FR_Bordeaux_Left Bank Flashcards
(17 cards)
Grapes of Left Bank Bordeaux
* 1 Major
* 5 Minor
Major: Cabrernet Sauvignon
Minor: Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenere
4 Styles of Left Bank Bordeaux
- Dry
- Varietal
- Blends
- Late Harvest
Location of Left Bank Bordeaux
A 50-mile-long peninsula directly south of the Garonne River
3 Landmarks of Bordeaux’s Left Bank
• Port City of Bordeaux (between Margaux and Pessac Leognan)
• Medoc Peninsula is mostly man made.
• The Lades de Gascogne (lond de gas-
cone-ya) is a man-made forest that
mitigates climate variations.
What happened in Bordeaux during the mid 1600s
The Dutch want to expand trade. They drain the Left Bank marshlands, exposing mounds of gravel, and build channels. They increase viticulture. These wines are shipped worldwide and become famous.
Bordeaux Left Bank Appellations
4/6/4
-
MÉDOC (may-dock)
- Bas Médoc
-
Haut Médoc (oh may-dock)
- St-Estèph (sant ess-teff)
- Pauillac (poh-ee-yack)
- Saint-Julien (san Joo-lee-yun)
- Listrac-Medoc (lee-strack may-dock)
- Moulis-en-Medoc (moo-lee on may-dock)
- Magaux (mar-go)
-
GRAVES (grav)
- Pessac-Léognan (pay-sac lay-own-yon)
- Cérons (say roan)
- Barsac (bar-sack)
- Sauternes (so-tairn)
The 5 first growths of Bordeaux
- Château Latour (Pauillac): certified organic
- Château Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac)
-
Château Mouton Rothschild (Pauillac):
elevated from second growth in 1973 - Château Margaux (Margaux)
- Haut-Brion (oh bree-yon): Pessac Léognan
6/14 Deuxièmes Crus
(doe-zyèm)
where they are from
- Château Montrose: Saint Estèph: most structured, powerful, dense in region
- Château Cos d’Estournel (coss des-tour-nel): Saint Estèph: ripest, most exotic in region
- Château Ducru-Beaucaillou.(do-cru boo-cah-you): Saint Julien
-
Château Léoville-Las-Cases
(leo-vil las cause-uh): Saint Julien - Château Léoville-Barton: Saint Julien
-
Chateau Brane-Cantenac
(bran co-tuh-nack): Margaux
2/14 Troisièmes Crus
(trwa-zyèm)
where are they from
-
Château Kirwan (keer-wan):
margaux - Château Palmer: margaux
Saint Esteph
6 Descriptors
Grapes
Soil
- Rich, powerful, stuctured, full-bodied, tannic wines meant to age
- Cabernet and Merlot dominant
- Gravel, Clay and Limestone more clay here than other appelations
Pauillac (poh-ee-yack)
color, nose, tannin, body, aging
2 Facts
- Color: Deep, inky, concentrated
- Nose: Cassis, cedar, cegarbox
- Tannin: High and “grippy”
- Body: Full
- Ageing: Most need it. The best can age over 100 years
- Rich wines with excellent balance of power, elegance and complexity
- Highest Concentration of Bordeaux Cabernet found here
Saint Julien
4 Descriptors
3/5 Second Growths
- Elegant, Smoke. tobacco and truffle
- Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville-Las-Cases, Leoville Barton
Listrac Medoc / Moulis-en-Medoc
2 Facts
- Less gravel/more clay = more merlot and overall lighter wines
- Great quality for price, especially in great vintages
Margaux
• 2 Facts
• Number of 1st, 2nd, 3rd growths
• Shallower soils,
• Wines that are more elegant than
powerful
• 1, 5, 10
Cérons (say roan)
Location
Compared to Sauternes
- North of the Ciron river (see-roan), a tributary of Garonne, but not as effected as Sauternes (south of Ciron)
- Less Botrytis = Less sweet, dryer and lighter
Barsac
Grape/Style
Location
Soil
- Botrytis-effected sweet wines made from Semillon
- Within Sauternes, but is it’s own appelation
- More limestone here = more acidity
Sauternes (so-tairn)
Grapes/Style
River/Fungus
How it works
- Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle
- Late Harvest Wines
- Morning fog from the Ciron river (see-roan), including a fungus called botrytis, covers the grapes. The botrytis makes microscopic punctures in the skin that releases water and increase the sugar/acid content, resulting in lusciously sweet wines.
