2.2 the growing environment and grape growing

Question 1

What is the climate in bordeaux?

Answer 1

Cool maritime climate

Question 2

Explain the Atlantic oceans influence on the bordeaux vineyards.

Answer 2

The Atlantic brings a cooling influence in the summer and warming effect during the autumn. In the best years this give a gentle heat in the growing season, sufficient rainfall to promote growth and ripening as well as relatively warm early autumns for steady and complete ripening.

Question 3

Why do Bordeaux wines have such great longivety?

Answer 3

Thanks to an excellent balance of tannins, sugar and acidity due to the moderately maritime climate.

Question 4

What are the main differences in climate between the left and right bank?

Answer 4

Much more maritime influence on the left bank.

Question 5

What if the Landes and why is it important to the left bank?

Answer 5

A vast pine forest, protecting the vineyards from Atlantic storms. Estates at the outskirts of the forest are cooler and more marginal than neighbors. Ex domaine de chevalier. This is why vineyards in northern médoc where the Landes isn’t as prominent are cooler than southern medoc and graves.

Question 6

How much rainfall per year does bordeaux generally have?

Answer 6

About 950 mm. But climate change have led to dry hot summer with insufficient rainfall sometimes such as 2003

Question 7

What consequences can bad timed rainfall have during a harvest?

Answer 7

Flowering - poor fruit set
Growing season - increased disease pressure
Véraison - unripe fruit and fungal diseases
Harvest - dilute flavours

Question 8

What can be the consequences of dry hot summers with insufficient rainfall?

Answer 8

Less acidity
Lack of balance
More alcoholic wines if grower wait for phenolic ripeness before picking

Question 9

Talk a little bit about frost in bordeaux.

Answer 9

Frost vintages are 56, 91 and 2017 leading to decimated crop. The gironde moderates the climate and can protect from frost, which is why the most prestigious vineyards tend to lite near the gironde. In 2017 33 percent were lost to frost. This has significant effect on price.

Question 10

What is croupes?

Answer 10

The soil consisting of gravel mounds of which all of the top estates are planted.

Question 11

What can be said about the soil on the left bank?

Answer 11

Gravel and stones carried by floodwaters from the Pyrenees and Massif Central thousands of years ago. Depending on origin the gravel is mixed with clay, sand and minerals.

Question 12

How do gravel protect the vines from diseases?

Answer 12

The well-drained gravelly soils dries out the vineyard quickly after showers and storms, allowing the grapes to continued ripening since the roots dry out quickly.

Question 13

What is the con with gravelly soils?

Answer 13

In hot years such as 2003 and 2005, the vines become drought stressed. Especially a risk in shallow soils which was evident in pomerol (1m soils) in the wet summer of 2016.

Question 14

What can be said about the soils from premium spots on the right bank?

Answer 14

It’s grown on limestone plateaus or gravel sections that borders pomerol.

Question 15

When do merlot bud and ripen? And what are the cons and pros with this?

Answer 15

It’s an early budding variety - making it prone to spring frosts
and mid ripening variety - allowing early picking before autumn rain. Also allows full maturation in cooler years, compared to late ripening CS.

Question 16

Where on the left bank is clay most commonly found?

Answer 16

In saint-estephe.

Question 17

What other con do gravelly soils have besides disease prevention?

Answer 17

It retains heat and gradually releases it upwards onto the vines, facilitating slow ripening.

Question 18

What are the risks with merlot?

Answer 18

Coloure
Drought
Botrytis bunch rot - sorting necessary

Question 19

Why was merlots mid-ripening qualities more worthwhile in the past?

Answer 19

Earlier it allowed ripening and good yields as well as good alcohol on the cooler sites in the medoc area, which was beneficial to ensure quality and yields. Today with warmer climate this is a problem.

Question 20

What do merlot add to a blend?

Answer 20

Medium to pronounced fruit intensity (strawberry, red plum. Herbaceous notes in cooler years, cooked blackberry and black plum in hotter)
Medium tannins and medium to high alc.

Question 21

When do CS bud and ripen and what are the pros and cons with this?

Answer 21

Late budding - protects from spring frosts

Late ripening - sensitive to autumn rains

Question 22

What does CS add to a blend?

Answer 22

High tannins thanks to its small berries and thick skin. Also violet, black currant, black cherry, menthol or herbaceous flavours.
Medium alcohol and high acidity.

Question 23

Where do CS thrive?

Answer 23

On warm, well drained gravelly soils in medoc.

Question 24

What happens if CS fail to ripen and what can winemakers do to balance these wines?

Answer 24

It adds unripe tannins, high acidity and little fruit. Answer is to blend with CF and or Merlot.

Question 25

What does CF add to a blend?

Answer 25

Red fruit, high acidity and medium tannins.

Question 26

What happened in 1956 and what was a consequence?

Answer 26

Hard spring frosts, forcing growers to replace Malbec with merlot which is easier to grow in bordeaux.

Question 27

When does PV bud and ripen?

Answer 27

Buds early (frosts) and ripen late (rain). Difficult to ripen in cool years.

Question 28

What does PV add to a blend?

Answer 28

Powerful, deep coloured wines with spice notes and high tannins.

Question 29

Why has PV small plantings but to higher value these days?

Answer 29

Earlier difficult to mature due to cool weather, hence not favored among estates. Climate change have made the grape more attractive and since there aren’t a lot of it, value have increased.

Question 30

When do sémillon ripen and how does it yield?

Answer 30

It’s a mid-ripening variety that can produce high yields.

Question 31

What are the characteristics for semillon?

Answer 31

Light intensity of apple and lemon, and if unripe grassy flavours.
It’s medium bodied, medium alcohol and medium to medium plus acidity.

Question 32

What do semillon do in a dry bordeaux blend?

Answer 32

Balance SB high acidity, aroma. With French oak Sem gets sweet spices and vanilla.

Question 33

What does sem add in botrytis-affected sweet wines?

Answer 33

Honey, dried fruit and waxy texture.

Question 34

Why do semillon often dominate the blend in sweet wines in bordeaux?

Answer 34

It’s more suspectible to botrytis than SB and it also develops flavours such as honey and toast, which SB don’t do.

Question 35

What does SB add to a blend?

Answer 35

Grassy and gooseberry fruit, high acidity.

Question 36

What does muscadelle add to sweet wines?

Answer 36

It’s very prone to botrytis and it adds flowery and grapey notes. It’s not related to muscat.

Question 37

What are the general measurements for top vineyards in bordeaux?

Answer 37

10000 vines per ha, planted one mètre apart an one mètre between rows.

Question 38

How does the typical bordeaux soil relate to the vines vigour?

Answer 38

Bordeaux has relatively infertile soils, leading to moderate vigour.

Question 39

Why are bordeaux vineyards typically densly planted and what is the pro and con with this?

Answer 39

Since land is expensive, close plantings are preferable since it increases production. However, close plantings adds costs of more plants, trellising, time for vine training, ploughing and spraying as well as costs for specialty over the row tractors.

Question 40

How does planting density differ from expensive and less prestigious appellations in bordeaux?

Answer 40

They are more densly planted in expensive areas.

Question 41

Describe the most common vine training systems in different parts of Bordeaux.

Answer 41

Everywhere cane pruning.
Left bank double guyot
Right bank single guyot
Sometimes cordon pruning spur-pruned is favored among prestigious estates as they claim it reduces yields and gives better aeration to bunches.

Question 42

Why is canopy management crucial in bordeaux and what does it do?

Answer 42

Due to the moderate, damp climate.
Aeration, deter rot and help ripening (ultraviolet light)
Careful canopy management reduces downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis.
It also helps spray to reach the needed parts and not become hindered by excess leaves, resulting in spraying washing away in the rain.

Question 43

What are the major hazards in bordeaux?

Answer 43

Mildew (powdery, downy)
Botrytis
Unripe grapes (cold or rain)
Frost
Dry summers
Eutypa dieback and esca (rotting vines from inside)

Question 44

What is soft pruning and what is it good for?

Answer 44

It can stop eutypia dieback and esca (vine rotting from inside)
Also Simonit and Sirch method.
1. Binding the vine with respect of its organic growth.
2. Vascular flow, don’t shut down the blood flow by nicking the vessels for sap.
3. Reducing cutting surfaces and respecting the crowns.
4. Protective wood

Question 45

How can flavascence dorée me managed and why is it problematic?

Answer 45

Insecticides, not compatible with organic and biodynamic approach.

Question 46

How can one think regarding leaf removal?

Answer 46

Can be done on both sides of rows.
Removal good for aeration and deter rot.
However, leafs protect against sunburn and extreme heat (2003 example)
Preferable to be done late in season when grapes can be aerated better and when extreme heat is less likely.

Question 47

When was removal of bunches approved in bordeaux and what benefits and cons does it have?

Answer 47

20 years ago.
Bunch-thinning corrects vines with high yields and can improve concentration of flavours.
Cons are that it can unbalance the vine.

Question 48

What is preferred today instead of bunch removal to balance a vine and its yields?

Answer 48

Winter pruning. The emphasis today is to allow the vines to find their natural balance, avoiding correcting measures unless absolutely necessary.

Question 49

What is the average yield in bordeaux?

Answer 49

About 50 hL per ha.

Question 50

What have been the pro and cons with the trend in the last 20 years to decrease yields in bordeaux?

Answer 50

The vines have benefited, however its gone to its extreme especially on the right bank.
Resulted in superconcentrated wines which where to jammy or over fatiguing. Also the terroir was obscured.

Question 51

How did harvest used to take place in bordeaux?

Answer 51

At random. Teams were hired for a defined period and harvest begun when an informed guess judged it to be time. Resulting in grapes being picked under ripe, ripe and over ripe.

Question 52

How does harvest take place today?

Answer 52

Harvest teams are hired for longer periods and have paid leisure when harvest is halted to due rain. Harvest pickers come from all over EU and the estates pay their housing, adding to the costs of picking.

Question 53

Why are some vineyards in northern medoc usually harvested by machine?

Answer 53

It’s hard to find workers 2 hours drive outside the city of bordeaux. Also since its more weather sensitive to quick changes such as sudden rains or storms, quick machine harvest can be better.

Question 54

What is the argument pro machine picking?

Answer 54

It can be done at the perfect time and quickly, without having to take workers schedules into consideration.