Right Bank Appellations of Bordeaux Flashcards
Who started the Garagiste movement on the Right Bank of Bordeaux?
Chateau Valandraud in Saint-Emilion
What are the prerequisites for being a Garagiste producer?
Small production
Low yields
Severe selections
New oak
List 5 Garagiste Producers.
Chateau Valandraud
Chateau Le Dome
Chateau La Forge
Chateau L’Hermitage
What are the appellations of the Right Bank?
Fronsac AOP
Canon-Fronsac AOP
Lalande-de-Pomerol AOP
Pomerol AOP
St-Emilion AOP
St-Georges-St-Emilion AOP
Montagne-St-Emilion AOP
Lussac-St-Emilion AOP
Puisseguin-St-Emilion AOP
Saint-Èmilion Grand Cru AOP
What is the climate of the Right Bank?
Drier than the left bank.
Greater temperature swing from summer to winter.
Spring and fall frosts are a concern.
Soils of the Right Bank
Cool clay and calcareous clay
Grapes of the Right Bank
70% Merlot
30% Cabernet Franc
What is considered the smallest “village” appellation of Bordeaux?
Pomerol
Grapes of Pomerol
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pressac (Malbec), and Petit Verdot
What is Pressac?
Malbec
What are the three separate terraces of Pomerol and their soil types?
Lowest level by Dordogne-sand
2nd Terrace-gravel, crasse de fer (iron-rich sand)
3rd Terrace: higher elevation in Eastern Pomerol-butonniere (deep blue clay)
2nd Terrace Soil Structure
Glacial deposits of gravel, more fragmented, less rounded than Medoc and shallower; warms soils and allows grapes to ripen a few days earlier than Saint-Emilion
Surface of gravels - crasse de fer: iron rich sand deposits
1st Terrace Soil Structure
Light and sandy closer to Dordogne
3rd Terrace Soil Structure
Higher Elevation
Buttoniere (Buttonhole): Deep blue clay at Pomerol’s eastern and highest point; only 20ha
What type of soil is Petrus planted to?
Buttoniere (Blue Clay)
What is the cepage of Petrus in most years?
100% Merlot
How many hectares is Petrus?
11.5ha
Where is most of the Cabernet Sauvignon that is planted in Pomerol located?
Chateau de Sales (Pomerol’s largest producer)
List some important producers in the Northern Plateau of Pomerol.
Vieux Chateau Certan
l’Evangile
Trotanoy
Clinet
Le Pin
Petrus
Lafleur
La Conseillante
List some properties in Pomerol of “lesser” terroir.
Chateau de Sales
Chateau l’Enclos
Chateau Clos Rene
Chateau Bellegrave
What is the difference between Michel Roland’s style and Christian Mouieux (Petrus) style?
Rolland: riper fruit, malo in barrel, more new oak
Mouieux: picks earlier, less new oak
Grapes of St-Emilion:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Carmenère and a max. 10% Petit Verdot
Climate of St-Emilion.
Oceanic micro-climate
Evenly distributed rainfall
Hot and dry summers
Rivers moderate heat and protect against frost
Major Geographic features of St-Emilion.
Dordogne
Barbane
Isle
Soil structure of St-Emilion
Tertiary era: Silty clay, calcareous
Quarternary era: gravel and sand
Soil structure in the commune of St-Emilion on the slopes or cotes.
Limestone plateau with clay - top Chateaus are here
Chateau Angelus
Chateau Pavie
Chateau Ausone
How does the soil structure shift in St-Emilion when you get closer to Pomerol?
The top soil shifts from clay to warmer gravel - more Cabernet Franc is here. “Graves” zone.
Chateaus Figeac and Cheval Blanc are located here.
Does Chateau Cheval Blanc have more Cabernet Franc or Merlot in its Grand Vin?
Cabernet Franc
What are the 2 red wine only appellations of Saint-Emilion?
St-Emilion AOP
St-Emilion Grand Cru AOP
(same boundaries)
What are the requirements for a Chateau to be St-Emilion Grand Cru AOP?
St Emilion est 1934
St Emilion Grand Cru 1954
Must be estate bottled - most important
Lower maximum yields
Longer elevage
When were St-Emilion Grand Cru Classe and Premier Cru Classe eliminated as appellations?
1984
When was the first list of St-Emilion Classifications completed?
1955
When was the St-Emilion Classification enacted?
1958
What are the St-Emilion satellite appellations?
South to North clockwise to the East
St-Georges-St-Emilion AOP
Montagne-St-Emilion
Lussac-St-Emilion
Puisseguin-St-Emilion
Soil structure of satellites of St-Emilion.
Clay, gravel, limestone
What satellite of St-Emilion produces the most volume?
Montagne-St-Emilion
What river separates Montagne-St-Emilion from Lussac-St-Emilion?
Lavie Rau
What wines were the most prized of all the right bank in the 18th and early 19th centuries?
Wines of Fronsac
What is larger? Fronsac or Canon Fronsac?
Fronsac
What separates Fronsac from Lalande-de- Pomerol?
The Isle River
-a tributary flowing south into the Dordogne,
What divides Fronsac from the Entre-Deux-Mers?
The Dordogne
Where are the best hillside sites in Fronsac?
In the communes of Saillans and La Rivère.
What is the typical encépagement of Fronsac and CAnon Fronsac’s top estates?
80-100% Merlot
Styles, Encépagement and assemblage of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac.
Rouge
Encépagement
Principal Varieties: Min. 80% combined Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot
Accessory Varieties: Cot (Malbec), max. 10% Petit Verdot, max. 10% Carmenère
Assemblage (Fronsac): Principal varieties must account for at least 50% of the blend.
Assemblage (Canon-Fronsac): The principal varieties must compose the majority of the blend.
What is Fronsadais molasse?
A mixture of soft limestone and clay found in Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac.
Vineyards high on the slopes and plateaus of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac have a greater proportion of what?
Limestone
Top estates of Canon-Fronsac?
Château Grand-Renouil
Château Gaby
Top estates in Fronsac?
Cháteau Dalem
Château de La DAuphine
Château Fontenil (Michel Rolland-owned)
What is the largest property of Fronsac?
Château de La Rivière
What two original satellite AOCs of St Emilion no longer exist?
Sables - absorbed by Libourne and its vineyards shifted to the Saint-Émilion AOC
Parsac - disappeared as an administrative commune in 1973
What is different in climate between Saint-Émilion and its satellites?
Satellites are hillier and cooler
What is the river that separates Saint-Émilion from its satellites?
The Barbanne River
Which satellite can label its wines as Montagne-Saint-Émilion?
Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion
What is the northernmost satellite of Saint-Èmilion?
Lussac
What is the highest elevation satellite?
Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion
What is the largest producer in Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion?
Cooperative Producteurs Réunis
What are the most serious producers of Lussac-Saint-Émilion?
Château La Rose Perrière - owned by the Bordeaux-based tonnellierie Sylvain
What is accross the Barbanne river west of Montagne-Saint-Émilion?
Lalande-de-Pomerol
What are the communes of Lalande-de-Pomerol?
Lalande-de-Pomerol
Néac
Soils of Lalande-de-Pomerol?
Clay and gravel
Crasse de fer
What is crasse de fer?
Iron rich sand deposits
What are the Minimum Planting Density and Max yields of Saint-Émilion vs Saint-Émilion Grand Cru?
Saint-Émilion
Minimum Planting Density: 5,500 vines per hectare
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base): 53 hl/ha
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru:
Minimum Planting Density: 5,500 vines per hectare
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base): 46 hl/ha
What are the Minimum Planting Density and Max yields of Saint-Émilion vs the satellites?
Same
Saint-Émilion and satellites:
Minimum Planting Density: 5,500 vines per hectare
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base): 53 hl/ha
What are the Minimum Planting Density and Max yields of Pomerol vs Saint-Émilion?
Saint-Émilion
Minimum Planting Density: 5,500 vines per hectare
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base): 53 hl/ha
Pomerol
Minimum Planting Density: 5,500 vines per hectare
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base): 49 hl/ha
What are the Minimum Planting Density and Max yields of Pomerol vs Lalande-de-Pomerol?
Pomerol
Minimum Planting Density: 5,500 vines per hectare
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base): 49 hl/ha
Lalande-de-Pomerol
Minimum Planting Density: 5,500 vines per hectare
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base): 53 hl/ha
What are the Minimum Planting Density and Max yields of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac?
Minimum Planting Density: 5,000 vines per hectare
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base): 53 hl/ha
