2 - Bordeaux Flashcards

Question

Describe how Eutypa dieback and Esca affect the vine and how growers mitigate the problem (3)

Answer 1

Eutypa - rots the wood, reduces yield and kills the vine Esca - tiger stripes, yield and death 1. Soft pruning - when pruning make small cuts, allow extra wood at the cut site, allowing it to dry out and maximising opportunity for sap to flow around the plant

Answer 2

Increasingly unpopular - removing bunches to correct yield can cause unbalanced growth, better to prune so the vine has fewer buds in winter

Answer 3

50hl/hA today Yields fell over past 20 years Better concentration - although super concentrated Right Bank wines may be jammy and lack terroir

Answer 4

**Timing** Previously - teams hired for short period which dictated picking, grapes picked at varying levels of ripeness Now - teams hired for longer period and used when grapes are ready / conditions dry **Size** Larger estates have teams of over 100 people **Machine vs Hand** Machines used for quick harvesting (to avoid rain and disease), due to remoteness of vineyards (northern Medoc), the expense of workers etc --\> high vol, inexpensive High quality - hand-harvest due to quality control

Answer 5

Sorting not used for inexpensive wines, HQ wines will see sorting by pickers during harvest, then via a conveyor belt and perhaps optical sorting if estate has £££ During best vintages HQ estates may not sort Plot by plot winemaking for best quality producers --\> extra care at harvesting and larger number of smaller vessels --\> £££

Answer 6

Vessels: Closed vats incl wood, SS and concrete with temp control Cap Mngt: Pump overs Fermentation Temp: mid-range for early drinking, warmer temps for HQ wines intended for bottle age --\> extraction Extraction: 5-7 days of post-ferment maceration for early drinking, 14-30 days for HQ Press vs free run- juice: usually aged separately and blended later Malo: often in wood if used for maturation (integration), inoculated for speed and cellars heated **Maturation** - Inexpensive: SS, concrete, large vats --\> 4-6mnths, oak chips - HQ: 225L oak barrels, mix of ages up to 100% new oak with med or med(+) toast and different coopers --\> use of new oak declining --\> 18-24mnths (concentration and tannin) - Oxygenation: racking every 3mnths or use micro-oxygenation **Blending** EP: wine blended over winter for presentation to merchants in spring --\> inferior lots classified as 2nd or 3rd wine or sold to a merchant in bulk (most estates) Wait until post-maturation to blend --\> better able to assess evolution (small number of estates) Consultant hired to assist process

Answer 7

Younger vine usually used - Merlot and Cab S Clairet - deeper coloured, usually made with Saignee or short maceration as a by-product of red winemaking --\> concentration of reds Pale - via DP

Answer 8

Pressing: Direct pressed or skin contact for \>24hrs --\> freshness vs aromatics and phenolics - NB grapes must be fully healthy for skin-contact --\> off-flavours extracted Fermentation: inexpensive in SS at cool temp, HQ in barriques Malo: often blocked to retain acid and freshness **Maturation** Inexpensive: few months in SS Mid-priced: 6-12 months on fine lees in SS --\> weight and complexity Premium: barriques with % new oak Fine sees may be stirred for texture but many avoid --\> balance

Answer 9

Denis Dubourdieu and André Lurton 1. Sav B 2. Skin-contact --\> aromatics 3. Less new oak

Answer 10

- Low yields --\> concentrate the sugar, via reduced buds per vine, 25 hL/ha max, 10 hL/ha typical for top estates - Diseased fruit removed as too susceptible to grey rot - Grey and black rot removed and noble rot selected by hand - pickers may make 10-12 passes over course of harvest - Harvest from Sept - Nov

Answer 11

- Climatic conditions for noble rot to develop (humid, misty mornings + warm, sunny, dry afternoons) - Proximity of the vineyard to mist formation --\> cold Ciron and warm Garonne meet - Risk tolerance of vineyards to lose crop if conditions do not develop - Willingness to pay harvesters for multiple passes to select botrytised fruit

Answer 12

No - levels of Bot to late harvest vary vintage to vintage

Answer 13

Similar to dry whites Fermentation: SS, concrete or barrels, length of time varies --\> top-quality barrel fermented (integration of oak and fruit flavour) Maturation: - Less prestigious appellations: unoaked, released 1 yr after harvest - HQ wines in barrels for 18-36 months, 30-50% new oak up to 100% for d'Yquem

Answer 14

- Most lists permitted varieties with no specific requirements for min/max % of grapes - One exception is latest changes which allow from some experimental varieties within Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superier (Marselan and Touriga Nacional for reds, and Alvarinho) which are max 5% of blend

Answer 15

**Red** - Merlot-based - Med intensity red fruit - High acid, med(+) tannins, med alcohol med body - Acceptable - good - Inexpensive - mid-priced **White** - Sav B based - Med intensity gooseberry, lemon - High acid, med alcohol, med body - Acceptable - good - Inexpensive - mid-priced **Production** 50% of regional production **Yields** Bordeaux - 67, 62, 60 (whites, rose, red) Superier - 59 (reds)

Answer 16

**Medoc** prices range considerably based on exact site, lack of uniform soil means style and quality vary considerably **Haut-Medoc** contains the famous communes and has more gravel, generally better quality but still varies considerably **Listrac-Medoc and Moulis** more clay and further from the river, more Merlot, can't match top wines from Haut-Medoc **Communes** best sites closest to river, often with more gravel, most prestigious estates producing premium-SP wines **Graves** more exposed to Atlantic, red and white, acceptable-good **Pessac-Leognan** close to Garonne, gravel soils for both reds (80%) and whites (20%), top quality including one 1st growth

Answer 17

In general, style is... Pronounced blackcurrant, green bell pepper (vintage), red plum, vanilla, cedar, high tannin, high alcohol, med(+) body, prem-SP and VG-outstanding But exact style varies according to situation, soil type and plantings... Saint-Estephe - closest to Atlantic --\> tannin and acid structure Margaux --\> stoney, gravel and further south, harvests 7-10 days earlier, more Merlot --\> silly tannins, perfumed

Answer 18

Situation: sub-region within Graves, moderated by Garonne Soil: Gravel --\> drainage and warmth Estates: One 1st growth, all CC within Graves Yield: 54 (both red and white) Wines: HQ, barrel-aged whites and HQ reds 20/80 split Whites: pronounced gooseberry, lemon, grapefruit, vanilla, clove. Med(+) - high acid, med(+) body, med-high alc. VG-outstanding. Prem-SP. Reds: similar style and quality to Medoc communes

Answer 19

- 2nd largest appellation - but much smaller than Bordeaux AOC - Only makes whites - 65 - Light intensity, acceptable - good, inexpensive - mid-priced

Answer 20

In general, cool clay soils --\> Merlot and Cab F, some Cab S planted **Situation** S-E satellites e.g. Lussac S-E is further from Dordogne than SE proper **Soils** mostly clay but less on Pomerol which has limestone and gravel as well **Yields** max yield in Cotes de Bordeaux is 55, Pomerol is 49 but often much lower **Maturation length** Saint Emilion AOC requires 6 months min, Saint Emilion Grand Cru is 20 months min

Answer 21

Producers are much smaller - as small as 1ha, Pomerol ~12ha cf. to 1st growths 80-100ha

Answer 22

Situation: sites of RB of Gironde, underneath Blaye Grapes: mainly Merlot but the highest % of Malbec planted in Bdx Style and price: is closer to Medoc with more black fruit and tannic structure, price varies similarly

Answer 23

**Sauternes/Barsac AOC** max 25 hL/ha but may be as low as 10 in top estates Other appellations are 40-45 hL/ha using late-harvest or botrytised grapes, can offer much better value with quality good-VG inc. **Graves Superieures, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux**

Answer 24

Grapes: 80% Semillon, SB, small amounts of Muscadelle Yield: 25 max, lower is typical --\> ripeness before development of rot Pronounced citrus peel, honey, mango, vanilla - Med-med(+) acid, sweet, full-body - VG-oustanding - Mid-priced - SP

Answer 25

Producing dry wines

Answer 26

1855 - 61 estates in Medoc, red and sweet 1st-5th growth, estate-bottled Graves - 1959, 16 estates in P-L, red and white, no ranking, based on pricing, fame and quality S-E - 1955, applies within S-E Grand Cru, revised every decade, three tiers Crus Bourgeois - 1932, awarded annually to individual wines, three tiers

Answer 27

Sub-region: Medoc (+ Graves) Based on: prices achieved by Chateau in 1855, wines must be estate bottled Producers: 61 estates Ranking: 1st to 5th growth for reds and 1st and 2nd growth for Sauternes Quirks: d'Yquem has its own rank, Premier Cru Superieur, Haut-Brion is only Graves property included Revisions: mostly unaltered apart from the promotion of Mouton Rothschild in 1973

Answer 28

Sub-region: S-E Grand Cru AOC Basis: 10-yearly review looking at terroir, methods of production, reputation, 'commercial considerations', blinding tasting of \>10 vintages Tiers: Premier Grand Cru A, Premier Grand Cru B and Grand Cru Classé Controversy: lawsuits have damaged reputation, use of term 'Cru' criticised as misleading

Answer 29

Sub-region: Medoc Basis: awarded on wine, rather than producer basis; year-by-year based on production method and tasting Revisions: since 2018 producers will be ranked Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel for five years

Answer 30

7000 'Chateaux' --\> falling Average size 19ha --\> rising 800m --\> fluctuates by vintage Co-ops: 25% of production in 2018

Answer 31

Bordeaux AOC - €0.57 Medoc - €2.35 Classed growth - €16.00 **Does not include land costs or interest on loans** Differences due to... * increased vine density * harvest cost * lower yield * rigorous grape selection * barrel ageing

Answer 32

100-point rating system e.g. Robert Parker

Answer 33

€4,000m ('18) 56/44 Domestic/Export Domestic - 48% in supermarkets (average price €5.80) Export - HK, China, US, UK (higher average price)

Answer 34

Merchants (la place) account for 70% of sales Brokers (la place) handle relationships between producers and merchants Each producer sells to as many as 40 different negociants who cover a total of 170 countries Amount of wine available to each negociant based on allocation

Answer 35

Majority of production About €1/L in bulk Lower demand from France - supermarkets Competition from Chile, Australia in export Produced by co-ops and small producers and sold wine/grapes to large wine companies

Answer 36

Used to sell classed growth and other HQ wines Futures: wine sold in spring following harvest, 12-18mnths before bottling Campaign starts in April - barrel samples tasted by buyers and journos May/June - reviews released and prices Tranches released and prices adjusted (usually upwards) finishing with individual customers through fine wine merchants

Answer 37

2011 - relatively poor vintage saw prices little changed, eventually prices corrected meaning EP buyers lost money Ch Latour has withdrew from EP system in 2012, several other Chateaux have reduced volumes via EP --\> these producers can afford to sell their wine at ageing 2017 campaign saw much lower volumes due to relatively poor quality without similar price adjustment

Answer 38

**April** journos and buyers taste barrel samples **May-June** Chateaux release first tranche, price determined by rep and reviews, used to gauge market's appetite **Subsequent tranches** available for trade buyers, price adjusted based on demand but usually increases **Final tranche** available for private buyers via fine wine merchants

Answer 39

Lesser vintages should lead to lower-priced wines But top estates have allocated wines to which buyers are eager to preserve their access --\> they may continue to pay similar prices to better vintages This can result in unsold wine for years following the EP campaign - hit to profit 2011 - relatively poor vintage saw prices little changed, eventually prices corrected meaning EP buyers lost money

2 - Bordeaux Flashcards

(64 cards)