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WSET Level 4 D3 2025 > Bordeaux > Flashcards

Bordeaux Flashcards

(46 cards)

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1
Q

% of AOC wine production in Bordeaux?

A
  • 85 % red
  • 9 % dry white
  • 5% rosé
  • <1% sweet white
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2
Q

1855 Classification?

A
  • Exposition Universelle de Paris
  • Bordeaux chamber of commerce
  • Brokers
  • Based on price
  • Médoc + Haut-Brion in Graves = 5 bands
  • Sauternes = 3 bands
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3
Q

How many hectares planted in Bordeaux?

A
  • 108k ha
  • 72% = Bordeaux/Supérieur/Médoc/Cộtes (inexpensive to mid-price)
  • 5% = cru classés
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4
Q

Climate in Bordeaux?

A
  • Moderate maritime
  • Warm Gulf Stream
  • Protection from Landes
  • Vintage variation
  • Frost, hail, rain
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5
Q

Best conditions in Bordeaux?

A
  • Warm growing season
  • Plentiful rain
  • Dry and warm first month of autumn
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6
Q

Problems due to rain in Bordeaux?

A
  • Rain at flowering = poor fruit set
  • Disease pressure
  • Unripe fruit
  • Dillution
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7
Q

Climate change in Bordeaux?

A
  • Hot, dry summers
  • 2003
  • Low acidity
  • High alcohol
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8
Q

Frost in Bordeaux?

A
  • 2017
  • Loss of crops
  • Médoc = closer to Gironde = protection
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9
Q

Vintage variation in Bordeaux?

A
  • 2017 = frost = 33% less than 10-year average
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10
Q

Left Bank soils?

A
  • Gravel mixed with clay and sand
  • Top estates = gravel mounds = Croupes
  • Drainage + diurnal
  • Wines from clay soils = robust and less quality
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11
Q

Drought stress in Bordeaux?

A
  • 2003 and 2005
  • Undeep soils
  • Drainage of soils
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12
Q

Right Bank soils?

A
  • More clay, some gravel patches
  • Limestone plateau
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13
Q

Merlot

A
  • Early budding
  • Mid Ripening
  • Susceptible to coulure, drought, rot
  • Large berries due to water
  • High sugar
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14
Q

Cabernet Sauvignon

A
  • Late budding
  • Late ripening
  • Small-berries, thick-skins
  • Fungal disease, trunk disease
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15
Q

Sémillon

A
  • Mid-ripening
  • Botrytis
  • High yields
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16
Q

Vine density in prestigious regions in Bordeaux?

A
  • High
  • 10k vines per ha
  • Infertile soils, moderate vigour
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17
Q

Vine density in less prestigious regions in Bordeaux?

A
  • Low
  • 3000 vines per ha
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18
Q

Training in Bordeaux?

A
  • Head-trained, replacement cane-pruned
  • Double Guyot on Left Bank
  • Single Guyot on Right Bank
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19
Q

Canopy management in Bordeaux?

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A
  • Leaf removal during summer (disease + shading)
  • Soft pruning
  • Bunch thinning (but winter pruning is better for balance)
20
Q

Harvest in Bordeaux?

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A
  • Machinal (difficult to find labour)
  • Top estates by hand for quality
21
Q

Sorting in Bordeaux?

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A
  • Not for inexpensive
  • During harvest by hand
  • On a belt/ optical sorting
22
Q

Fermentation for red Bordeaux?

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A
  • Closed vats
  • Pump-overs
  • Cultured yeast
  • Wood, stainless steel and concrete
  • Temperature control
23
Q

Fermentation temperature and maceration time for early drinking red Bordeaux?

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Mid-range temperatures
  • 5–7 days on skins
24
Q

Fermentation temperature and maceration time for high quality red Bordeaux?

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A
  • Mid-range to warm temperatures
  • 14–30 days on the skins
  • Maceration time reduced in poor vintages (unripe fruit)
25
Maturation for early drinking red Bordeaux?
- Draining - Gentle pressing - Stainless steel or large vats - 6 months - Oak chips optional - MLF
26
Maturation for high quality red Bordeaux?
- Draining - Gentle pressing - French oak 225L barriques (100% new, or mixed) - 18-24 months - Racking or micro-oxygenation - Rapid MLF for en primeur (heated cellars)
27
Blending in red Bordeaux?
- Decide later how much press wine into blend for structure - Over the winter for en primeur - Few months before bottling
28
Generic white Bordeaux winemaking?
- Directly pressed - Cool temperatures - Stainless steel tanks - Few months - Clarify and bottle
29
High quality white Bordeaux winemaking?
- Directly pressed for freshness / 24h skin maceration for aroma and phenolics - Barriques (new or mixed) - No MLF - Bâtonnage (but not in hot vintages because balance body/acid)
30
Grape growing for sweet Bordeaux
- Pruning to low number of buds - Removal of damaged fruit - Trained harvesters to see difference with grey rot - Several passes - Harvest September to November - Winemaking as white wine
31
The level of botrytis in Bordeaux?
- Weather conditions - Proximity of estate to mist - Willingness to wait for best harvest time - Willingness to pay for multiple passes
32
Saint-Estephe AOC
- Most Northerly = cooler - 43% Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon on gravel close to Gironde - Rustic wines that need ageing
33
Pauillac AOC
- 63% Cabernet Sauvignon - Many top estates have 70-80% Cabernet Sauvignon - Most structured - Three of the five First Growths
34
Saint-Julien AOC
- Mid-way point: structure of Pauillac + finesse of Margaux
35
Margaux AOC
- Most South - Slightly more Merlot than Pauillac or Saint-Julien - Drainage needed due to clay - Perfumed wines with silky tannins
36
Pomerol AOC
- 80% Merlot - Second Cabernet Franc - No classification - Petrus = 12 ha vs First growths with 100ha
37
Côtes de Bourg AOC
- 10% Malbec
38
Sauternes AOC
- 80% Sémillon - Sauvignon Blanc + Muscadelle - Cold Ciron River meets warmer Garonne River (morning mist) - Mist burns of in middle day - Afternoon sun to dry the grapes - 50% of sweet wine production in Bordeaux - Barsac = labelled either Barsac AOC or Sauternes AOC - Max 25 hL/ha - Crisis due to low demand - Many estates make now dry white instead
39
Classification of Sauternes
- First and Second growths - Ch. d’Yquem = Premier Cru Supérieur
40
Business in Bordeaux?
- Over 7,000 estates - Consolidation to make viable volumes - The average estate size is rising = 20 hectares - 800 million bottle per year - ¼ of production are co-ops
41
Production costs for classed growth Bordeaux
- €16 per bottle vs €0.5 for generic - Vine density (planting material, trelisses, tractors) - Harvest costs - Viticultural costs - Lower yield - Sorting - Barrel ageing (new oak + cash flow)
42
Bordeaux markets?
- Supermarkets - 45% volume export: China USA Belgium - 170 countries
43
La place de Bordeaux?
- Producer (estate, co-ops, wineries) - Sells wine to +/- 40 merchants (négociant) = Set in place by broker (courtier) - Merchant sells wine to distributor (importer, wholesaler, retailer)
44
How much % does each party take in Bordeaux
- Broker 2% - Merchant 15%
45
Inexpensive markets for Bordeaux
- Low demand in France - High competition from Chile, Australia,.. - Co-ops and small producers - Mostly French supermarkets
46
High quality markets for Bordeaux
- First growths and other high quality - En primeur - Paper transaction in spring,1 year before bottling - 2012: Ch. Latour no longer en primeur

WSET Level 4 D3 2025 (3 decks)

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