Bordeaux Flashcards
Geographic of Bordeaux (where? water? Forrest?)
The Bordeaux wine region lies in southwest France, close tintje Atlantic Ocean. It is traversed by the River Garonne and the River Dordogne, which merge to form the Gironde estuary.
Key developments in history of Bordeaux
17th/18th centuries: Medoc peninsula north of the city (unsuitable for agriculture) was drained by Dutch residents.
Mid 18th: wines from Lafita and Margaux widely appreciated
City of Bordeaux was long a centre for wine exports
Merchants and brokers distributed the wines of Bordeaux.
1855! A major commercial exhibition (the Exposition Universelle de Paris) was to take place. The Bordeaux chamber of commerce asked the regions brokers to compile a classification for the wines. This was based on price. Estates of Medoc plus Haut-Brion in Graves were classified into 5 bands. Sauternes into 3 bands.
Climate of Bordeaux
Moderate Maritime Climate
Atlantic Ocean is a cooling influence
Left bank is partially protected from Atlantic storms by the Landes (pine forest).
Rainfall variable: average of 950 mm per year but with marked variation from year to year.
Excessive rainfall at key moments is an important factor in vintage variation. Describe the key moments.
- rain at flowering can result in poor fruit set
- rain throughout the growing season can result in increased disease pressure
- rain at and following veraison can lead to unripe fruit and fungal disease
- rain at harvest can dilute flavours
Frost in Bordeaux
From time to time large areas of vineyards are affected by frost. In 1956, 1991 and 2017 when the crop was decimated.
Soils of Bordeaux
Left Bank (Medoc to the North of the City and Graves in the South) >
Deposits of gravel and stony soils (carried to the region by floodwaters from the Pyrenees and the Massif Central many thousands years ago)
All top estates on the Left Bank are planted on gravel mounds also known as croupes.
Right bank: far more clay (plus significant patches of gravel in certain sectors of the Libournais) this is why dominant grape here is Merlot
Merlot (Bordeaux)
- Early budding variety (vulnerable to spring frost)
- mid ripening (advantage picking grapes before early autumn rain)
- susceptible to: coulure, drought, botrytis bunch rot.
Contributes: med/pronounced fruit flavors (strawberry, red plum with herbaceous flavours in cooler years and cooked blackberry, black plum in hot years), medium tannins and medium tot high alcohol
Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux)
- late budding
- small-berried thick-skinned variety with high tannin content
- prone to fungal disease (especially powdery mildew and the trunk diseases Eutypa and Esca)
- late ripening (needs to grow on warmer soils) (vulnerable to early autumn rains)
- in Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon contributes pronounced violet, blackcurrent, black cherry and menthol or herbaceous flavors.
Cabernet Franc (Bordeaux)
In Bordeaux it contributes red fruit , high acidity and medium tannins
Malbec
After the hard frost of 1956 Malbec was mainly replaced with Merlot
Petit Verdot
- early budding
- late ripening (even later then cab.sauv)
- best in warmer parts
- often used in less then 5%
- contributes : powerful deeply clouded wines with spice notes and high tannins
- very few plantings , but increasingly valued (warmer climate more likely to ripen)
Semillon (Bordeaux)
- mid-ripening variety
- susceptible to: botrytis bunch rot and to noble Rot in the right conditions
- high yields
- low intensity apple and lemon
- underripe: grassy
Muscadelle (Bordeaux)
Needs to be planted on well-exposed sites , very prone to botrytis bunch rot. Contributes flowery and grapes notes. Not related to Muscat.
Vineyard planting in Bordeaux
Closely spaced vines
10.000 vines per hectare
One meter apart / one metre between the rows
Training in Bordeaux
Most common: head-trained replacement cane - pruned
Left bank: 2 canes are trained (Double Guyot)
Right bank: single cane
Second method:
What is soft pruning?
Is be treatment for Eutypa dieback and Esca. Making only small cuts , leaving some extra wood at the cut site to allow the wood to dry out.
Yields in Bordeaux
50 hectoliter per hectare
Red winemaking in Bordeaux
Fermentation takes place in closed bags with pump-overs as the usual practice. Most use cultured yeast for it reliability.
Fermentation vessels: concrete , stainless steel and wood.
Early drinking: mid range fermentation temperature and short period on the skins after fermentation.(5-7 days)
Longer aging: mid-range to warm fermentation and extended (14-30 days) on the skins.
Malolactic conversion in tanks or barrels. Barrels: better integration of wine and wood.
Describe the 2 styles of rose made in Bordeaux
The deeper coloured traditional style of Clairet and the lighter coloured rose
White wine making in Bordeaux
- Presses directly on arrival (maximum freshness) or
- Left on skin for 24 hours (more aromatic and phenolic complexity) (important: grapes are fully healthy, otherwise off-flavours could be extracted)
- Fermentation
Early drinking: cool fermentation in RVS
Inexpensive: left in tank few months and then clarified and bolted
Mid-price: lees 6-12 months
Higher quality: fermented and aged in Barriques (varying proportion of new oak)
- Many producers block malolactic conversion to retain freshness and acidity
- Batonnage used to be widely practiced (stirring the lees), but in hot years this can give the wines excessive body in relation to their levels of accidity so many producers are wary of this technique.
Contemporary Style of white Bordeaux
Professor Denis Dubourdieu and Andre Lurton.
Advocated increased focus on Sauvignon blanc
Skin contact for the extraction of aromatics
Reduction of the proportion new oak used
