General Flashcards
(28 cards)
What are the 6 Well-known RED Bordeaux grape varietals?
Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Malbec Petit Verdot & Carmenere
What are the 3 most widely known Bordeaux WHITE grape varietals?
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Muscadelle
What are the 2 most important sweet wine making appellations in Bordeaux and which larger region do they belong to?
Sauternes and Barsac
Both are located in Graves
What 2 rivers come together to form the Gironde Estuary?
The Dordogne and
The Garrone
What volume of wine does a Bordelaise barrique hold in Liters?
225 L
What composition of soil is the Medoc and Graves well-known for?
Gravel
What type of soil is Saint Emilion composed of?
Gravel and sand along a limestone escarpment.
What soil type is Pomerol most known for?
Iron pan under sand and clay
During roughly what time period was Bordeaux under British control?
How did it end up under British rule?
1200ish to 1450ish
It was Eleanor of Aquitaine’s dowry in marriage to Henry of Plantagenet.
What does one call Bordeaux’s smallest class of Appellations?
Commune Appellations
About what percent of total production in Bordeaux comes from its Regional Appellations?
~45%
About how many times larger of an area does Bordeaux cover when compared with Napa Valley?
About 8 times more
Which Regional AOC’s are located on the “Left Bank”?
Medoc
Haut Medoc
Graves
What are the 4 Commune Appellations in the Medoc? List from North to South.
NORTH Saint Estephe Pauillac Saint-Julien Margaux SOUTH
True or false, any white wine from the left bank may be labeled as Medoc AOC?
False, Medoc AOC is only for Reds. As are its communes. Whites outside the Entre Deux Mers may only be labeled as Bordeaux Blanc AOP.
What is Graves’ most notable dry wine subregion called?
Pessac-Leognan
Name 2 of Pessac-Leognan’s most notable dry white wine producers.
Chateaux Carbonnieux and
Chateau Smith Haut Lafite
Specify the purpose of each of the 3 Varietals added to Sauternes…
Sauvignon Blanc = Acidity
Semillon = Prone to Botrytis
Muscadelle = Aromatics
True or false, the Entre-Deux-Mers AOP is only for dry white wines?
True
What is the most prevalent soil type of the Entre-Deux-Mers?
Alluvial mixed with clay
Is oak used in the Entre-Deux-Mers?
Rarely. Usually it is Stainless Steel.
What combination of grapes is most common in Saint Emilion?
Merlot with Cabernet Franc
Is Saint Emilion Grand Cru AOC a quality classification?
No. It only specifies a slightly higher required minimum alcohol as opposed to Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe.
What are the 3 tries of Saint Emilion’s classification system?
- Premier Grand Cru Classe A (Best)
- Premier Grand Cru Classe B (Middle)
- Grand Cru Classe (like Bordeaux Superieur)
