The Dordogne & SW France Copied & Amended Flashcards
What river runs through Cahors and what are the soil types?
The River Lot
Fertile alluvial soils at bottom of Lot river valley - higher yields and less concentration in the wines
mid slope - poorer soils - with more concentration in the wines
Top of the slope - plateau - lower yield and higher concentration
What white grape is predominantly grown in Cotes de Gascogne?
Ugni Blanc
What types of wine are produced in Cotes de Gascogne?
From which grapes?
Reds and Rosé: mostly Bordeaux varietals
Whites: Ugni Blanc and Bordeaux varietals.
Is Botrytis used to make Jurancon sweet wines?
No, Passerillage (leaving grapes on the vine to dry.)
The Dordogne region is located East of which section of Bordeaux?
Entre-deux-mers.
What is the only type of wine made in Madiran AOP? What grape is used in high proportion in their red wines?
What are the secondary grapes used?
Red
Tannat
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fer
Mechanical harvesting is illegal in Monbazillac AOP.
True or False?
True
Where is Jurancon?
Foothills of the Pyrenees, just north of the Spanish border.
Jurançon is located in which département?
Famous for sweet wines made from which grape? Famous for dry wines made from which grape?
Pyrénées Atlantique département
Sweet: Petit Manseng
Dry: Gros Manseng
What is the largest appellation immediately to the SE of Bordeaux’s Right Bank?
What kinds of wine are produced there?
What varietals are used?
Bergerac
Red/White/Rosé
Bordeaux varietals.
What is the color and style of Cahors wine?
Reds aged in oak delivering deep colour, high tannins and dark berry fruit.
Roughly how is the climate of Dordogne?
Similar to Bordeaux but with less moderating maritime influence
Where is Madiran, what wine does it produce and primarily based on which grape?
Producers may make sweet white wines under which appellation?
South-West of Cotes de Gascogne
High tannin reds, primarily from Tannat
Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh AOP.
Cahors - Wine Business?
Wine Business of Cahors
80% produced by private companies
20% by one cooperative – VINOVALIE
Using success of Argentinian Malbec to market itself – ‘the original Malbec’
Introduced a voluntary quality code:
Tradition: inexpensive, 75-85% Malbec, on river flats
Prestige: mid priced, often on mid slope
Speciale: mainly 100% Malbec, normally grown on high plateau
Sales
70% of wine is sold in France, Supermarkets and direct sales
30% is exported and growing
Top markets are UK, Canada and USA
UK is biggest in volume but Canada and USA are bigger in value
Madiran AOC rules for Winemaking
AOC rules
Madiran AOC must be 60-80% Tannat
Can be blended with Cabernet F, Cabernet S, and local variety FER
Grapes must be destemmed
Max. yield is 55 hL/Ha.
Wines can only be sold from November of the following year of harvest
Wine Business - Madiran
Wine business
80% of Madiran is sold in France (50% Supermarkets, 20% directly)
20% exported, mainly Belgium, Germany and Canada
Leading producers: Alain Brumont (Chateau Bouscassé and Chateau Montus).
Most of the top wines 100% Tannat
Production split 50/50 between private wineries and cooperatives
Cooperatives – Cave de Crouseilles and Plaimont
What are the AOC wines of Jurancon and what are AOC rules for winemaking
Jurancon Sec
max. yield 60 hL/Ha.
A dry white wine
Jurancon
Medium sweet wine
Min. 40 g/l RS
Max. yield of 40 hL/Ha.
Jurancon Vendanges Tardives
Sweet wine
Min. 55 g/l RS
No enrichment allowed
Max. yield of 40 hL/Ha.
Petit and Gros Manseng exclusively
Grapes for this wine – can’t be picked before 2nd November!
High quality sweet wines
Made predominantly with Petit Manseng
Typically fermented in barriques
Aged in them for 12-18 months
Top tier use new oak
For the sweet wines – no MLF is allowed to preserve acidity and primary fruit
climate of Jurancon?
- Climate
- hilly relatively cool corner (300mRL hi) at the foot of the Pyrenees
- 1200mm of rainfall throughout the year
- Mild and humid climate with spring frost and fungal risk
- A southern breeze, called the ‘Fohn’
- Helps to dry out canopy
- Raises the temperature and assists ripening
topography and soils of Jurancon
- Topography and soils
- Vineyards planted on slopes to avoid frost risk and improve drainage
- South or South-west facing slopes are best for ripening
- Some are steep enough to require terracing
- Soils are a mixture of limestone, sand, clay and stones
Jurancon Vendange Tardive
-
Jurancon Vendanges Tardives (late harvest)
- Sweet wine
- Min. 55 g/l RS
- No enrichment allowed
- Max. yield of 40 hL/Ha.
- Petit and Gros Manseng exclusively
- Wines:
- Pronounced intensity aromas of lemon & mango, high acidity
- alcohol between medium and high
- full body
- very good to outstanding in quality, mid-priced to premium in price
- Grapes for this wine – can’t be picked before 2nd November!
the Jurancon wine?
-
Jurancon
- Medium sweet wine
- Good to very good quality
- Inexpensive to mid-priced
- Min. 40 g/l RS
- Max. yield of 40 hL/Ha.
Jurancon Sec?
-
Jurancon Sec
- max. yield 60 hL/Ha.
- A dry white wine
Petit Manseng
- Petit Manseng
- Early budding – prone to spring frost
- Mid to late ripening
- Has thick skins – resistant to botrytis bunch rot
- Highly aromatic and retains high acidity
Gros Manseng
- Gros Manseng
- Similar to Petit Manseng – but higher yields
- Produces wines of less elegant, less rich than Petit Manseng
- Not as high in quality as Petit Manseng
- Used predominantly for dry wines
Typical Jurancon sweet wines are made from and how?
- High quality sweet wines are:
- Made predominantly with Petit Manseng
- Typically fermented in barriques
- Aged in them for 12-18 months
- Top tier use new oak
Bergerac AOC is located where?
what is the climate and soils like?
what does it produce?
- Eastern continuation of right bank and Entre-deux-mers with vineyards on both sides of the Dordogne
- Climate between maritime and continental – slightly warmer than Bordeaux
- Soils from alluvial silt to clay and limestone on higher terraces
- Produces 50% REDS, 40% WHITES and 10% ROSE
What are the grapegrowing and winemaking rules of Bergerac AOC?
- Grapegrowing
- mainly Bordeaux varietals are grown
- Cabernet S, Cabernet F, Merlot, Malbec
- But there are smaller local varieties allowed
- Winemaking AOC rules
- Allowed to make Red, White (dry and sweet), Rose
- Max. yields are 55 hL/Ha.
- Red wine
- At least two of CabS, CabF, Merlot or Malbec must be 50% of blend
- And other lesser known international varietals are allowed
- Normally aged in SSteel or oak casks
Typically the wines of Bergerac are?
- Typically, these AOCs
- Good to very good in quality
- Inexpensive to mid-priced
Sales of Bergerac are made where and to whom?
- Sales
- 90% of Bergerac AOC is sold in France
- Supermarkets are the main customers
- Direct customers are second in line
- Main export markets are China, Belgium and UK
Monbazillac AOC is where?
South bank of Dordogne and a sub region of Bergerac
Climate of Monbazillac?
-
The climate
- Moist air over the river with high levels of humidity
- Perfect for development of noble rot
- The humidity is burnt off by afternoon
Grapegrowing of Monbazillac?
-
Grape growing
- Botrytised whites made from Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle
- Mechanical harvesting banned
Climate of Cahors
Influenced by the Atlantic, but great sun exposure with cold winters, dry summers - drier and warmer than Bordeaux
Viticulture in Cahors?
- Viticulture
- Warm dry climate allows Malbec and Tannat to fully ripen
- Organic viticulture is widely practiced due to climate
- Varying soil types
- Lot River soils are rich alluvial soils and give high yields, low concentration
- Mid slope – poorer soils, lower yields, high concentration
- Plateau – poor limestone soils, low yields and high concentration
- Different pruning/training techniques – bush vine, cordon trained, cane with VSP
- Machine picking on flatter ground
- Hand picking on steeper slopes – allows sorting for higher quality outcome
Wine style and varietal characteristics of Malbec in Cahors
- Wine techniques and style
- Most high-quality Cahors is 90 to 100% Malbec
- Generally - very tannic when young and benefit from ageing; berries, liquorice and herbs flavours
- Generally, this varietal makes
- Deep ruby colour
- Medium to pronounced flavours, violet, red, black plum
- Medium to medium+ acidity
- Medium+ to high tannins
- Very good examples are aged in French Oak
- Range from good to outstanding and are mid to premium in price
Winemaking techniques and resulting styles of Cahors
-
Style of Cahors
- Early drinking
- has Merlot in blend
- Limited maceration, 7-10 days on skins
- Intended for bottle ageing
- 15-25 days on skins for greater extraction
- The higher quality Cahors will be matured in French Oak barriques – which adds sweet spice, cedar and vanilla
- Early drinking
Cahors - who are the main producers?
20% is cooperative production
balance is by private companies
Climate and topography & soils of Madiran
- Climate
- 1000mm of rainfall, mainly Winter and Spring
- 80kms from Atlantic, with some Atlantic influence
- A dry southern wind ‘Fohn’ helps to ripen the fruit in Summer
- Topography and soils
- Four large parallel ridges, North-South orientation
- Western side is steep
- Mainly clay, limestone soils with good drainage on slopes
- Flatter land is clay, limestone and some loam
Tannat
- Tannat
- AOC stipulates Cordon de Royat or a cane replacement system
- Susceptible to botrytis bunch rot
- Needs to be picked with ripe tannins
- Very tannic variety
- Mid ripening, normally picked before Autumn rains
- Vigorous – needs to be supported on a trellis
- The slopes in Madiran produce more tannic grapes whereas the flats produce less tannic grapes which produce more approachable wines
- The key grape varietal of Madiran
Winemaking for Tannat and the resulting wine style?
- Tannat
- Typically, deep ruby in colour
- Pronounced aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant
- High tannins, high acidity
- Full body and alcohol from medium to high
- Makes wines of very good to outstanding quality – mid to premium priced
- The high tannin level can be managed for earlier drinking
- Methods to manage tannins:
- Microoxygenation – the bubbling of small amounts of oxygen through the wine to soften the tannins – and enables the wine to be approachable sooner
- Picking the grapes riper so less astringent tannins
- Soft pressing to lessen extraction of tannins
- Blending of varietals with softer tannins
the business of Madiran?
who are the main producers?
Exports?
- Wine business
- 80% of Madiran is sold in France (50% Supermarkets, 20% directly)
- 20% exported, mainly Belgium, Germany and Canada
- Leading producers: Alain Brumont (Chateau Bouscassé and Chateau Montus).
- Most of the top wines 100% Tannat
- Production split 50/50 between private wineries and cooperatives
- Cooperatives – Cave de Crouseilles and Plaimont
