Southwest France Flashcards by Myles Trapp

AOCs of the Dordogne Valley (9)

Bergerac, Cotes de Bergerac, Montravel, Côtes de Montravel, Haut Montravel, Monbazillac, Saussignac, Rosette, Pécharmant

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Dordogne AOC for dry red only

Pécharmant: CF, CS, Merlot, Côt (all < 65%)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

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)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Which Dordogne AOC produces SGN wines?

Monbazillac (85 g/L)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Which SW AOC has the most acreage under vine?

Bergerac

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

AOCs of the Garonne Valley

Cotes de Duras,
Cotes du Marmandais, 
Buzet, 
Brulhois, 
Saint Sardos, 
Fronton

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Accessory varieties for

Bergerac Blanc (Sem, SB, SG, Muscadelle)

and Rouge (CS, CF, Cot, Merlot)

Chenin, Ondenc;

Fer, Merille

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Cotes de Duras styles

Blanc (min. 12 g/L),
Blanc Sec,
Rose,
Rouge (Bdx grapes)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Cotes du Marmandais

Blanc,
Rose,
Rouge

(BDX + max. 50% Abouriou,
Cot, Fer, Gamay, Syrah)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Buzet

Blanc, Rose, Rouge

(BDX + colombard, mansengs;

BDX + abouriou, petit verdot)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Brulhois

Rose, Rouge:

CF, Merlot, Tannat + acc.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Saint Sardos

Rose, Rouge:

Syrah, Tannat + acc.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

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?)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Gaillac Blanc grapes

Len de l’El,
Mauzac,
Mauzac Rose,
Muscadelle

+ Ondenc, SB

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Gaillac Rose/Rouge grapes

Syrah, 
Duras, 
Prunelard, 
Fer (Braucol) 
\+ CF, CS, Gamay, Merlot

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Gaillac Blanc styles

Blanc, 
Blanc VT, 
Blanc Doux, 
Mousseux, 
Mousseux Doux, 
Mousseux Ancestrale

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Gaillac Rouge styles

Rose,
Rouge,
Primeur 100% Gamay

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What style is Gaillac Premier Cotes?

Blanc Sec

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Gaillac Ancestrale is made from what grapes?

Mauzac, Mauzac Rose

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Min. RS for

Gaillac Doux,
Mousseux Doux,
and VT

45 g/L
50 g/L ( < 50 g/L for mousseux)
100 g/L

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

When was Gaillac established?

1st century by the Romans

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

AOC of the Tarn Basin

Gaillac - soils are molasses, limestone

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

AOCs of the Lot Valley

Cahors, Coteaux du Quercy

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Cahors encepagement

min. 70% cot w/ merlot, tannat

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

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)