Southwest France Flashcards
AOCs of the Dordogne Valley (9)
Bergerac, Cotes de Bergerac, Montravel, Côtes de Montravel, Haut Montravel, Monbazillac, Saussignac, Rosette, Pécharmant
Dordogne AOC for dry red only
Pécharmant: CF, CS, Merlot, Côt (all < 65%)
What are 5 sweet wine AOPs of the Dordogne valley?
Cotes de Montravel (25-54 g/L),
Haut Montravel (85 g/L),
Rosette (25-51 g/L),
Monbazillac (45 g/L),
Saussignac (68 g/L)
Which Dordogne AOC produces SGN wines?
Monbazillac (85 g/L)
Which SW AOC has the most acreage under vine?
Bergerac
AOCs of the Garonne Valley
Cotes de Duras, Cotes du Marmandais, Buzet, Brulhois, Saint Sardos, Fronton
Accessory varieties for
Bergerac Blanc (Sem, SB, SG, Muscadelle)
and Rouge (CS, CF, Cot, Merlot)
Chenin, Ondenc;
Fer, Merille
Cotes de Duras styles
Blanc (min. 12 g/L),
Blanc Sec,
Rose,
Rouge (Bdx grapes)
Cotes du Marmandais
Blanc,
Rose,
Rouge
(BDX + max. 50% Abouriou,
Cot, Fer, Gamay, Syrah)
Buzet
Blanc, Rose, Rouge
(BDX + colombard, mansengs;
BDX + abouriou, petit verdot)
Brulhois
Rose, Rouge:
CF, Merlot, Tannat + acc.
Saint Sardos
Rose, Rouge:
Syrah, Tannat + acc.
Fronton (on the Tarn River)
Rose, Rouge: min. 50% Negrette, syrah, cot, fer, cf, cs, gamay, cinsault, merille
(Negrette brought back from the Crusades by the Knights Templar - Sankt Laurent?)
Gaillac Blanc grapes
Len de l’El,
Mauzac,
Mauzac Rose,
Muscadelle
+ Ondenc, SB
Gaillac Rose/Rouge grapes
Syrah, Duras, Prunelard, Fer (Braucol) \+ CF, CS, Gamay, Merlot
Gaillac Blanc styles
Blanc, Blanc VT, Blanc Doux, Mousseux, Mousseux Doux, Mousseux Ancestrale
Gaillac Rouge styles
Rose,
Rouge,
Primeur 100% Gamay
What style is Gaillac Premier Cotes?
Blanc Sec
Gaillac Ancestrale is made from what grapes?
Mauzac, Mauzac Rose
Min. RS for
Gaillac Doux,
Mousseux Doux,
and VT
45 g/L
50 g/L ( < 50 g/L for mousseux)
100 g/L
When was Gaillac established?
1st century by the Romans
AOC of the Tarn Basin
Gaillac - soils are molasses, limestone
AOCs of the Lot Valley
Cahors, Coteaux du Quercy
Cahors encepagement
min. 70% cot w/ merlot, tannat
Cahors elevage
not until March 15 year following harvest
What are the soils of Cahors?
Limestone plateaux “Causses” - 5 elevation levels of which the highest are best - most tannic, long lived wines
When was Malbec introduced to Bordeaux
18th century - the dark wines of Cahors were used to add color to the wines
Coteaux du Quercy styles
Rose, Rouge:
CF, Cot, Merlot, Tannat, gamay
AOCs of the Aveyron Basin
Marcillac,
Cotes de Millau,
Estaing,
Entraygues-le-Fel
Marcillac styles
Rose, Rouge:
90% Fer, prunelard, cs, merlot
Cotes de Millau styles
Blanc: 50%
Chenin, mauzac
Rose/Rouge:
Gamay, Syrah, cs, fer, duras
Entraygues-le-Fel (on the Lot River)
Blanc: Chenin, mauzac, saint-come
Rose/Rouge: Fer, CF, CS
Estaing (on the Lot River)
Blanc:
Chenin, mauzac, saint-come
Rose/Rouge:
Gamay, Fer
Which part of the SW has the most continental climate?
Aveyron basin - spring rain and storms
AOCs of the Pyrenees Foothills
Madiran, Pacherenc du Vic Bihl, Saint Mont, Tursan, Bearn, Jurancon, Irouleguy
Madiran encepagement, elevage
60-80% Tannat, cf, cs, fer (pinenc); Nov. 1st (26 mo)
Madiran soil and position
5 parallel ridges that run north-south between the Pyrenees foothills and the Landes plains. Limestone rich clays studded with pebbles and iron manganese oxide - limestone slabs called “Greppe”
River to the East of Madiran Ville
Adour - connects to the port of Bayonne
Cotoid Family of grapes
Malbec, Tannat, Prunelard, Negrette (NOT FER)
Jurancon styles
“Blanc” (demi sec - min. 40 g/L),
Blanc Sec,
VT (55 g/L)
Jurancon grapes
Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng (min. 50%), Courbu Blanc, Petit Courbu, Camaralet
Jurancon soils
poudingues - sedimentary rocks “pudding stones” - alluvial soils
Jurancon producers
Clos Joliette,
Domaine Cauhape,
Camin Larredya,
Louis Benjamin Dagueneau
Jurancon History
Long history - trade with Russia and Holland along with Monbazillac
Madiran producers
Bouscasse,
Montus (Alain Brumont),
Ch. d’Aydie (Patrick Ducournau - micro-ox)
Pacherenc du Vic-Bihl styles and grapes
Blanc (45 g/L), Blanc Sec
Courbu,
Petit Courbu,
Gros Manseng,
Petit Manseng
Saint Mont styles and grapes
Blanc, Rose, Rouge
Gros Manseng 50%, arrufiac, courbus
tannat based
Tursan styles and grapes (Michel Guerard in Eugenie les Bains (eponymous restaurant)
Blanc, Rose, Rouge;
Baroque and Gros Manseng
CF and Tannat
Bearn styles and grapes
Blanc, Rose, Rouge (Dry)
Rafiat de Moncade, mansengs
Tannat, CS, CF
Irrouleguy styles and grapes
Rouge, Rose; CF, CS, Tannat
Which SW AOCs overlap with Armagnac (Gers dept.)?
Cotes de Gascogne IGP (Ugni, Colombard),
Saint Mont,
Brulhois,
Buzet
Why do the Southwest wines struggle for recognition?
Despite being an ancient wine region in Roman times, the wines were heavily taxed or held back at the port of Bordeaux before those wines were exported (Privilege de Bordeaux)
What is a favorable vineyard aspect in the Southwest?
East/Southeast to avoid Atlantic gusts
What is the general soil type of the SW?
Limestone and clay bedrock overlain by alluvial soils - gravel, sand, silt - and rocky soils shorn from the pyrenees - some oxidized
Sauvignon and Semillon dominate in the northern appellations, while __ and __ dominate in the south.
Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng
Floc de Gascogne
Armagnac aged one year before mutage, min. 52% abv
Vin de Paille authorized in what SW AOC?
Correze
Cryoextraction - grapes with lower sugar freeze first and are not selected for pressing
Monbazillac, Rosette
not allowed for Saussignac
Cliquage vs. bullage
Cliquage - wand stirred into wine barrel (elevage), Bullage - pumped into tank during fermentation
What does Micro-Ox achieve?
Tannat is prone to reduction in stainless steel, microbullage improves yeast performance during ferment, fixes color before malo, rounds out tannins and defines flavors during elevage
Are Bordeaux grapes required in Gaillac AOC?
No, just accessories
Is Cabernet required in Cotes de Millau?
Yes, 10-30% in addition to gamay and syrah (Cabardes in Languedoc requires Min. 40% combined Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot; min. 40% combined Grenache and Syrah)
