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.
