Languedoc Flashcards
What are the 3 topographical zones that the Languedoc is divided into?
1) Coastal plains
2) Mountains & hillsides
3) Atlantic corridor
Describe the climate of the Languedoc
- Essentially 2 seasons: mild winters and hot, dry summers
What issues do sea breezes have here? How are these countered?
- Bring unwanted moisture to the vineyards
- Countered by the Tramontane (bring cool air during the summer months and chase humidity)
Which topographical zones achieve the most concentrated wines and why?
- Mountainous areas
- The vines here achieve true winter dormancy, cooler summers and diurnal temperature swings
What are the synonyms of the following grapes?
- Rolle
- Ugni Blanc
- Malbec
- Nielluccio
- Rolle (Vermentino)
- Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano)
- Malbec (Côt)
- Nielluccio (Sangiovese)
What style of wine dominates in AOC Languedoc? What are the main varieties used?
- Red
- GSM, Lladoner Pelut, Cinsault & Carignan
What style of wine dominates in Clairette du Languedoc? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- White
- Clairette
- Limestone
What style of wine dominates in Picpoul de Pinet? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- White
- Picpoul
- Limestone
What style of wine dominates in Faugéres-Cru? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red
- GSM, Cinsault & Carignan
- Schist
What style of wine dominates in Saint Chinian? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red
- GSM, Lladoner Pelut, Cinsault & Carignan
- Schist (north), Clay/limestone (south)
What style of wine dominates in Terrasses du Larzac? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red
- GSM, Cinsault & Carignan
- Clay, stone, ruffe and limestone
What style of wine dominates in Minervois? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red
- Shiraz, GM, Carignan, Cinsault, Terret, Aspiran, Piquepoul Noir
- Clay, limestone, sandstone, marble & schist
What style of wine dominates in Corbieres? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red
- Carignan, GSM, Lladoner Pelut & Cinsault
- Limestone
What style of wine dominates in Fitou? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red
- Carignan/Grenache & SM
- Clay limestone (maritime) & limestone/sandstone (Haut Fitou)
What style of wine dominates in La Clape-Cru? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red
- GSM, Carignan & Cinsault
- Limestone
What style of wine dominates in Cabardés? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red
- Merlot, Cab Franc & Sav, Syrah, Grenache, Malbec, Fer & Cinsault
- Limestone
What style of wine dominates in Malepére? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red
- Merlot, Malbec, Cab Franc, Cab Sav, Grenache & Cinsault
- Clay/limestone
What style of wine dominates in Limoux? What are the main varieties used? What are the main soil types here?
- Red, white & sparkling
- Red: Merlot, Malbec, Cab Franc & Sav, Grenache, Syrah & Carignan
- White: Mauzac, Chenin Blanc & Chardonnay
- Limestone with sandstone, quartz & clay
What style of wine dominates in Blanquette de Limoux? What are the main varieties used? What are the ageing requirements and styles made? What is special about this AOC?
- Sparkling
- Mauzac, Chenin Blanc & Chardonnay
- 9 months ageing sur lie. Brut or demi-sec.
- Oldest sparkling wine in the world
What varieties are used in Crémant de Limoux? What are the ageing requirements? How are rosé wines made?
- Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Mauzac & Pinot Noir
- 12 months ageing sur lie
- Rosé styles introduced in 2006 are achieved by blending <10% Pinot Noir to the assemblage.
What varieties are used in Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale? What are the 2 distinct ways the wines are made? What is the max abv and RS level? What are the ageing requirements?
- 100% Mauzac
1) Partially fermented must is chilled in December and bottled in March producing a lightly sparkling wine that is slightly cloudy due to the yeast.
2) Chill the partially fermented must and then bottle with the addition of yeast and disgorge after 2-3 months. - <7% abv and 60-80g/L RS
- The wine needs to be aged for at least 2 months before release.
What varieties are used in the production of still white wine from Limoux? What are the grape handling and ageing requirements?
- Mauzac, Chardonnay & Chenin Blanc
- Grapes must be hand-harvested and barrel fermented
- Wines must be aged in barrel until May the following vintage (min 7 months)
What varieties are used in the production of dry red wine from Limoux? What are the grape handling and ageing requirements?
- Merlot, Malbec, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cab Franc & Sav.
- The wine must be a blend of at least 3 of the above varieties
- Grapes can be hand-harvested or machine-picked.
- Wines must be aged in tank or barrel for at least 7 months.
What grape variety are all Languedoc VDN wines made from?
- Muscat a Petits Grains Blanc
How are VDN wines made and what are the various RS requirements? What are the grape handling requirements? What is the wine style?
- Fermenting must is fortified with a neutral grape spirit
- Wine finishes with 15% abv and a min 110g/L RS (except Saint Jean de Minervois which is 125g/L)
- All grapes are hand-harvested and dry grown
- All wines are made reductively
Name the 4 VDN AOCs
1) Muscat de Lunel
2) Muscat de Mireval
3) Muscat de Frontignan
4) Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois
What is the important regional IGP of the Languedoc?
IGP Pays d’Oc
What is different about the Cabardés AOC?
It is a mix of Atlantic and Mediterranean varieties
Which Languedoc AOC can source fruit from both Languedoc and Roussillon?
AOC Languedoc
When did the Monks of St Hilaire discover the phenomenon of sparkling wine? How many years was this before Dom Pérignon “tasted the stars”?
- 1531
- 150 years before
What was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996? What was special about it?
- Canal du Midi
- Effectively connected the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
When did the protectionist policies of the Bordelais end?
1776
Which AOC is most renowned for Syrah based wines?
Minervois