Bordeaux Flashcards
(105 cards)
1
Q
How many ha of vine are planted in Bordeaux?
A
111,000 hectares.
2
Q
What is the percentage of different colours of Bordeaux production of AOC wines?
A
The production of AOC wine is 85 per cent red, 10 per cent dry white, 1 per cent sweet white and 4 per cent rosé.
3
Q
How many percentage of Bordeaux wines are premium or super-premium priced?
A
Just three per cent are premium or super-premium priced. Around 70 per cent of all bottled wines are inexpensive or mid-priced.
4
Q
How many bottles of wine is produced annualy in Bordeaux?
A
The annual production fluctuates but is generally over 800 million bottles.
5
Q
Name two French wine regions that have a “superior” tier for their appellations?
A
Bordeaux and Beaujolais
6
Q
Name reasons why production costs are high for classed growth in Bordeaux?
A
Increased vine density, harvest costs, hugely higher viticultural costs, lower yield, rigorous grape selection and barrel ageing (cost of new barrels and extended time in barrel), together with interest on bank loans and land costs.
7
Q
What is a name of unique commercial system found in Bordeaux?
A
It is known as la place de Bordeaux. The wine is sold to a merchant (négociant) who in turn sells it on to wholesalers and retailers.
8
Q
Who is courtier in Bordeaux wine trade?
A
Courtiers act as brokers between the châteaux and the négociants (they buy wines from chateaux and then sell and ship the wines to distributors earning 15 percent of the sale price). Courtiers earn around 2 percent of sale price.
9
Q
Name second wine of Château Cheval Blanc?
A
Le Petit Cheval
10
Q
Where is from Château Palmer?
A
Margaux
11
Q
What is en primeur system in Bordeaux?
A
Wines are sold as futures, i.e. a paper transaction where the wine is sold a year to 18 months before it is bottled.
12
Q
What are the benefits of en primeur system for consumers?
A
They can secure hard-to-buy wines and at a lower price than they will appear in fine wine shops once they are bottled and shipped.
13
Q
What are the benefits of en primeur system for producers?
A
The estates benefit from early payment for wine.
14
Q
Name second wine of Château Lafite-Rothschild?
A
Carruades de Lafite
15
Q
What Bordeaux Premier Cru no longer sells its wines en primeur?
A
Ch. Latour, since 2012
16
Q
Name second wine of Château Latour?
A
Les Forts de Latour
17
Q
Name second wine of Château Mouton-Rothschild?
A
Petit Mouton
18
Q
What Growth is Château Léoville-Las Cases?
A
Second Growth (Deuxième Cru)
19
Q
Name three Generic Bordeaux Appellations?
A
Bordeaux AOP, Bordeaux Supérieur AOP, Crémant de Bordeaux AOP.
20
Q
All the top estates of the Left Bank are planted on what type of soil?
A
Gravel mounds known as croupes.
21
Q
Name second wine of Château Margaux?
A
Pavillon Rouge, Margaux du Château Margaux (third wine)
22
Q
Name grapes used for Bordeaux AOP Blanc?
A
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and Muscadelle.
23
Q
What Growth is Château Palmer?
A
Third Growth (Troisièmes Crus)
24
Q
Name second red wine of Château Haut-Brion?
A
Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, (as of 2007, previously Château Bahans Haut-Brion)
25
Name grapes used for Bordeaux AOP Rosé and Rouge wines?
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Cot (Malbec), Merlot, Petit Verdot, Carmenère
26
What Merlot contributes to the Bordeaux blend?
It contributes medium to pronounced intensity fruit (strawberry and red plum with herbaceous flavours in cooler years; cooked blackberry, black plum in hot years), medium tannins and medium to high alcohol.
27
Name three First Growths (Premiers Crus) from Pauillac?
Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Mouton Rothschild,
28
Name second white wine of Château Haut-Brion?
La Clarté de Haut-Brion (as of 2009 vintage)
29
What kind of wine is produced in Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AOP?
Appellation reserved only for sweet white wine. Formerly, reds were allowed but these are now produced as Côtes de Bordeaux instead.
30
Name two Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus) from Pauillac?
Château Pichon Longueville Baron, and Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande.
31
What Cabernet Sauvignon contributes to the Bordeaux blend?
It contributes pronounced violet, blackcurrant, black cherry and menthol or herbaceous flavours, medium alcohol, and high acidity and tannins to the Bordeaux blend.
32
Name two Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus) from Saint-Estèphe?
Château Cos d'Estournel, and Château Montrose.
33
What Cabernet Franc contributes to the Bordeaux blend?
It contributes red fruit, high acidity and medium tannins.
34
What appellation has most Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus)?
Margaux and Saint-Julien. They both have five classified chateaux as Second growth.
35
Describe wines produced from Sémillon?
Light intensity apple, lemon and, if under ripe, grassy, flavours, a medium body, medium alcohol and medium to medium (+) acidity.
36
What Sémillon contributes to the high quality dry white Bordeaux blend?
It contributes low to medium intensity aromas, weight and body, and medium acidity. As such, it softens Sauvignon Blanc’s more intense flavours and high acidity. It has a strong affinity with vanilla and sweet spice flavours from new French oak.
37
What Sémillon contributes to the botrytis-affected sweet Bordeaux wines?
It contributes pronounced honey and dried fruit (lemon, peach) character and a waxy texture.
38
Why is Sémillon more favoured than Sauvignon Blanc in botrytis-affected sweet Bordeaux wines?
Sémillon is more susceptible to botrytis than Sauvignon Blanc. Sémillon is also prized for its ageability, developing toast and honeyed notes with age in contrast to Sauvignon Blanc that can hold but whose flavours do not evolve.
39
What Sauvignon Blanc contributes to the white Bordeaux wines?
It contributes its grassy and gooseberry fruit and high acidity
40
Describe typical red Bordeaux AOC?
Medium intensity red fruit, high acidity, medium (+) tannins, medium body and medium alcohol. Mainly made from Merlot. Most of the wines are acceptable to good quality and inexpensive to mid-priced.
41
Name four most famous Sauternes First Growths (Premiers Crus)?
Château Suduiraut, Château Climens, Château Rieussec, Château Coutet
42
Name four St-Émilion Premiers Grands Crus Classés A? (2012)
Château Ausone, Château Cheval-Blanc and newly promoted Château Angélus, Château Pavie.
43
What is the name of Sauternes property owned by the Lur Saluces family (previous owners of d'Yquem) that is often regarded as d'Yquem junior?
Château de Fargues, the same winemaking techniques are used as at d'Yquem and de Fargues often matches d`Yquem in terms of power and intensity.
44
Name three most famous of the great dry whites coming from Bordeaux?
Châteaux Haut Brion, Laville Haut Brion and Domaine de Chevalier.
45
Describe typical white Bordeaux AOC?
Medium intensity gooseberry and lemon fruit, medium body, high acidity and medium alcohol. Increasing amounts of Sauvignon Blanc. Most of the wines are acceptable to good quality and inexpensive to mid-priced.
46
Name three most famous producers of Sauternes?
Châteaux d'Yquem, Rieussec and Climens.
47
What Haut Medoc appellation has advantage in vintages when summers are dry and hot?
Saint-Estèphe AOC, it has more clay in the soil than the neighbours, water retaining capacity of the clay soils.
48
What kind of wines are Médoc AOC and Haut-Médoc AOC?
Only red wines from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. As these are large areas, wines come in a wide range of prices and quality levels.
49
What is the most northerly and coolest of the four prestigious Left Bank Médoc communes?
Saint-Estèphe AOC. At 40 per cent, it has more Merlot planted than the other three, as it can ripen successfully here and is well suited to the clay soils away from the estuary.
50
What reputation have Saint-Estèphe wines?
Due its cooler regional climate, Saint-Estèphe has a reputation for rustic wines that need many years in the bottle to soften the tannins. However, some wines are softer and more accessible, especially from the warmer gravel soils or where there is a significant proportion of Merlot in the blend.
51
What reputation have Pauillac wines?
Stylistically it is regarded as the most structured wine of the Left Bank, with high tannins and high acidity, giving it the capacity for long ageing. Appellation has a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon planted
52
What reputation have Saint-Julien wines?
Stylistically it is often regarded as a mid-way point between the powerful structure of Pauillac and the finesse of Margaux. Like Pauillac, this appellation has a very high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon planted.
53
What reputation have Margaux wines?
Margaux has a reputation for the perfumed wines with silky tannins. There is slightly less Cabernet Sauvignon planted and slightly more Merlot.
54
Name two appellations that are further from the river than the four single commune appellations on Right Bank?
Listrac-Médoc AOC and Moulis AOC. Only for reds.
55
What kind of wine can be produced in Graves AOC?
This is large appellation for white and red wines, with 85 per cent of wine being red.
56
What kind of wine can be produced in Graves Supérieures AOC?
Late picked and/or botrytis-affected sweet wines
57
What appellation has the reputation for producing the best white wines of Bordeaux?
Pessac-Léognan AOC, sub-region within Graves AOC. It is known for high quality, often barrel-fermented and aged white wines and high-quality red wines, though the red/white split is 80/20 percent.
58
Describe white wine from Pessac-Léognan AOC?
Typically a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and have pronounced aromas of gooseberry, lemon and grapefruit with vanilla and clove oak notes, medium (+) body, medium (+) to high acidity and medium to high alcohol.
59
Where is from Château Ducru-Beaucaillou?
St.-Julien
60
What kind of wine can be produced in Entre-deux-Mers AOC?
Only white wines, red wine is produced within the appellation area but is bottled as Bordeaux. This is the second largest appellation in terms of hectares in Bordeaux.
61
What kind of wine can be produced in Saint-Émilion and Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOC?
Only red wine, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru has lower maximum yields and longer minimum maturation time (20 months, as opposed to six months). Merlot is the dominant grape variety (60 per cent) and Cabernet Franc the next most grown variety.
62
What two rivers form Gironde estuary?
River Garonne and the River Dordogne
63
What Growth is Château Ducru-Beaucaillou?
Second Growth (Deuxième Cru)
64
Pressac Noir is historic name for what grape variety?
Malbec
65
What estate was elevated from a second growth to a first growth in 1973?
Château Mouton Rothschild
66
What kind of wine is produced in Bordeaux Supérieur AOP?
Red and medium sweet white wines from the whole Bordeaux region produced under slightly stricter conditions. Main difference from basic Bordeaux is a little more alcohol needed in finished wine and higher density planting
67
What is the name of IGP title for Bordeaux?
The Atlantique IGP for production of red, white, and rosé wines from a dizzying array of varieties, from Cabernet Sauvignon to Meunier to Chardonnay. Very few producers are actually within the confines of Bordeaux; more often, Atlantique IGP vignerons are located in the neighboring AOP regions of Bergerac, Duras, or Cognac.
68
Name first château to begin estate-bottling its entire production?
Mouton-Rothschild in 1924. In 1972, château bottling finally became compulsory for classified estates in the Médoc.
69
What kind of wine is produced in Graves AOP?
Still white and red dry wines from Bordeaux varieties. With the creation of the Pessac-Léognan AOP for the more quality northern sector, the use of the regional Graves appellation is a good sign the producer hails from the south.
70
What kind of wine is produced in Graves Supérieures AOP?
This appellation authorizes only sweet white production, with most appellation wines finishing around 40-50 g/l of residual sugar.
71
What kind of wine is produced in Pessac-Léognan AOP?
Established in 1987, production of both red and dry white wines, stricter controls than those of the basic Graves appellation.
72
What is "pourriture noble"?
French word for Noble rot.
73
What kind of wine is "Ygrec"?
Dry white wine produced by Château d’Yquem, most coveted Bordeaux blanc (and occasionally Bordeaux Supérieur blanc) wine from Sauternes as the communes of Sauternes are excluded from the boundaries of Graves and dry wines need to labeled just as generic Bordeaux.
74
What kind of wine is produced in Cérons AOP?
Sweet white wines but Botrytis develops less reliably than in Sauternes, permitted yields are higher, and the resulting wines are less concentrated. Most growers decide to make dry white and red wines labeled Graves.
75
Describe top quality wines from Saint-Émilion?
Pronounced red and black plum fruit with noticeable vanilla and clove new oak character, with a full body, high alcohol, medium (+) to high acidity and medium (+) to high tannins. Because of the high fruit concentration, high acidity and tannins, the best wines can age for many years in bottle.
76
What Growth is Château Cos d'Estournel?
Second Growth (Deuxième Cru)
77
Where is from Château Cos d'Estournel?
St.-Estèphe
78
What kind of wine can be produced in Pomerol AOC?
Small but very prestigious appellation for red wines with Merlot as the dominant grape (around 80 per cent), Cabernet Franc being the next most grown variety.
79
Describe wines from Pomerol?
Pronounced red and black plum fruit with noticeable vanilla and clove new oak character, with a full body, high alcohol, medium (+) to high acidity and medium (+) to high tannins. Because of the high fruit concentration, high acidity and tannins, the best wines can age for many years in bottle. Similar to the top wines of Saint-Émilion
80
What kind of wine can be produced in Côtes de Bordeaux AOC?
Red and white, the dominant grape variety is Merlot and the wines are similar in style and price to Médoc AOC.
81
What are two most important Sweet Wine Appellations in Bordeaux?
Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC. Wines from the commune of Barsac may be labelled as either Barsac AOC or Sauternes AOC.
82
What are the ideal situation for noble rot to occur?
When morning mists are burnt off by the middle of the day, with sunshine in the afternoon drying the grapes to avoid the development of grey rot.
83
Name two rivers that are responsible for ideal conditions for development of Noble rot?
Cold Ciron River meets the warmer Garonne River, promoting morning mists.
84
Describe sweet wines of Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC?
The wines have pronounced aromas of citrus peel, honey, tropical fruit (mango) with vanilla oak notes; they are full bodied, with high alcohol, medium to medium (+) acidity and a sweet finish.
85
What is the name for Cabernet Franc in St-Emilion and Pomerol?
Bouchet
86
Name Saint-Émilion two red wine-only appellations?
Saint-Émilion AOP and Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOP (must be estate-bottled, lower yields). Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé and Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé are part of Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation.
87
In Sauternes classification what category is Ch. d’Yquem?
Premier Cru Supérieur, special category only for Ch. d’Yquem.
88
Name four official classifications in Bordeaux?
The 1855 classification, the Graves classification, Saint-Émilion classification, and the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc classification.
89
Name notable producers found close to Chateau Petrus in Pomerol?
Vieux Château Certan, Chateau Lafleur, Chateau l’Evangile, Chateau Trotanoy, Chateau Clinet, Chateau la Conseillante, Chateau Petit Village and Le Pin are all less than one kilometer from the fabled estate, high up on the plateau.
90
Name two communes for production of Pomerol AOP?
Libourne and Pomerol.
91
What kind of wine is produced in Entre-Deux-Mers AOP?
This is appellation for only dry white wines but Merlot dominates the region’s vineyards today, destined for Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur AOP wines. In fact, nearly three-quarters of Bordeaux AOP wines are produced in the Entre-Deux-Mers region.
92
What is the 1855 classification of Bordeaux chateaux?
Classification of 60 leading properties or châteaux from the Médoc and one from the Graves, ranked in five tiers, referred to as crus or growths, from first growths down to fifth growths.
93
What is the Graves classification of chateaux?
Graves classification from 1959 is a simple list with no sub-divisions based on pricing, fame and quality as judged by tasting and can be for red and white wines. 16 classified châteaux all located within the sub region of Pessac Léognan.
94
What is the Saint-Émilion classification of chateaux?
Starting from 1955 châteaux are judged on their terroir, methods of production, reputation and commercial considerations and a blind tasting of at least 10 vintages. The classification includes four tiers. The most recent revision of 2012 still stands.
95
Name four tiers of Saint-Émilion classification?
Premier Grand Cru Classé A, Premier Grand Cru Classé B, Grand Cru Classé and Grand Cru. The use of the term ‘Grand Cru’ for the lowest tier of classified Saint-Émilion is regarded by many outside of the region as misleading.
96
What is the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc classification?
Created in 1932, Cru Bourgeois is a level below Cru Classé, but still of superior quality, awarded annually to individual wines rather than to châteaux as a mark of quality based on an assessment of both production methods and the finished product. Wines are classified as one of three tiers of quality. Any property in the Médoc may apply.
97
Name three tiers of Crus Bourgeois du Médoc classification?
Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel
98
What is the only top-quality appellation in Bordeaux that does not have a classification system at all?
Pomerol
99
What is a French term for Protected Designation of Origin?
Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP), it replaced Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC)
100
What is a French term for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)?
Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP), previous Vin de Pays (VDP). Producers retain the choice of whether to use the VDP or IGP titles on their labels, or both – in the form "IGP-Vin de Pays".
101
What is a French term for Table wines?
Vin de France, both vintage and varietal may now appear on the label.
102
What is the climate in Bordeaux?
Maritime, Atlantic and Gironde estuary acting as moderating influences preventing winter freezes and spring frost. Rain, especially at harvest can be a problem.
103
Name some of the best Pessac-Leognan red wines?
Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, Chateau Pape Clement, Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion, Chateau Pape Clement, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Domaine de Chevalier
104
Name some of the best Pessac-Leognan white wines?
Chateau Haut-Brion Blanc, Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc, Chateau Pape Clement Blanc, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
105
What are croupes?
Gravel mounds found in Haut-Medoc
