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36 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Bordeaux Background
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Largest Appellation Contrôlée region in France
Over 115,000 ha of vineyards Over 6 million cases of wine produced annually 57 Appellations Bordeaux Rouge most important appellation Bordeaux Rouge & Bordeaux Superieur account for 45% of total production |
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Château
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Estate under single ownership
More than 7,000 chateaux Size of the chateau varies with purchase or sale of vineyard (Ch. Pétrus has increased by 50% since 1969) |
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Négociant
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An agent who purchases fruit or wine, then ages it in their own cellar
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En Primeur Sales (futures)
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Buying wines before they are
released - Wines may be purchased and “managed” on the property until ready for bottling. - Sale may take place in “tranches.” The price increases in 2nd & 3rd tranches. |
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Climate
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Maritime climate: high humidity helps to form botrytis in Sauternes but can also cause grey rot in red varieties
Less extreme seasonal temperatures Large variations in weather from year to year with regular rainfall Winds from Atlantic can be problematic but vineyards protected by forests to west & north |
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Northern Graves
Soil |
Best vineyards planted on gravel (Graves) especially in the Medoc & northern Graves.
Rich alluvial soils on borders of rivers St. Emilion: gravel over limestone Pomerol: iron pan under sand (Petrus) |
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Red Grapes
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Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot Cabernet Franc (Bouchet) Petit Verdot Malbec (Cot) |
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White Grapes
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Semi'on
Sauvignon Blanc Muscadelle |
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Bordeaux Encépagement
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Médoc communes (left bank)
- 70% Cabernet Sauvignon - 30% Merlot & minor varieties St Emilion & Pomerol (right bank) - 70% Merlot - 25% Cabernet Franc |
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Médoc
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Home to many of the most prestigious chateaux
Two sub-appellations: - Haut Médoc - Médoc 6 communal appellations Red wines predominate |
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Médoc Communes
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Saint Estèphe
Pauillac Saint Julien Listrac Moulis Margaux |
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Saint-Estephe
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2,700 acres
Northern-most commune of the Haut Medoc Wines are generally sturdy, full-bodied, and age-worthy Five classified growths including the 2nd Growths Chateaux Cos d’Estournel and Montrose |
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Saint-Julien
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Smallest commune but largest % of classified growths (11)
Style combines elegance of Pauillac with sturdiness of St.- Estephe Five 2nd Growths: Chateaux Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville-Las-Cases, Léoville-Poyferré, Léoville-Barton, Gruaud-Larose |
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Pauillac
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Considered to be the epitome of “claret”
Wines that balance power & finesse A large number of classified growths Three 1st Growths |
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Listrac & Moulis
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Lesser appellations
Cabernet-based wines No classified growths Some excellent values Listrac: Chateaux Fourcas-Hosten, Fourcas-Dupré, Clarke. |
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Margaux
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Largest commune in the Haut Medoc
Lower percentage of classified growths Wines known for their elegance and finesse One 1st Growth: Chateau Margaux Other notable wines: Chateaux: Palmer, Giscours, Brane-Cantenac |
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1855 Classification
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The 1855 classification classified 61 properties in the
Medoc (one in the Graves) Commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III for the Universal Exhibition in Paris Wines rated by price & categorized into first through fifth growths Only one change in 1973: Château Mouton- Rothschild was promoted from 2ème to 1er Cru Graves (except Haut-Brion) & Saint Emilion are not included |
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Bordeaux Growths
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1er Crus - 5
2ème Crus - 14 3ème Crus - 14 4ème Crus - 10 5ème Crus - 18 |
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Graves & Péssac-Léognan
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Appellation for red and dry white wines
Châteaux classified in 1953, reviewed in 1959 with separate lists for red and white No ranking - all may call themselves Cru Classé Château Haut-Brion is included although it retains its first growth status from the 1855 classification Péssac-Léognan AC was created in 1987 for 10 villages in the north of the Graves district |
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Graves & Péssac-Léognan AOCs
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Graves
Pessac-Léognan Sauternes Barsac Cérons |
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Sauternes & Barsac
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World famous botrytis dessert wines made from:
- Semillon - Sauvignon Blanc - Muscadelle Some dry wines also produced but only qualify as Bordeaux (Supérieure) |
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Botrytis: La Pourriture Noble
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Fungus that develops under certain conditions
Distinctively scented wines, very high in extract Most complex and longest-lived of the sweet wines Spores pierce grape skin, dehydrating the grape Concentrates sugars, acids & flavour compounds Flavor profile changes significantly Does not develop uniformly Several tries, or trips, through vineyard are required to complete harvest |
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Sauternes Communes
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Sauternes
Bommes Fargues Preignac Barsac |
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Other Sweet Wine AOC’s
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Loupiac
Cadillac Cérons Sainte-Croix-du-Mont Premières Côtes de Bordeaux |
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Saint-Emilion Classification
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Classification created in 1959, reviewed in 1969, 1986, 1996, & 2006
Premier Grand Cru Classé A & B Grand Cru Classé Grand Cru AOC |
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Saint-Emilion
Premier Grand Cru Classé A |
Château Ausone
Cheval Blanc |
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Saint-Emilion
Premier Grand Cru Classé B |
Chateau Figeac
Chateau Pavie Chateau Angélus Chateau Magdelaine |
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Saint-Emilion “Satellite” AOCs
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Lussac Saint-Emilion
Puisseguin Saint-Emilion Montagne Saint-Emilion Mainly chalk-clay Saint Georges Saint-Emilion |
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Pomerol
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5 square miles - 700 hectares
Small properties with limited production No classification AOC for red wines only: app. 75% Merlot with 25% Cabernet Franc |
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Pomerol
Principal Châteaus |
Pétrus
Château Le Pin Château La Fleur Pétrus Château Trotanoy Château Clinet |
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Bourg and Blaye
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Oldest vineyard region in
Bordeaux Higher rainfall than in the Medoc Bordeaux varieties, mainly red production |
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AOCs
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Blaye/Côtes de Blaye
- red wines Premier Côtes de Blaye - red and white wines Fronsac & Canon Fronsac - red only Côtes de Francs Côtes de Casti'on Entre-Deux-Mers - white only Bourg or Côtes de Bourg - red and white wines |
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Left Bank
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2007 - Inconsistent quality; top names made the best wines.
Delicate and balanced 2006 - Top estates made the best wines, which are solid, tannic & racy; others slightly hollow 2005 - Fabulous aromas and great length; wines with depth, structure and finesse 2004 - Northern Médoc shines more in a less-than-ideal vintage 2003 - Exotic and powerful, with big, velvety tannins 2002 - Cool-style clarets, with firm tannins; stick to top names 2001 - Sleeper vintage; balanced, fruity and structured 2000 - Postmodern classic; benchmark Bordeaux |
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Right Bank
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2007 - Aromatic & lightly fruity, with fine tannins. Some wines
overextracted 2006 - Best vineyards shine with balanced, structured reds; most others slightly austere 2005 - Opulent and powerful, with solid backbones of tannins and acidity; amazing Pomerols 2000 - Rich, powerful and structured, yet harmonious |
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Sauternes
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2003 - Exotic, ripe and spicy; good botrytis
2001 - Magnificently rich and structured, yet balanced 1999 - Creamy, rich and spicy 1997 - Balanced, racy and structured; classy |
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Older Vintages
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1982 - intense ripe fruit and generous in style; plenty of round tannins. St.-Julien and St.-Emilion stand out
1985 - Balanced, supple and fruity; defines finesse 1986 - Powerful, intense and tannic; best in Médoc 1988 - Racy, fruity wines, with firm tannins and typical structure; best in Pessac-Léognan, Pomerol and Pauilla 1989 - Bold, dramatic fruit character; tannic and long-aging 1990 - Opulent, well-structured & harmonious 1995 - Harmonious, rich and structured; longlived 1996 - Wet August, yet Cabernets still excellent; firm |
