Bordeaux

Question 1

What is the climate of Bordeaux?

Answer 1

Maritime

Question 2

What did the 1953 Graves Classification rank?

Answer 2

The wines of 16 estates (not the estates themselves), both white and red

Question 3

T or F: The Entre-deux-Mers AOC may produce dry and sweet white wine.

Answer 3

FALSE. Entre-deux-Mers AOC produces dry whites only.

Question 4

Define “petit château”

Answer 4

An unofficial term for an unclassified property in the Bordeaux region

Question 5

What estate is the only Premier Cru Supérieur within the 1855 classification?

Answer 5

Château d’Yquem

Question 6

Define “cru artisan”

Answer 6

Boutique wineries of quality in Bordeaux

Question 7

What is the difference between Saint-Émillion Grand Cru and Saint-Émillion Grand Cru Classé?

Answer 7

The former is an AOC; the latter reflects a ranking within the Saint-Émillion classification system.

Question 8

The Garonne and Dordogne flow into what estuary?

Answer 8

The Gironde

Question 9

T or F: Only dry red wines may be produced in the Médoc AOC.

Answer 9

TRUE. However, some white wine is produced. It is just not bottled under the Médoc appelation.

Question 10

Who drained the Médoc Peninsula in the 17th century?

Answer 10

The Dutch

Question 11

T or F: The Bordeaux Classification of 1855 was based on the size and prestige of the estates.

Answer 11

FALSE. The document reflected the price points (by tiers) at which the top wines were selling in 1855.

Question 12

What Bordeaux soils are considered “warm”?

Answer 12

Gravel and sand

Question 13

What Bordeaux soils are considered “cold”?

Answer 13

Clay and limestone

Question 14

T or F: Bordeaux is France’s largest AOC vineyard area.

Answer 14

TRUE

Question 15

The Classification System of 1855 divides red wine into how many tiers?

Answer 15

Five

Question 16

What is the main soil type of Bordeaux’s Left Bank?

Answer 16

Gravel

Question 17

T or F: Irrigation is illegal in Bordeaux

Answer 17

TRUE

Question 18

Who championed the “second label” concept as a way to improve the quality of the “grand vin”?

Answer 18

Émile Peynaud

Question 19

T or F: Barsac may bottle its wine as Sauternes if so desired.

Answer 19

TRUE. Barsac is included in Sauternes’ zone of production.

Question 20

What river separates Sauternes from Barsac?

Answer 20

The Ciron

Question 21

What river separates Fronsac and Canon Fronsace from the rest of the Libournais?

Answer 21

The Isle

Question 22

T or F: Bordeaux reds are typically less fruit-driven and less overtly oaked than their New World counterparts.

Answer 22

TRUE

Question 23

Define a wine purchased “en primeur”

Answer 23

A wine purchased before it is released

Question 24

What are the three primary white grapes in Bordeaux?

Answer 24

Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle

Question 25

Which Bordeaux sub-region lies between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers?

Answer 25

Entre-deux-Mers

Question 26

What are the main soil types of Bordeaux's Right Bank?

Answer 26

Clay and limestone

Question 27

What is the most widely planted grape in Bordeaux?

Answer 27

Merlot

Question 28

What grape variety suffered the most damage after the Winter Freeze of 1956?

Answer 28

Malbec

Question 29

Define "Les Landes"?

Answer 29

A man-made pine forest

Question 30

Which Bordeaux estate was elevated to First Growth status in 1973?

Answer 30

Mouton Rothschild

Question 31

What are the three tiers of the Cru Bourgeois Classification?

Answer 31

Crus Bourgeois, Crus Bourgeois Supérieurs, Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels

Question 32

What Right Bank sub-region has a classification system?

Answer 32

Saint-Émilion

Question 33

Bordeaux's first vineyards were planted in what sub-region?

Answer 33

Graves

Question 34

T or F: Crémant de Bordeaux may be white or rosé.

Answer 34

TRUE

Question 35

T or F: The Côtes de Bordeaux AOC makes dry red wine only.

Answer 35

TRUE

Question 36

Before becoming its own AOC, Péssac-Leognan was once a part of what Bordeaux sub-region?

Answer 36

Graves

Question 37

Define "clairet"

Answer 37

A semi-red wine made by the saignée method.

Question 38

What are the four satellites of Saint-Émilion?

Answer 38

Lussac, Montagne, Puisseguin, | Saint-Georges

Question 39

T or F: Graves Supérieures AOC produces dry, semi-sweet and sweet white wines.

Answer 39

FALSE. Graves Supérieures AOC produces semi-sweet wine only.