Left Bank:Graves Flashcards
Château ______ remains the first identifiable vineyard estate in the region, a papal gift awarded to Bordeaux in 1305.
Ch Pape-Clément
What are boulbenes?
Mixture of sand, gravel, and light clay commonly found in Graves
True or False The wines of Graves have a longer history than those of the Médoc.
True
True or False Graves wines were successfully exported to England: Samuel Pepys famously extolled the virtues of “Ho-Bryan” in 1663, and the 1660 cellar-book of King Charles II shows the wine in inventory. Archives uncovered in Bordeaux in 2014 show a sale of the wine by name—”Aubrion”—in 1521.
True
True or False Unlike the Médoc appellations, both red and dry white wines may not be labeled as Graves AOP. White wine accounts for approximately 25% of production.
False
Château La Tour Haut-Brion (classified for red wine) produced its final vintage in 2005, and Château Laville Haut-Brion (classified for white wine) produced its final vintage in 2008. Both properties now supply fruit for a second red wine and a new white wine under the______ label.
Château La Mission Haut-Brion
In 1987, the communal sub-appellation Pessac-Léognan AOP was created in northern _____, effectively becoming the prestige appellation for both red and dry white wines while sidelining the producers in the southern. All cru classé properties are located within the communes of Pessac-Léognan AOP: Pessac, Léognan, Cadaujac, Canéjan, Gradignan, Martillac, Mérignac, Saint-Médard-d’Eyrans, Talence, and Villenave-d’Ornons.
Graves
What is pourriture noble?
Botrytis cinerea, known as pourriture noble—the noble rot
The species name Botrytis cinerea is derived from the Latin for “grapes like ashes”; the “grapes” refers to the bunching of the fungal spores on their conidiophores, and “ashes” just refers to the greyish colour of the spores en masse.
______, is the result of consistently wet or humid conditions, and typically results in the loss of the affected bunches which can destroy crops of grapes.
Grey Rot
______, occurs when drier conditions follow wetter, and can result in distinctive sweet dessert wines, such as Sauternes or the Aszú of Tokaji/Grasă de Cotnari.
Noble rot- (French: pourriture noble; German: Edelfäule; Italian: Muffa nobile; Hungarian: Aszúsodás) is the benevolent form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes. Infestation by Botrytis requires moist conditions. Grapes typically become infected with Botrytis when they are ripe. If they are then exposed to drier conditions and become partially raisined this form of infection brought about by the partial drying process is known as noble rot. Grapes when picked at a certain point during infestation can produce particularly fine and concentrated sweet wine. Some of the finest Botrytized wines are literally picked berry by berry in successive tries (French for “selections”).
True or False 13 estates are now classified cru classé for red wines, and 9 for whites.
True
While sweet whites may be produced throughout Graves as Graves Supérieur AOP, name three smaller sweet wine appellations from North to South —are located within the region?
Cérons, Barsac, and Sauternes
Due to the unique climactic conditions of Sauternes and Barsac (and to a lesser extent Cérons) the ______-mold may attack the grapes, dehydrating them so that sugar, acidity, and glycerol content are heightened. The wines achieve an intense spiced complexity that would be impossible to duplicate through normal dehydration; with time the mold-afflicted grapes can imbue a bouquet of honey, saffron, dried fruit and ginger spice.
Botrytis
Sauternes lies at the conflux of the _____ and _____ rivers, producing autumn afternoon humidity perfect for incubating the Botrytis spores. The noble rot is fickle, however, and does not attack grapes evenly, requiring the producer to pick the grapes individually, in separate trips through the vineyard (tries), a fabulously expensive proposition available only to the better estates.
Ciron and Garonne rivers-and in promising years cool morning mists blow off the Ciron and encounter the warmer waters of the Garonne
The wines of Sauternes were classified alongside those of the Médoc in 1855, and were divided into second growths and first growths, with one château achieving the rank of Premier Cru Supérieur: __________.
Château d’Yquem-Yquem’s wines are legendary, and the château can afford to send its pickers on more than a dozen tries if necessary.
