supérieur in Sauternes?

A

Château d’Yquem

60
Q

What date was the Bordeaux classification of _____?

A

April 18, 1855

61
Q

When was château Mouton-Rothschild upgraded to a first growth?

62
Q

What is most common vine training system in Bordeaux and why?

A

Guyot Vine Training System
Vertical training that produces larger berries.

63
Q

What type of vine training system is used for Sauternes and why?

A

Cordon Training
Produces slightly smaller berries that attract Botrytis Cinerea.

64
Q

What disease is common with using the Guyot Cane Training?

A

Grey Rot
(Overly humid product of Botrytis Cinerea)

65
Q

Do the canopies hang high or low off the ground in Médoc?

A

Low: One meter (3.25’) off the ground to take advantage of the stony soil.

66
Q

What is the requirement of “vine per hectare” on the left bank of Bordeaux?

A

7,000 vines per hectare

67
Q

What is the requirement of “vine per hectare” in Saint-Èmilion and Pomerol?

A

5,500 vines per hectare

68
Q

True or False:
Chaptalization is allowed in Bordeaux.

69
Q

What type of barrel is used to age red wines in Bordeaux?

A

New French oak barriques
(225 Liters)

70
Q

What is the barrique size in Bordeaux?

A

225 Liters

71
Q

What is Cliquage?

A

Technique of injecting large amounts of oxygen into wine.
Also called “Macro-oxygenation”.

72
Q

What are the two versions of assemblage are used in Bordeaux?

A

1) Create the final blend early in the year after harvest in time for the April en primeur tasting.
2) Create the blend just before bottling in order to isolate and observe the maturation of separate components for as long as possible.

73
Q

When does bottling typically occurs in Bordeaux?

74
Q

True or False:
A cork seal is a requirement mandated by Bordeaux AOC law.

75
Q

What are the five latest top vintages of Bordeaux?

A

2010, 2015, 2016, 2018 & 2019

76
Q

What physical feature in Médoc shields the region’s vineyards from Atlantic weather and winds?

A

Landes Forest

77
Q

How many AOPs are in Médoc?

A

8
Médoc AOP
Haut-Médoc AOP
St Estèphe AOP
Pauillac AOP
Saint Juilian AOP
Margaux AOP
Listrac-Médoc AOP
Moulis AOP

78
Q

What are some characteristics of wine from Saint Estèphe?

A

Firm, tannic, earthy, chunky, full bodied, sturdy and slow to mature.

79
Q

What grape accounts for 40% of Saint Estèphe communes?

80
Q

What château marks the northern boundary of Pauillac?

A

Château Lafite-Rothschild

81
Q

What château makes up the southern boundary of Pauillac?

A

Château Latour

82
Q

What are some characteristics of wine from Pauillac?

A

Rich, powerful, firm, and tannic, with blackcurrant and cedar aromas and flavors?

83
Q

Pauillac is home to how many first growth wines?

A

3
* Château Lafite-Rothschild
* Château Mouton-Rothschild
* Château Latour

84
Q

What is Château Léoville and where is it located?

A

It is the principal estate of Saint Julien.
Once the biggest Commune in the AOP but was divided into 3:

  • Château Léoville Las Cases - The most extensive vineyards of the three. Is priced sometimes as a first growth.
  • Château Léoville Baron - Set next to Château Langoa Barton. Both owned by Irish merchant family “The Barons”.
  • Château Poyferré - Usually produces second growth quality wines
85
Q

What are some characteristics of wine from Saint Julien?

A

Rich, flavorful and elegant with cedar bouquet.

86
Q

What is the smallest Commune in Médoc?

A

Saint Julien

87
Q

Which commune in Bordeaux had the most châteaux in the 1855 Classification?

A

Margaux with 21 communes

Certified Somm General (4 decks)

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