History Flashcards
Who established viticulture in Bordeaux and when?
The Celtics
3rd B.C.E.
Who took over viticulture from the Celtics in Bordeaux and when?
The Romans
56 B.C.E.
Bordeaux was referred to as what?
Bordigala
This person conquered Bordigala and ruled until 507 B.C.E.
Clovis, the King of the Franks.
What is the significance of Eleanor of Acquitane pertaining to Bordeaux?
1152 she annuls her marriage to King Louis VII of France.
She marries Henry II Duke of Normandy and the future King of England.
The Dutchy of Acquitane falls under English rule.
England becomes Bordeaux’s main export for 300 years.
What was the earliest indicator of appellation laws in Bordeaux?
Privelege de la Barrique: Stated that Bordeaux wine had to be branded.
What is the Police des Vins?
In 1300s it created export regulations for Bordeaux ports that favored local wines. This continued into the 18th Century.
When was the Hundred Years War and what was it’s significance relating to viticulture?
1337-1453
At the Battle of Castillon, Bordeaux is won by the French.
What is the significance of the Dutch pertaining to Bordeaux?
In the 1600s, the Dutch become the biggest importer of Bordeaux.
They drained the marshes and opened more land in the Medoc for viticulture.
What style of wine did the Dutch enjoy in the 1600s?
Big reds and sweet wine.
Who was the first house in Bordeaux to release its wine as a single estate and when?
Haut-Brion
1660s
What is the Treaty of Methuen and when was it written?
England lessened taxes on fortified wine from Portugal if the Portuguese abolished taxes on English textiles.
1703
List all the classifications of Bordeaux and what year they were instituted.
1855 - Classification of Bordeaux 1932 - Cru Bourgeois Classification 1955 - St-Emilion Classification 1959 - Graves Classification 2002 - Cru Artisan
What classifies a Cru Artisan producer?
List two Cru Artisan producers.
Denoted as stewards of the land and craft of winemaking, without the financing or apparatus of large-scale operations.
They work an average of six hectares each.
Rankings reviewed every 5 years (previously every 10 years).
- Chateau Tour Bel Air
- Chateau d’Osmond
What classifies a Cru Bourgeois producer?
Lacking the breed of the more aristocratic 1855 estates.
14 Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels
56 Crus Bourgeois Superieurs.
The remaining Cru Bourgeois.
The classification is reviewed every 5 years.
What was the vintage of Bordeaux that Robert Parker praised and was pivotal for a new era of wine in Bordeaux?
1982
What year did Chateau Latour bow out of en primeur trading?
2013
What is oidium and what year in the 20th C did it have a significant impact in Bordeaux?
Powdery Mildew (sulphur treats) 1952
When did phylloxera occur in Bordeaux?
1869
What is peronospera and when did it have a significant impact in Bordeaux?
Downy mildew (copper-sulphate-lime concoction treats this) Early 1880s.
What year in the 20th C decimated the vineyards of Bordeaux because of a terrible winter?
1956
Who was the first Chateau to estate bottle and when?
Chateau Mouton Rothschild
1924
What are the vintages of the 21st Century in Bordeaux?
2000 - dry
2003 - hot
2005
2009-2010
What country emerged as an important market in Bordeaux in the 2000s?
China
What does sur souches mean?
Negociants negotiate prices based on previous vintages.
What is the Place de Bordeaux?
A three tier de facto system of wine production.
Chateau: Originally operated by the Church or Aristocracy
Sales Tier: Negociant
Broker Tier: The Courtier
What is the difference between Bordeaux AOP and Pays de l’Antique?
Bordeaux AOP was only good in ripe years so the response to this was the Pays d l’Antique. Pays d l’Antique was created in 2006 for all three colors.
What were the 2 changes to the 1855 Classification?
1856: Chateau Cantemerle was listed (not originally listed)
1973: Chateau Moutin Rothschild was elevated to a 1st Growth
