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WSET 2 > Grape Varietal: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah/Shiraz > Flashcards

Grape Varietal: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah/Shiraz Flashcards

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1
Q

Where are the important regions in France for Merlot?

A

PGI production:
• South of France

PDOs:
• Bordeaux - Right Bank
 - Saint-Émilion AOC
 - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOC
 - PomeroI AOC
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2
Q

Where are the important regions in USA for Merlot?

A

• California

  • Napa Valley
  • Sonoma
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3
Q

Where are the important regions in Chile for Merlot?

A

• Central Valley

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4
Q

Where are the important regions in South Africa for Merlot?

A

• Stellenbosch

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5
Q

Where are the important regions in Australia for Merlot?

A

• Margaret River

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6
Q

Where are the important regions in New Zealand for Merlot?

A

• Hawke’s Bay

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7
Q

Where are the important regions in France for Cabernet Sauvignon?

A

PGI production:
• South of France

PDOs:
• Bordeaux - Left Bank (most important)
• Médoc
• Haut-Médoc
• Pauillac
• Margaux
• Graves
• Pessac-Léognan
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8
Q

Where are the important regions in USA for Cabernet Sauvignon?

A

• California

  • Napa Valley (Oakville, Rutherford, Calistoga)
  • Sonoma
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9
Q

Where are the important regions in Chile for Cabernet Sauvignon?

A
  • Central Valley
  • Maipo Valley
  • Colchagua Valley
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10
Q

Where are the important regions in South Africa for Cabernet Sauvignon?

A

• Stellenbosch

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11
Q

Where are the important regions in Australia for Cabernet Sauvignon?

A
  • Coonawarra

* Margaret River

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12
Q

Where are the important regions in New Zealand for Cabernet Sauvignon?

A

• Hawke’s Bay

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13
Q

Where are the important regions in France for Syrah?

A

PGI production:
• South of France

PDO:
• Northern Rhône:
 - Crozes-Hermitage AOC
 - Hermitage AOC
 - Côte Rôtie AOC
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14
Q

Where are the important regions in Australia for Syrah?

A
  • South Eastern Australia
  • Barossa Valley
  • Hunter Valley
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15
Q

What are the varietal characteristics of Merlot?

A
  • medium acidity
  • medium tannin
  • fruit characteristics vary according to ripeness
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16
Q

What are the style and aging characteristics of Merlot?

A 
• single varietal or blended
• simple or complex
• light- to full-bodied
• oaked or unoaked
• very good or outstanding examples can age:
- dried fruit
- tobacco
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17
Q

What types of climate does Merlot prefer?

A
  • Moderate

* Warm

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18
Q

Describe the general profile of Cabernet Sauvignon.

A
  • Dry
  • Medium to full body
  • High acidity
  • High tannins
  • Black fruits (plums, currants)
  • Herbaceous (green pepper)
  • Herbal (mint)
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19
Q

What types of climate does Cabernet Sauvignon prefer?

A
  • Moderate

* Warm

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20
Q

What types of climate does Syrah/Shiraz prefer?

A
  • Moderate (e.g. Northern Rhône)

* Warm (e.g. South Australia)

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21
Q

Merlot is often blended with high-tannin varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon to…

A
  • to lower tannin and acidity levels
  • to make wines ready
  • to drink at an earlier age
  • to add red-fruit flavors to blends
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22
Q

Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended with varieties with lower tannin and acidity levels such as Merlot to…

A
  • to balance a wine’s acidity if it is too low

* to add tannin to wine for a particular style

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23
Q

What characteristics about Cabernet Sauvignon make it age worthy?

A
  • High acidity

* High tannins

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24
Q

Why is Cabernet Sauvignon so often barrel fermented/aged?

A
  • Has the capability to age in oak for years due to its sturdy structure (high acid, high tannin);
  • Oxygen in the barrel helps soften tannins
  • Oak aging imparts pleasant flavors e.g. clove, vanilla, mocha.
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25
Q

Tertiary aromas and flavors of oak-aged Cabernet Sauvignon include:

A
  • Earth/mushrooms
  • Wet leaves
  • Caramel
  • Dried fruits
26
Q

Why is blending so important in Bordeaux?

A

All the grapes in Bordeaux don’t necessarily fully ripen every year, so blending grapes that have different ripening times and different flavors helps the Bordelaise ensure that they will have something to bottle every year.

27
Q

What does the term “Château” indicate on a bottle of Bordeaux?

A

That the grapes used to make the wine in that bottle were grown on the producer’s own land

28
Q

What term can Châteaux use on their label if the estate has been classified as one of the best in Bordeaux?

A

Grand Cru Classé or Cru Classé

29
Q

A wine from the Médoc AOC (for Cab Sav) that hasn’t been classified as one of Bordeaux’s best estates can apply to use a different term called ___.

A

Cru Bourgeois

30
Q

In Chile, Cabernet Sauvignon is usually blended with which 2 grapes?

A
  • Merlot

* Carmenère

31
Q

What are the grapes in Cape Blend?

A
  • Pinotage
  • Merlot
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
32
Q

What flavor characteristic do Australian Cabernets usually have that makes them distinct from Cabernets grown outside Australia?

A

Distinctive herbal notes with mint and eucalytpus flavors.

33
Q

Describe the profile of a moderate-climate Syrah/Shiraz, e.g. one from the Northern Rhône.

A
  • Dry
  • Medium body
  • Medium to medium+ alcohol
  • Medium - high tannin
  • Medium - high acidity
  • Fresh black fruit
  • Black pepper
  • Herbal
34
Q

Describe the profile of a warm-climate Syrah/Shiraz, e.g. one from Australia.

A
  • Dry
  • Full body
  • High alcohol
  • Medium - high tannin
  • Medium - high acidity
  • Ripe, cooked black fruit
  • Anise/liquorice
35
Q

When Syrah/Shiraz is used as a blending grape, what qualities will it add?

A
  • Color
  • Black fruit flavors
  • Tannin
36
Q

For Syrah/Shiraz, is it more common or less common to mature it in oak?

A

More common

The oak softens Syrah’s tannins and adds layers of flavors, including smoke and spices.

37
Q

What are some of the developing flavors that emerge as Syrah ages?

A
  • Leather
  • Meat/bacon
  • Earth/mushrooms
38
Q

What is the only black grape allowed in the Northern Rhône?

A

Syrah

39
Q

The choicest vineyards in the Northern Rhône are planted on which terrain:

valley floor
steep slopes

A

Steep slopes

40
Q

What appellation marks the northernmost point where Syrah can ripen?

A

Côte Rôtie AOC in the Northern Rhône

41
Q

What is the one grape allowed to be co-fermented with Syrah in Côte Rôtie AOC?

A

Viognier

It adds floral aromas and aromatic lift to peppery Syrah.

42
Q

Stylistically, how do Syrahs from Crozes Hermitage differ from Côte Rôtie and Hermitage?

A

Crozes Hermitage will be less complex, less concentrated, and generally less impressive than Côte Rôtie and Hermitage.

They will also be less expensive.

43
Q

In the Southern Rhône, Syrah is generally blended with ___.

A

Grenache

44
Q

Where is Minervois AOC and what is it known for?

A

Minervois AOC is in the South of France and is known for its Syrah blends.

45
Q

What is the IGP used in the south of France?

A

Pays d’Oc IGP

46
Q

What is the most widely planted black grape in Australia (it’s also the most planted grape in Australia, period)?

A

Shiraz

47
Q

The appellation South Eastern Australia is generally known for what kind of Shiraz?

A

High-volume, affordably priced, bulk Shiraz grown in the the warmer inland areas.

48
Q

Some of the world’s oldest Shiraz vines are in the ___ Valley.

A

Barossa Valley

49
Q

Describe the style of Shiraz from Barossa Valley.

A
  • Dry
  • Full body
  • High tannin
  • Cooked black fruit
  • Black pepper
  • Spicy oak flavors (vanilla, mocha)
  • Intense
50
Q

Describe the style of Hunter Valley Shiraz.

A
  • Dry
  • Medium body
  • High tannin
  • Fresh black fruit
  • Black pepper
  • Not as intense as Barossa Valley Shiraz
51
Q

From which region does Merlot originate?

A

Bordeaux, France

52
Q

What is the climate of the Bordeaux region?

A

Moderate

53
Q

Describe the typical profile of Merlot made with just-ripe grapes.

A
  • Dry
  • Light to medium body
  • Medium acidity
  • Medium tannins
  • Red fruit
  • Green bell pepper
54
Q

Describe the typical profile of Merlot made with riper grapes

A
  • Dry
  • Medium to full body
  • Medium acidity
  • Medium tannins
  • Black fruit
55
Q

Why is Merlot typically blended into other wines, especially with Cabernet Sauvignon?

A

Merlot softens the harder-edged tannins of other grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon.

Merlot also adds red fruit flavors and approachability allowing the wine to be drunk younger.

56
Q

What are the 2 regional appellations used for Merlot that can be grown anywhere in Bordeaux?

A
  • Bordeaux AOC

* Bordeaux Supérieur AOC

57
Q

What is the difference between Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Supérieur AOC?

A

Bordeaux Supérieur AOC has tighter regulations:
• Lower yields
• Higher minimum alcohol
• Slightly longer aging

58
Q

Which grape is the most extensively planted in the Bordeaux region?

A

Merlot

59
Q

While Merlot is typically the greater part of the blend on the ___ Bank, Cabernet Sauvignon makes up the greater proportion of red blends on the ___ Bank.

A

Merlot –> Right Bank

Cabernet Sauvignon –> Left Bank

60
Q

Merlot also grows in the south of France. What grapes is it usually blended with there?

A
  • Grenache
  • Syrah
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
61
Q

Which region in Australia uses Merlot in their Bordeaux red blends?

A

Margaret River

WSET 2 (14 decks)

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