Bordeaux

Question 1

Climate?

Answer 1

Maritime climate - cool summers & winters
very narrow temperature range
evenly dispersed rainfall throughout the year

Question 2

Soil?

Answer 2

gravel, sandy stone, clay and limestone

Question 3

Which is the main estuary? and what are its two rivers?

Answer 3

Gironde estuary -

dordogne river and garonne river

Question 4

what role do the rivers play in affecting the climate

Answer 4

irrigates the land and causes maritime climate.

Question 5

what 3 parts do the rivers divide bordeaux into

Answer 5

The right bank - of dordgone
entre deux mers - between the rivers
The left bank - of garonne

Question 6

Quality levels of France

Answer 6

Vin de france
Indication Geographique protegee
vins delimite de qualite superieure(discontinued)
Appellation d’origine protegee

Question 7

what is vin de france

Answer 7

100% of grapes from france. vin de table term is discontinued.

Question 8

what is indication geographique protegee

Answer 8

vin de pays - 85% of grapes if singlre varietal

100% if blend of 2

Question 9

what is size of a barrique

Answer 9

225 litres

Question 10

which cask is used for fermentation

Answer 10

French limousin oak. 20-25% is new

Question 11

what is chai

Answer 11

It is a single storey building for storing barriques

Question 12

what is assemblage

Answer 12

blending or marriage of wine before bottling

Question 13

how does oak affect the wine

Answer 13

Imparts tannin flavour, bouquet and oxidation

Question 14

what is a bordeaux blend

Answer 14

Cabernet sauvignon + merlot.

others - malbec, cabernet franc, petit verdot

Question 15

What are red wines of bordeaux called

Answer 15

clarets

Question 16

What is a white bordeaux blend

Answer 16

Sauvignon blanc, Sauvignon gris, Semillon, Muscadelle, ugni blanc, colombard, merlot blanc.

Question 17

What are the main and top quality districts of bordeaux

Answer 17

Medoc, 
Graves,
St- emillion, 
Sauternes, 
Barsac, 
Pomerol

Question 18

Name the other districts

Answer 18

Cerons, Cadillac, Loupiac, Entre-deux-mers, Fronsac, Premier cote de bordeaux, st.croix de mont

Question 19

Bordeaux classification system - which year and ordered by whom?

Answer 19

April, 1855
Napolean the 3rd ordered a country wine list o be made.
Grand cru classe - 5 growths

Question 20

How many vineyards in 1855 classification system?

Answer 20

Total 61
1st - 5
2nd - 14
3rd - 14
4th - 10
5th - 18

Question 21

Any major changes in the 1855 classification

Answer 21

in 1973, chateau mouton-rothschild upgraded to cru 1 from 2

Question 22

Name the premier crus

Answer 22

chateau latour - Paulliac
chateau lafite - Paulliac
chateau mouton rothschild - Paulliac
chateau margaux - margaux
chateau haut-brion - pessac leognan

Question 23

Cru bourgeois classification

Answer 23

established in 1932, updates in 2003
447 chateaux originally
-x-
in 2003 - Cru Bourgeois exceptional = 9
                 Cru Bourgeois Superieurs = 87
                 Cru Bourgeois = 151
-x- 
200 left out - caused conflict, in 2007, bordeaux court reverted back to old classification system

Question 24

Medoc is divided into which two parts

Answer 24

haut-medoc and bas medoc

Question 25

what is the soil like in medoc

Answer 25

gravel, clay, limestone

Question 26

Which are the top 6 communes of medoc and how many are there in total

Answer 26

``` total = 16 Paulliac Marhaux St- estephe st-julien Moulis Listrac ```

Question 27

Which is the top grape in medoc and what are the grapes used in the blend

Answer 27

Cabernet Sauvignon | CS, cabernet franc, Merlot, Petit verdot, Malbec and carmenere

Question 28

what is the name of the premier cru chateau located in graves

Answer 28

pessac - leognan

Question 29

villages of graves

Answer 29

sauternes, barsac, pessac, talence, leognan, martillac, st-morillon, portets

Question 30

Graves AOC

Answer 30

graves Aoc = red and dry white wine | Graves superieur AOC = sweet white wines

Question 31

what is sauternes famous for?

Answer 31

Sweet white wines attacked by botrytis cinerea

Question 32

what are botrytis cinerea wines called in france

Answer 32

pourriture noble

Question 33

what grapes are most susceptible to attack from botrytis?

Answer 33

sauvignon blanc semillon muscadelle

Question 34

most famous and only premiere cru chateau of sauternes

Answer 34

chateau d'Yquem

Question 35

communes of sauternes

Answer 35

``` sauternes barsac fargues bommes preignac ```

Question 36

1855 classification of sauternes

Answer 36

premier cru superiere =1 premier cru = 11 deuxiemes cru = 15

Question 37

describe wines of barsac

Answer 37

``` botrytis wine sweet whites min 13% abv for AOC matured in cask for 3 yrs matured in bottle for 30-40 yrs ```

Question 38

what is the soil profile in st-emilion

Answer 38

clay, limestone, gravel

Question 39

what grapes are used in st-emilion

Answer 39

merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec

Question 40

St- emilion premiere grand cru classe CLASS A

Answer 40

Chateau Ausone Chateau Cheval blanc - cab franc wines Chateau Pavie Chateau Angelus

Question 41

Which AOC is only for red wines in bordeaux

Answer 41

Pomerol AOC

Question 42

What is the soil profile of pomerol

Answer 42

gravel, east and iron stone

Question 43

Main grapes of pomerol

Answer 43

Merlot cabernet franc cabernet sauvignon

Question 44

Name the top pomerol chateaux

Answer 44

``` Chateau Petrus Chateau La fleur Chateau Conseillante Chateau Vielle certon de mary de certan Chateau L'eglise clinet Chateau Trotonoy Chateau Latour a Pomerol Chateau L' Evangile ```