Grape Varieties Flashcards
Merlot:
This is an ____ _____ variety, making it vulnerable to _____ _____, and __ ______, giving the advantage that the grapes can be picked before ____ _____ ___
early budding & spring frosts
mid ripening & early autumn rain.
Merlot:
Susceptible to:
coulure
drought
botrytis bunch rot,
making sorting necessary to maintain quality.
Allthese hazards can reduce yields
Merlot:
What is the benefit of its mid ripening characteristic that is more favourable than the late ripening Cabernet Sauvignon?
Ripens fully in cooler years
Merlot:
Why is Merlot planted on more fertile/high clay content soils?
Name two examples
ripens on cooler soils and the water-holding capacity of clay enables it to produce the large berry size typical of Merlot
Right banks and Northern Medoc
Merlot:
With a warming climate, a characteristic of Merlot that decades ago was considered an advantage, is less so seen today.
What characteristic is this?
It reaches higher sugar levels and therefore higher
potential alcohol levels than either of the Cabernets
TASTING NOTE:
Merlot:
As a variety it contributes:
- medium to pronounced intensity fruit
(strawberry and red plum with herbaceous flavours in cooler years;)
(cooked blackberry, black plum in hot years),
- medium tannins and
- medium to high alcohol
to the Bordeaux blend.
Cats
Cabernet Sauvignon:
This is a ___ _____ variety, giving it some protection from ____ ____. It is a ____ ____ & ____ ____ variety with ____ ____ content, resulting in wines with ___ ____
It ____ _____ (and hence needs to be grown on warmer soils), making it vulnerable to ____ ____ ____
late budding
spring frosts
small-berried & thick-skinned
high tannin
high tannins
ripens late
early autumn rains
Cabernet Sauvignon:
Prone to:
fungal diseases, especially powdery mildew and the trunk diseases, Eutypa and Esca
TASTING NOTE:
Cabernet Sauvignon Contributes to:
- pronounced violet, blackcurrant, black cherry and menthol or herbaceous flavours,
- medium alcohol, and
- high acidity and
- High tannins
to the Bordeaux blend.
Cats
Cabernet Sauvignon:
In cooler seasons in Bordeaux, especially in the past with a ____ _____, growers could struggle to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon fully, resulting in wines with ___ ____ ____ ____ and ___ ____ As a result, and due to Cabernet Franc and Merlot’s earlier ripening, it was and still is regularly blended with these two varieties.
cooler climate
high acidity, unripe tannins and little fruit.
Cabernet Franc:
What does it Contribute to the Bordeaux blend?
it contributes:
red fruit,
high acidity
medium tannins
to the Bordeaux blend.
Malbec:
Basically all replaced with ____ after the 1956 frosts
Merlot
Petit Verdot:
This variety ___ ____ and ____ ____ than Cabernet Sauvignon, making it unpopular
with growers in the past in Bordeaux.
It is also prone to:
buds early
ripens later
spring frosts
failure to ripen in cool years
rain around harvest.
Petit Verdot:
Where does it grow best?
How much is used?
What does it contribute to the blend?
- Warmer parts of the Medoc
- Often less than 5%
Contributes:
powerful, deeply coloured wines with
spice notes and high tannins.
Petit Verdot:
While there are still very few plantings, it is increasingly valued, especially as a ____ ____ means it is more likely to ripen in most years
warmer climate
Semillon:
This is a ___ _____ variety, susceptible to ____ ____ ___ and to ___ ___ in the right
conditions. It can carry high yields.
mid-ripening
botrytis bunch rot
noble rot
TASTING NOTE: Semillon: - low intensity apple, lemon and, if under ripe, grassy, flavours, - medium body, - medium alcohol - medium to medium (+) acidity
Cats
Semillon:
What does it Contribute to dry white Bordeaux blends?
contributes
- low to medium intensity aromas
- low to medium body & weight
- medium acidity.
it softens Sauvignon Blanc’s more intense
flavours and high acidity.
It has a strong affinity with vanilla and sweet spice flavours from new French oak.
Semillon:
What does it contribute to Botrytis affected sweet wines?
It contributes pronounced honey and dried
fruit (lemon, peach) character and a waxy texture
Semillon:
Why do Top Sauternes wines tend to have a higher proportion of Semillon than Sauvignon Blanc?
Give two examples
it is more susceptible to botrytis than
Sauvignon Blanc
Ch. Climens or Ch. d’Yquem
Semillon:
True or False?
Sauvignon Blanc is also prized for its ageability,
developing toast and honeyed notes with age in contrast to Semillon that can hold but
whose flavours do not evolve.
False
swap the varieties around ya silly billy
Sauvignon Blanc:
What does it Contributes to dry whites blends and sweet botrytis affected wine??
contributes its grassy and gooseberry fruit and high acidity to dry white blends s and to sweet botrytis-affected wines
Sauvignon Blanc:
True or false?
increasing amounts of dominantly or single-variety dry Sauvignon Blanc white wines are being made.
True
Muscadelle:
This white variety needs to be planted on a ___ ____ site, as it is very prone to ___ __ ___. The vast majority is used in ____ ___ ___ where it contributes ____ and ____ notes.
It is NOT related to Muscat.
well exposed
botrytis bunch rot
sweet white wines
flowery and grapey
