Bordeaux Flashcards
(42 cards)
What are the major & minor red grapes of Bordeaux?
Major: Cab, cab franc, merlot
petit verdot, carmenere, malbec
Minor: Castets, Touriga Nacional, Marselan, Arinaroa
What are the major & minor white grapes of Bordeaux?
Major: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle, Sauvignon Gris
Minor: Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Merlot Blanc, lilorilla, alvarinho
What styles of wine are made in Bordeaux?
Dry red, dry rosé, claret, dry white, off dry white, sweet white, sparkling white & rosé
How is Bordeaux Supérior AOC more strict than Bordeaux AOC?
Higher minimum alcohol for dry red and off dry whites only!
What does merlot contribute to a blend?
lush, full body, juicy black fruit
What does cabernet contribute to a blend?
power, tannin, structure, color, ageability
What does cab franc contribute to a blend
fresh acid, bright red fruit, herbaceous aromatics
What does sauvignon blanc contribute to a blend?
Citrus fruit, lively acid.
What does semillon contribute to a blend?
Body & texture, tones down sauvignon blanc’s acid, interesting aromatics with age (beeswax, honey)
What does muscadelle contribute to a blend?
intense floral character
Why were 6 new varieties added to Bordeaux AOC’s list of allowed grapes? What % is allowed?
As a hedge against climate change
5% combined in red, rosé, & claret
10% in white
What do petit verdot, malbec, & carmenere contribute to blends?
pv adds intense color & exotic perfume
Carmenere & malbec add similar qualities as merlot but are rarely planted these days
What is the climate of Bordeaux?
Maritime, with the most rainfall in all of France
What moderates Bordeaux’s climate?
The bodies of water: atlantic ocean, gironde estuary, dordogne & garonne moderate temperature, protect agains winter freeze & spring frost
la landes man-made pine forest & coastal sand dunes keep the worst of the atlantic storms & westerly winds from damaging vines.
What are the important soils of the left bank, right bank, & graves?
Left bank is gravel dominant with clay outcroppings
Right bank is clay & limestone dominant
Graves has boulbenes, a unique mix of clay, gravel, & sand.
Who drained the swamps of the left bank? When?
The dutch in the 1600s
When did the English control Bordeaux? What was the affect of this control?
From 1152 to 1453; it created a market for bordeaux wines in england, and an age-old british affinity for claret. This wine-trade relationship helped give rise to the merchant class!
What is a negociant vs a courtier in Bordeaux?
negociants historically bought fruit or wine and bottled and sold it under their own label. They were fully eclipsed by courtiers by WWII as estate bottling became the norm. Courtiers provide estates financial backing, control the wine trade, & sell wine en premeur
What was the 1855 Classification?
Chateaux of the left bank were ranked ahead of the 1855 worlds fair, and resulted in the brand, not the vineyard, holding primacy in bordeaux. The original classification honored 4 estates and has held with the exception of 1 addition in 1973.
Why is blending dominant in Bordeaux?
It’s a hedge agains a marginal climate with significant vintage variation (if early budding merlot’s wiped out by spring frost, there’s always the late budding cab, for instance), there’s a patchwork of soils where different varieties thrive in bordeaux, and, these varieties have a natural affinity for each other and increase complexity in a blend!
Will reds always be a blend in Bordeaux?
Virtually yes, perhaps not in the case of Pétrus.
Will reds always see oak in Bordeaux?
No, oak usage varies greatly in Bordeaux. While the best reds will often see up to 2 years in a large % new oak barrique, most chateaux don’t have the money; large neutral barrels & stainless steel are prevalent too.
Will whites always be blends in Bordeaux? Will they always be dry? Will they always see oak?
Whites can be varietal or blends
They can see oak or not, and they can be dry or off dry and still be considered table wine.
What are the important rules of Bordeaux AOC?
Can be red, dry white, rosé, claret.
Has one subzone for whites: Haute Benauge, which is allowed to run the rs gamut.
