Grapes and Wines of Bordeaux Flashcards
How many grape varieties are permitted under the Bordeaux appellation?
13
List the most important black varieties, and their key regions
Cabernet Sauvignon: most dominant in Haut-Medoc, important in Bas-Medoc and Graves
Cabernet Franc: widely used in Saint-Emilion, and to a lesser extent in Médoc and Graves
Merlot: most widely planted throughout Bordeaux, most important in premium Pomerol and Saint-Emilion
Petit Verdot: smaller plantings around Bordeaux
List the most important white varieties
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Muscadelle
Describe the role Cabernet Sauvignon plays in a blend
Contributes tannin, blackcurrant fruit, ageing potential. Can be up to three-quarters of final blend in the finer wines of the left bank e.g. Haut-Medoc.
Describe the climate of Bordeaux and contributing features. How does it impact on grape growing?
Moderate maritime
Warming ocean current (Gulf Stream) extends the growing season (can continue well into October), and spring frosts are rarely a problem.
Atlantic Ocean brings high levels of rainfall and humidity, but Landes Forest and coastal sand dunes in the West of the region protects from worst of the storms.
Rainfall can disrupt flowering and fruit set, promote rot and dilute flavours in grapes at harvest.
Vintage variation is an important consideration for Bordeaux wines.
How do Bordeaux producers manage their grapes to cope with vintage variation and improve grape quality?
- Rejection of unripe and unhealthy grapes at harvest
- Better canopy management, reducing spraying has led to an increase in grape levels of sugar and flavour development at harvest
- Relying on more than one variety and producing blends to reduce variation: the Bordeaux varieties all flower and ripen at different times, so one bad frost or heavy shower is unlikely to ruin an entire crop.
Describe the soils of Bordeaux and their relation to grape varieties grown there
Haut-Medoc, Bas-Medoc, Graves: Bas-Medoc is predominantly clay with outcrops of gravel. High stone/gravel content ideally suited to the late ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. The soil raises vineyard temperature to help reliable ripening, and is well-drained. Cabernet Sauvignon can account for 3/4 of the blend in the finest wines here.
Saint-Emilion, Medoc, Graves: well-drained warm soils, suited to Cabernet Franc (like Cabernet Sauvignon). Needs reliable ripening to contribute the vibrant fruit flavours to a blend.
Saint-Emilion, Pomerol: Cooler clay soils suited to Merlot. Merlot is dominant here while Cabernet Sauvignon struggles to ripen.
Petit Verdot needs very hot years to ripen.
Describe the role Cabernet Franc plays in a blend
Contributes vibrant fruit and floral notes to a blend (does not contribute body or tannin, and can be overly herbaceous or stalky if not ripe enough)
Describe typical winemaking practices of Bordeaux
Little agreement over which fermentation vessels produce the best wines: some producers use traditional oak vats as well as stainless steel or concrete vats to increase blending options.
Most wines are blended in Spring following the vintage, but some producers choose to keep different wine parcels separate until the end of maturation.
Top quality Bordeaux is aged in small oak barriques (225L). The proportion of wine aged in barriques depends on the Chateau: in the finest, all wine may be aged in new casks, while lesser properties may only mature a proportion of their wine in new casks. Generic Bordeaux is unlikely to see any oak at all.
Describe the classifications used in the Medoc and Sauternes
1855 Classification: Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce at the Paris Universal Exhibition produced an official list of the best red wines of the Medoc and white wines from Sauternes. All Chateaux that are listed in this classification are called 'crus classes'. Top rank: -Chateau Lafite Rothschild -Chateau Latour -Chateau Margaux -Chateau Mouton Rothschild -Chateau Haut-Brion (Graves) -Chateau d'Yquem (Sauternes)
‘Cru bourgeois’ classifications were later introduced, and they are awarded to wines in a specific vintage rather than to the chateau itself. Each year, wines can be submitted to gain classification.
Graves classifications
Wines are classified with parallel but separate lists for reds and whites. No ranking exists, and all listed wines are called ‘crus classes’. All crus classe chateaux lie within limits of Pessac-Leognan (appellation was created after the list was made)
Saint-Emilion classifications
Saint-Emilion Grand Cru includes wines that are ranked every ten years. The lowest rank is Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe, followed by Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe, which is divided into Premier Grand Cru Classe B, then A (the best).
Describe the role of Semillon in Bordeaux wines
Semillon has think skin and an affinity for noble rot, and adds body to white wine blends.
Describe the role of Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux wines
Sauvignon Blanc is increasingly used for single-varietal dry white wines, while also used as a blending component. It produces wines with citrus and green fruit aromas, contributing high acid to blends (crucial for sweet wines)
Describe the role of Muscadelle in Bordeaux wines
Has a pronounced grapey, floral flavour; important supporting role in sweet and dry white wine production. Only ever makes up a small percentage of any blend.
