Soils Flashcards
Soils play a major part in the quality of Bordeaux’s wines.
What does the Left Bank -the Medoc to the North and Graves to the South- benefit from?
deposits of gravel and stony soils carried to the region by floodwaters from the Pyrenees and the Massif Central many thousands of years ago
Regarding Left Bank Soils:
Depending on their origin, the gravel is mixed with ____ and ____.
clay and sand
All the top estates in the Left Bank are planted on Gravel mounds, Called _____
Which estate sits on the highest Mound?
croupes
Margaux at 32m
Regarding Left Bank soils:
Gravel unlike clay drains well.
Describe what effect this has on the usually rainy, stormy Left Bank
After this, describe what effect this has on hot and dry years
The roots of the vines soon dry out and the grapes can continue to ripen.
the excellent drainage can put some vines at risk of drought stress.
Drought Stress in Bordeaux:
Where is this felt most and why?
parts of the region with shallow soils, perpetuated even more if soils are gravel.
Where in Bordeaux are the soils rarely more than a metre deep?
Pomerol in the Right Bank
Explain the second contribution that Gravel soil provides after Drainage
Heat retention.
After a warm summer day, the pebbles and stones retain their warmth and continue gradually to release it upwards onto the vines, facilitating their slow ripening
Saint-Estephe wines -whilst robust and characterful- have not achieved the acclaim as other estates on the Left Bank.
Why?
There are pockets of clay on the Left Bank, especially in Saint-Estèphe.
This doesn’t have as much drainage or Heat retention which impacts the grapes potential to full ripen.
On the Right Bank there is far more clay in the soil, although there are significant patches of gravel in certain sectors of the Libournais.
As a result which Variety dominates here and why?
Merlot, which is ideally suited to such soils. It ripens fully in almost all vintages.
It also accumulates more sugar and thus alcohol than Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. this was seen as a benefit in the past.
Where do the grapes used for the best wines in the Right Bank come from?
Limestone plateau of St-Emilion or the gravel section that borders Pomerol.
