Right Bank Flashcards
What is the percentage of Bordeaux’s vineyard area grown on the right bank?
12,400 ha of vines; 10% of all of Bordeaux
Four differences between left bank and right bank wines?
—In the Médoc it is rare for vineyards to surpass 15-30 meters in elevation. While there are flat plains in the right bank, too, Bordeaux’s interior regions tend to have more raised plateaus, rolling hills, and more variable exposures, than the left bank.
—The right bank is drier, with greater temperature swings from summer to winter. Spring and fall frosts are of greater concern.
—The alluvial gravel deposits that typify the great vineyards of the Médoc and Graves are much less common in the right bank. While there is gravel in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, cool clay and calcareous clay soils are widespread throughout the right bank.
—In the expansive Médoc and Graves, château properties can easily amass 60 or 80 hectares of vines; in the right bank even the largest estates rarely exceed 20 or 25 ha.
What is the general encépagement for the right bank?
70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc.
Why is Cabernet Franc used on the right bank?
The region’s traditional grape, Cabernet Franc stands in for the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon in right bank blends and tempers the fruitcake and jam of Merlot with brighter acidity and restrained alcohol.
What are the 10 AOP’s of the right bank?
Locations
—Fronsac AOP-NW corner of the right bank
—Canon Fronsac AOP-South Central portion of Fronsac
—Lalande-de-Pomerol AOP-North Central right bank; east of Fronsac
—Pomerol AOP-South of Lalande-de-Pomerol
—Saint-Émilion AOP-Vast area of right bank starting south of Pomerol and sweeping the SE
—Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOP: same area as above; w/ additional requirements
—Montagne-St-Émilion AOP-East of Lalande-de-Pomerol
—St-Georges-St-Émilion AOP-St-Émilion AOP-Small South Central portion of Montagne-St-Émilion
—Lussac-NE of Montagne-St-Émilion
—Puisseguin-St-Émilion AOP: SE off Lussac
***Bourg, Blaye, may be considered right bank appellations as they lie across the Gironde from the Médoc, as are the Côtes de Bordeaux zones east of Saint-Émilion, Castillon and Francs.
Where will you find white grape vineyards on the right bank?
Under what AOP are they labeled?
—there are a few white grape vineyards in Blaye and Bourg, but they are otherwise very rare on this side of the Gironde and Dordogne.
—Throughout the core appellations of the right bank, white wines only merit the basic Bordeaux AOP.
Which commune has the highest percentage of Chinese-owned estates in Bordeaux?
Fronsac
What is garagiste?
What is the style?
Who pioneered the movement?
What producer is was the archetype?
—Winemakers of miniature wine estates (“garage wines”) producing ultra-modern, deep-colored, early-maturing, often sweet, oaky, flattering reds typically produced in quantities of a few hundred cases.
—Jean Luc Thunevin of Chateau Valandraud in Saint-Émilion pioneered the movement.
—Le Pin in Pomerol was the archetype.
**Generally they tend to be the antithesis of terroir, they are triumphs of technique typically produced from mediocre soils in lesser sectors of Bordeaux’s famous appellations.
What was the first vineyards in France made for a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
St. Émilion in 1999
What are the nine communes that make up the 5,500 hectares of vines of Saint-Émilion?
Libourne Saint-Christophe-des Bardes Saint-Émilion Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse Saint-Hippolyte Saint-Laurent-des-Combes Saint-Pey-d'Armens Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens Vignonet
Rivers on the Right Bank
What are the two rivers that bracket Saint-Émilion?
What two rivers encirle Pomerol?
What river separates Fronsac from Lalande-de-Pomerol?
What river separates Fronsac from Entre-Deux-Mers?
—Dordogne and Barbanne “BAR-ban” Rivers bracket Saint-Émilion
—Isle River and the Barbanne River (along with the town of Libourne) encirle Pomerol
—Isle separates Fronsac from Lalande-de-Pomerol
—Dordogne itself divides Fronsac from the Entre-Deux-Mers.
Where are the most prized vineyards in St. Émilion?
The “côtes” zone in Saint-Eimilion
**the most historic growing area with slopes based on the limestone plateau near the commune of Saint-Emilion itself.
Name a Château in Saint-Emilion that has a substantial amount of Cabernet Sauvignon?
Château Figeac with more proportion of gravel than clay.
Name a château from Saint-Emilion that often blends more Cabernet Franc than Merlot.
What is their second label?
Château Cheval Blanc
Le Petit Cheval
What is the “graves” zone of Saint-Emilion?
Near the gravelly terrace of Pomerol on the northwestern sector of the plateau, where the topsoil shifts from clay to warmer gravel and the proportion of Cabernet Franc rises. This is where both Château Figeac and Château Cheval Blanc are located.
What is the difference between Saint-Émilion AOP and Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOP?
—Saint-Émilion AOP, est with the initial wave of AOCs in 1936; can be blended and bottled by a negociant
—Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOP, est 1954 must be estate-bottled.
Differences: Saint-Émilion vs Saint-Émilion GC
—11% vs. 11.5%
—April 15th of following year vs. May 15 of second year
—Min Must Weight: 180 vs 189 g/l
—Max yields 53 vs 46 hl/ha
—most GC estates are located on limestone côtes and plateau rather than in the river plain.
What syndicat first ran the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé system?
After legal battles who runs the classification now?
each estate would be required to submit wines to the Saint-Émilion Wine Council (the winegrowers’ syndicat) for tasting.
After the 2006 revision resulted in legal action and scuttled the results the Saint-Émilion Wine Council shifted authority over the the INAO, which created an appeals process and set the current classification published in 2012
What are the 4 premier grand cru classé A estates?
Who joined late?
Cheval Blanc and Ausone, joined by newcomers Angelus and Pavie.
Name 5 St-Émilion Premiers Grands Crus Classés B
—Château Beau-Séjour Bécot —Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) —Château Bélair-Monange (known simply as Belair until the 2008 vintage) —Château Canon —Château Canon-la-Gaffelière*** —Château Figeac —Clos Fourtet —Château La Gaffelière —Château Larcis-Ducasse*** —La Mondotte*** —Château Pavie-Macquin* —Château Troplong-Mondot* —Château Trottevieille —Château Valandraud***
Name a notable château that was omitted from the 2012 Saint-Émilion Classification.
Name other former GC Classés left out?
Château Magdelaine Christian Moueix’s 11-hectare estate.
—it was later announced that its vineyards would be united with Moueix’s Bélair-Monange as a consolidated 23.5-hectare premier grand cru classé property.
—Château Bergat: merged with Château Trottevieille
—Château Cadet-Piola: merged with Château Soutard
—Château Corbin-Michotte: declassified
—Château Haut-Corbin: merged with Château Grand-Corbin
—Château Matras: merged with Château Canon in 2011
—Château La Tour-du-Pin: declassified
—Château La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac: declassified
What is the scoring criteria used by the INAO for St Émilion Grands Cru Classé and Premier Grand Cru Classé
"Grand Cru Classé": 14/20 total points —50% tasting of 10 vintages of the wine —20% analysis of topography and soil —10% analysis of viticulture and winemaking —20% reputation of the estate
“Premier Grand Cru Classé”: 16/20
—All candidates considered for inclusion first met the above requirements for “Grand Cru Classé.”
—30% tasting of an additional 5 vintages of the wine (with greater maturity)
—30% analysis of topography and soil
—5% analysis of viticulture and winemaking
—35% reputation of the estate
What is the smallest “village” appellation in Bordeaux?
Pomerol (contains roughly double the vineyard acreage of Gevrey-Chambertain—emphasizes how much bigger Bordeaux is to Burgundy.
What is the most famous soil coming out of Pomerol?
The blue clay of Château Pétrus comes to mind, but the appellation’s soil profile is not constant.
**Several of Pétrus’ neighbors in Pomerol also cross into the buttonière (“buttonhole”), but only Pétrus can claim vineyards that are almost entirely situated on this patch of thick blue clay
What do some producers believe is the magic of Pomerol’s terroir?
“Crasse de fer”—iron rich sand deposits often interweaved through clay.
