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WSET Diploma Unit 3: France > Bordeaux > Flashcards

Bordeaux Flashcards

1
Q

What year did Arnaud de Pontac purchase Chateau Haut- Brion?

A

1525

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2
Q

Which first growth has a redesigned bottle, first appearing in 1960 for the 1959 vintage?

A

Chateau Haut- Brion

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3
Q

Francois Pinault

A

1936-

French business and art collector, the current owner of Chateau Latour

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4
Q

Baron James De Rothschild

A

1792- 1868

German- French banker, established the French branch of the Rothschild family

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5
Q

Pechartmant

A

Finest reds of Bergerac. Entirely red since 1993. East of Bergerac entirely within Rosette. Cabernet franc, Cab Sav, Merlot and Malbec

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6
Q

Rosette

A

Sweet white wines from Semillon, Sav and Muscadelle. Red wines as Bergerac.

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7
Q

Monbazillac

A

Slopes opposite Bergerac. Excellent value Sauternes- style dessert wines. Exclusively sweet wines from Semillon, Sav Blanc and Muscadelle

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8
Q

Madiran

A

One of the best appealations in SW France. North of Pav on the River Adour. Wines styles: Tannic chewy reds, with min. 60% Tannat with Cab Sav, Cab Franc and Fer

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9
Q

Cahors

A

High quality: one of the most reliable appealations in France. Once famous “Black Wine” prior to phylloxera. Merlot, Tannat introduced with replanting. Wines have min 70% Malbec with Tannat and Merlot max 30%

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10
Q

Chateau Lafone Rochet

A

Bordeaux, St Estephe

4th Eme

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11
Q

The type of wine of Ste- Croux- Du- Mont

A

Similar but lesser sweet wines than Saturnes that must contain some botrytised grapes.

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12
Q

The type of wine of Loupiac

A

Similar but lesser sweet wines than Sauternes that must contain some botrytised grapes.

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13
Q

The type of wine of Cerons AC

A

Sweet wines

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14
Q

The type of wine of Lalande De Pomerol AC

A

Good quality red wines

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15
Q

Name the satellite appellations of St- Emilion

A

Lussac, Montagne, Puisseguin, St- Georges

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16
Q

What is the ABV for Sauternes and Barsac?

A

13% ABV

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17
Q

What is Limousin?

A

The type of oak in which Bordeaux barriques are made out of

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18
Q

The style of Blaye AC wines

A

Average dry White wines

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19
Q

The style of Bourg AC wines

A

Average to good quality Red wines

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20
Q

The style of Fronsac and Canon Fronsac AC wines

A

Fruit red wines in the style of Pomerol of a slightly lower quality

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21
Q

The style of Ste- Foy- Bordeaux AC Wines

A

Sweet and Dry white wines

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22
Q

The style of Entre- Deux- Mers AC wines

A

Ordinary quality red wines and white wines

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23
Q

The styles of Premiers Cote De Bordeaux AC wines

A

Red wines in the North.

Med- dry to dry in the centre. Sweet white wine in the south.

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24
Q

St- Emillion Classification Levels

A

Grand Cru Classe
Premier Grand Cru Classe A
Premier Grand Cru Classe B

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25
Q

Chateau Desmirail

A

Bordeaux, Margaux

3rd eme

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26
Q

Chateau Cantenac- Brown

A

Bordeaux, Margaux (Cantenac)

3rd eme

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27
Q

Chateau Gruaud- Larose

A

Bordeaux, St. Julien

2nd eme

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28
Q

Chateau Haut-Bages- Liberal

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5th eme

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29
Q

St. Emilion

A

Bordeaux, Right Bank
Soil= Clay- Limestone and Sandy Gravel over Ironpan, Limestone and Sand. Reds from Merlot, Cabernet Franc, cab Sav, Malbec

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30
Q

Where in Bordeaux is Boulbenes soil commonly found?

A

Graves

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31
Q

Chateau Grand- Puy- Ducasse

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5th eme

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32
Q

In 1998 scandal erupted in Bordeaux as a classed growth was accused of adding Haut- Medoc wine to their second label and flavouring it with oak chips. What was the estate?

A

Chateau Giscours

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33
Q

What is the size of a Bordeaux barrique?

A

225 Ltrs

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34
Q

Entre- Deux- Meres

A

Bordeaux,
Whites mostly from Sav Blanc with some Semillon and Muscadelle.
Reds from Cab Sav, Merlot, Cab Franc

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35
Q

Fargues

A

Bordeaux, Inside of Graves

Sweet wines in the style of Sauternes, but not as high of quality

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36
Q

What are the communes of Saint- Julien AOP?

A

St Julien, Saint- Laurent- Medoc, Saint- Julien- Beycheville, Cussac- Fort- Medoc

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37
Q

Saint- Emillion Classification Years

A

1955
1996- Still Stands
2006 (Annulled)

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38
Q

Total number of 1855 Cru Classes

A

61 Cru classes in the Medoc

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39
Q

Number of each 1855 growth

A 
5x 1st Growth
14x 2nd growth
14x 3rd growth
10x 4th growth
18x 5th growth
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40
Q

Number of 2nd Growths

A

14

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41
Q

1855 Sweet Wine Classification

A

d’ Yquem= Premier Cru Superieur

11x 1st Growths
14x 2nd Growths

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42
Q

d’ Yquem Classification

A

Premier Cru Superieur

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43
Q

Total number of Sauternes Cru Classe

A

26

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44
Q

Years of Cru Borgeois Classifications

A

1932
1978
2003 (Annulled)
2007 Onwards is current

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45
Q

2007 onward Cru Bourgeois terms

A

Designation of quality

Right to use determined by visit and tasting annually awarded by independent body open to any property in the Medoc

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46
Q

Label Cru Bourgeois

A

Term of quality not a classification

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47
Q

Graves classification

A

1959
Red and white lists
Cru Classe only rank (ie No 1st, 2nd, etc)
Haut- Brion included also part of 1855

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48
Q

Bordeaux Classifications

A

1855 (Medoc and Sauternes)
Cru Bourgeois
Graves
Saint- Emillion

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49
Q

Chateau Kirwan

A

Bordeaux, Margaux (Cantenac)

3rd eme

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50
Q

Chateau Lafite

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

1er eme

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51
Q

Chateau D’ Issan

A

Bordeaux, Margaux (Cantenac)

3rd eme

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52
Q

Chateau Margaux

A

Bordeaux, Margaux

1er eme

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53
Q

Chateau Beycheville

A

Bordeaux, St. Julien

4th eme

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54
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases

A

Bordeaux, St Julien

2nd Cru

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55
Q

Chateau Lynch- Moussas

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5th Cru

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56
Q

Red wine method to concentrate sugars

A

Green Harvest

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57
Q

Fermentation and Maceration

A

Up to 3 weeks

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58
Q

Fruit Selection

A

At harvest and again in winery

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59
Q

Fermentation Vessels

A

Oak, concrete or stainless steel

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60
Q

Winemaking

A

Stalks can be added to fermentation vat to add Tannins

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61
Q

Chaptalisation

A

Once routine. Better Chateau use reverse osmosis in light years. Avoid must enrichment in best years.

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62
Q

St- Emillion Classification

A

Reclassified every 10 yrs. 1996 classification still stands. Reviewed in 2010- 2011.

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63
Q

St- Emillion classification judging

A

Wines will be assessed on taste, their terrior, where they sit in the market, and their existing reputation

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64
Q

Bordeaux rivers

A

Gironde Estuary
Dordogne Estuary
Garonne Estuary

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65
Q

Harvesting

A

Majority by machine.
Sweet wine handpicked.
Cos d’ Estournel all hand picked

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66
Q

Sweet Vinification

A

Semillon dominates blend (up to 100%)
Several harvest dates.
Hand picking. Low yields. High costs. Top Sauternes ferment and age in oak.

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67
Q

Top Sauternes Winemaking

A

Ferment and age in oak

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68
Q

Passerillage

A

Dried/ Raisinated on the vine concentrating sugars.

In Dryer years a factor in sweet wines

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69
Q

Malbec

A

Usage decreasing.
Used for early drinking reds
Can suffer from coulure

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70
Q

Petit Verdot

A

When fully ripe gives deep, tannic wines with potential.

Late ripening, adds tannins, adds colour, adds spicy notes to blend.

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71
Q

Oak aging

A

Varies dramatically by property in use of new oak

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72
Q

MLF

A

Used to occur in Spring.

Now forced in barrel for en-premier tastings.

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73
Q

Semillon

A

Widely planted. Used in dry and sweet wines. Thin skins make susceptible to botrytis

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74
Q

Negotiants Roles

A

Buys blends sells generic bulk or bottle buys individual chat. wine sells bulk or bottle.

Buys individual chat. wine to release and sell @ different maturity levels.

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75
Q

Buying before harvest

A

Sur Souche (a gamble)

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76
Q

6 ways to buy Bordeaux…..

A

Sur Souche (Before Harvest), En Premieur March after vintage, Hectolitre eg Road Tanker, Tonneau (900L)= 100 cases, 12 a Bottle case, Barrel/ Barrique (225 Ltrs)= 25 cases

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77
Q

Sauvignon Blanc

A

Blended with Semillon, increasingly single varietal dry wines, distinctive grass and elderflower characteristic.

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78
Q

Courtier

A

Broker.

Submits samples to Negotiant (like agent) obtains best price arranges the deal.

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79
Q

Muscadelle

A

Grapey Muscat flavour.

Minor constituant in sweet wine.

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80
Q

Blending

A

Different batches assembled. After aging to create desired style Varieities and parcels ferment separately.

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81
Q

White Vinification

A

Oak or stainless steel
Temp controlled 15- 20 degrees. Long, cool ferment to retain varietal flavours.
Aging can occur in oak.

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82
Q

Bordeaux White Grapes

A

Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle

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83
Q

Merlot

A

Medium yields. Medium body. Medium tannin. Matures early than Cab Sauv. Most widely planted red in Bordeaux. Over 60% of blend in St Emillion and Pomerol. Adds softness and body to Cab Sauv blends.

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84
Q

Cabernet Sauvignon

A

Moderate yields. Tannic and full bodied. Characteristic Blackcurrant aroma. 3/4 of finest left bank Bordeaux blends. Gives colour and structure to blends.

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85
Q

Total number of grapes permitted for Bordeaux ACs (Red of White)

A

14

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86
Q

Bordeaux Red Grapes

A

Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot

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87
Q

Canon- Fronsac (Bordeaux)

A

Right bank hilltops. Merlot dominates. Full bodied. Tannic. North of Lisbourne, within Fronsac

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88
Q

North of Libourne hillside Merlot (Bordeaux)

A

Fronsac AC

Canon- Fronsac AC

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89
Q

Cotes De Bourg AC

A

Red and white.
Soft early drinking.
Across river from Margaux commune (South of Cotes De Bordeaux)

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90
Q

Cotes De Bordeaux AC

A

Right bank hillsides since 2007. North of Cotes De Bourg formerly Blaye/ Castillon, etc. Merlot dominated.

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91
Q

Pomerol Classification

A

None.

Not a long enough history of selling single properties to build one, fast changing eg Micro Chateau

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92
Q

Graves Soils

A

Red on Gravel.

White on Sand.

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93
Q

Fronsac AC

A

Right bank hillsides.
Merlot dominates.
Full bodied. Tannic.
North of Libourne.

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94
Q

Haut Medoc AC Grapes

A

Red only for AC Cabernet dominates.

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95
Q

Haut- Medoc Sub Regions

A

St Estephe. Paulliac- Latour, Lafite, Mouton. St Julien. Margaux- Chat. Margaux, Listrac- No classed growths, Moulis- No classed growths.

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96
Q

Sauternes AC

A

Sweet only AC. High alcohol. High sweetness. Balanced acidity. Apricot, botrytis, honey and vanilla

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97
Q

Entre- Deux- Mers AC

A

White only.
Blends or Varietal SB.
Semillon.

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98
Q

Right Bank Regions

A

St Emillion. Pomerol. Fronsac. Canon- Fronsac. Cotes De Bourg. Cotes De Bordeaux.

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99
Q

St Emillion villages that can add their name before St Emillion on the label.

A

Lussac
Montagne
Pusseguin
Saint- Georges

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100
Q

Pomerol

A 
Richer wines than St Emilion. 
Average 1% higher ABV than Medoc. 
No formal classification. 
Spicy, blackberry flavour. 
Petrus and Le Pin (clay soils)
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101
Q

Petrus owner and major Pomerol Negotiant

A

JP Moueix

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102
Q

Haut Medoc sub regions red only AC.
No classed growths
Cabernet dominated blends good value

A

Listrac AC
Moulis AC
To the west between Margaux and St Julien (away from river banks)

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103
Q

Graves AC

A

Red and white.

Lighter body and quicker maturation than Haut-Medoc classed growths in Pessac- Leognan AC commune subregion.

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104
Q

Barrique size/ Amount of wine

A

225 Ltrs

25 cases

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105
Q

Pomerol’s Finest Geography

A

Highest part of plateau
Gravel and clay layers
Iron rich clay subsoil (close to surface in Petrus)

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106
Q

Soils of Pomerol’s West?

A

Sandier

Lighter wines made

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107
Q

En Primeur

A

Small quantities released March after harvest.
Released in the traches (rises each trache). Price includes all costs up to bottling. Wine kept @ chat. release to buyer after approx 2 yrs.

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108
Q

Most common pruning system in Bordeaux

A

Double Guyot

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109
Q

Bordeaux AC Figures

A

Largest appellation in Bordeaux.
Bordeaux is France’s largest producer of AC wine.
Covers whole Bordeaux region.

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110
Q

Bordeaux AC wines

A

Covers whole region.
Red- Med body, blackberry and cedar, some unripness and astringent tannins.
White- Light and plain, can have SB herbaciousness. Varietal eg merlot or SB becoming more common

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111
Q

Bordeaux AC exceptions

A

Pavillon Blanc from Margaux (100% SB since 1920s).

Dry whites from Sauternes eg d’ Yquem

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112
Q

Only 1st growth outside Haut- Medoc?

A

Chateau Haut- Brion

Pessac- Leognan (Graves)

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113
Q

Listrac AC and Moulis AC

A

Haut- Medoc sub regions red only AC.
No classed growths.
Cabernet dominated blends good value.

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114
Q

Chateau Brane- Cantenac

A

Bordeaux, Margaux (Cantenac)

2nd Cru

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115
Q

Chateau Pouget

A

Bordeaux, Margaux (Cantenac)

4th Cru

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116
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucaillou

A

Bordeaux, St Julien

2nd Cru

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117
Q

Chateau Pedesclaux

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5th Cru

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118
Q

Chateau Rauzan- Segla

A

Bordeaux, Margaux

2nd Cru

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119
Q

Fargues

A

One of fine communes in Sauternes. Others are Barsac, Sauternes, Bommes, Preignac

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120
Q

St Julien is a?

A

Commune of the Medoc

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121
Q

Fargues is a commune of?

A

Sauternes

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122
Q

Chateau Duhart- Milon- Rothschild

A

Bordeaux, Pauillac

4th Cru

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123
Q

What are rye 2nd Growths of St Julien?

A

5

Leoville- Las Cases, Leoville- Barton, Leoville- Poyferre, Gruaud- Larose, Ducru Beaucalliou

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124
Q

2nd Growths of Margaux (Cantenac)?

A

6

Rauzan- Seglas, Rauzan- Cassies, Brane- Cantenac, Dufort- Vivens, Lascombes

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125
Q

1st Growths of Paulliac?

A

Lafite
Mouton
Latour

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126
Q

Classification of Medoc?

A

1855, 62 Chateau based off of previous 100 years sales

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127
Q

What regions make up Bordeaux’s Haut Medoc?

A

St Estephe, Paulliac, St Julien, Listrac, Moulis, Margaux

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128
Q

What subregion of the Medoc is considered to be the powerhouse of the region?

A

Paulliac

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129
Q

5 first growths?

A

Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafite, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut- Brion, Chateau Mouton- Rothschild

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130
Q

What 1st growth is not located in the Medoc?

A

Chateau Haut- Brion, located in Pessac- Leognan

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131
Q

What is the second wine of Chateau Margaux?

A

Pavilion Rouge

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132
Q

What are the red grapes allowed in Bordeaux?

A

C/ Sav, C/ Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere

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133
Q

White grapes?

A

Semillon, Sav/ B, Muscadelle

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134
Q

What general type of wine are allowed in Bordeaux AOP?

A

Red, White, Rose

Clariet- Darker, more aromatic style of Rose that evokes the original claret

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135
Q

What is En Primeur?

A

Future sales

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136
Q

What are courtiers?

A

Wine brokers in Bordeaux.

Supplied chateau with financial backing gained total control of wine trade in 18th century.

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137
Q

Name 10 great Bordeaux vintages

A

1982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2005

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138
Q

What fungus is desired in the highly prized sweet wines from Bordeaux?

A

Botrytis (or Noble Rot)

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139
Q

What rivers run through Bordeaux?

A

Gironde
Garonne
Dordogne

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140
Q

What is the main soil type on the left bank and why is this important?

A

Gravel and Sand- which provide excellent drainage and heat- retention.

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141
Q

Soil type for the right bank of Bordeaux?

A

Clay- soil holds water and keeps the roots cooler than other soil types.

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142
Q

What region is named after the soil? Where is it?

A

Graves- which is located to the south of the Medoc

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143
Q

What are the most important and famous sub regions of the right bank in Bordeaux?

A

Pomerol and St Emillion

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144
Q

What is Cru Bourgeois?

A

Originally introduced in 1944. Classified 444 properties into 3 categories: Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Superieur, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel. Not offical until 2003, which only 247 retained status. Legal action nullified the classification. Reintroduced in 2008 but no Exceptionnel or Superieur

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145
Q

What is Cru Artisan?

A

Designation used for nearly 150 yrs. Formally recognised in 2002 Medoc from 2005 forward 44 small, producers can use it.

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146
Q

What is the Bas- Medoc?

A

Northern part of the Medoc

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147
Q

What are Jalles?

A

Drainage ditches in the Medoc

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148
Q

Where are Fronsac, Neac p and Cote De Castillon located?

A

Libournais, Bordeaux (Right Bank, St Emillion)

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149
Q

Where is Cerones?

A

Graves

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150
Q

How long do wines usually age in Bordeaux?

A

22 months for Red

16 mths for white

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151
Q

What are the allowed grapes in Bordeaux AOP white?

A

Semillon, Sav Blanc, Muscadelle, Accessories (30%), Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, Colombard

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152
Q

What are the allowed grapes for Bordeaux AOP red?

A

Cab Sav, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenere

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153
Q

How many Chateau are in each level of the classification of St Emillion?

A

1er Cru Classe A- 2
1er Cru Classe B- 13
Grand Cru Classe- 57

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154
Q

What are Boulbenes?

A

Mixture of sand, gravel and light clay in Medoc

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155
Q

What is Chateau Gilette’s Creme De Tete?

A

Botrytised dessert wine aged for decades in Concrete vats

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156
Q

Is Sauternes aged in oak?

A

Yes, with a moderate to high percentage of new oak

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157
Q

What are the must levels and residual RS in Sauternes?

A

221 g/L and 45g/L

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158
Q

What are the best properties in Pomerol?

A 
Chateau Petrus
Vieux- Chateau- Certan
Chateau La Fleur
Chateau Le Pin
Chateau Trotanoy
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159
Q

What is the first identifiable vineyard in graves?

A

Chateau Pape- Clement, a papel gift awarded to Bordeaux in 1305

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160
Q

How many wineries roughly are there in the Medoc?

A

About 1,500

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161
Q

What are the 3 white grape varieties of Sauternes and their role in the blend?

A

Left Bank
Semillon- Thin skin attracts noble rot; gives wine golden colour and plenty of body.
Sauv Blanc- Counter potential flabbiness of Semillon
Muscadelle- Provides grapey Muscat flavours (used sparingly in sweet wine blends)

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162
Q

Where is Loupiac located?

A

Entre- Deux- Mers, Bordeaux

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163
Q

What climate prevails in the Medoc and what problem does it create?

A

Mild climate and high rainfall (due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean)- these make rot a constant problem.

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164
Q

What are Pomerol neighbouring wine districts?

A

Lalande- De- Pomerol AOP
Fronsac AOP
Canon- Fronsac AOP

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165
Q

What are the oldest cultivated vineyards in Bordeaux?

A

Bourge AOP

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166
Q

What is the most famous of the Garagiestes?

A

Le Pin in Pomerol

Valandraud and La Mondotte in St Emillon

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167
Q

What are the 1er Cru Classe Chateau for St Emillon?

A

Chateau Ausone

Chateau Cheval Blanc

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168
Q

What are villages of Margaux?

A

Soussans, Margaux, Cantenac, Labarde, Arsac

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169
Q

What does the river Ciron contribute to the wines of its bordering areas?

A

Humidity which aids in attracting botrytis to the vines in Sauternes

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170
Q

How long are wines from the Medoc left in oak casks?

A

1.5 to 2 yrs

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171
Q

What are the typical aromatics on Bordeaux Blanc?

A

Creamy waxy texture aromas of Honey and Beewax

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172
Q

What is the first recorded example of a chateau?

A

Ho- Bryan in 1663 in Graves

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173
Q

Chateau Du Tertre

A

Bordeaux, Margaux (Arsac)

5th Cru

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174
Q

Chateau Batailley

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5th Cru

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175
Q

Chateau Cos- Labory

A

Bordeaux, St. Estephe

5th Cru

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176
Q

Bordeaux Climate

A

Maritime, rain shadow from the Landes forest

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177
Q

Chateau Pontet- Canet

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5th Cru

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178
Q

Chateau D’ Aemihaq (AKA Chateau- Mouton- Baron- Phillippe)

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5th Cru

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179
Q

Bommes

A

Bordeaux, inside Graves

Sweet wines in the style of Sauternes and Barsac, lower quality

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180
Q

Chateau Marquis De Terme

A

Bordeaux, Margaux

4th Cru

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181
Q

Chateau La Tour- Carnet

A

Bordeaux, Haut- Medoc (St Laurent)

4th Cru

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182
Q

Chateau Cantenmerle

A

Bordeaux, Haut- Medoc (Macau)

5th Cru

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183
Q

Chateau Haut- Brion

A

Bordeaux, Graves

1er Cru

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184
Q

Chateau Ferrier

A

Bordeaux, Margaux

3rd Cru

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185
Q

Chateau Clerc- Milon

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5th Cru

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186
Q

Cerons

A

Bordeaux
Sweet wines in the style of Sauternes and Barsac
Some dry reds

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187
Q

What is the classification of Chateau Cos D’ Estourel?

A

2nd Growth

St Estephe

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188
Q

Chateau Boyd- Cantenac

A

Bordeaux, Margaux (Cantenac)

3er Cru

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189
Q

Chateau Talbot

A

Bordeaux, St. Julien

4er Cru

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190
Q

Chateau Malescot St- Exupery

A

Bordeaux, Margaux

3er Cru

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191
Q

Chateau Giscours

A

Bordeaux, Margaux (Labarde)

3er Cru

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192
Q

Chateau Lynch- Bages

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5er Cru

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193
Q

Where is Listrac and Moulis?

A

Medoc, Bordeaux

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194
Q

Describe key characteristics of viticulture in Bordeaux

A

Mostly highly density planting w/ machine harvesting. Handpicking for fine sweet wines (noble rot)

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195
Q

What are the Premier Cru Classe category A of St Emillion?

A

Chateau Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Angelus and Pavie

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196
Q

Do chateaux names from any part of the AC system in Bordeaux?

A

No. For Example Chateau Latour has the AC Paulliac

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197
Q

What is the iron- rich soil of Pomerol called locally?

A

Casse De Fer

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198
Q

In what year of the 20th Century did terrible frost destroy nearly 3/4 of the Malbec vines in Bordeaux leading to its decline in the region?

A

1956

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199
Q

Describe the significance/ importance of Petit Verdot in Bordeaux?

A

Ripens fully in hot years, giving a very deep- coloured, tannic wine which ages slowly. Always plays minor role in blend and is used to add tannin, colour and exotic spicy notes.

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200
Q

Describe soils in Bordeaux

A

Alluvial- Borders of rivers (lowest appellation wines)

Quartz/ Flint Pebbles over subsoil of Marl- Well draining gravel (finest vineyard)

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201
Q

Describe climate in Bordeaux and its effects

A

45 degrees- long hours of sun, moderated by maritime climate.
High humidity due to rivers, can cause noble and/ or grey rot.
Vintage variations from weather.

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202
Q

Barsac

A

Bordeaux, inside Graves

Sweet wines similar in style to Sauternes but not as high as quality.

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203
Q

Medoc

A

Bordeaux, Left Bank
Soil= gravelly with some clay and limestone.
Reds from Cab Sav, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot

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204
Q

Graves

A

Bordeaux
Contains AOCs of Cerons, Barsac, Sauternes
Soil= Graves, with some clay and sand
Reds from Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Merlot

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205
Q

Pomerol

A

Bordeaux, Right Bank
Soil= Sandy, Gravel and Clay
Red wines only- mostly, from Merlot and Cab Franc with some Cab Sav

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206
Q

Chateau Camensac

A

Bordeaux, Haut- Medoc (St Laurent)

5er Cru

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207
Q

Chateau Palmer

A

Bordeaux, Margaux

3er Cru

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208
Q

Chateau Montrose

A

Bordeaux, St Estephe

2er Cru

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209
Q

Chateau Dufort- Vivens

A

Bordeaux, Margaux

2er Cru

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210
Q

Chateau Langoa- Barton

A

Bordeaux, St. Julien

3er Cru

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211
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel

A

Bordeaux, St Estephe

2er Cru

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212
Q

Chateau Belgrave

A

Bordeaux, Haut- Medoc (St Laurent)

5er Cru

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213
Q

Chateau Pichon- Longueville Comtess De Lalande

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

2er Cru

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214
Q

Chateau Dauzac

A

Bordeaux, Margaux (Labarde)

5er Cru

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215
Q

Chateau Calon Segur

A

Bordeaux, St Estephe

3er Cru

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216
Q

How are vines typically planted in Bordeaux?

A

Densely planted. Trained low to the ground to benefit from heat reflected from the ground.

Machine Harvesting. Typically used except for @ the top growths on the Medoc and for Sweet wines

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217
Q

Chateau Branaire- DuCru

A

Bordeaux, St Julien

4er Cru

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218
Q

Chateau Lagrange

A

Bordeaux, St Julien

3er Cru

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219
Q

Chateau Grand Puy- Lacoste

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5er Cru

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220
Q

Chateau Croizer- Bages

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5er Cru

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221
Q

Chateau Rauxan- Gassies

A

Bordeaux, Margaux

2er Cru

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222
Q

Chateau Mouton- Rothschild

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac
1er Cru
Upgraded in 1973

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223
Q

Chateau Haut- Batailley

A

Bordeaux, Paulliac

5er Cru

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224
Q

Chateau St Pierre

A

Bordeaux, St Julien

4er Cru

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225
Q

Right Bank Soils

A

Clay- Limestone and Sandy Gravel over Ironpan

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226
Q

Left Bank Soils

A

Gravelly with some clay and limestone

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227
Q

Clairet

A

Dark pink wine style that is a speciality of the bordeaux region, recalling the sort of red wines that were shipped in such quantity in the Middle Ages from Bordeaux to england, and which originally inspired the English word claret. Dark-skinned grapes are fermented in contact with the skins for about 24 hours before fermentation of this lightly coloured wine continues to dryness. Bordeaux Clairet should be drunk as young as possible.

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228
Q

Robert M Parker

A

Extremely influential American wine critic whose most obvious contribution to the literature of wine has been the concept of applying numbers to wine. The first, complimentary, issue of his bi-monthly newsletter the Wine Advocate appeared in 1978, and by 1984 he felt confident enough of its success to retire from the law and concentrate on the punishing schedule of tastings and travel on which it is based. By then he had made a name for himself with his enthusiastic, and unusually detailed, endorsement of the 1982 vintage in Bordeaux, and subscriptions grew rapidly with the American market for wine futures. By 1998, when a French language edition was launched, the Wine Advocate had more than 45,000 subscribers, mainly in the United States but in more than 35 other countries. There are no advertisements and little background, but hundreds of tasting notes and assessments of individual, usually fine, wines. His judgements have had a significant effect on market demand, wine styles, and the commercial future of some producers. Parker’s was by no means the first American consumer wine newsletter, but it was the first to use scores, effectively between 80 and 100 for individual wines, quite so obviously. This system was easily and delightedly grasped by Americans familiar with high school grades, even though Parker himself urges caution, asking readers to use the numerical ratings ‘only to enhance and complement the thorough tasting notes, which are my primary means of communicating my judgments to you’. Wine salesmen were less circumspect and used Parker’s ratings mercilessly, while the notion of scoring wine at all came under attack from some other wine authorities, notably Hugh johnson, whose view is that wines themselves vary with time and conditions of tasting, and that wine tasting is an intrinsically subjective process. Parker’s own view, stated on the cover of every issue of the Advocate, is that ‘wine is no different from any consumer product. There are specific standards of quality that full-time wine professionals recognise.’ Parker’s diligence in recording the impressions of his hard-worked palate provided the ingredients for several lengthy books, including Wine Buyer’s Guides, essentially Advocate compendia. Bordeaux first appeared in 1985 and enjoyed considerable success in the United States, in Britain in 1987, and in France in 1989. The fourth edition appeared in 2003. The Wines of the Rhône Valley and Provence, which appeared in 1987 and was updated ten years later, reflected Parker’s other great passion (he was instrumental in establishing the reputation and ambitious pricing policy of Côte Rôtie’s guigal). Burgundy (1990), with its complex mosaic of appellations, producers, and vintages, and its less predictable wines, succumbed less easily to being ‘Parkerized’. Burgundian négociant François Faiveley’s 1994 lawsuit was the first of several, subsequent ones involving past associates. By the late 1990s, Parker was no longer working alone and by 2012, when The Wine Advocate and erobertparker.com were sold to a Singapore ex-wine merchant for a reported $15 million, he had a substantial, fluctuating, team of fellow tasters. Bordeaux is likely to be the last region to be ceded to one of them. He was the first non-Frenchman to write a wine column for L’Express magazine, and was made a particularly emotional Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite National in 1992. The Légion d’Honneur followed in 1999. With a few notable and sometimes voluble exceptions, most agree that Parker is a gifted taster and diligent reporter. But his success won a degree of power over the wine market so great that at one stage it encouraged some producers, particularly red wine producers, to adapt the style of their wines to suit this one, compelling palate regardless of their own personal tastes. The sale and the emergence of a new, post-Parker generation of American wine enthusiasts, has resulted in a decline in Parker’s power over wine in general, although not over Bordeaux’s finest.

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229
Q

Emile Peynaud

A

Bordeaux oenologist whose work had a profound and worldwide impact on winemaking and wine appreciation in the second half of the 20th century. After the Second World War, Peynaud worked with Jean ribéreau-gayon before joining him at bordeaux University’s Institut d’Oenologie, while employed by the house of Calvet. It was here, in the late 1940s, that he began to advise numerous bordeaux châteaux on their winemaking. Because this consultancy work was the activity for which he later became best known, it is perhaps easy to forget his achievements as a taster, scientist, and teacher. Peynaud wanted to understand the detail of the winemaking process, to eliminate its hitherto haphazard nature, and to produce consistently clean-tasting and healthy wines. Many of the practices that now seem unexceptional in winemaking were by no means axiomatic in the 1950s, and they are rooted in changes resulting from his wide-ranging scientific research. Among these were the complete control of malolactic conversion, the understanding that quality starts in the vineyard with good-quality grapes, that red grapes should be fully ripe when picked, that dark grapes’ skins (containing the phenolics so crucial to red wine aromas and textures) should be treated more gently with softer crushing, better-controlled fermentation temperatures, shorter maceration, and more moderate pressing of the skins for the press wine. Each technique aimed at improving the flavour and texture of the resulting finished wine. Taste became the arbiter in winemaking decisions, and it underlay his other cardinal principle: selection. Select only healthy grapes when picking, vinify the produce of plots of vines of markedly different age or quality separately, choose only the best vats to be incorporated in the principal wine, and so on. Peynaud himself describes his method as ‘monitoring the whole process of winemaking from grape to bottle’ and this is the subject of his first book, Connaissance et travail du vin. Peynaud considered the ability to taste accurately as essential to good winemaking as a thorough grasp of oenology. He says in his second book, Le Goût du vin, ‘I am not sure whether I have contributed most by making tasting an introduction to oenology or oenology an introduction to tasting.’ Le Goût du vin is as comprehensive and lucid on tasting wine as his first book was on making wine. It aimed to educate the palates not only of winemakers but of wine drinkers too. He was acutely aware of their symbiotic relationship. As with his pupil Michel rolland, critics used to complain that his winemaking methods so marked the wines that they were losing their individuality, but mature bottles tended to show genuine distinction and individuality. Peynaud would have left his mark on the wine world had his gifts been limited to scientist, technician, and possessor of a refined palate; that his influence has been so widespread is due to his additional great gift as a teacher and communicator.

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230
Q

Blaye

A

Fortified town across the Gironde estuary from Margaux in the bordeaux region which has been exporting wine much longer than the famous médoc. It gives its name to a region of scattered vineyards with soils that vary considerably (much more than in neighbouring Côtes de bourg) but are mainly clay and limestone. At the beginning of the 20th century it produced mainly white wine for distillation into cognac to the immediate north, and even today some of its white wine is distilled. Early 21st century tinkering with nomenclature resulted in most of the wines being sold as Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux, part of the Côtes de Bordeaux group. Mainly robust, early-maturing, red bordeaux blends were produced from 5,218 ha/12,888 acres of vines in 2013 planted predominantly with Merlot. A much smaller number of growers produce reds according to the stricter rules of Blaye tout court. More than 300 ha/740 acres of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon vines are responsible for some particularly successful, lively dry white Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux while Côtes de Blaye, a dry white based on Colombard and Ugni Blanc, is a minority product nowadays.

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231
Q

Bourg

A

Small town in the bordeaux region on the right bank of the River dordogne, just up river of its confluence with the Garonne, which is surrounded by the Côtes de Bourg appellation, also known as Bourg and Bourgeais. The 3,400 ha/8,398 acres of vineyard that produced Côtes de Bourg in 2013 have a characterful base of clay and limestone with sandy gravel deposits and some marls. They are planted substantially with Merlot and the best reds can be more concentrated and ageworthy than those from the larger blaye area to the immediate north, and vineyards on the edge of the Gironde estuary are particularly well protected from frost damage, thanks to the maritime influence. The star of the appellation is Ch Roc de Combes, related to St-Émilion’s Ch Tertre-Roteboeuf, on a particularly well-favoured site on the Gironde itself. A little dry white wine is also made.

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232
Q

Barsac

A

Important sweet white wine appellation in bordeaux on the left bank of the River garonne just over the climatologically important cool river Ciron from the even bigger and more famous sauternes appellation. All wines produced within Barsac are also entitled to use the appellation Sauternes (although the reverse is not the case). In 2013 just over 400 ha/2,000 acres of vineyard were declared as producing wine for the Barsac appellation, only a quarter the area declared for Sauternes. It is traditionally said that the wines of Barsac are slightly lighter than those of Sauternes, perhaps because the soils are more marked by sand and limestone, and because the land is flatter, but much depends on individual properties and winemaking policies too. For more detail of viticultural and winemaking practices, see sauternes. Some of the finest current achievers within the Barsac appellation are Chx Climens, Coutet, and Doisy-Daëne. See also the Barsac properties included in the Sauternes classification.

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233
Q

Assemblage

A

French word for the important operation in the production of fine wines of deciding which lots will be assembled to make up the final blend. It plays a crucial role in sparkling winemaking when some cuvées may be assembled from several hundred different components. Here the complementary nature of each component is of great importance, as is, for all non-vintage sparkling wines, adherence to a house style. Assemblage is of almost ritual significance in bordeaux, where many châteaux make their so-called grand vin carrying the château name by selecting and blending only the best lots. The rejected lots may either be blended together to make a second wine (and occasionally even a third wine) or be sold off in bulk to a négociant carrying only the local appellation (Margaux or St-Julien, for example). This selection process typically takes place between the third and sixth month after the harvest (much later in sauternes) and involves the maître de chai (winemaker), any oenologist regularly working for the property, and the proprietor, who must bear the considerable financial sacrifice of exclusions from the grand vin, which may sell for three or more times the price of the associated second wine. It is at this stage that the decision is usually taken over whether to incorporate any press wine. The normal procedure is to taste samples from each cuve or fermentation vessel and then simply decide whether it is of sufficiently high quality for the grand vin. It has usually been assumed that any blend of wines from the same property is likely to be harmonious. In most other Old World wine regions, especially burgundy, holdings are too small to allow this selectivity, although Chave of hermitage in the Rhône, for example, is notable for keeping lots from different parcels of vineyard separate until a final assembly just before bottling.

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234
Q

Le Pin

A

The original garage wine originally consisted of just one hectare of vines within sight of petrus, the traditional holder of the crown in pomerol. This gentle, south-facing slope of gravel and sand, with about 10% clay, was bought for a million French francs in 1979 by three members of the Thienpont family, Belgian négociants who also own nearby Vieux-Château-Certan in Pomerol. The vineyard had previously been farmed by a grower in Lalande-de-Pomerol en métayage, and its produce had for years been vinified there and sold as Le Pin, but not as a château bottled wine. When the Thienponts bought it, a third of the vines were only a year old. The first commercial vintage was 1979, and until the mid 1980s the wine was quite a hard sell. Jacques Thienpont, who commuted between Belgium and Bordeaux, managed to buy out his two co-investors in 1988 and, by adding a further hectare and a half in three contiguous plots, now owns and manages the grand total of about six acres, all Merlot. The wine was always distinctive, deep, and luscious with an almost Burgundian richness, absolutely in tune with the fashion for early-maturing, sensual wines. Le Pin was the first red bordeaux to have its malolactic conversion completed in 100% new oak barrels (no great investment when the total production of the property averaged 600 cases). Demand for this rarity escalated towards the end of the 1980s and the price of the fashionable 1982 vintage reached a peak of £2,500 a bottle in 1997, just before the asian boom began to falter. Le Pin’s success inspired the rash of new, small, luxury right bank estates (see garagistes). In 2011 a new winery designed by Belgian architects Robbrecht en Daem was inaugurated. In 2010 Jacques Thienpont bought 8 ha of St-Émilion Grand Cru vineyard; the former Ch Haut Plantey, renamed L’If (the French word for a yew tree, another conifer). The cellars are located next door to Ch Troplong Mondot (incidentally also owned by the Thienpont family between 1921 and 1933).

235
Q

AXA

A

Vast insurance group based in France whose wine division AXA-Millésimes is very small in the context of the company and very big in the context of fine wine in general and Bordeaux in particular. Claude Bébéar, the company’s president and founder, was led to buy the small St-Émilion property Ch Franc-Mayne in 1984 as an indirect result of his friendship with Jean-Michel Cazes of pauillac. Seeing the investment potential of good Bordeaux properties, he founded AXA-Millésimes in 1987 and it was managed by Cazes alongside his own wine holdings including Ch Lynch Bages until 2000 when Cazes retired and Christian Seely took over. Initial acquisitions included Clos de l’Arlot in nuits-st-georges, the cru bourgeois Ch Pibran and, also in Pauillac, the second growth Ch Pichon Baron, a fairy-tale chateau which has since been lavishly refurbished, re-equipped, and restored to its original name Ch Pichon-Longueville. In 1989 another landmark building Ch Cantenac Brown of margaux was acquired, along with pomerol’s Ch Petit Village, sold by the Prats family of Cos in st-estèphe. Three years later sauternes first growth Ch Suduiraut and the Disznókő vineyard in tokaj were added, a sweet triumvirate being completed by the acquisition and subsequent restoration of the quinta do noval port business in 1993. AXA is by no means the only French insurance company to have invested in wine-related real estate but is the most wine-minded one. Ch Petit Village was almost sold to the owner of Ch Pavie in St-Émilion in 2001 and Ch Cantenac Brown was sold in 2005.

236
Q

Bordeaux- History

A
  • Evidence of viticulture in 300 AD, but 1152 AD when Bordeaux became under British rule.
  • Industry started under merchants rather than clergy, unique for a wine region (German, British and Dutch descent)
  • Wars between England and France saw trade decline and tax increase during 13th and 14th century
  • Before 17th century, Medoc (Margaux, Paulliac, etc) was a swamp. Drained and planted mid 17th century by the Dutch
  • 1855 Classification: top bordeaux properties classified, producing prestige associated with top Bordeaux wines.
  • A Number of threats to viti including powdery mildew, particularly phylloxera (almost devastated most of Bordeaux)
  • Mouton- Rothschild began bottling at chateau instead of selling casks after the second world war. Other chateaus followed
  • Late 20th Century, early 21st Century lead to an increase in huge price increase for top end Bordeaux, but a big lake of unsellable low to average quality Bordeaux.
  • Competition from New World countries has seen a move towards branding, marketing strategies, new stainless steel winery and styles of wine that retain the high quality, but approachable at a younger age.
  • Bordeaux Uni has improved understanding of tannin management, and maintaining the freshness of white wines.
237
Q

Bordeaux- Trade

A

Historically merchants and negotiants bought bulk wine and blended in their cellars along the quay. Role of merchant has declined; now often act in the capacity of a broker. Except for generic wines, most are Chateau bottled, with use of mobile bottling lines common. Competition from the New World and the Southern Rhone has sent lower quality generic Bordeaux wine sales into decline.

238
Q

Broker (Courtier)

A

Submits samples to negotiant, obtains the best price and arranges the deal

239
Q

Negotiant- 3 Roles (Bordeaux)

A
  • Buys, Blends and sells generic wine in bulk or in bottle
  • Buys individual chateau wine to sell either in bulk or in bottle
  • Buys individual chateau wines to release and sell at different levels of maturity
240
Q

Buying Bordeaux Wines

A 
Sur Souche (before harvest- a gamble)
En Primeur First of Second offer, first year after vintage from late March
By hectolitre (e.g. Road Tanker)
By Tonneau (900 Litres)= 100 cases
By Barrel (barrique) 225 litres= 25 cases
By Case
241
Q

En Primeur Sales (Bordeaux)

A
  • Small quantities of stock released the March after harvest by top chateaux to free up cash tied up to stock
  • Best in times of financial boom, as huge amounts of money from investors
  • Prices include all costs including bottling and takes into issues such as prestige.
  • Released in tranches. Price increases with each tranche
  • Can be a lottery. Need professional advice.
  • Wines are kept at chateau and realised at 2 years after harvest.
242
Q

Increases on Price (Bordeaux)

A
  • Quantity is more important that quality at low level of Bordeaux
  • Bordeaux AC wines maintain a standard of constancy so can charge a higher price.
  • Vintage conditions affect price for top chateaux. Marks by influential wine critics and magazines will have an affect on both price and style
  • Petit Chateaux and Crus Bourgeois fall in between these two extremes
243
Q

Generic Appellations- Bordeaux

A

Largest AC production in all of France. Biggest AC is Bordeaux AC (the whole region is covered). Medium bodied reds, blackberry and cedar flavours, sometimes astringent tannins and unripe, green flavours. Light, plain white wines with herbaceousness if Sauvignon Blanc is within blend. More and more common for varietal Merlot and Sav Blanc to be seen.

Bordeaux AC also covers some exceptional wines that are not within regulations regulating the area in which they are grown, such as Pavillon Blanc from Margaux and dry whites from Sauternes.

244
Q

Left Bank- Bordeaux

A

West and South of the Gironde and Garonne.

Medoc AC- Red grapes only for AC wine. North of Saint Estephe, soil: clay with some gravel. No properties in the 1855 classification.

Haut- Medoc AC- Red grapes only for AC wine. South of Saint- Estephe. Maximum permitted yield lower than Medoc. Includes the high reputation commune appellations of Saint- Estephe AC, Paulliac AC, Saint- Julian AC, Margaux AC. All the 1855 classified first growth are with Haut- Medoc, except one. Listrac AC and Moulis AC also situated here, no classed growth production, offer good value for money. Cabernet dominated blend.

Graves AC- Red and white grapes permitted. Red grown on gravel, white on sandy soils. Lighter in body and mature quicker than Haut- Medoc. Classed growth chateaux are situated in the commune Pessac- Leeognan AC. White wines permitted in this appellation, but must be dry.

Sauternes AC- Only sweet wines permitted for AC. Wines from Barsac AC can use Barsac or Sauternes as its appellation. High alcohol and sweetness, balanced with acidity, flavour characteristics of apricot, botrytis, honey and vanilla.

245
Q

Between the Garonne and the Dordogne…

A

Entre- Deux- Mers AC- Dry white wine only for AC. Blend or varietal Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.

246
Q

Right Bank- Bordeaux

A

North and east of the Gironde and Dordogne

Saint Emillon AC- 9 comunes, distinct v/yards and soils. Plateau to north and west of Saint- Emillon has well drained gravel and limestone soils. Grape varieties are Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Limestone escarpment found to the south and east. Saint- Emillon Premier Grand Classe and Saint- Emillon Grand Cru AC wines are grown on these two soil types. Low yields, aged in new oak. Rich tannins, red berry fruit developing to tobacco and cedar with age. Commands premium prices. Sandy soils below the limestone escarpment produce light styles of wine.

Lussac, Montagne, Puisseguin and Saint Georges are villages that can add their name before Saint- Emillon on the label

Pomerol AC- Commands premium price. Very small estates. Petrous and Le Pin are two high reputation Pomerol vineyards with prices among the highest in Bordeaux. Wines are richer than Saint- Emillon with a spicy, blackberry flavour. No formal classification.

Fronsac AC and Canon- Fronsac AC- Hillside v/yards. Merlot dominates. Full bodied with plenty of tannins.

Cotes De Bourg AC- Soft, early drinking red and whites. Situated on opposite bank of Gironde to Haut- Medoc.

Cotes de Bordeaux AC- Hillside vineyards on right bank, Merlot dominate. Previously four seperate appellations (Blaye, Premieres Cote de Bordeaux, Cotes de Franc and Cotes de Castillon) with similar geography and climate, now banded together from the 2007 vintage onwards.

247
Q

Medoc and Sauternes: 1855

A

Best chateaux listed by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce for the Paris Exhibition. Changes such as size ownership and quality have occurred but in general the 1855 Classification is still intact. 61 Cru classes in the Medoc.

1st Growth (premier cru) are: Chateau Haut- Brion, Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafite, Chateau Mouton- Rothschild, Chateau Margaux

Chateau Haut- Brion only non Medoc wine included in 1855 classification. Chateau Mouton- Rothschild second growth till 1973. 14 Second Growths (deuxiemes crus or second crus), 14 Third Growths (troisiemes crus), 10 Fourth Growths (quatriemes crus), 18 Fifth Growths (cinquiemes crus)

1855 Sweet Wine Classification: Premier Cru Superieur- Chateau d’ Yquem, 11 First Growths, 14 Second Growths

1855 Classification accounted for only a small proportion of estates.

248
Q

Cru Bourgeois: 1932, 1978, 2003 (annulled)

A

In 1932 Cru Bourgeois was created for other Chateaux in the Medoc outside the 1855 classification and was reviewed in 1978. In 2003 it was updated again with different quality levels and many Chateaux were removed. Many complained. A 2007 ruling stated that the classification was corrupt and was subsequently annulled.

The term Label Cru Bourgeois is still used as a mark of quality rather than a classification. There is now no internal ranking- exceptional or superieur- as there was in 2003

The new designation (2007 vintage onwards) will be awarded on the following basis:

  • Cru Bourgeois is a designation of quality
  • The right to use the term is determined by a visit to the property, and results, determined by tasting the wine
  • It is an annual qualification, awarded by an independent organisation.
  • The qualification may be obtained by any property in the Medoc.
249
Q

Graves (Pessac- Leognan): 1959

A

Seperate list for red and white. No ranking, all wines are Cru Classe. Includes Haut- Brion, although it is part of the 1855 Classification.

250
Q

Saint- Emillon: 1955, 1996, 2006

A

Incorporated into AC system up to Grand Cru. Classed growths (Grand cru classe, Premier Grand Cru classe A and B) reclassified every 10 years. Chateau were re- classified in 2006, however this was ruled invalid and the 2006 re-classification was annulled. The 1996 classification still stands. The future of the classification outside of the AC system will be reviewed in 2010/ 2011.

251
Q

Garage Wine- Bordeaux

A

Common Right bank. Tiny quantities of wine made with no expense spared in vineyard or winery. Full bodied, concentrated wines with moderate acidity, soft tannins and rich berry fruit and spice.
Low yielding vines produce super ripe grapes.
Aged in new oak: toasty flavours and complexity
Prices are high due to tiny quantities. Popularity influenced by US wine critic Robert Parker in mid 1990s, now declining in popularity.

252
Q

Location- Bordeaux

A

Situated on the French Atlantic Coast. Vineyards stretch east from the Gironde Estuary and alongside the Garonde and Dordogne Rivers. The best v/yards and most prestigious chateaux for red wines are found in the Haut Medoc and Pessac- Leognan (on well- drained gravel banks). Saint Emillon and Pomerol (on limestone or clay).

253
Q

Climate- Bordeaux

A

Moderate maritime climate with long ripening season (maritime influence decreases inland and is strongest in the Medoc). Humidity is high, a blessing in Sauternes but can present a problem with grey rot for red wine. Rainfall distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. Strong winds off the Atlantic can cause problems, but Landes dunes and forests offer protection

254
Q

Soil- Bordeaux

A

Three main soil types:
Alluvial soil found on the riverbanks, used to make only the lowest appellation wines.
Limestone subsoil with broken stone and sand. Found on hillsides and is the predominate soil type in Saint- Emillon.
Free draining soils consisting of gravel over a base of marl and flint. This soil is found in the Haut Medoc and Pessac- Leognan where the finest vineyards are planted.

255
Q

Bordeaux Grape Varieties

A

Almost all red and white Bordeaux wines are blends. Fourteen different grape varieties are permitted under the AC regulations but in general five main black and three main white grapes are used.

256
Q

Merlot- Bordaux

A

Medium yields, body and tannin, matures earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon. Most widely planted. Is the most important in Saint- Emillon and Pomerol (contributes over 60% of the blend). Adds softness and body to the blend with Cabernet.

257
Q

Cabernet Sauv- Bordeaux

A

Moderate yield and produces tannic, full bodied wines with a characteristic black currant aroma. The classic grape of Bordeaux. Will account for 3/4s of the blend of the finest wines on the left bank. Gives colour and structure.

258
Q

Cabernet Franc- Bordeaux

A

Higher yields than Cabernet Sauvignon with less body and finesse. Displays vegetal aromas and matures rapidly.

259
Q

Malbec- Bordeaux

A

Usage is decreasing. Used for early drinking reds, can suffer from coulure.

260
Q

Petit Verdot- Bordeaux

A

When fully ripe gives a deep, tannic wine with ageing potential. Adds tannin, colour and spicy notes to the blend.

261
Q

Semillon- Bordeaux

A

Widely planted white variety. Used in dry white blends or in sweet wines as its thin skins make it susceptible to noble rot.

262
Q

Sauvignon Blanc- Bordeaux

A

In blend with Semillon or increasingly as a single varietal producing wines with a distinctive grass and elderflower character.

263
Q

Muscadelle- Bordeaux

A

Grapey Muscat flavour, minor constituent in sweet wines.

264
Q

Viticulture- Bordeaux

A

High density planting with vines trained low wires. Careful replanting allows for high average vine age in the best Chateaux. Majority of v/yards are harvested by machine.
Hand picking only for sweet wines as individual bunches need to be selected.

265
Q

Red Wine Vinifcation- Bordeaux

A

Lots of different choices and quality levels can be made for the resulting wine.
Green harvest is used to concentrate the sugars.
Ferment and maceration can last 3 wks.
Fruit selection at harvest and in the winery before crush.
Stalks can be added to fermentation vat to add tannin. Chaptalisation was once routine, but the better chateaux use the Reverse Osmosis in lighter years, and avoid must enrichment in the best years.
Fermentation vessels are made from oak, epoxy lined concrete or stainless steel.
Different grape varieties and parcels fermented separately.
Ageing- occurs in 225 litre oak casks or tank. 0 to 24 months ageing, depending on the property. Some wineries will use new oak only; others will use a combination of new, second and third use barrels. MLF used to occur in spring, but is now usually forced at the top chateaux, and carried out in barrel to help integrate its effects before the en- primeur tastings.
Different batches will be assembled after ageing to create the desired wine style.

266
Q

White Wine Vinification- Bordeaux

A

Dry White Wines- Fermention in trad. oak or stainless steel, Temp control 15-20 degrees during fermentation, long cool fermentation to retain varietal flavours. Ageing can occur in oak.

Sweet whites: Thin skinned, botrytis susceptible Semillon dominates blend (can be 100%). Sauvignon adds acid and fruit aromas. Muscadelle adds perfume. Humid conditions facilitate noble rot on fully ripe grapes; passerillage is also a factor (especially in drier years). For the best wines: several harvest dates, hand picking only, low yields and high production costs. Top quality Sauternes are fermented and aged in oak.

267
Q

Chai

A

French, and particularly Bordelais, term for a place where wine and occasionally brandy is stored, typically in barrel. Thus a smart Bordeaux château will have (perhaps) the château building itself with no direct winemaking function, a cuverie in which fermentation takes place, a first-year chai in which the most recent vintage’s crop undergoes élevage, and a second-year chai to which it is moved at some point before the year end in order to make way for the next year’s crop. The New World counterpart to the chai is sometimes called the barrel hall.

268
Q

Cuve

A

Is French for a vat or tank. Thus, a cuverie is the vat hall, typically where fermentation takes place. Cuves may be made of any material:—wood, concrete, or, most likely, stainless steel, and come in many different shapes and sizes.

269
Q

Elevage

A

French word that describes an important aspect of winemaking but has no direct equivalent in English. Élevage means literally ‘rearing’, ‘breeding’, or ‘raising’ and is commonly applied to livestock, or humans as in bien élevé for ‘well brought up’. Means the series of cellar operations that take place between fermentation and bottling, suggesting that the winemaker’s role is rather like that of a loving parent who guides, disciplines, and civilizes the raw young wine that emerges from the fermentation vessel. The word élevage implies that all this effort is worth it, and is therefore normally applied only above a certain level of wine quality.

270
Q

University of Bordeaux

A

University complex whose Faculté (formerly Institut) d’Oenologie is a centre of oenological academe of world renown. (Viticultural research is conducted under the auspices of inra and Bordeaux Sciences Agro, the agricultural university of Bordeaux.) The institute was founded in 1880 (the same year as the research institute that was to become the University of California at davis) as a mere station agronomique, when Ulysse Gayon, the sole Professor of Chemistry at the associated University of Bordeaux, became its director. Gayon had studied and worked with Louis pasteur, the founder of scientific oenology. He considered the station’s function was to promulgate sound methods of making and maturing wine. In addition to his contributions to the analysis of wines, he worked with Alexis Millardet on the development of the copper-based vine treatment designed to combat fungal diseases which was to be known as bordeaux mixture. During the 40 years Gayon directed the station, its tradition of identifying the practical applications which could be made from research results was established, as was the importance of transmitting information to winemakers in unscientific language. From 1927 the most significant research on wine and related subjects in the world was carried out at the University of Bordeaux through a collaboration between Jean ribéreau-gayon, the grandson of Ulysse Gayon, and Émile peynaud, who did not officially join the University until 1949. From 1949, when Jean Ribéreau-Gayon became director of the station, the results of basic and extensive research became apparent to winemaker and consumer alike. Chromatography provided legally convincing evidence of the use of hybrids in any wine sample, and encouraged their replacement by vinifera vine varieties in the vineyards of Bordeaux, and thereby a great improvement in the quality of the region’s basic bordeaux aoc wines. At the same time, the understanding of the process of malolactic conversion gave wine producers the knowledge they needed to control a fundamental step in winemaking and gave them much greater control over the style and quality of the wines they made. Research into the influence of terroir on wine style and quality has been conducted at Bordeaux since the early 1960s. The importance of the education of oenologists was officially recognized in 1956 with the creation of an École Supérieure d’Oenologie empowered to award a winemaker’s diploma. This became the Institut d’Oenologie in 1963, which was transformed into the Faculté d’Oenologie in 1995. During this period, oenology achieved full recognition as a new science and in 1971 the institute formally became part of the university, its work and educational titles enjoying full academic status. The work of the institute has continued since 1976 under the direction of Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon, the son of the previous director. The Faculté is currently engaged in research on subjects which vary from explorations of the nature and effects of different yeasts to investigations into the characteristics of different tannins. The most significant result of research in the 1980s was arguably the dramatic improvement in aroma and subtlety of dry white bordeaux, in which field Denis dubourdieu deserves much credit. In addition to training oenologists who make wine throughout the world and belong to what is outside France referred to as the ‘Bordeaux school’ of winemaking, the Faculté supervises doctorates on vinous subjects and is one of only two French organizations to enjoy this privilege, along with SupAgro Montpellier (see inra). A prominent feature of the professional training at the Faculté is the importance attached to tasting wines and analysing their characteristics. Since 1949 the Faculté has also given tastings and lectures for growers and cellar workers without scientific training, particularly through the Diplôme Universitaire d’Aptitude à la Dégustation (DUAD), which is one of the world’s most in-depth courses in wine tasting. In 2009, the Faculté merged with Bordeaux Sciences Agro and part of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique to form the institut des sciences de la vigne et du vin de bordeaux (ISVV), which encompasses a high level of research and academic training in both oenology and viticulture.

271
Q

CSIRO

A

Founded in 1926, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse research institutions. Its charter covers research into areas of economic, environmental, and social benefit to australia. Early research focused on solving immediate problems relating to the adaptation of northern hemisphere practices, irrigation, and pest and disease control to the new Australian viticultural frontiers. After the Second World War, CSIRO’s viticultural research broadened to include nematology (see nematodes), irrigation, hydrology, and basic vine physiology. In the 1960s, there was an even greater shift in emphasis to viticultural research. A new laboratory was opened in Adelaide to accommodate a group of plant (largely vine) physiologists. An early result of research was the introduction of the complementary management techniques of minimal pruning and mechanical harvesting. Around this time, the grapevine germplasm collection was established at Mildura and now contains around 680 varieties of many species. vine breeding and selection has yielded a number of new varieties such as tarrango, taminga, tyrian, and cienna as well as successful table and drying grapes. In the 1990s, CSIRO extended its research to encompass computer modelling of vine growth, water and nutrient application, yield estimation, and precision viticulture. genetic modification is an increasingly important avenue of research in viticulture worldwide, and CSIRO achieved the transformation of Sultana and a range of wine grape varieties in the late 1990s. The genes controlling colour were also identified. New CSIRO wine-grape research initiatives include a focus on disease resistance, ripening, and flavour and aroma development in berries, this last aimed at understanding the management and genetics of grape flavour and aroma and links to final wine quality. Results of CSIRO research have given Australian viticulturists access to improved varieties, rootstocks resistant to salt and nematodes, and water and nutrient management strategies suited to different environments.

272
Q

Chateau Margaux- Region of Production

A

Margaux AOP

273
Q

Chateau Margaux- Winery Location

A

Margaux

274
Q

Chateau Margaux- Classification

A

Premier Grand Cru Classé, Médoc 1855

275
Q

Chateau Margaux- Year Established

A

16th Century

276
Q

Chateau Margaux- Summary

A

One of five Premier Grand Cru Classé of the Médoc, Château Margaux is the top property in the Margaux appellation. (It is unclear if the original château, a 12th-century castle, preceded the Margaux village.) Its destiny as producer of one of the world’s most coveted red wines began with 16th-century owner Pierre de Lestonnac, who managed a transformation of the property’s farms by planting vineyards in place of cereal grains. By the end of the 17th century Château Margaux occupied a 265-hectare estate, with one-third of the domain planted to vines. Nearly a century later, the 1771 Château Margaux was advertised in the pages of Christie’s catalog—it was the first vintage Bordeaux claret to appear in its pages. In 1801, Bertrand Douat acquired the property and demolished the old castle, erecting the neo-palladian château emblazoned on the grand vin label in its place in 1815. The price and prestige of the estate’s wine garnered Château Margaux inclusion in third place (as a first growth) behind Châteaux Lafite and Latour in the 1855 Classification of the Médoc. The château passed through several owners in the 19th and 20th centuries, suffering a period of wavering quality in the middle of the last midcentury. In 1977 André Mentzelopoulos purchased Château Margaux and his family has restored its name and reputation as one of the preeminent wines of Bordeaux and the world. His daughter Corinne now owns the property.

277
Q

Chateau Margaux- Vineyard Holdings

A

Bordeaux AOP: 12 ha (Sauvignon Blanc)
Margaux AOP: 80 ha

  • 75% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 20% Merlot
  • 5% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
278
Q

Chateau Margaux- Wines Produced/Average Total Production

A

The grand vin represents 1/3 of the total red wine production.

Château Margaux: 130,000 bottles

Pavillon Rouge: 120,000 bottles

Pavillon Blanc: 12,000 bottles

Margaux du Château Margaux: 30,000 bottles
Bulk Wine

279
Q

Chateau Margaux- Inaugural Vintages

A

Pavillon Rouge: 1978

Pavillon Blanc: 1920

Margaux du Château Margaux: 2009

280
Q

Chateau Margaux- Style/ Vinification Technique

A

Highly regarded for its opulence and perfume rather than power, the grand vin of Château Margaux is nonetheless often a “varietal” composition of Cabernet Sauvignon: the blend is typically 85-90% Cabernet Sauvignon, supported by Merlot, small amounts of Cabernet Franc and, occasionally, Petit Verdot. The fruit is hand-harvested by a team of over 250 pickers, sorted in the vineyard and in the winery by hand and eye alone, and fermented in stainless steel and large, old wood casks. Macerations typically last up to three weeks. Cap management is by remontage alone, and after pressing the free-run juice undergoes malolactic fermentation in tank. A 20-24 month élevage occurs in 100% new oak for the top wine. Tronçais is the preferred forest; while the château relies on several coopers 20% of the barrels are made by Margaux’s in-house tonnelier. The final blend is assembled in February of the year after harvest, before the en primeur tastings. Collage (with 5-6 beaten egg whites) occurs before bottling, but the wines are never filtered. The “Pavillon Rouge” is typically only 60-70% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot stepping in to fill out the wine. The élevage is reduced to a maximum of 20 months in 50% new oak. It is essentially a vineyard selection.

281
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel- Region of Production

A

Saint-Estèphe

282
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel- Year Established

A

1811

283
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel- Classification

A

second growth, Médoc 1855

284
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel- Summary

A

In the Year of the Comet Louis Gaspard d’Estournel recognized the quality issuing from a few inherited vines near the hamlet of Cos, and began selling wines under his own name. In reminiscence of his travels in the Far East, d’Estournel erected the estate’s chai, surmounted by Chinese pagodas and infused with eastern décor (there is no actual château). But Estournel’s exotic tastes and rapid vineyard expansion may have ruined him; in 1852, one year before his death, he sold the estate to English bankers. It changed hands several more times in the 19th century before landing in the lap of négociant Fernand Ginestet in 1917. Throughout the latter 20th century, Cos d’Estournel emerged as a true “Super Second” and, without doubt, the most prestigious and expensive wine of Saint-Estèphe. The estate also controls the nearby Château Marbuzet and a northern Médoc property called Goulée. In 2000, Michel Reybier purchased the estate. The company’s website advertises its portfolio of hotels, vineyard properties from Tokaj to Bordeaux, and healthcare operations.

285
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel- Vineyard Holdings

A

91 ha

75% Cabernet Sauvignon

22% Merlot

  1. 5% Cabernet Franc
  2. 5% Petit Verdot
286
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel- Wine Produced

A

Cos d’Estournel

Cos d’Estournel Blanc: Bordeaux AOC

Les Pagodes de Cos

287
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel- Inaugural Vintage

A

Cos d’Estournel Blanc: 2005

Les Pagodes de Cos: 1994

288
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel- Average Total Production

A

450,000 bottles

289
Q

Chateau Cos d’ Estournel- Style/ Vinification Techniques

A

If Saint-Estèphe has a reputation for producing rugged and rustic wines, Cos d’Estournel is a complete departure from the local style. The modern wines are so polished, ample, and super-concentrated as to sustain both critical acclaim and attacks for being atypical. Recent vintages have focused more on Cabernet Sauvignon, with the grape amounting to 75-85% of the blend, but from the ‘90s through 2002 the grand vin more likely contained 35-45% Merlot. 80% new oak is the rule.

290
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucalliou- Region of Production

A

Saint-Julien

291
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucalliou- Year Established

A

17th century

292
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucalliou- Classification

A

second growth, Médoc 1855

293
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucalliou- Summary

A

A “Super Second” of Saint-Julien, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou was once part of the Beychevelle estate. In the late 17th century the original Beychevelle property fractured and Beaucaillou (“beautiful stones”) was born. It remained in the hands of the Bergeron family from 1720 until 1795, when Bertrand Ducru acquired the property. He built its château in the 1820s and raised its renown as a source for wines, securing its status as a second growth in 1855. The Ducru family didn’t last long, however; the estate weathered two transitions of ownership until its eventual purchase by François Borie in 1941. The Borie family brought in Emile Peynaud to oversee winemaking, by the end of the century they built a new underground chai to quell the systemic TCA contamination that had plagued the winery in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

294
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucalliou- Vineyard Holdings

A

75 ha

70% Cabernet Sauvignon

30% Merlot

295
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucalliou- Wines Produced

A

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Croix de Beaucaillou

296
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucalliou- Inaugural Vintages

A

Croix de Beaucaillou: 1995

297
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucalliou- Average Total Production

A

260,000 bottles

298
Q

Chateau Ducru- Beaucalliou- Style / Vinification Techniques

A

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou typically contains 80-85% Cabernet Sauvignon and ages for 18 months in 50-80% new oak. A Parker favorite in the new millennium, the modern wines are typically rich, polished, and very dense.

299
Q

First Growth

A

Is a direct translation of the French premier cru but its meaning tends to be limited to those bordeaux wine properties judged in the top rank according to the various classifications: Chx lafite, latour, margaux, haut-brion, mouton rothschild, cheval blanc, ausone, d’yquem, together often with the unclassified but generally acknowledged star of pomerol, petrus. Just below these red bordeaux in terms of status are the so-called super seconds.

300
Q

Classed Growth

A

Is a vineyard, estate, or château included in a wine classification. The term is used almost exclusively in bordeaux for those châteaux included in the 1855 classification of the Médoc and Sauternes, the 1955 classification of Graves, and sometimes for those properties included in the regularly revised St-Émilion classification. The term is a direct translation of the French term cru classé.

301
Q

Chateau Ausone

A

Minuscule but exceptionally fine estate on the edge of the town of st-émilion. It was named in 1781 after the Roman poet Ausonius who certainly had a vineyard in the Gironde, but probably one facing the River garonne rather than in St-Émilion. Recorded in the 1868 Cocks et Féret’s Bordeaux et ses vins (see literature of wine) as belonging to M. Cantenats, it then passed to a nephew, M. Lafargue, and then to his nephew, Edouard Dubois-Challon, who raised the reputation of the château to the leading position in St-Émilion up to the 1920s, when it was challenged by Ch cheval-blanc, the only other château to be ranked ‘A’ in the official classification of St-Émilion in 1955. From 1939 to the mid 1970s, Ausone was not, with a few exceptional vintages, producing wines of the longevity of their 19th-century predecessors, although there was a marked improvement after the arrival of a new régisseur, Pascal Delbeck, in 1976. Until the late 1990s, 50% was owned by Mme Dubois-Challon, widow of Edouard, and 50% by Alain Vauthier, who married Edouard’s daughter Cécile, an unsatisfactory arrangement which ended with Vauthier taking control of, and completely renovating, the extraordinary cellars in limestone caves originally excavated to provide stone for building the town. The wine itself has also been dramatically modernized, and the vineyard recuperated. The estate consists of a mere 7 ha/18 acres—45% merlot vines and 55% cabernet franc—on the steep slopes of the Côtes (see st-émilion) that run along the right bank of the dordogne just below the town. Production of Ausone averages 1,500 cases.

302
Q

Chateau Cheval Blanc

A

Very fine bordeaux property in st-émilion. In 1832, Henriette Ducasse married Libourne négociant Jean Laussac-Fourcaud, bringing with her 12 ha/30 acres of land including part of the narrow gravel ridge that runs through Figeac and neighbouring vineyards and reaches petrus just over the border in pomerol. This became Ch Cheval Blanc, which, in the International London and Paris Exhibitions in 1862 and 1867, won the medals still prominent on its labels. In 1892, Albert reversed the order of his double surname, and it remained in the Fourcaud-Laussac family until 1998 when it was sold to Bernard Arnault, chairman of lvmh, and Belgian businessman Albert Frère. Pierre, one of the lurtons, has been general manager since 1991. The estate has 39 ha of vines: 51% Cabernet Franc, 47% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. A total of 45 very different plots have been identified and, since an ultra-modern chai was built in 2011, have been picked and vinified separately. Average production is about 7,000 dozen bottles a year. Petit Cheval is the second wine. The high percentage of Cabernet Franc, a variety felicitously originally favoured by Jean Laussac-Fourcaud which has proved particularly well-suited to the often gravelly soils of Cheval Blanc, gives the wines a deep colour and a rich, concentrated blackcurrant bouquet and flavour. Although excellent wines were made towards the end of the 19th century and before the First World War, the property’s international reputation was made with the 1921, which had enormous concentration and sweetness. Other very successful wines were made in the 1920s, and even in 1934 and 1937, but its more modern fame was achieved with the rich, porty 1947.

303
Q

Chateau Petrus

A

The most famous wine of pomerol and today the most expensive in bordeaux. In the heart of the small Pomerol plateau, Petrus was partly bought in 1925, by Mme Loubat, wife of the owner of the Hotel Loubat in Libourne. By 1949, it consisted of 6.5 ha planted with 70% merlot vines and 30% cabernet franc. In 1969, 5 ha were purchased from the adjoining Ch Gazin. Although it won a gold medal at the 1878 Paris International Exhibition, and the London-based wine society listed the 1893, Petrus received little international attention until the remarkable, tiny crop of 1945, and the much more widely distributed 1947. Its exceptional concentration of colour, bouquet, and richness of flavour derives from a pocket of clay in the middle of the vineyard and the subsoil which affords exceptionally good drainage. Average production is 30,000 bottles. However, its fame is largely due to M. Jean-Pierre moueix of the Libourne merchants, who started his business before the Second World War. He took over the sole distribution of Petrus in 1945, and, after Mme Loubat died in 1961, he purchased from her nephew in 1964 50% of the shareholding, while Mme Loubat’s niece Mme Lily Lacoste inherited the other 50%, which was acquired by Jean-Pierre’s elder son Jean-François Moueix in 2001. Jean-François inherited his father’s half in 2003. Olivier, son of the distinguished oenologist Jean-Claude Berrouet, now manages the property and is in charge of winemaking. The limited size of the property means that all the grapes can be harvested, at optimum ripeness, in a day and a half if necessary. Fermentation vessels are neither wood nor stainless steel, but mundane cement. There is no official classification of Pomerol, but Petrus is unofficially recognized as a premier cru, and is distributed only through Moueix, with exclusive agents in the UK and restricted ones in the US. It tends to fetch a much higher price than any other red bordeaux (although see Le pin), and at auction achieves even higher prices relative to the rest. In 2005, a rather grander building superseded Petrus’s modest farmhouse.

304
Q

Bartons

A

Prominent family in bordeaux, originally from Lancashire in the north of England, which joined the Tudor Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. Unlike most others who joined the bordeaux trade from abroad, the Bartons maintained their nationality, religion, and family connections with their country of origin. Thomas Barton arrived in Bordeaux in 1725, played a leading part in shipping fine claret back to Britain, and died in 1780 a very rich man. His son William (1723–99), with whom he bitterly quarrelled, formed his own company and was prominent in the trade on his own account. His son Hugh (1766–1854) married Anna, daughter of another prosperous merchant, Nathaniel Johnston. The association with Daniel Guestier of a Breton Huguenot family began in 1795 and Barton & Guestier was formed in 1802. Highly successful, Hugh Barton bought Ch Langoa in st-julien in 1821, and acquired in 1826 part of the Léoville vineyard that was to become Ch Léoville-Barton, an even more prominent St-Julien. He died in England, having been succeeded by his son Nathaniel (1799–1867). The négociant Barton & Guestier continued to play a leading role in the Bordeaux trade, but phylloxera, the consequent shortage of authentic bordeaux, and the slump in English demand prior to the First World War led to unprecedented problems. Nathaniel’s son Bertram Francis (1830–1904) worked first in the London office but came in 1873 to live in Bordeaux, rather than at Langoa. It was his third successor Ronald Barton (1902–86) who made Langoa his home. Business was difficult between the World Wars, and on the fall of France in 1940 Ronald had hurriedly to leave Langoa, which was soon occupied by the Germans. They did not pillage the cellars as Daniel Guestier told them that the estate belonged to a neutral Irishman, who, however, volunteered for the British army. Although the quality and reputation of second growth Ch Léoville-Barton and third growth Ch Langoa-Barton steadily improved, the profitability of Barton & Guestier gradually declined, and in 1954 the American firm of Seagram took half the shares of Barton & Guestier and later acquired complete control. Ronald Barton’s nephew Anthony Barton (1930– ) joined Barton & Guestier in 1951, and subsequently left to form his own merchant business. In 1986 he moved into Langoa and took over complete control of the two classed growths, whose wines are both made at Langoa and have become models of sensibly priced, classic claret made for the long term. Today Anthony’s daughter Lilian Barton Sartorius, who bought Ch Mauvesin Barton in Moulis in 2011 with her husband Michel, and grandchildren Damien and Mélanie are increasingly involved in these much-admired properties.

305
Q

Lurtons

A

Ramified family of property owners and winemakers in bordeaux, owning more wine estates in the Bordeaux region than any other single family. In 2014 no fewer than twelve Lurtons were working in wine, surely making this the largest wine family in the world. The original Lurton property is the modest Ch Bonnet in the entre-deux-mers, which belonged to Léonce Recapet, François Lurton’s father-in-law. Although he and François acquired Ch Brane-Cantenac in margaux in 1925, the current extent of the Lurton empire is largely due to the efforts of the brothers André and Lucien, both of whom bought numerous properties during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The elder brother André, who now owns Ch Bonnet and whose estates are mainly in the graves (Chx La Louvière, Couhins, Rochemorin, Cruzeau), was a particularly potent force in the renaissance of the Graves region during the 1980s. A man of vision, energy, and a flair for promotion, he led the campaign for the new appellation of pessac-léognan and became the first president of its Syndicat Viticole. André’s younger brother Lucien may have been less promient but built up an impressive empire of classified growths (among them Chx Brane-Cantenac, Durfort-Vivens, and Desmirail in Margaux, Bouscaut in Pessac-Léognan, and Doisy-Dubroca and Climens in Barsac) before passing them on in 1992 to his ten children. After establishing an international wine consultancy business in 1988, André’s sons Jacques and François gradually acquired land, planted vines, and built wineries. By 2014 François owned wineries in Spain, Languedoc, Chile, and Argentina, as well as a bottling operation in Bordeaux for his branded Sauvignon Fumées Blanches. Jacques continues as a consultant and owns a vineyard on Kangaroo Island, south australia. Their sister Christine moved from managing Ch Dauzac in margaux to overseeing communications for her father. Lucien’s sons have been busy in Margaux. Denis runs Ch Desmirail, Henri Ch Brane Cantenac, and Gonzague Ch Durfort Vivens. Gonzague and his wife Claire Villar, who owns several estates in the Médoc, created Trinité vineyard in sonoma. Lucien’s daughter Marie-Laure has a clutch of crus bourgeois while her sister Sophie has Ch Bouscaut in Pessac-Léognan. Thierry has the bordeaux Supérieur Ch Camarsac while Bérénice is in charge of the Barsac star Ch Climens. Brigitte founded Belondrade y Lurton in rueda but this ground-breaking estate is now run by her ex-husband and their son Jean. In 1991 Pierre Lurton (son of Dominique, André and Lucien’s younger brother) became the estate manager at Ch cheval blanc, the St-Émilion first growth and, later, Ch d’yquem for lvmh. He has his own 90-ha/222-acre estate, Ch Marjosse, making Bordeaux Supérieur and Entre-Deux-Mers. His brother Marc took over the family estate Ch Reynier in Entre-Deux-Mers to which he added Ch de Bouchet.

306
Q

Moueix

A

Important family in the bordeaux trade, notably, but by no means exclusively, in st-émilion and pomerol. The Moueix family came from the Corrèze, a severe district in central France, noted for its hard-headed men. Jean Moueix (1882–1957) bought Ch Fonroque in St-Émilion in 1930, and his son Jean-Pierre (1913–2003) joined him that year, with the purpose of selling only the hitherto somewhat neglected wines, nearly all red, produced on the right bank of the Dordogne, from the Côtes de castillon downstream to blaye. In 1937, Jean-Pierre formed Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix on the quay in libourne. Increasingly successful in the post-war period, it became from 1970 the major négociant there selling the finer châteaux wines, at a time when the traditional merchants were failing. In 1956, the 70-year-old firm of Duclot in the city of Bordeaux was acquired to deal mainly with the ‘left bank’ districts (médoc, graves, etc.), as well as selling direct to private customers in France. As Duclot Export it is prominent in the export trade. From 1968 Duclot has been headed by Jean-Pierre’s elder son Jean-François (b. 1945). Fonroque was inherited by Jean-Antoine Moueix (1908–57), and then by his son Jean-Jacques (1935–2013), a director of the Libourne firm, now retired. In 1970, the younger son, Christian (b. 1946), became a director of J. P. Moueix, with special responsibilities, along with the firm’s oenologist Jean-Claude Berrouet, for the 17 estates owned or farmed by the firm. In 1982, Christian started a joint venture in Yountville, napa Valley, with two daughters of John Daniel, former owner of Inglenook, before buying them out in 1994. From a 50-ha/124-acre vineyard and an architectural landmark winery opened in 1998, a Bordeaux-style wine named Dominus is produced. He now runs the Libourne négociant with his son Edouard who lives in what was Ch Belair in St-Émilion and is now Belair Monange, incorporating the vines of Magdelaine next door. In the 1950s, Jean-Pierre Moueix began to acquire châteaux on the right bank: Trotanoy (1953), La Fleur-Pétrus (1950), Lagrange (1959), La Grave (Trigant de Boisset) (1971), and Certan-Giraud, renamed Hosanna (1999), in Pomerol; and Magdelaine (1952) in St-Émilion. In the 1970s and 1980s, the firm expanded into fronsac, acquiring Canon, Canon de Brem, La Croix-Canon, and Canon-Moueix in the superior Canon-Fronsac appellation and La Dauphine in Fronsac. These properties were sold en masse in 2000. A number of other properties are farmed on behalf of their owners, including Chx Lafleur-Gazin and Latour-Pomerol in Pomerol. However, much the most important acquisition was a half-share of petrus in 1964. Moueix had had the exclusive selling rights since 1945, and when the owner, Mme Loubat, died in 1961 she left it to her nephew and niece and the former sold his share to M. Moueix. Jean-François Moueix and his children now own it all. Jean-Pierre Moueix, a man of great probity and courtesy, was a notable collector of art and books, and the château in which he lived beside the river Dordogne on the edge of Libourne was once full of the works of such leading modern artists as Picasso and Francis Bacon, some of them fetching record prices at auction after his demise.

307
Q

Sichel

A

Influential wine family now made up of two very distinct branches. The family originated in Germany and was involved with wine from the early 19th century. The direct descendants of the German founders established the wine and spirits distribution company H. Sichel Söhne at Mainz in Germany in 1857 and it grew to be an important commercial force (see jewish heritage in german wine culture). Its activities were severely curtailed during the First World War but a successful export business was developed in the 1930s, based increasingly on the branded wine blue nun Liebfraumilch. Walter Sichel re-established a London office for Sichel in 1927 and had to work to overcome prejudice against all things German. In 1935, he became a naturalized British citizen, and the Sichels remaining in Germany were dispersed to Britain, France, and the United States. It was during the 1950s that Blue Nun began to establish itself as one of the world’s most successful wines. Peter M. F. Sichel directed the firm’s fortunes from New York, widening the range of Blue Nun products in partnership with Sichel’s American distributors Schieffelin Somerset, a subsidiary of lvmh, until his retirement when the Blue Nun trademark was sold (see blue nun). The Anglo-French-Scandinavian branch of the Sichel family is descended from a Dane who married a Sichel of Mainz, worked for the firm, and took his wife’s name. He was sent to Bordeaux in 1883 to establish a Sichel & Company there. His son married another Dane, and extended the Bordeaux business into château ownership. His grandson Allan Sichel, who married a Swede, was an influential member of the British wine trade in the mid 20th century, introducing Harry waugh among others to the delightful, if hazardous, business of buying wine sur place in post-war France, and writing The Penguin Book of Wines, which was published in 1965. Allan’s son Peter A. Sichel continued his father’s tradition of writing an annual report on Bordeaux, the vintage, and the market. He lived for many years in margaux at the family’s Ch Angludet running the Bordeaux négociant Maison Sichel, developing a number of French wine brands. The Bordeaux Sichels are also substantial shareholders in Ch Palmer. Peter was a president of the Union des Grands Crus from 1988 to 1991, being one of the most articulate voices in defence of tradition and subtlety in the wines of Bordeaux. He took over the business of Pierre Coste of Langon in the graves in 1992, and was an early investor in corbières in the Languedoc, in Domaine du Trillol. The considerably expanded business is now run by his five sons, who have invested in Ch d’Argadens just across the Garonne from Langon.

308
Q

Chateau Mouton- Rothschild

A

Important wine estate in pauillac in the bordeaux wine region and the only one ever to have been promoted within the 1855 classification, to first growth. Originally part of the lafite estate with which it is intermingled, it became in the middle of the 18th century a separate entity, owned by the de Brane family. In the first half of the following century, Baron Hector de Brane (or Branne) became known as ‘the Napoleon of the vines’ for his work in developing the Médoc vineyards, and, in company with his neighbour Armand d’Armailhacq, in supposedly introducing the cabernet sauvignon vine. In 1830, he sold Mouton to a M. Thuret and retired to his Ch Brane-Cantenac in the commune of margaux. At this time, Mouton had little international repute, and the first entry in a Christie’s auction catalogue was in 1834. In 1853, Thuret sold it to Baron Nathaniel de rothschild, of the English branch of the family, two years before the 1855 classification which placed Mouton Rothschild at the top of the second growths, a position unsatisfactory to the family, but not seriously contested until Baron Philippe de Rothschild took over the running of it from his father in 1922. He startled Bordeaux by employing a poster artist, Carlu, to design an art deco label, including the Rothschild arrows, for the 1924 vintage, and then proposing château bottling of all the first growths (and Mouton Rothschild). He also instigated what was initially a second wine, called mouton cadet. On his return in 1945 after the Second World War, Baron Philippe initiated the series of artist’s labels, each year designed by a well-known artist, including Cocteau, Braque, Dali, Bacon, and Henry Moore. He also began a campaign to elevate Mouton to first growth status, which he achieved in 1973. He and his American wife Pauline created a magnificent Musée du Vin, or wine museum, filled with objets d’art and open to the public since 1962 on application. In 2013 a new vat room was inaugurated as well as an exhibition space for the artworks which have illustrated the Mouton labels so famously, and which have been exhibited around the world. The 80-ha/200-acre vineyard is planted with 80% cabernet sauvignon grapes, 16% merlot (much increased in the late 1990s), 3% cabernet franc, and 1% petit verdot. Average production is between 13,000 and 16,000 cases. A second wine, Petit Mouton, was introduced in 1994 and a dry white AC Bordeaux Aile d’Argent in 1991. The wine is famously concentrated and intensely aromatic in good vintages. See rothschilds for details of other wine investments and joint ventures.

309
Q

Chateau Haut- Brion

A

The most famous property in the graves district in bordeaux producing both red and white wines, today, after years of fierce competition, run in tandem with Ch La mission haut-brion. Manuscripts from the beginning of the 15th century mention extensive vineyards around the lieu-dit Aubrion. But the real founder of the estate was Jean de pontac who, as early as 1525, defined the vineyard as it is today and built the château in 1549. His great-nephew Arnaud III de Pontac, Président of the Bordeaux Parliament, invented the ‘New French Claret Haut-Brion’, a new type of red wine benefiting from ageing, which laid the foundations of great bordeaux. In 1660, the cellar records of the British King Charles II mention that no fewer than 169 bottles of the ‘wine of Hobriono’ (sic) were served at the royal table. The wine was praised by Samuel Pepys, the London diarist, who recorded on 10 April 1663 that he ‘drank a sort of French wine called Ho Bryan that hath a good and most particular taste I never met with.’ In 1666, the son of Arnaud III de Pontac, François-Auguste, opened a tavern in London called Pontack’s Head which soon became ‘…the most fashionable place in all of London…’ where luminaries such as Locke, Swift, Defoe, Dryden, and the members of the Royal Society came to dine or buy Haut-Brion. Thomas jefferson also praised it on his visit to Bordeaux in 1787 as American minister in France. In 1801, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord, Minister of Foreign Affairs to Emperor Napoleon I, bought Ch Haut-Brion and used its wines and the talent of the famous chef Antonin Carême, ‘king of chefs and chef of kings’, to diplomatic ends. In 1855, on the occasion of the Exposition Universelle held in Paris, Ch Haut-Brion was listed as one of four first growths in the famous classification of Bordeaux wines. After a further series of not very successful owners in a very difficult time, the château was bought in 1935 by Mr Clarence Dillon, an American banker. Today the property is run by his grandson Prince Robert of Luxembourg with his mother, the Duchess de Mouchy. In 2004, Jean-Philippe Delmas became estate manager when his innovative father, Jean-Bernard, retired. The 50.5 ha/124 acres of vineyard are planted with just 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc. Average production is 9,000 cases. The second wine was renamed Le Clarence de Haut-Brion (from Ch Bahans-Haut-Brion) in 2007 in honour of Clarence Dillon. About 500 cases of the property’s rare dry white Ch Haut-Brion Blanc are produced from a 2.9 ha vineyard planted with 52% Semillon and 48% Sauvignon Blanc. About 1,000 cases of a second white wine, La Clarté de Haut-Brion, common to both Chx Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion are also produced. In early summer 2011 family-owned Domaine Clarence Dillon purchased Ch Tertre Daugay in St-Émilion and renamed it Ch Quintus. Two years later the neighbouring property, Ch L’Arrosée, was also acquired with the intention of restoring the united properties to their former glory. The second wine is Le Dragon de Quintus.

310
Q

Chateau La Mission Haut- Brion

A

Important graves wine estate now under the same ownership as its long-standing rival Ch haut-prion. Four wines are now produced here: Ch La Mission Haut-Brion red and white (the latter known as Ch Laville Haut-Brion until 2009), the red second wine La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, and a second white produced in common with Ch haut-brion over the road, under the same ownership. La Mission’s winemaking history is as old as its neighbour’s. In the 16th century, Arnaud de Lestonnac, brother-in-law of Jean de Pontac (founding father of Ch Haut-Brion) was already producing wine at la Mission. Then, all through the 18th century, the Pères Lazaristes worked to restore the property to its rightful worth. The property became well known in part thanks to the patronage of the Maréchal de Richelieu. The property was revitalized by the Woltner family, who acquired it in 1919 and in many subsequent vintages managed to make even more concentrated, long-lived wines than their first growth neighbour, typically fermented at much lower temperatures than Ch Haut-Brion. In 1983, however, La Mission was sold to the Dillons, so that both these famous estates, the flagships of the newer pessac-léognan appellation (although much of La Mission is in fact in the Bordeaux suburb of Talence rather than Pessac), are run, retaining their quite distinct premises and characters, by the same team. La Mission’s red wine vines are planted on 26 ha/64 acres of vineyard and produce about 5,500 cases of the red grand vin. White wine grapes are planted on 3.6 ha/8 acres, planted with slightly more Sémillon grapes than Sauvignon to produce approximately 600 cases.

311
Q

Chateau Lafite

A

Subsequently Ch Lafite-Rothschild, first growth in the médoc region of bordeaux. The vineyard, to the north of the small town of pauillac and adjoining Ch mouton rothschild, was probably planted in the first third of the 17th century. Inherited in 1716 by the ségurs, who also owned Ch latour, it was sold in 1784 to Pierre de Pichard, an extremely rich president of the Bordeaux Parlement who perished on the scaffold. The estate was confiscated and sold as public property in 1797 to a Dutch consortium which in 1803 resold it to a Dutch grain merchant and supplier to Napoleon’s armies, Ignace-Joseph Vanlerberghe. When he fell on hard times, he resold it to his former wife in order to avoid its falling into a creditor’s hands. Perhaps for the same reason, or to avoid splitting it up under French inheritance laws, in 1821 she apparently sold it to a London banker, Sir Samuel Scott, for 1 million francs. He and then his son were the nominal owners for over 40 years. But when the real proprietor Aimé Vanlerberghe died without issue in 1866, the family decided to sell it and pay the fines owed because of the concealment. In 1868, after a stiff contest with a Bordeaux syndicate, it was knocked down to Baron James de rothschild of the Paris bank, for 4.4 million francs, including part of the Carruades vineyard. Baron James died in the same year and the château has remained in the family ever since. Baron Eric de Rothschild took over direction of the property from his uncle Baron Élie in 1974. In the famous 1855 classification, Lafite was placed first of the premiers crus, although there is controversy as to whether the order was alphabetical or by rank. Yet, as Christie’s auctions in the 1960s and 1970s of 19th century British country mansion cellars showed, in Britain Lafite was nearly always the favoured first growth. The château itself is a 16th century manor. The vineyard, one of the largest in the Haut-Médoc, had grown to 112 ha/276 acres by 2014: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Annual production has been reduced to about 36,000 cases, of which up to 60% may be the second wine, called Carruades de Lafite but not restricted to wine produced on the plateau in the vineyard known as Les Carruades.

312
Q

Chateau Latour

A

Famously long-lived first growth in the médoc region of bordeaux. The originally square tower from which the château takes its name was one of a defensive line against ocean-going pirates. Vines were already planted here in the late 14th century and at least a quarter of the land was vineyard by 1600. At the end of the 17th century, a number of smallholdings were accumulated into one ownership under the de Mullet family. The New French Clarets they produced made their first publicized appearances in auctions in London coffee houses early in the 18th century. Owned from 1677 by the Clauzel family, it passed by marriage to the powerful ségurs, who also owned lafite, mouton, and Calon-Ségur. On the death in 1755 of the Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, ‘Le Prince des Vignes’, his properties passed to his four daughters, three of whom in 1760 acquired Latour. Their male descendants owned the château, which in 1842 became a private company, until its purchase by the British Pearson family in 1963, with 25% acquired by harveys of bristol, and a diminishing minority remaining in the hands of the French families. The property was greatly improved, with stainless steel tanks controversially installed as fermentation vessels in time for the 1964 vintage, partly on the advice of director Harry waugh. In 1989, the estate was sold to multinational corporation Allied-Lyons, already owners of Harveys, for the equivalent of £110 million. In 1993, Allied-Lyons sold their 94% share of the property to French businessman François Pinault (who acquired the London auction house of Christie’s in 1998), when Latour was valued at £86 million. Thanks to 21st century expansion, the estate comprised 90 ha/222 acres of vineyard by 2014 with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon vines, 24% Merlot (increased from 15% in the 1980s), and a very small amount of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, with an average annual production of a total of 30,000 cases of the three wines made there. In 1966 a second wine, Les Forts de Latour, made from the produce of young vines and from three plots on the other side of the St-Julien–Pauillac road was introduced as a permanent fixture. A third wine is also bottled and sold as Pauillac. Latour’s wines generally require much longer to develop than those of the other first growths, and they often have greater longevity. Latour is also known for its ability to produce good wines in lesser vintages. It also possesses better archives, back to the 14th century, than any other wine estate in Bordeaux and so has spawned an unusual and useful array of monographs. In 2012 Latour’s director Frédéric Engerer decided to withdraw from the annual Bordeaux primeur market, the first major Bordeaux château to do so, with a view to releasing wines only as they are ready to drink. Other wine estates owned by François Pinault and under the same management are Domaine d’Eugénie in vosne-romanée acquired in 2006, château-grillet in the northern Rhône Valley (2011), and Araujo Estate in napa Valley (2013).

313
Q

Barrique

A

The most famous of the barrel types, Bordeaux’s relatively tall 225-l/59-gal wooden cask with thinner staves than the Burgundian pièce and most other barrels. In the Middle Ages, the commercially acute Bordelais virtually trade-marked their distinctive barrique bordelaise, carefully designating its dimensions and prohibiting its use outside the region. By the end of the 18th century, it had replaced the unwieldy tonneau four times the size for transportation as well as storage, and in 1866 it was officially decreed that it must hold 225 l/59 gal, rather than between 215 and 230 l/57 and 60 gal as previously. Even as recently as this, it was common for some of the most highly regarded wines of Bordeaux to be shipped in barrique for bottling, if not by the négociants of Bordeaux, then by wine merchants outside France, particularly in northern Europe. Today the word barrique is often used, particularly outside France, for all manner of wooden barrels. In Germany and Italy, for example, the word has been closely and emotively associated with those who employ barrel maturation in small, new oak rather than traditional cask ageing in botti, large, old, wooden casks.

314
Q

Micro- oxygenation

A

Also known by the French term microbullage, and colloquially as ‘microx’ or ‘mox’, is a vinification technique initiated in 1990 by winemaker Patrick Ducournau in madiran to control the aeration of wines in tank. The method was authorized by the European Commission in 1996 and is used mainly but not exclusively on red wines. Its guiding principle is that all wines require oxygen to a greater or lesser extent, its aim being to enable the winemaker to deliver precise and controlled levels at various stages in the winemaking process. It also addresses the issue of wine storage, effectively transforming large inert storage vessels into selectively permeable containers of infinitely variable dimensions. Micro-oxygenation can be used during the early stages of alcoholic fermentation to build a healthy yeast population and help avoid a stuck fermentation. It also helps to maintain yeast viability, thus minimizing the production of sulfides, which may later cause reduction problems. Injections of oxygen during élevage can also help counter the problem of reduction. But, proponents believe, its chief attribute is that it mirrors the effects of oxygen on wines treated to barrel maturation: wines in barrel are exposed to oxygen passively and continually, whereas wines stored in tank are exposed to significant amounts of oxygen only during racking and somewhat violently. Used in conjunction with oak chips or inner staves, the technique can provide an efficient, cost-effective alternative to oak barrels. Micro-oxygenation seems to favour polymerization of tannins and the retention of pigmented tannins resulting respectively in a softer taste and more stable colour. Some Bordeaux producers use micro-oxygenation on new wine during maceration before pressing as a way to begin this process while the must has all its constituents available. Proponents claim that it is also an effective remedy for green or vegetal characters that are the result of slightly underripe fruit but there is no evidence of this. It has been suggested that the introduction of oxygen in this way appears to accelerate the ageing process but this is contested by those who make the equipment and promote its use. In fact, the effect of micro-oxygenation depends very much on the amount of oxygen and the period of time over which it is added. The micro-oxygenation apparatus consists of a system of two chambers and valves connected to a cylinder of oxygen. The gas is moved into a first chamber that is calibrated to the volume of wine. It then moves into a second chamber and is delivered into the wine, a timer controlling the periodic injection of a predetermined dose. The gas passes through a small polyamide tube into the tank and diffuses through a porous ceramic stone hung near the bottom of the vessel. A typical dosage rate is between 0.75 and 3 cc of oxygen per litre of wine per month and the treatment might take four to eight months. In the absence of good scientific studies on the effects of this technique, micro-oxygenation is still largely an art. There are no firm guidelines for how much micro-oxygenation a wine can take; winemakers have to guess this and monitor the process carefully by regular tasting. The technique was first developed as a response to the fierce tannins of Madiran’s tannat grape and seems particularly well suited to tannic grape varieties. It has also been used on wines high in tannin but relatively low in anthocyanins, some sangiovese, for example. Micro-oxygenation does not necessarily preclude barrel maturation. A variation on this technique is used in barrel as a gentler alternative to racking, and one which binds less sulfur dioxide, for example. A measured amount of oxygen is injected into the wine in barrel, again with a small ceramic stone. This ‘punctual’ micro-oxygenation has been dubbed cliquage. The wine is otherwise aged conventionally in barrels, which allow continuous micro-oxygenation due to the structure of the wood and produce big, rich red wines that remain relatively supple. By the beginning of the 21st century, approximately 2500 micro-oxygenation units were in use throughout France, particularly in bordeaux, where it is used on a property as grand as Ch Canon La Gaffelière, the St-Émilion grand cru classé, and in at least 11 countries on five continents. Perhaps its largest take-up, however, was in Chile, where it is particularly appreciated for its ability to moderate the greenness and vegetal character found in some Chilean red wines. Results so far suggest the technique is particularly suitable for fashioning wines for short- to medium-term consumption from tannic or potentially reductive grape varieties.

315
Q

Michel Rolland

A

Responsible in several ways for the current fashion for overtly ripe, deep-coloured, supple red bordeaux. He and his wife Dany have since 1973 run a laboratory in pomerol on which many local growers depend for analysis. In 2013, after separating, they sold Michel’s family properties Chx Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol, Bertineau St-Vincent in Lalande de Pomerol, and Rolland-Maillet in St-Émillion to an Asian investor but continue to be responsible for their winemaking. They also farm Ch La Grande Clotte in Lussac-St-Émillion and Dany lives at Ch Fontenil in Fronsac, acquired in 1986. The Bordeaux right bank enterprises to which he is consultant are too numerous to list (although they have included L’Angélus, Beau-Séjour Bécot, Clinet, Clos l’Église, La Dominique, La Gaffelière, Grand Mayne, Larmande, Pavie, Pavie-Decesse, and Troplong-Mondot). In the Médoc and Graves they have included many properties managed by négociants Dourthe and Chx Fieuzal, Kirwan, Léoville-Poyferré, Malescot St-Exupéry, Pape-Clément, Smith Haut Lafitte, and La Tour Martillac. He has also made wine for Skalli of the Languedoc, the arch-promulgator of varietal vin de pays. But it is his consultancies outside France that set him apart from all but a handful of his countrymen in the breadth of his experience: Simi, Newton, Merryvale, Cuvaison, St-Supéry, and Harlan in California; Marqués de Cáceres, Bodegas Palacio, Marqués de Griñon in Spain; ornellaia in Italy (after tchelistcheff); Etchart and Trapiche in Argentina; Casa Lapostolle in Chile; Pajzos in Hungary; Grover in India; and many more, bringing the total number of clients for him and his team of ten to more than 200 in 17 different countries. The Rollands and their two daughters also have holdings in Bonne Nouvelle in South Africa (with Remhoogte Estate), Campo Eliseo in Toro (with Francois lurton), and Clos de los Siete, Val de Flores, and Mariflor in Argentina. He studied oenology at the University of bordeaux during the peynaud era and has continued to declare his philosophy that wine should give maximum pleasure, although he has been criticized for a certain uniformity of style.

316
Q

Dr Denis Dubourdieu

A

Advisory Oenology Co-editor of this book, well-travelled winemaker, owner of six Bordeaux wine estates, and renowned Professor of Oenology and research scientist at the University of Bordeaux (see entry) who has had a particularly significant influence on white winemaking throughout France and abroad.

317
Q

Bordeaux Trade

A

The sheer quantity of wine produced in Bordeaux, the fact that so much requires ageing, and the historical importance of Bordeaux as a port, mean that its wine trade is more stratified than most—even if wine is no longer the city’s economically most important commodity. Bordeaux wines have always been produced by one category of people and sold by another. The wine producers of the region range from world-famous estates with 200 ha/500 acres under vine, to owners of 2.5 ha or less, whose wines nowadays may also be world-famous (see garage wines) or whose grapes are delivered to one of the region’s wine co-operatives, or vinified in conditions of precarious hygiene for personal consumption. The wine merchants, or négociants, traditionally brought most of the wines they bought into their chais in or around Bordeaux (notably its Quai des Chartrons) to be matured and shipped out to export customers, particularly in Britain and Scandinavia, either in barrels, or after bottling. They were joined in the early 20th century by merchants in libourne, who concentrated on markets in northern France and northern Europe. So great was the quantity of wine to be traded that numbers of middlemen were needed between producers and the merchants, of whom professional brokers, or courtiers, such as Tastet & Lawton have become an essential part of Bordeaux’s vinous commercial structure. There were 89 of them in 2014. What the merchant supplied in addition to the mere buying and selling of wine was technical ability (his cellarmaster and team were likely to be considerably better technicians than the producers’), and financing for the grower. This way of doing business changed considerably after 1945, when even some of the first growths were still made available to the merchants in bulk, and most of the classed growths have since 1959 been sold to the merchants on the condition that they are château bottled. Since 1945, improvements in winemaking at all levels and, since the 1980s, price increases and inflation levels which have made it impossible for even the biggest merchants to finance large quantities of wine, have tended to transform the role of the merchant from principal to broker. Some of the merchants have been more aggressive than most in adapting winemaking techniques at the bottom end of the market, particularly for bordeaux aoc, to international changes in taste. The mid 2000s saw a particular focus on the development of brands in an effort to find a home for the increasing quantity of red wine produced in the region. The balance of financial power between the 300 merchants and 100 or so most signfiicant proprietors is a precarious one, ever-changing according to vintage quality and quantity and international demand. The Bordeaux trade is increasingly involved in storing wine and selling direct to the consumer, having constructed many substantial wine warehouses around the city’s fringes

318
Q

Cru Bourgeois

A

A category of red wine properties, or crus, designated bourgeois, or a social stratum below the supposedly aristocratic crus classés. While the crus classés represent about 25% of the Médoc’s total wine production from 60 estates, the crus bourgeois, from a possible total of more than 250 generally much smaller estates, represent a further 40% or so. The properties can vary, however, from simple smallholdings to others such as Ch Larose-Trintaudon, the largest estate in the Médoc with its own vast château buildings, or Ch Clarke of Listrac, on which Baron Edmond de rothschild lavished a large fortune. The description ‘cru bourgeois’ has been used orally for several centuries and appeared in an early edition of cocks et féret in the mid 19th century, but the First World War and then the dire state of the international wine market at the end of the 1920s called for a new impetus. A first classification of the crus bourgeois of the Médoc was drawn up in 1932, and one can only imagine the difficulties of bestowing this supposed commercial advantage, ranked into three different classes, on a few hundred Médoc wine farmers. Thirty years later, when the Syndicate of Crus Bourgeois set about revitalizing itself, it was discovered that, of the 444 members registered in 1932, more than 300 had been absorbed into other estates, or converted their land from viticulture to another crop such as pines instead. The lack of official recognition by the Minister of Agriculture when the list was first drawn up in 1932 was a constant source of difficulty and potential abuse of the title, but the designation Cru Bourgeois was officially recognized in the eu labelling laws of 1979 on condition that its use be codified by the French government. In 2003 there was an ill-fated attempt to draw up a permanent classification of crus bourgeois properties but from 2008, cru bourgeois has been not an official designation of estates but a self-regulated accolade awarded annually to particular wines, on the basis of blind tasting by a professional panel and announced each September two years after the harvest. Thus the number of crus bourgeois varies from year to year but the proportion of crus bourgeois is usually particularly high in the haut-médoc and médoc appellations, and also in moulis and listrac. In general this category can offer some of Bordeaux’s best-value and most accessible wines. They are made mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes but often contain quite a high proportion of Merlot, usually supplemented by some Cabernet Franc. Some barrel maturation is usually involved in the making of the most highly priced crus bourgeois, even if only a small proportion of new oak is lavished on this wine category. However, viticulture and winemaking at the best crus bourgeois can be very similar to that practised by the crus classés (even if the selling prices are much lower). The wines are generally ready to drink at between four and eight years old but the best may be aged up to 15 years.

319
Q

En Premeur

A

A category of red wine properties, or crus, designated bourgeois, or a social stratum below the supposedly aristocratic crus classés. While the crus classés represent about 25% of the Médoc’s total wine production from 60 estates, the crus bourgeois, from a possible total of more than 250 generally much smaller estates, represent a further 40% or so. The properties can vary, however, from simple smallholdings to others such as Ch Larose-Trintaudon, the largest estate in the Médoc with its own vast château buildings, or Ch Clarke of Listrac, on which Baron Edmond de rothschild lavished a large fortune. The description ‘cru bourgeois’ has been used orally for several centuries and appeared in an early edition of cocks et féret in the mid 19th century, but the First World War and then the dire state of the international wine market at the end of the 1920s called for a new impetus. A first classification of the crus bourgeois of the Médoc was drawn up in 1932, and one can only imagine the difficulties of bestowing this supposed commercial advantage, ranked into three different classes, on a few hundred Médoc wine farmers. Thirty years later, when the Syndicate of Crus Bourgeois set about revitalizing itself, it was discovered that, of the 444 members registered in 1932, more than 300 had been absorbed into other estates, or converted their land from viticulture to another crop such as pines instead. The lack of official recognition by the Minister of Agriculture when the list was first drawn up in 1932 was a constant source of difficulty and potential abuse of the title, but the designation Cru Bourgeois was officially recognized in the eu labelling laws of 1979 on condition that its use be codified by the French government. In 2003 there was an ill-fated attempt to draw up a permanent classification of crus bourgeois properties but from 2008, cru bourgeois has been not an official designation of estates but a self-regulated accolade awarded annually to particular wines, on the basis of blind tasting by a professional panel and announced each September two years after the harvest. Thus the number of crus bourgeois varies from year to year but the proportion of crus bourgeois is usually particularly high in the haut-médoc and médoc appellations, and also in moulis and listrac. In general this category can offer some of Bordeaux’s best-value and most accessible wines. They are made mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes but often contain quite a high proportion of Merlot, usually supplemented by some Cabernet Franc. Some barrel maturation is usually involved in the making of the most highly priced crus bourgeois, even if only a small proportion of new oak is lavished on this wine category. However, viticulture and winemaking at the best crus bourgeois can be very similar to that practised by the crus classés (even if the selling prices are much lower). The wines are generally ready to drink at between four and eight years old but the best may be aged up to 15 years.

320
Q

Libourne

A

Small port on the right bank of the Dordogne in the Bordeaux region. It is now the commercial centre for the right-bank appellations, although it was established in the 13th century, much later than st-émilion’s port Pierrefitte, and was at the time considered a parvenu in comparison with fronsac. In modern history, its wine trade is much more recent than the Chartronnais of the bordeaux trade in the great city across the Garonne, and its more modest traders concentrated initially on selling in northern mainland Europe rather than in the British Isles. Of merchants based here on the banks of the river Dordogne, J. P. moueix is the most important. For more details, see pomerol, the wine region on the eastern outskirts of the town. The wines St-Émilion, Pomerol, and especially Fronsac are sometimes referred to collectively as Libournais.

321
Q

Chateau Margaux

A

Exceptional building and the most important wine estate in the village of margaux in the Bordeaux wine region, and a first growth in the 1855 classification. There is much potential for confusion since both Ch Margaux and generic wine from the commune of Margaux are colloquially referred to as ‘Margaux’, but the former is likely to cost many times more than the latter. With vineyards dating back to the 16th century, Ch Margaux was one of the four New French Clarets captured in the Anglo-French wars at the beginning of the 18th century, and sold in the coffee houses of the City of London (see bordeaux, history). Thomas jefferson on his visit to Bordeaux in 1787 picked it out as one of the ‘four vineyards of first quality’. Sequestered in the French Revolution after the owner’s flight to England, it was bought by the Marquis de la Colonilla in 1804 and rebuilt in the First Empire style, by L. Combes, as we know it today—the grandest château of the Haut-médoc. After passing through several hands, shares were bought by a Bordeaux wine merchant, Fernand Ginestet, in 1925, and the family share was slowly increased to give his son Pierre Ginestet complete ownership in 1949. Also a merchant, he was badly hit by the ‘energy crisis’ in the early 1970s and had to seek a buyer. The French government refused to allow the American conglomerate National Distillers to buy it, but in 1977, the château was acquired by the French grocery and finance group Félix Potin, headed by the Greek André Mentzelopoulos, domiciled in France. A great deal of money was spent on restoring the neglected vineyard, chais, and mansion and Émile peynaud was taken on as consultant. André Mentzelopoulos died suddenly in December 1980, and first his wife Laura and then his daughter Corinne took over control, assisted by Paul Pontallier, the young director who joined the estate in 1983 (coincidentally one of the property’s most successful vintages). Between 1992 and 2003 the Italian Agnelli family of Fiat motor cars became involved in ownership of the estate, but Corinne Mentzelopoulos remained in charge and is now the sole owner with her children. A brand-new winery designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster has been in place since 2014 with a research lab, a particular interest of Pontallier’s, given pride of place. The 80 ha/197 acres of red wine grapes are planted with roughly 75% cabernet sauvignon grapes, 20% merlot, and 5% comprising cabernet franc and petit verdot. Average total red wine output has been reduced to just over 20,000 from 30,000 cases, of which the resurrected Pavillon Rouge de Ch Margaux is the excellent second wine. A third wine has been made since 1997 and offered for sale from the 2009 vintage. A hitherto somewhat uninspiring white wine Pavillon Blanc was transformed into an ambitious dry wine. It is made in a new and separate temperature-controlled cellar, with barrel fermentation, exclusively from sauvignon blanc grapes planted on 12 ha of separate vineyard.

322
Q

Chateau Leoville Las Cases

A

The flagship wine of st-julien and one run as though it were a first growth (down to the pricing policy) by Jean-Hubert Delon. It was perhaps the most obvious candidate as a super second but challengers proliferate. The biggest of the three parts into which the extensive original Léoville estate was divided after the French Revolution was awarded to the original owners, the Abbadie-Léoville family, represented by the Marquis de Las Cases. From 1900 it was run by Théophile Swawinski, a distinguished Médoc viticulturist who also administered Ch Pontet-Canet for the cruse family. From him it passed to his son-in-law André Delon, grandfather of Michel Delon, Jean-Hubert’s late father, who with his father Paul acquired majority ownership of the property in 1930. In 1994 the Delons succeeded in buying out the remaining minority shareholders, descendants of the Las Cases family. Unlike the barton family, who acquired the pretty Ch Langoa at the same time as the Léoville-Barton vineyards, the Delons have no magnificent château building, but, perhaps more importantly for them and for the world’s wine drinkers, the Las Cases vineyard is made up substantially of one, well-placed contiguous plot rather than the more intertwined parcels of Léoville-Barton and Léoville-Poyferré (also second growths). The Delon policy is admirably strict in terms of viticulture, wine quality, and longevity. These firm, deep-coloured, Cabernet-based wines are supported by a strict selection process which can make Clos du Marquis one of Bordeaux’s finest second wines, similar to Les Forts de latour in that a particular 40 ha of land, outside the original Léoville estate, are always designated for this fine wine; definitely not a dump bin for less satisfactory cuvees. A further 60 ha are devoted to Ch Léoville Las Cases, comprising 60% of the original estate. The Delons’ policy is to release en primeur prices very late, typically after the first growths and at a level far closer to them than those of their fellow second growths. In the early 1990s, the Delons, already owners of Ch Potensac in the médoc, also acquired the pomerol property Ch Nénin.

323
Q

Chateau La Mission Haut- Brion

A

Important graves wine estate now under the same ownership as its long-standing rival Ch haut-brion. Four wines are now produced here: Ch La Mission Haut-Brion red and white (the latter known as Ch Laville Haut-Brion until 2009), the red second wine La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, and a second white produced in common with Ch haut-brion over the road, under the same ownership. La Mission’s winemaking history is as old as its neighbour’s. In the 16th century, Arnaud de Lestonnac, brother-in-law of Jean de Pontac (founding father of Ch Haut-Brion) was already producing wine at la Mission. Then, all through the 18th century, the Pères Lazaristes worked to restore the property to its rightful worth. The property became well known in part thanks to the patronage of the Maréchal de Richelieu. The property was revitalized by the Woltner family, who acquired it in 1919 and in many subsequent vintages managed to make even more concentrated, long-lived wines than their first growth neighbour, typically fermented at much lower temperatures than Ch Haut-Brion. In 1983, however, La Mission was sold to the Dillons, so that both these famous estates, the flagships of the newer pessac-léognan appellation (although much of La Mission is in fact in the Bordeaux suburb of Talence rather than Pessac), are run, retaining their quite distinct premises and characters, by the same team. La Mission’s red wine vines are planted on 26 ha/64 acres of vineyard and produce about 5,500 cases of the red grand vin. White wine grapes are planted on 3.6 ha/8 acres, planted with slightly more Sémillon grapes than Sauvignon to produce approximately 600 cases.

324
Q

Chateau d’ Yquem

A

The greatest wine of sauternes and, according to the famous 1855 classification, of the entire bordeaux region. It is sweet, golden, and apparently almost immortal. The origin of the name is obscure, although the Germanic aig-helm (meaning ‘to have a helmet’) is claimed. Probably the first vineyard-owning family were the Sauvages, who, from being tenants, bought the estate in 1711. It was acquired by the Lur Saluces family in 1785, when the last Sauvage d’Yquem married Comte Louis-Amadée de Lur Saluces. By then the wine was very well known, for in 1787 Thomas jefferson wrote to ‘M. d’Yquem’, asking to buy some, stating, ‘I know that yours is one of the best growths of Sauterne [sic]’. It is not known when Yquem was first made with botrytized grapes, those affected by noble rot, but this painstaking technique probably originated early in the 19th century, although very sweet bottles dating from the latter part of the 18th century have been found. In the second half of the 19th century, Yquem had a worldwide reputation, not least in tsarist russia. From before the First World War until 1968, the estate was run by the Marquis Bernard de Lur Saluces who was succeeded in 1968 by Comte Alexandre, who also owns Ch de Fargues in Sauternes (although in 1999 lvmh acquired majority ownership after a bitter family struggle). Pierre lurton, also manager of Ch cheval blanc, was subsequently installed by LVMH. The château, dating back to the 15th century and the Renaissance, stands on the crest of a small hill, with small towers at each corner and a large inner courtyard. The vineyard on all sides extends to 99 ha/245 acres in production out of a total of 125 ha. The vines planted are 80% sémillon and 20% of the usually more productive sauvignon blanc. Production averages 8,000 cases, a fraction of the typical output of a top red wine property in the médoc. The secret of Yquem’s renown is its susceptibility to noble rot, and its ability to run risks and sacrifice quantity for painstakingly upheld quality. An average of five passages, or tries, are made through the vineyard each year so that only the botrytis-affected grapes are picked. The maximum yield is 9 hl/ha (0.5 tons/acre), compared with the normal 25 in Sauternes. The juice is pressed three times, and then treated to three years’ barrel maturation in new oak casks. The cost of the whole operation makes Yquem a very expensive wine. cryoextraction, or freeze concentration, was controversially used on the 1987 vintage and, experimentally, in the early 1990s. Since 1959 a dry white wine, Y, or Ygrec, has been produced but intermittently. Notably alcoholic, it has more than a hint of a Sauternes. In 2004, Pierre Lurton began experimenting with a fresher style of dry white bordeaux from grapes unaffected by botrytis.

325
Q

Second Wines

A

Are wines made from batches of wine or parcels of vines considered not good enough for the principal product, or grand vin, made at an estate. The phenomenon was born in bordeaux in the 18th century, and was revived in the early 20th century at Ch lafite but was hardly developed commercially until the 1980s, when increased competition forced ever more rigorous selection at the assemblage stage. Some of the more famous second wines are Ch latour’s Les Forts de Latour, supplied by vineyards specifically designated for this purpose, and Ch margaux’s Pavillon Rouge. So important has the quality of second wines become that both these first growths also sell a third wine. The branded wine mouton cadet began life as the second wine of Ch mouton rothschild, which much more recently created Le Petit Mouton as its modern second wine. Second wines are likely to contain the produce of young vines together with the least satisfactory lots. In particularly unsuccessful vintages, some properties make no grand vin at all so that the second wine, or second vin, is the only wine produced that year. In general, a second wine from a poor vintage (when a grand vin was also bottled) is rarely an exciting drink, but a second wine from a quality-conscious producer in a good vintage can represent good value—so long as it is not consumed alongside the grand vin.

326
Q

Mouton Cadet

A

The most successful Bordeaux brand, began life in 1927, a poor vintage in which Baron Philippe de rothschild created what was effectively a second wine called Carruades de Mouton for Ch mouton rothschild. Penning-Rowsell notes that it was not a success, and its successor in 1930 was named Mouton-Cadet, since Philippe was the cadet, the youngest, of the family. Eventually, as Mouton Cadet, it developed a prosperous life of its own, and demand was so great that the flexibility of the bordeaux aoc appellation was needed. Today Mouton Cadet is available in red, white, and rosé versions, having been repackaged and reblended in 2004 to rely predominantly on fruit-driven Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, with tighter control over its many suppliers all over the Bordeaux region.

327
Q

Petit Chateaux

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The French term meaning literally ‘small castles’ has a very specific meaning in the bordeaux wine region. These thousands of properties are modest in both their extent and in their reputation and price. A classed growth or equivalent is emphatically not a petit château, no matter how few hectares it encompasses, and nor is a cru bourgeois. The greatest concentration of petits châteaux, invariably family-owned and run, is in the bordeaux AOC and côtes de bordeaux appellations, although they are found throughout the region. Some of Bordeaux’s best wine value is to be found at the most conscientious petits châteaux.

328
Q

Cotes de Bordeaux

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Group of appellation on the right bank of the Garonne that since 2009 has brought together the (mainly red) wines of four smaller regions. The details have been in flux but 2009 was the first Côtes de Bordeaux vintage and by 2013 the vineyards involved totalled 9,829 ha/24,278 acres. The group comprises Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, and Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux (see castillon), which apply specifically to red wines; Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux for both red and dry white); and Francs Côtes de Bordeaux, which can apply to reds and both dry and sweet whites). The appellation Côtes de Bordeaux tout court applies to any wine made from one or more of these geographically specific appellations, has slightly less strict requirements than them, and is generally used by merchants rather than individuals. These wines tend to have more personality than regular bordeaux aoc, the result perhaps of local pride, and can provide some of Bordeaux’s better wine value. Côtes de Bordeaux-st-macaire applies to white wines made in an enclave across the Garonne from the town of Langon.

329
Q

Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux

A

Aoc created in 2011 specifically for sweet wine made in the narrow strip extending for 60 km/40 miles along the south-western edge of the entre-Deux-Mers appellation on the right bank of the garonne from Langon almost as far as the city of Bordeaux. It used to apply to the red wines produced in this strip too but from 2011 the reds have been known as cadillac côtes de bordeaux. In 2013 just 123 ha/304 acres of vineyard were devoted to the production of these blends of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and Muscadelle that lack the intensity of great sauternes. Dry whites are sold as AOC Bordeaux.

330
Q

Left Bank

A

An expression for that part of the bordeaux wine region that is on the left bank of the river garonne. It includes, travelling down river, graves, sauternes, barsac, pessac-léognan, médoc, and all the appellations of the Médoc. The most obvious characteristic shared by the red wines of these appellations, as distinct from right bank appellations, is that the dominant red wine grape variety is Cabernet Sauvignon rather than Merlot and Cabernet Franc, although there are many other distinctions.

331
Q

Right Bank

A

An expression much used of that part of the bordeaux wine region that is on the right bank, or north, of the river dordogne. It includes, travelling down river, castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, francs Côtes de Bordeaux, st-émilion and its satellite appellations, pomerol and lalande-de-pomerol, fronsac and Canon-Fronsac, bourg, and blaye. The most obvious characteristic shared by these appellations, and distinct from left bank appellations, is that the dominant red wine grapes are Merlot with Cabernet Franc rather than Cabernet Sauvignon. In recent years, much has been made of the rivalry between the established large estates of the left bank and the much smaller properties of the right bank (including many garage wines) with their more recent reputations.

332
Q

Medoc

A

The most famous red wine district in Bordeaux, and possibly the world. The Médoc stretches north west from the city of Bordeaux along the left bank of the Gironde estuary, a virtually monocultural strip of flat, unremarkable land sandwiched between the palus, or coastal marshes, and the pine forests which extend for miles south into the Landes. The vineyard strip is about 5 to 12 km/3 to 8 miles wide, and runs northwards, with various intermissions for scrub, pasture, polder, and river bank, more than 70 km/50 miles from the northern suburbs of Bordeaux to the marshes of the lower, more northerly part of the Médoc, the so-called Bas-Médoc (see map under bordeaux). Wines produced in the Bas-Médoc use the Médoc appellation, while those on the higher ground in the south eastern section are entitled to the Haut-Médoc appellation, although many of them qualify for the smarter individual village, or communal, appellations. From south to north, these are margaux, moulis, listrac, st-julien, pauillac, and st-estèphe. As outlined in bordeaux, history, the Médoc is a relatively recent wine region. Before the Dutch diligently applied their drainage technology to the polders of the Médoc in the mid 17th century, the region was salt-marsh, of interest for grazing rather than vine-growing. The ditches were so effective, and Bordeaux merchants so keen to supply vinous rivals to graves and the powerful Portuguese wines that had been shipped in great quantity to the important British market, that New French Clarets were born, and great estates established in the Médoc on the back of their commercial success. In the mid 19th century, the Médoc enjoyed a period of prosperity unparalleled until the 1980s. The climate on this peninsula is Bordeaux’s mildest, moderated both by the estuary and by the Atlantic ocean just over the pines. These forests protect the vineyard strip from strong winds off the ocean, and help to moderate summer temperatures, but it is only in the Médoc and the Graves district further south that Bordeaux vignerons are confident of ripening Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with any frequency. The Médoc is also Bordeaux’s wettest region, which makes rot a constant threat and spraying a habit. A typical estate, or château, in the greater Médoc district hedges its viticultural bets and grows at least three different grape varieties: a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon, supplemented principally by Merlot, together with some Cabernet Franc with, perhaps, a little late late-ripening Petit Verdot and occasionally some Malbec. However, Merlot often predominates in the damper, cooler soils of the Bas-Médoc as it is easier to ripen in lesser vintages, and Cabernet Sauvignon comprises only about half of all the vines planted in the district. While the Médoc possesses few distinctive geographical features, many man-hours have been spent charting the subterranean Médoc. It has long been argued that its great distinction is its soil, in particular its gravel. Many a geological theory has been employed to explain exactly how, and whence, these gravel deposits arrived in the Médoc, and efforts have been made to correlate exact soil and rock types with the quality of wine produced from vines grown on them. Dr Gérard Seguin of the University of bordeaux was one of the first to show that the soil’s physical attributes are very much more important than its mineral composition, and that one of the most important soil attributes is good drainage (see soil and wine quality). The gravels of the Médoc are ideal in this respect, and are particularly important in such a damp climate—although in hotter vintages mature vines can benefit from the extensive root systems encouraged by the gravel. The gravels of the Médoc are also good at storing valuable heat, thereby promoting ripening. It is traditionally said that the best vines of the Médoc are those which grow within sight of the Gironde, and certainly this is true of all the district’s first growths. Some argue that this is because the gravels deposited here are younger and more effective for vine maturation, others that the mesoclimates of coastal vineyards tend to be slightly warmer, others that vines on higher ground have to establish more complex root systems. A total of about 1,500 vine-growers farm this land, about a quarter of which forms part of one of the classed growths ranked in the famous 1855 classification of the Médoc (and Graves).

333
Q

Medoc: The Haut- Medoc Appellation

A

The landscape of the Haut-Médoc may not be remarkable but it is peppered with grandiose château buildings erected and embellished with the money to be made from selling classed growth red bordeaux. Certainly the Haut-Médoc today is nothing if not stratified, thanks largely to the effects of the 1855 classification of its most famous estates, which recognized 60 of them as first, second, third, fourth, and fifth growths, commercial and social positions from which none but Ch mouton rothschild has so far been able to escape. Most of these classed growths are entitled to a village appellation such as Pauillac or Margaux (see map under bordeaux), but five of them are in communes without their own appellations and qualify merely as Haut-Médoc. The most highly ranked of these is the third growth Ch La Lagune in Ludon just outside the city, a property which has retained its reputation for robust, concentrated wines. Just north of this well-run property is the fifth growth Ch Cantemerle. The commune of St-Laurent, inland from st-julien on the main road through the forests of the Médoc, boasts the improving fourth growth Ch La Tour-Carnet and two improving fifth growths, Chx Belgrave and Camensac. The area classified as Haut-Médoc as opposed to any more specific commune grew very slightly to 4,600 ha/11,360 acres by 2004 at which level it has remained. Many of these vineyards are crus bourgeois offering some of the best value to be found in Bordeaux. The best wines share the deep colour, concentration, tannins, and some of the ageing potential of the classed growths, and are made in a very similar fashion, with the maximum permitted yield usually 55 hl/ha (as opposed to the 57 hl/ha permitted for the Médoc’s four important village or communal appellations), and a leap of faith and selling price is needed to justify the use of new barrels. Some other particularly ambitious properties include Chx Beaumont, Belgrave, Belle-Vue, Bernadotte, Cambon La Pelouse, Citran, Coufran, Labat, Lamothe-Bergeron, Lanessan, Sénéjac, Sociando-Mallet, and Tour du Haut-Moulin.

334
Q

Medoc: The appellation Medoc

A

The total area qualifying for the basic Médoc appellation increased dangerously fast in the 1990s and early 2000s and reached nearly 5,700 ha/14,000 acres by 2004, 1,000 ha more than in 1996 and considerably more than that of the generally finer Haut-Médoc. It was still 5,531 ha/13,667 acres in 2013. Growers were encouraged by what they thought would be a steady increase in worldwide demand for red bordeaux. They were wrong and many found themselves in severe financial difficulties by the mid 2000s. Permitted yields are generally the same as for Haut-Médoc, and a high proportion of the wines are dominated by Merlot. Much of the wine produced on these lower, less well-drained, heavier soils is solid if uninspiring claret sold in bulk to co-operatives or to the bordeaux trade for blending into generic Médoc, if the growers are lucky. Estates on which an effort is made to produce something more distinctive than this, usually by restricting yields and refining winemaking, include Chx Les Grands Chênes, Les Ormes Sorbet, Potensac (run particularly fastidiously by the owners of Ch léoville las cases of St-Julien), Preuillac, La Tour de By, Tour Haut-Caussan (one of Bordeaux’s rare organic wines), and Vieux Robin. Goulée is a particularly concentrated blended Médoc made by the owners of Ch Cos d’Estournel.

335
Q

Haut- Medoc

A

The higher, southern part of the Médoc district of Bordeaux which includes the world-famous communes of margaux, pauillac, st-estèphe, and st-julien, as well as the less glamorous ones of listrac and moulis. Red wines made here outside one of these appellations, many of them crus bourgeois, usually qualify for the appellation of Haut-Médoc.

336
Q

St- Estephe

A

The northernmost of the four important communal appellations in the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux. St-Estèphe is separated from the vineyards of Pauillac’s Ch lafite only by a stream—indeed Ch Lafite owns some land in the commune of St-Estèphe itself. To the immediate north of St-Estèphe, across a stretch of polder, lies the Bas-médoc, the lower, lesser portion of this most famous region. The soils of St-Estèphe contain their fair share of gravel, but these layers of gravel are often to be found on a clay base. These more poorly drained soils are cooler and can delay ripening, leaving St-Estèphe grapes higher in acidity than their counterparts further south in the Médoc. In Bordeaux’s low-rainfall vintages, such as 1990 and 2003, the water-retaining clays of St-Estèphe have an advantage. A high proportion of grapes grown on St-Estèphe’s area of just over 1,200 ha/2,960 acres of vines have found their way into the vats of the village’s co-operative, which often uses the name Marquis de St-Estèphe. The village may boast fewer famous names and classed growths than margaux, pauillac, and st-julien, but its wines have a distinctive style that is deep coloured, full of extract, perhaps a little austere in youth, but very long lived. This style was perceptibly softened during the 1980s as higher proportions of Merlot grapes blurred the edges of the Cabernet, and winemaking techniques, particularly concentration, have been harnessed to make the wines seem softer and fuller. The stars of St-Estèphe are its two second growths, Chx Montrose and Cos d’Estournel, whose fortunes and reputations have alternated throughout the village’s relatively recent history as a fine wine producer. Cos (pronounced ‘koss’) d’Estournel has the Médoc’s most eye-catching architecture, in a façade of pure oriental folly beside the main road through the Médoc’s wine villages. Its wines are the commune’s most ambitious, styled for many decades to come. Ch Montrose has traditionally produced much more traditionally structured, almost Ch latour-like wines, but a new regime and reconstruction may change this. St-Estèphe’s other classed growths are the increasingly dramatic third growth Ch Calon-Ségur, the reliable fourth growth Ch Lafon-Rochet, well sited between Ch Lafite and Cos, and the distinctly modest fifth growth Ch Cos-Labory. Some of the village’s most conscientiously made wines, however, are such crus bourgeois as the exotic Chx Haut-Marbuzet, Meyney, de Pez, and Haut-Beauséjour (both owned by roederer), Les-Ormes-de-Pez (the latter run in tandem with Pauillac’s Ch Lynch-Bages), and Ch Beau-Site.

337
Q

Pauillac

A

Small port and communal appellation in the médoc district of bordeaux which has the unparalleled distinction of boasting three of the five first growths ranked in Bordeaux’s most famous classification within its boundaries—Chx lafite, latour, and mouton rothschild—as well as a bevy of other classed growths rivalling them (and each other) with increasing insistence. For all the importance of its wines, Pauillac gives the impression of being the only settlement in the Haut-Médoc to have an existence independent of wine—an impression reinforced by its size and nearby industrial installations. This, however, is Cabernet Sauvignon country par excellence, and while there is considerable variation between different properties’ terroirs and winemaking policies and capabilities, certain expressions recur in Pauillac tasting notes: cassis (blackcurrant), cedar, and cigar box (the last two sometimes a reflection of the top-quality French oak cooperage which the selling prices of Pauillac permit). A high proportion of the Médoc’s most concentrated wines are produced here. About 1,200 ha/3,000 acres of vines produce this famous appellation in an almost continuous strip between Pauillac’s boundary with st-julien to the south and st-estèphe to the north, separated from the waters of the Gironde estuary by only a few hundred metres of palus too marshy for serious viticulture (although very suitable for grazing Pauillac’s famous agneaux présalés, saltmarsh lamb). This strip of vines, 3 km/2 miles wide and more than 6 km long, dedicated to the production of the world’s most famously long-lived red wine, is divided into two by the small river Gaët, whose banks are also unsuitable for vines. As elsewhere in the Médoc, the layers of gravel here provide the key to wine quality, offering excellent drainage, aided by the almost imperceptibly undulating topography and a series of jalles or streams running water off the gravelly plateau and into the Gironde. The stars of the northern sector of Pauillac are undoubtedly the two rothschild properties Chx Lafite and mouton rothschild, whose plots of vineyard are intermingled on the plateau of Le Pouyalet, reaching the considerable (for the Médoc) elevation of 30 m/100 ft at its highest point. Clustered around them are their satellite properties, whose wines benefit from the first-class winemaking ability of their owners. Ch Duhart-Milon is Lafite’s fourth growth, made in the town of Pauillac. The fifth growths Ch Clerc-Milon and Ch d’Armailhac (the latter called Ch Mouton Baron Philippe and then Ch Mouton Baronne Philippe between 1956 and 1989) are made, to an often very high standard, close to Mouton itself. Other classed growths on this plateau just a stream away from St-Estèphe are the fifth growths Chx Pontet-Canet which has attracted considerable attention as a result of its unusual espousal of biodynamic viticulture and the generally much less exciting Pédesclaux. Throughout the 1970s, much was made of the inter-Rothschild rivalry in the northern half of Pauillac, resolved by the next generation. In the mid 1980s and early 1990s, the extreme south of the appellation around the village of St-Lambert was a battleground for wine supremacy, between first growth Ch Latour and, particularly, its near neighbours the two Pichons. All three of these have made considerable investments in their vineyards, chais, and more cosmetic aspects of their property, and the Pichons have demonstrated that, just like first growth Latour, they are capable of making sublime wine at the St-Julien end of Pauillac. The Pichon-Longueville estate was originally one, but had already been divided into a smaller ‘Baron’ portion and a larger Comtesse de Lalande portion by the time the 1855 classification ranked them in the bottom half of the second growths (a very much lower position than they merit today). Pichon-Baron has been lavishly renovated by axa Millésimes while roederer, new owners of Pichon Lalande, later did the same across the road. In the hinterland of this southern extreme of Pauillac are neighbouring fifth growths Chx Batailley and Haut-Batailley, whose wines can challenge those of fifth growth Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste to the immediate north, which is run impeccably by Xavier Borie and can offer some of Pauillac’s best value. A dozen of the 18 fifth growths are in Pauillac, and none has been more successful than the Cazes family’s flamboyantly styled Ch Lynch-Bages (the name betraying the original Irish connection), whose standing and fame suggest a considerably higher ranking. Chx Lynch-Moussas, Croizet-Bages, and Grand-Puy-Ducasse have rarely merited the limelight. Ch Haut-Bages-Libéral, between Chx Latour and Lynch-Bages, can be great value. Two of Pauillac’s most distinctive products do not feature in the 1855 classification. Les Forts de Latour, the second wine of Ch Latour, is regularly one of its most successful wines (and is priced as such), while the co-operative at Pauillac is a particularly important one, selling some of its considerable produce under the name La Rose Pauillac.

338
Q

St- Julien

A

One of the most homogeneous, reliable, and underrated village appellations in the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux. St-Julien may suffer in popular esteem because, unlike pauillac to its immediate north and margaux a few miles to the south, there is no first growth property within its boundaries. Instead, however, it can boast five superb second growths, two excellent third growths, four well-maintained fourth growths, and, from the 1980s at least, an unrivalled consistency in winemaking skill. St-Julien has been the commune for wine connoisseurs who seek subtlety, balance, and tradition in their red bordeaux. The wines may lack the vivid, sometimes almost pastiche, concentration of a Pauillac, the austerity of a classic st-estèphe, or the immediate charm of a stereotypical (if all too rare) Margaux, but they embody all the virtues of fine, long-lived blends of Cabernet and Merlot grapes, being deep coloured, dry, digestible, appetizing, persistent, intriguing, and rewarding. The appellation, the smallest of the Médoc’s most famous four, has for years encompassed about 900 ha/2,220 acres of vineyard within the communes of St-Julien and Beychevelle to its immediate south. Both gravelly soils and subsoils with clay-limestone and hardpan here are relatively homogeneous, broken only by a narrow strip of river bank on either side of the jalle that bisects the zone and flows into the Gironde north of the dramatically remodelled Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou. South of St-Julien is a considerable extent of land classified merely as Haut-Médoc, but to the north the appellation is contiguous with the southern border of Pauillac, and Ch léoville-las-cases in the extreme north of St-Julien shares many characteristics with some fine Pauillac wines, notably Ch latour, which is well within sight. The Léoville estate, as Penning-Rowsell points out, must have been the largest in the entire Médoc in the 18th century, before it was divided into the three second growths known today as Chx Léoville-Las-Cases, Léoville-Poyferré, and Léoville-Barton. Léoville-Poyferré, which includes the original château building, enjoyed a heyday in terms of its reputation in the 1920s, but also demonstrated something of a return to form in the 1980s. Best value, and perhaps most representative of the appellation, is Léoville-Barton, run from Ch Langoa-Barton, a fine third growth that is, unusually for the Médoc, the home of its owner Anthony barton. Chx Gruaud-Larose and Ducru-Beaucaillou are the other two St-Julien second growths, and produce two of the Médoc’s finest wines in most vintages. The third growth Ch Lagrange was much improved in the 1980s by investment from suntory of japan, while fourth growths Chx St Pierre, Talbot, Branaire-Ducru, and Beychevelle are generally well run. St-Julien’s classed growths account for about three-quarters of the appellation’s total production, and even such unclassified properties as Chx Gloria, Hortevie, and Lalande-Borie do not believe in underpricing their admittedly admirable produce.

339
Q

Margaux

A

Potentially the most seductive appellation of the Haut-médoc district of Bordeaux. At their stereotypical best, the wines of Margaux combine the deep ruby colour, structure, and concentration of any top-quality Médoc with a haunting perfume and a silkier texture than is found to the north in st-julien, pauillac, and st-estèphe. Mid-20th-century vintages from its two finest properties Ch Margaux (see below) and Ch Palmer certainly demonstrated this and helped to develop this conception of Margaux. Margaux is the most southerly, most isolated, and most extensive of the Médoc’s communal appellations (see map under bordeaux). Although it is made of several non-contiguous parcels of the best portions of vineyard land, inferior parcels qualifying merely as Haut-Médoc, the appellation takes in not just the substantial village of Margaux, but also the neighbouring communities of Cantenac, Soussans, Labarde, and Arsac. In total almost 1,500 ha/3,750 acres qualified for the Margaux appellation in the mid 2010s, and within its boundaries there are inevitably considerable variations in both topography and soil type. Within the apellation is limestone, chalk, clay, and sand, but most of the finest wines should come from gentle outcrops, or croupes, where gravel predominates and drainage is good—although properties here are particularly parcellated and intermingled with one estate often comprising very different, and often distant, plots of land. Ch Margaux, for example, has vineyards in both Cantenac and Soussans. Margaux has in the past enjoyed enormous réclame, and more Margaux properties were included in the 1855 classification of the Médoc and Graves (more than 20) than from any other appellation. The appellation clearly still has great potential, but in the 1970s, 1980s, and even 1990s a curious number of châteaux failed to keep pace with the substantial improvements in wine quality achieved in the other three major appellations of the Médoc. Ch Margaux itself, the first growth standard-bearer as well as name-bearer for the appellation, was revived only in 1978 after more than a decade of disappointing vintages (see below for more details). Of the five second growths within the appellation, Chx Rauzan-Ségla, Rauzan-Gassies, Durfort-Vivens, Lascombes, and Brane-Cantenac, the first was seriously revived only when the owners of the couture house Chanel bought it in 1994 (restoring the ‘z’ in its name), and the second has been one of the most notable under-performers in the whole Médoc. Among the original ten third growths, Desmirail, Ferrière, and Dubignon-Talbot were practically abandoned for years, the last apparently for ever. Only Ch Palmer, officially a third growth, could be said to have represented the appellation with any glory and consistency in the second half of the 20th century. Ch Palmer, part owned and managed by the Bordeaux branch of the sichel family, produced a wine that could without hyperbole be described as legendary in 1961. Rauzan-Ségla and Rauzan-Gassies were originally one estate and, according to Penning-Rowsell, probably the first other than the first growths to establish a reputation abroad. Rausan-Ségla (as it was then spelt), the larger part, or rather many different parts, was for long owned by the cruses and since then passed through several corporate hands, the last of which installed effective new winemaking equipment in the mid 1980s before the sale to the Wertheimer family of the fashion house Chanel. Ch Lascombes passed from Alexis lichine to a British brewer in 1971 and is now run, with considerable right bank influence, by an American-led consortium. The large Ch Brane-Cantenac estate, like Durfort-Vivens owned by a lurton, has been producing lighter wines than its status in the 1855 classification suggests. Of Margaux’s many third growths other than Palmer, Kirwan has yo-yoed rather; Issan was for long more famous for its romantic moated château than for its wines (see cruse); Giscours has experienced a renaissance under new ownership; Cantenac-Brown was only temporarily owned by axa; Malescot St-Exupéry, originally called St-Exupéry, is slowly taking on more flesh; Boyd-Cantenac is too often dull; while Marquis d’Alesme-Becker, originally called Becker, can be uncomfortably lean. More care has recently been lavished on Ch Prieuré-Lichine than on Margaux’s other fourth growths Chx Pouget and Marquis de Terme, although the latter is much improved since the mid 1980s. Chx Dauzac and du Tertre, Margaux’s fifth growths, have seen considerable recent investment.

340
Q

Listrac

A

One of the six communal appellations of the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux. In relation to the other five (margaux, st-julien, pauillac, st-estèphe, and even moulis, with which it is often compared), Listrac seems the least well favoured. It is, just, the furthest of them all from the Gironde estuary and the vineyards are planted on 540 ha/1,334 acres in 2013 of mainly clay-limestone on a gentle rise which, at an elevation of about 40 m/131 ft, constitutes some of the highest land in the Médoc. Although the Merlot grape is increasingly planted, the wines can be relatively austere in youth. The most cosseted property is probably the late Baron Edmond de rothschild’s Ch Clarke, given extra ballast by oenologist Michel rolland, although Ch Fonréaud is generally reliable. Yields of 45 hl/ha (2.6 tons/acre) are officially tolerated here, whereas the limit is 40 hl/ha in Moulis and other Haut-Médoc village appellations.

341
Q

Moulis

A

Smallest of the six communal appellations of the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux (the others being margaux, st-julien, pauillac, st-estèphe, and neighbouring listrac). Although it includes only about 600 ha/1,500 acres of vineyards, there is considerable diversity of terroir in Moulis, in terms of both topography and soil composition. Countryside that is positively rolling by Médoc standards, and soils that include various gravels, clays, and limestone, result in wines as varied as the occasionally brilliant Ch Chasse-Spleen, the good-value Ch Maucaillou, and a host of properties whose names include the word Poujeaux. The finest of these is usually long-lived Ch Poujeaux itself. Like Listrac, Moulis is not classed growth country. Perhaps because of this, the best wines can offer good value, being as well structured as any Haut-Médoc, often with some of the perfume of Margaux to the east.

342
Q

Graves

A

French for gravelly terrain, and a term at one time used for many of Bordeaux’s wine districts, but now the name of one particular large region extending 50 km/30 miles south east of the city along the left bank of the river garonne (see map under bordeaux). Graves is Bordeaux’s only region famous for both its red and white wines, although its aristocratic, mineral-scented, Cabernet-dominated red wines are made in much greater quantity than its dry whites. In the early 1990s, about 1,800 ha/4,500 acres were planted with red wine grapes, while about 950 ha produced dry white Graves. By 2013 the areas were 2,520 and 752 ha respectively. Graves Supérieures is an aoc for sweet wines, to which 178 ha were dedicated in 2013, producing wines very similar to, but generally slightly drier and coarser than those from the enclave entitled to the cérons appellation. The Graves, and in particular the outskirts of Bordeaux, the Grabas de Burdeus, is the birthplace of claret. In the Middle Ages, much of the light clairet dispatched in such quantity to England was grown in these vineyards within easy distance of the quayside; the Médoc was largely marshland (see bordeaux, history). Ch Pape-Clément is Bordeaux’s first named château, while haut-brion was the first New French Claret noted in London, by Samuel Pepys, in 1663. Thomas jefferson noted that in late-18th-century ‘Grave’ wines were considered the finest Bordeaux had to offer. It was presumably this historic fame which had Ch Haut-Brion, Graves’s most famous property, included with the finest Médoc châteaux in the famous classification in 1855. For centuries Graves encompassed all the vineyards south of the border with the médoc in a great sweep around the city and upstream along the Garonne as far as Langon, with the exception of the enclaves for sweet white wine appellations barsac, cérons, and sauternes. In 1987, the separate appellation of pessac-léognan was formed, a northern slice of the original Graves appellation which includes all of its most famous properties, and the southern suburbs of Bordeaux itself. The creation of this new premium appellation had the effect of somewhat declassifying the historic name Graves, although some excellent wines are conscientiously made within the modern Graves appellation on the varied gravel terraces which have been deposited there over alluvial deposits with the occasional sandy outcrop over the millennia. The reds, which can truly taste like country cousins of their more urbane neighbours in Pessac-Léognan, can often be good value, and mature earlier than their Médoc counterparts. It is in this area that some serious barrel-fermented, or at least oak-aged, dry whites are made, from Sauvignon and Sémillon grapes in varying proportions.

343
Q

Pessac- Leognan

A

Important bordeaux red and dry white wine appellation created in 1987 for the most celebrated part of the graves district immediately south of the city (and often still referred to as Graves). It takes its somewhat cumbersome name from its two vinously most important communes, and includes all of the properties named in the 1959 classification of Graves, and many other fine châteaux too. This is Bordeaux’s most urban wine area—indeed the vineyards of its most famous property Ch Haut-Brion and its neighbour and stablemate Ch La Mission-Haut-Brion are today surrounded by suburban development, including the campus of the University of bordeaux, on the boundary of the suburbs of Pessac and Talence. It is hardly surprising that Bordeaux’s earliest wine estates were developed here, although the wines of Chx haut-brion, la mission-haut-brion, and Pape-Clément justify the properties’ existence on grounds far more solid than mere geographical convenience. Further from the city, vineyards are carved out of the pine forests which extend south west into the Landes. In all, about 1,435 ha/3,544 acres of vineyard within Pessac-Léognan produce red wine, and the total area devoted to white wine grapes was almost 270 ha by the early 2010s. Soils here have particularly good drainage, being made up of gravel terraces of very different eras. The encépagement for red wines is very similar to that of the médoc to the immediate north, being mainly Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with some Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but the wines can be quite different. It is not fanciful to imagine that the best wines of Pessac-Léognan have a distinct aroma that reminds some tasters of minerals, some of smoke, others even of warm bricks. Ch Haut-Brion is the most obvious exponent of this genre. Other current over-achievers include Chx Pape-Clément, Smith Haut-Lafitte, and Haut-Bailly, while Chx de Fieuzal and La Louvière can provide some of Bordeaux’s better value. White wines made here can be some of the most characterful dry white wines in the world, made from Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Sémillon, and Muscadelle grapes grown generally on the lighter, sandier parts of the vineyard, and often produced with considerable recourse to barrel fermentation and barrel maturation. The most admired, Domaine de Chevalier and Chx Haut-Brion Blanc and La Mission-Haut-Brion Blanc, can develop in bottle over decades, and the dry white wines of Ch Malartic-Lagravière, for example, demand a decade in bottle at the very least. More recent, and more modern if still long-lasting, fine white wines are made at Ch Couhins-lurton.

344
Q

Sauternes

A

The special distinction of this region of 1,767 ha/4,364 acres embedded within the Graves district south of bordeaux is that it is dedicated, in a way unmatched by any other wine region, to the production of unfortified, sweet, white wine. In Germany or Alsace, say, where superlative sweet wines are occasionally made, such wines are the exception rather than the rule, and emerge from vines that more usually produce much drier wines. In Sauternes the situation is quite different. The appellation is reserved for wines from five communes that must adhere to regulations stipulating minimum levels of alcoholic strength (13%) and a tasting test that requires the wine to taste sweet. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and Muscadelle are responsible but Sémillon is the principal grape, because it is especially susceptible to noble rot, and it accounts for about 80% of a typical estate’s encépagement. Sauvignon often attracts noble rot earlier than Sémillon, and its naturally high acidity can give the wine a freshness that balances the richer, broader flavours of Sémillon. Muscadelle’s contribution is mostly aromatic, but its viticultural frailty leads many growers to find it more trouble than it is worth. No one is exactly sure when sweet wine production became the norm here. The style was well entrenched by the late 18th century, when Thomas jefferson and others were purchasing wines from the district’s most famous property Ch d’yquem that were evidently sweet; and harvesting details from the 1660s suggest, but do not prove, that the wines made then were probably sweet. Sauternes is the product of a specific mesoclimate. The communes of Sauternes, Barsac, Preignac, Bommes, and Fargues are close to two rivers, the broad garonne and its small tributary, the Ciron. When, in autumn, the cool spring-fed Ciron waters flow into the warmer tidal Garonne, evening mists envelop the vineyards until late morning the following day, when the sun, if it shines, burns the mist away. This moist atmosphere encourages Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that attacks the grapes and causes them to shrivel and rot (see botrytis bunch rot). Mist activates the botrytis spores in the vineyards, and the alternating sunshine completes the process of desiccation. The onset of botrytis is crucial to the evolution of the grapes. Without it, they may indeed ripen sufficiently to ensure that a sweet wine can be made, if fermentation ceases before all the sugar has been converted into alcohol, but the result will lack complexity. As outlined in more detail in noble rot, the overall effect of a benevolent botrytis infection is to increase the concentrations of sugar in grapes and, to a lesser extent, that of tartaric acid; to stimulate the production of glycerol; and to alter considerably the aroma and flavour of the finished wine. The essential difference between mediocre and great Sauternes hangs on the willingness of estate owners to risk waiting until botrytis arrives. There are years when botrytis either fails to develop at all or arrives very late in the year. Proprietors must then decide whether to delay or to begin the harvest. Delay is a risky strategy: the chances of frost or rain, both of which can wreck the harvest, clearly increase as the autumn months wear on, but by picking too early the estate can end up with insipid sweet white wine while its more scrupulous neighbours are in a position to market great botrytized wine. This introduces an economic issue unique to this region. Sauternes is exceptionally costly to make. There are a number of vintages each decade in which it is either impossible to make good sweet wine (and some grapes may be salvaged to make a dry white that qualifies only as a bordeaux aoc) or in which, as in 1991 for example, it can be produced only in minute quantities. Even in excellent vintages, maximum yields are restricted to 25 hl/ha (1.4 tons/acre), a quantity infrequently attained. At Yquem, the average yield is a trifling 9 hl/ha, and at most conscientious estates the yields probably fluctuate between 12 and 20 hl/ha—although total production of the appellation, perhaps tellingly, does not vary nearly as much. (In the red wine districts of médoc or st-émilion, yields of more than 45 hl/ha are routine.) In addition, the harvest is unusually protracted. Botrytis occasionally swoops over entire vineyards, as in 1990 and 2003, but this is rare. More commonly, it performs its unsightly activities patchily. A typical harvesting pattern might be as follows: an attack of botrytis on Sauvignon grapes allows half of them to be picked in late September; two weeks of drizzle follow, during which picking is suspended; finer weather resumes, grapes affected by undesirable grey rot are eliminated, and in late October another attack of botrytis allows the Sémillon and remaining Sauvignon grapes to be picked over a three-week period. The necessity for selective harvesting, or triage, essential for Sauternes, is expensive, as teams of pickers must be kept available for a very long period. More than any other wine, Sauternes is made in the vineyard. Once the grapes have been picked, they are difficult to manipulate. Their must weight (sugar content), their physiological ripeness, and the degree of botrytis infection will all determine quality before the winemaker has got to work. None the less, Sauternes calls for careful vinification. Pressing should be as gentle as possible, and some leading estates still use old-fashioned hydraulic or basket presses for this purpose. Fermentation takes place in tanks or, more usually since the mid 1980s, in barriques, of which 30 to 100% are likely to be new (see barrel fermentation). Fermentation either stops of its own accord when the wine has achieved a balance of about 14% alcohol and a residual sugar level that is the equivalent of a further 4–7% alcohol, or it is arrested with the addition of sulfur dioxide. For more details, see botrytized winemaking. In weaker vintages, chaptalization may be permitted, although better estates avoid the practice, which merely adds sweetness rather than complexity and is often used to disguise lazy harvesting. The wine is usually aged in oak barrels for between 18 and 36 months (see barrel maturation). Less distinguished lots of wine are usually sold off to négociants; in 1978, Yquem bottled only 15% of the crop under its own label, and in 1987, many estates marketed no wine at all. This is all the more remarkable because, despite having very much higher production costs, the Sauternais are not generally rewarded with much higher selling prices than the equivalent red bordeaux made in much greater quantity. Blame fashion. Although the prevalence of botrytis and overall geographical location are common to all Sauternes, specific mesoclimates and soil structures affect the styles of the different estates. barsac is the most distinctive commune, and is entitled to its own appellation, although it can also be sold as Sauternes. Its proximity to the Ciron and its alluvial soil give wines that are often lighter and more elegant than its neighbours. The communes of Bommes and Sauternes itself tend to give the fattest wines, although exceptions are numerous. There are also differences in maturation dates: the grapes at Ch Filhot, for instance, often ripen a week later than those of Barsac. The trend this century has increasingly been to seek harmony in the wines rather than maximum sweetness. All these factors were taken into account when in 1855 the existing estates were classified. Successful candidates were ranked as either first or second growths, with Yquem rightfully given its own super-status (see classification). In the 1960s especially, standards slumped. Producers were especially impoverished and there was a string of poor vintages. Only the richest estates could afford to maintain standards. Elsewhere, corners were cut, grapes were picked too early, and barriques were replaced with tanks. For two decades many classified growths produced wines that were mediocre at best, even in fine vintages. Only with the excellent 1983 vintage did matters improve. Prices rose, and wise proprietors invested in long overdue improvements, which bore fruit in the superb 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1990 vintages and, more recently, the 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, and 2011. The official 1855 classification is once again a reasonably reliable guide to quality, although a number of unclassified growths, such as Ch de Fargues (owned by Comte Alexandre de Lur-Saluces who used to manage Yquem), Gilette, and Raymond-Lafon, are often of first growth quality, and price. After a bad patch, Sauternes is again showing the quality of which it is capable. It combines power, voluptuousness, and elegance, and good bottles can evolve and improve for up to 50 years (longer in the case of Yquem). Given the risks and costs involved in its production, it remains underpriced in relation to the enormous pleasure it brings to those growing numbers of wine lovers who find a fine Sauternes has an undeniable place on the dinner table.

345
Q

Fronsac

A

Small but once famed red wine appellation in the Bordeaux region just west of the town of Libourne on the right bank of the River dordogne (see map under bordeaux). The wooded low hills of Fronsac, and Canon-Fronsac, the even smaller and more famous appellation to the immediate south, constitute Bordeaux’s prettiest countryside, and the region’s elevation, unusual so close to the Gironde estuary, gave it great strategic importance. Fronsac was the site of a Roman temple, and then of a fortress built by charlemagne, who is locally supposed to have taken a particular interest in this wine. The wine benefited further in the mid 17th century when the Duc de Richelieu, also Duc de Fronsac and a man of considerable influence, replaced the fortress with a villa in which he entertained frequently. According to Enjalbert, the first great right-bank wines were produced, around 1730, in Canon-Fronsac. Even well into the 19th century, the wines of Fronsac were much more famous than those of pomerol on the other side of Libourne. The low-lying land beside the river and any alluvial soils further inland from the Dordogne and its tributary the Isle are entitled to only the bordeaux aoc, while the Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac appellations are concentrated on the higher land where limestone predominates and sandstone is also characteristic. Merlot and Cabernet Franc (Bouchet) are the dominant grape varieties, densely planted on the land entitled to the Fronsac appellation and the more restricted area, mainly around the villages of St-Michel-de-Fronsac and Fronsac itself, which are entitled to the supposedly superior Canon-Fronsac appellation. The region with its cool soils performs particularly well in hot vintages. Wines made in the 1960s and 1970s were often both austere and slightly rustic. The 1980s saw considerable refinement of techniques, and investment in winemaking equipment, notably some new barrels, so that Fronsac added suppleness to its density. It does not have the lush character of Pomerol but can offer a keenly priced alternative to more famous red bordeaux, with the juicy fruit of a St-Émilion and the ageing potential of a Médoc. Even the commercial muscle of the moueix family, who owned Chx Canon-Moueix, La Dauphine, and Canon de Brem, as well as distributing several others, from the 1980s until the early 21st century, failed to win the region the success it probably deserves. The largest and most picturesque property on the entire right bank is Ch de la Rivière. By 2013 Fronsac had only about 750 ha/1,852 acres planted, and Canon Fronsac about 250 ha, with red wine grapes only.

346
Q

Canon- Fronsac

A

Underrated Bordeaux red wine appellation, the heartland of Fronsac.

347
Q

St- Emilion

A

Important, fast-changing red wine district in Bordeaux producing more wine than any other right bank appellation, and home of most of the extravagantly priced garage wines. It takes its name from the prettiest town in the Bordeaux region by far, and one of the few to attract tourists to whom wine is of no interest. The town’s historical importance is undisputed, and obvious to the most casual of visitors. In the 8th century it was a collection of caves hollowed out of the cliff on which a fortified medieval town was to be built. In the Middle Ages its port, Pierrefitte, played an important part in shipping wine down the dordogne river, until it was overtaken by libourne a few miles downstream. It was on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, and even today its confrérie the Jurade de St-Émilion prides itself on maintaining the district’s reputation for hospitality. As outlined in bordeaux, history, St-Émilion was a wine region long before the Médoc on the left bank of the Gironde, even though for most of the 19th century it was less important commercially. In the early 20th century, the wines of St-Émilion were left to the merchants of Libourne to sell in northern France and northern Europe, while the bordeaux trade concentrated on selling left bank wines. The reputation of St-Émilion grew steadily throughout the second half of the 20th century, accelerating towards the end of the century, not least because of international interest in some of the garagistes. As a result, rivalry between the left and right banks intensified, with St-Émilion and the scores of wine shops lining its narrow cobbled streets being the focus of right-bank wine activity. Whereas the Médoc is made up of large, grand estates, most of St-Émilion’s 400 or so smallholders are essentially farmers, albeit dedicated to a single crop. That crop is dominated by the Merlot and Cabernet Franc (here called Bouchet) vine varieties, Merlot accounting for more than 60% of all vine plantings and imbuing the wines with their characteristic almost dried fruit sweetness. A little Cabernet Sauvignon is grown, but it can be relied upon to ripen profitably only in favoured spots in the generally cooler soils and macroclimate of the right bank, and then only if a suitable clone has been planted and is grown with care. Grape varieties apart, variation is the hallmark of this extensive region. The quality of its wines can vary from light, fruity, serviceable clarets to the finest first growths capable of ageing for a century or more. The diversity of soils in the district is such that Bordeaux’s most diligent geologist, Henri Enjalbert, devoted his tour de force to the region. Although conventionally the St-Émilion district has been divided into two general soil types—the côtes or hillsides below the town, and the clay-rich calcareous soil on the limestone plateau to the east and west of it—there are inevitably myriad soil types (see detailed map in Johnson and Robinson). At its north western limit is a distinctly gravelly district around Chx Cheval Blanc and Figeac. Much of the appellation zone lies on the plain between the town and plateau and the river Dordogne. Wines made on this lower land, a mixture of gravel, sand, and alluvial soils, tend to be lighter and less long lived than the wines produced on the plateau or the hillsides, and most, but not all, of them qualify for the most basic appellation, St-Émilion. But the St-Émilion district also boasts a diversity of appellations and, uniquely in France, has a classification of individual properties which is regularly revised, and depends on tasting. This classification was first drawn up in 1955 and is revised, often controversially, roughly every ten years, the most recent being that drawn up in 2012. Several hundred properties are accorded the misleadingly grand-seeming St-Émilion Grand Cru status. In 2013, for example, just 1,491 ha qualified for the simple St-Émilion appellation while 3,891 ha qualified as St-Émilion Grand Cru—far more than previously. But the classification’s most significant task is to identify which properties rank as St-Émilion Grand Cru Classé and which few qualify as St-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé. See classification for details of the 2012 classification, which rated 82 properties Grands Crus Classés, of which 18 are Premiers Grands Crus Classés and two, Chx Angélus and Pavie, were elevated to the same ‘A’ status as the historic Chx cheval blanc and ausone. Most of the district’s most highly ranked properties are either on the steep, clay-limestone hillsides immediately below the town or on the gravelly section of the plateau 5 km/3 miles west of the town and immediately adjacent to the pomerol appellation. Of traditionally famous St-Émilion properties, Ch Figeac, which pre-dated and claims to rival Ch Cheval Blanc, is (unusually for the appellation) attached to Cabernet Sauvignon. Since most other St-Émilions lack this tannic ingredient, the district’s wines in general mature much faster than their left bank counterparts. This is particularly true of the new wave of small properties which emerged in the 1990s, some of whose wines have been offered (though did not necessarily sell) at prices in excess of the famous and established first growths. See garage wines. At the other extreme of value, the St-Émilion co-operative, l’Union des Producteurs de St-Émilion, is one of France’s most ambitious, and bottles a quarter of St-Émilion’s production. The whole region is characterized by a strong sense of local identity.

348
Q

St- Emilion: The Satellite Appellations

A

On the outskirts are the so-called St-Émilion satellites, lussac-st-émilion, montagne-st-émilion, puisseguin-st-émilion, and st-georges-st-émilion, to the north east of St-Émilion. On this more rolling countryside north of the Barbanne (see lalande-de-pomerol), the vine is grown alongside other crops and viticulture now accounts for well over half of the total area, or 4,000 ha. Co-operatives are important here and Montagne- and Lussac-St-Émilion produce significantly more wine than either Puisseguin or, especially, St-Georges, which was for many years sold as Montagne-St-Émilion. The grape varieties planted are similar to those in St-Émilion proper but the standard of winemaking is generally more rudimentary. There are, nevertheless, bargains to be sought out.

349
Q

St- Emilion: The Vine Variety

A

St-Émilion is also a synonym for the widely planted white grape variety called ugni blanc in France and trebbiano Toscano in Italy. The name is used particularly in Cognac in south-west France, where it is widely planted.

350
Q

Pomerol

A

Small but distinctive wine region in Bordeaux producing opulent and glamorous red wines dominated by the Merlot grape. Although challenged by their counterparts in its much larger neighbour st-émilion, Pomerol’s most successful wines are some of the world’s most sought after, but the glamour attaches to the labels rather than the countryside. Pomerol is produced from a steady 800 ha/2,000 acres of vineyard on a plateau immediately north east of libourne that is as geographically unremarkable as the médoc, but without even any buildings or historical landmarks of note. A confusing network of narrow lanes connects about 150 smallholdings, most of which produce only a few thousand cases of wine a year in one of the world’s most monocultural landscapes. Vines were intermittently grown on this inhospitable, unfertile land from Roman times, but viticulture was abandoned during the hundred years war and the vineyards not re-established until the 15th and 16th centuries. For hundreds of years afterwards, Pomerol was regarded merely as a satellite district of neighbouring St-Émilion to the east, and it was not until the late 19th century that the wines began to be appreciated, and then only in France. In the early 20th century, they became known in northern Europe, notably in belgium, whose wine merchants would import the wines in bulk; Belgian-bottled Pomerols of this period attract high prices at auction. A succession of hard-working middlemen from the impoverished inland département of Corrèze made Libourne their base and developed markets for right bank wines in such markets as Paris, Belgium, and Holland, leaving the traditional bordeaux trade to provide the British market with Médoc, Graves, and Sauternes. Such famous and well-educated British connoisseurs as George saintsbury do not even mention Pomerol. It was not until the 1950s that British merchants Harry waugh and Ronald avery ‘discovered’ Pomerol, and its most famous property petrus. The most successful of the Libourne merchants is Jean-Pierre moueix, whose fortunes have been interlinked with those of Pomerol. After establishing a reputation for the appellation, the firm acquired a number of properties, as well as contracts to manage other properties, including Petrus, and still sells a significant proportion of the Pomerol made in each vintage. The success of Petrus in particular, whose wines regularly fetch prices far above those of the Médoc first growths, is mirrored by worldwide demand far in excess of supply for the wines of similarly minuscule properties such as Chx Lafleur, Le pin, L’Église-Clinet, and La Fleur de Gay. Pomerol’s finest wines are in general made on the highest parts of the plateau, which is predominantly layers of gravel interleaved with clay, becoming sandier in the west, where rather lighter wines are made. The subsoil here is distinguished by a local iron-rich clay, the so-called crasse de fer, of which Petrus has a stratum particularly close to the surface. Apparently as important in fashioning wines that are plump, voluptuous, and richly fruity enough to drink at less than five years old and yet which can last for as long as many a great Médoc are vine age and low yields. (At Petrus, for example, the wine produced by vines less than 12 years old is usually excluded from the assemblage.) Yields here are often the lowest for red bordeaux and are zealously restricted at the best properties. The early flowering of the Merlot grape, and the fact that a single vine variety accounts for about 80% of plantings in the appellation, unusual in Bordeaux, means that in vintages such as 1984 and 1991, the majority of the crop can be lost to, for example, poor weather at flowering or spring frosts. Pomerol is also unusual in being the only one of Bordeaux’s great wine districts to have no official classification. The scores of properties are in general humble farmhouses with little to distinguish one from another, and only Ch de Sales has a building of any pretensions to grandeur, and an extent of more than 40 ha. The most sought-after wines, depending on the vintage, include Chx Petrus, Lafleur, Le Pin, La Conseillante, Trotanoy, Certan de May, La Fleur de Gay, L’Église-Clinet, Clinet, L’Évangile, Latour-à-Pomerol, and Vieux-Château-Certan.

351
Q

Lalande de Pomerol

A

Appellation to the immediate north of pomerol that is very much in the shadow of this great red wine district of Bordeaux. It includes the communes of Lalande-de-Pomerol and Néac and produces lush, Merlot-dominated wines which can offer a suggestion, sometimes a decidedly rustic suggestion, of the concentration available in a bottle of fine Pomerol but at a fraction of the price. Including about 1,100 ha/2,700 acres of vineyards, the Lalande-de-Pomerol appellation is much bigger than that of Pomerol, and its soils are composed of clay, sand, and some well-drained gravels in the south where it is divided from the Pomerol appellation only by the Barbanne river. At one time, the Barbanne separated that part of France which said oc for yes from that part which said oil and spoke the langue d’oil. Because land here is so much cheaper than in Pomerol, recent years have seen investment from those who already own properties in St-Emilion and, particularly, Pomerol. Obvious examples include La Fleur de Boüard, co-owned with Ch Angelus, and La Chenade and Les Cruzelles, co-owned with Ch l’Eglise Clinet.

352
Q

Entre- deux- mers

A

Large, pretty area of the bordeaux wine region between the Rivers dordogne and garonne; hence a name which means ‘between two seas’. A high proportion of the vineyard land in this pretty, green region (which has much in common with bergerac to its immediate east) produces light red, often slightly austere wine made from merlot and cabernet grapes and sold as bordeaux aoc. Indeed, since vine-growers converted their white wine vineyards to red varieties in the 1960s and 1970s, the Entre-Deux-Mers district has become the chief source of red Bordeaux AC. The Entre-Deux-Mers region contains a number of other appellations, some of them enclaves such as graves de vayres, ste-foy bordeaux, and Côtes de Bordeaux-St-Macaire. Haut-Benauge is another whose dry white wines have their own appellation, Entre-Deux-Mers-Haut-Benauge. The premières côtes de bordeaux and its sweet white winemaking enclave lie between the Entre-Deux-Mers appellation and the river Garonne, in the same territory as produces red cadillac côtes de bordeaux. Wines sold as Entre-Deux-Mers are dry whites made, with degrees of winemaking skill which vary from minimal to dazzling, mainly from sauvignon blanc together with sémillon, muscadelle, and sauvignon gris grapes. After Bordeaux AC, this is the biggest dry white wine appellation in the Bordeaux region, on a vineyard area that had fallen to 1,325 ha/ 3,273 acres by 2012. Clay and sandy clay predominate although there are pockets of limestone, especially just across the Dordogne from St-Émilion. This is one of the few French wine districts to have adopted the lenz moser system of high vine trellising to any great extent. Most Entre-Deux-Mers should be drunk as young as possible. These dry whites are generally drunk young without great ceremony.

353
Q

Bordeaux Blend

A

Usually a red wine made up of some or all of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot, and possibly malbec and carmenère. Its white wine counterpart is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and possibly Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle.

354
Q

Bordeaux Mixture

A

Bouillie bordelaise in French, once much-used mixture of lime, copper sulfate, and water first recorded in 1885 by Alexis Millardet, Professor of Botany at bordeaux University, as an effective control of downy mildew. Use of the mixture was a historic event since it was to become the most important chemical for the control of both fungal diseases and bacterial diseases for 50 years. It has subsequently been replaced by other fungicides, many of them containing copper. It is still used today by very traditional growers in some regions and it is one of the few preparations permitted in organic viticulture and biodynamic viticulture. There is some debate as to how the treatment was discovered. It was common for Bordeaux vignerons to spray the outside vineyard rows with the blue-staining copper sulfate to deter thieves. No doubt it was noticed that this practice halted the devastation caused by downy mildew which had begun in 1883. Continued use of Bordeaux mixture can lead to accumulation of copper in the soil, which can reach toxic levels especially in acidic soils. Some vineyards affected by copper toxicity in the Bordeaux area are much reduced in vigour, but the problem can be overcome by adding lime to the soil. Also, copper sprayed within 14 days of harvest can produce browning, turbidity, and sulfide characters in the wine and can result in incomplete fermentations.

355
Q

Cryoextraction

A

(cryo referring to very low temperatures), French term, now used more widely, for freeze concentration, the controversial winemaking practice of artificially replicating the natural conditions necessary to produce sweet white ice wine. Freshly picked grapes are held overnight in a special cold room at sub-zero temperatures, −5 or −6 °C (21 °F) for example, and then pressed immediately. The freezing point of grape must depends on its concentration of sugars, so only the less ripe grapes freeze. pressing the grapes straight out of the cold room therefore yields only the juice of the non-frozen, ripest grapes, whose chemical composition remains unchanged. The colder the grapes are kept, the less but richer juice is obtained, and vice versa. The wine producer can therefore manipulate how much wine of what quality is made (unlike ice wine, which is entirely dictated by natural conditions). The technique is particularly useful in wet vintages in which the health and ripeness of individual berries may vary. In the late 1980s some Sauternes properties, including Ch d’yquem, experimented with the technique.

356
Q

Castillion

A

Named after the town of Castillon-la-Bataille, the battle being that which brought an end to the hundred years war, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux is a dynamic, well-priced red wine appellation, part of the Côtes de bordeaux group, effectively an eastern extension of st-émilion in Bordeaux. With 1,850 ha/4,570 acres of vineyard in 2013 on mixed soils of clay, limestone, and some sandstone with silt, sand, and stones on the alluvial terrace above the River Dordogne, it is much bigger than its northern neighbour francs but produces similarly sturdy red wines based on Merlot grapes with generally better structure than regular red bordeaux aoc. Vineyards closest to the river tend to produce more supple wine than those at higher elevations such as Ch de Belcier, one of the more important producers. The region, whose land is still relatively affordable, has benefited from the application of expertise from grander right-bank appellations.

357
Q

Cruse

A

The most patrician and numerous of the merchant families who occupied the Quai des Chartrons, playing an important part in the bordeaux trade in wine. Hermann Cruse came to Bordeaux in 1819 from Schleswig-Holstein and opened his office in the Chartrons. The family’s fortune was made in 1848 and 1849, when Cruse made a vast speculation on the 1847 vintage, described by the brokers Tastet & Lawton as ‘very abundant, exquisite but not big’. Since 1848 was the year of revolution in France when Louis-Philippe fled to England, and revolutions broke out in Germany, wine prices slumped. Cruse bought no fewer than 13,650 tonneaux from 130 crus, nearly all médoc and particularly crus bourgeois for the German market. In 1852, Hermann Cruse bought Ch Laujac in the Bas-Médoc, still owned by the family. In 1865, he bought his biggest property, the first in a series of classed growth acquisitions, Ch Pontet-Canet in pauillac. In the same year Edouard Cruse acquired Ch Giscours in margaux, which they resold in 1913. In 1903, Frédéric Cruse inherited Ch Rauzan-Ségla in Margaux from his clergyman father-in-law, and this was sold in 1956. In 1945, Emmanuel Cruse purchased Ch d’Issan in a semi-derelict condition. It took many years to restore this fine, moated 17th century château and its cellars. After the beginning of the 1970s, wine prices in Bordeaux rose sharply and by 1973 had reached a point for generic red bordeaux aoc that made it impossible for merchants to fulfil their contracts without substantial loss. A disreputable broker persuaded the Cruse company, then chiefly run by the younger generation headed by Lionel, son of Emmanuel, to buy table wine for resale as appellation contrôlée Bordeaux. No doubt other firms were involved, but Cruse was the most prominent merchant of Bordeaux at this time and a much-publicized trial took place in 1974. The broker was sent to prison, and the Cruses received a suspended sentence together with a huge fine, substantially reduced on appeal. The firm never recovered from this and in 1979 was sold. In 1975 Ch Pontet-Canet was bought by Guy Tesseron, Emmanuel Cruse’s son-in-law and a Cognac merchant who already owned Ch Lafon-Rochet. Ch d’Issan is still owned by the Cruse family and run by today’s Emmanuel Cruse. The affair broadly coincided with the decline and sale, mostly to foreign concerns, of those houses that had formed the core of the Bordeaux trade, among whom the Cruses were for long the leaders.

358
Q

Feret

A

Sometimes known as Cocks et Féret, important directory of Bordeaux châteaux which was first published in 1846 as Bordeaux, its Wines and the Claret Country by the Englishman Charles Cocks who died in 1854 (literature of wine). A French version followed in 1850, with the emphasis on classifying wines in order of merit, also published in Bordeaux by Féret. It played a significant part in establishing the 1855 classification and continues to be updated, expanded, and published by members of the Féret family to this day. It has always provided a useful historical record of the evolution of different properties’ and districts’ reputations. (The 1868 edition, for example, ranked petrus as a mere cru bourgeois.) As a sign of the times, the 19th edition of what is now known simply as Bordeaux et ses vins was published in 2013, in e-book format, in French, English, and Mandarin.

359
Q

Dordogne

A

River in south west france which rises on the Massif Central south west of Clermont-Ferrand, flows through the Corrèze département (whence the merchants of libourne came), flows through bergerac and related appellations, and into the gironde to form the more northerly of the two ‘seas’ referred to in the name of entre-deux-mers, with st-émilion, pomerol, fronsac, and finally bourg on its right bank.

360
Q

Francs

A

Village which gives its name to the small Francs Côtes de Bordeaux appellation on the right bank between st-émilion and bergerac, part of the Côtes de bordeaux group. The original settlement took its name from a detachment of Franks sent there by Clovis after defeating the Visigoths (see france, history). The wines have considerably more personality than regular bordeaux aoc and the area’s revival in the 1980s owed much to the Belgian Thienpont family (also associated with Le pin and Vieux-Château-Certan). In 2013, 361 ha/892 acres of vineyard were producing sturdy Merlot-based reds on high clay-limestone slopes, many of which enjoy a favourable west south west exposure. Tiny amounts of Sémillon-based white, both dry and sweet, were also made in memory of a style once traditional for this area.

361
Q

Garonne

A

River that rises south of Toulouse in south west france and flows north west towards the Atlantic and on which the city of bordeaux is situated. The confluence of the Garonne and the dordogne, between margaux and bourg, marks the southern end of the gironde estuary. The Garonne was an important trade route through south west gaul in the era of Ancient rome and continued to play a vital role in the medieval wine trade, where there was particular commercial rivalry between the wines produced up river in the haut pays, either on the Garonne or on its tributaries the Lot and the Tarn, and those produced in the immediate vicinity of Bordeaux. Today the Garonne links, travelling north west down river, fronton, lavilledieu, brulhois, buzet, Côtes du marmandais, cadillac côtes de bordeaux, graves, and Bordeaux’s sweet white wine areas sauternes and barsac.

362
Q

Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux

A

Aoc created in 2011 specifically for sweet wine made in the narrow strip extending for 60 km/40 miles along the south-western edge of the entre-Deux-Mers appellation on the right bank of the garonne from Langon almost as far as the city of Bordeaux. It used to apply to the red wines produced in this strip too but from 2011 the reds have been known as cadillac côtes de bordeaux. In 2013 just 123 ha/304 acres of vineyard were devoted to the production of these blends of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and Muscadelle that lack the intensity of great sauternes. Dry whites are sold as AOC Bordeaux.

363
Q

Tonneau

A

Traditional Bordeaux measure of wine volume, once a large wooden cask holding 900 l, or 252 imperial wine gallons, the equivalent of four barriques. A paris tonneau was 800 l, but, because of the prominence of gascon merchants in London and English merchants in Bordeaux, the Bordeaux measure became the standard. By the end of the 18th century, tonneaux had been replaced by the easier to transport smaller barrique, yet the tonneau, the exact equivalent of 100 cases of wine, is still the measure in which the Bordeaux wine trade deals. Such was the importance of wine to medieval trade in general (see bordeaux and dutch wine trade), that a tonneau, or ton in English, evolved from being the space occupied by a tun of wine, to become the unit of measurement for the carrying capacity of any ship, whatever its load.

364
Q

Sur Souches

A

French expression meaning ‘on the stumps’ or, in the context of a purchase of a future vintage of wine, ‘on the vine’. The bordeaux trade has, at times of particularly buoyant sales, occasionally bought futures in a crop before even it was harvested.

365
Q

Chateau Bottling

A

The relatively recent practice of bottling the produce of a château on that property. Such a wine is said to be château bottled, or mis(e) en bouteille au château in French, an expression used throughout France but particularly in bordeaux. (Its counterpart in burgundy is domaine bottled, while in the new world the term estate bottled is often used.) Initially all wine was sold in bulk, and subsequently it was up to the merchants, whether in the region of consumption or production, to put the wine into bottle. Even as recently as the mid 20th century, the great majority of wine left the property on which it was produced in barrels. adulteration and fraud was therefore all too easy among less scrupulous merchants, and particularly tempting in the wake of the world wine shortages which followed powdery mildew and phylloxera at the end of the 19th century. It was the young Baron Philippe de rothschild who did most to promote château bottling when he took over Ch mouton rothschild in the early 1920s. He succeeded in persuading all the first growths (and Ch Mouton Rothschild of course) of the wisdom of bottling all of their principal output, the so-called grand vin, on their own territory. This involved a certain amount of investment, but the resulting reliability and cachet more than compensated. Good bottling lines require a level of investment that is unrealistic for many a small wine property, however, so contract bottlers and mobile bottling lines are much in demand, and a producer may not be able to bottle at the precise time he or she would prefer. Others still bottle by hand, some with scant regard for hygiene and consistency. Such considerations mean that bottling at source is not necessarily superior to careful bulk transport of the wine to a top-quality bottling plant. Today, a producer of château bottled wine, described on the label as mis(e) en bouteille au château, is likely to care about quality. It is worth noting in addition that wines made from specific plots of land but vinified and bottled by co-operatives may also be described as château bottled.

366
Q

Alexis Lichine

A

Was born in Russia but, unlike André tchelistcheff, another Russian who was to shape the American wine industry, he and his family left before the Revolution, and he was educated in France. After the Repeal of prohibition, Lichine sold wines, first in a shop in New York and subsequently for the gifted American wine importer Frank schoonmaker. After the Second World War, in which he served with distinction, he returned to finding French and German wines from individual estates and selling them in an America where wine was all but unknown. His success in doing this was considerable and came from a flair for seeing and recounting the romantic side of wine and winemaking, as well as appreciating the pleasures wine can bring. During the 1950s, he became a major figure in the French wine world, setting up his own company, Alexis Lichine & Co., to sell only château bottled and domaine bottled wines, for the most part from major properties. He sold this company to British brewers Bass-Charrington in 1964, and gradually left the commercial world to make wine and write books. For more detail, see the literature of wine. Lichine assembled a group of investors to buy and renovate the margaux second growth Ch Lascombes in 1952, and ran the property with great success before selling it, again to Bass-Charrington, in 1971. He also bought in 1951 the fourth growth Ch Prieuré at Cantenac just outside Margaux. He officially renamed this property, based on an old Benedictine priory, Ch Prieuré-Lichine in 1953 and it was at this property, typically one of the first to welcome passing visitors, that he died in 1989. His son Sacha ran the property until its sale in 1999 and now makes acclaimed rosé on a Provençal estate Ch d’Esclans.

367
Q

Segurs

A

Important family in the history of the bordeaux wine region, originally from the village of pauillac. In 1670, Jacques de Ségur, a notary who was a councillor of the legal Parlement of Bordeaux, became the second husband of Jeanne de Gasq, daughter of another Parlement councillor. As a dowry she brought with her the seigneurie of lafite, to add to others he had including Calon in st-estèphe, and an estate of about 1,000 ha/2,470 acres to the north of Pauillac. Their son Alexandre de Ségur was born in 1674. His father died in 1691, but in 1695 he married Marie-Thérèse de Clausel, the heiress of latour, which gave him all the southern part of Pauillac and another very large estate. Their son, the future Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, was born in Bordeaux in 1697, and when his father died in 1716 he took over the very large domaine, which then included the farm of mouton before it passed in the 1730s to the Marquis de Branne. The marquis, a vice-president of the Bordeaux Parlement, was said to have been called ‘le prince de vignes’ by Louis XV. He is reputed to have said, ‘I make wine at Lafite and Latour, but my heart is at Calon,’ and on the label of Ch Calon Ségur there is today a large heart. When he died in Paris in 1755 he left a substantial fortune. He had four daughters and their descendants owned Ch Latour until 1962.

368
Q

Cerons

A

Historic but struggling sweet white wine appellation on the left bank of the River garonne. Just north of barsac and sauternes, it produces wines which rarely demonstrate either the finesse of the first or the concentration of the second of these two more famous appellations, possibly partly because much more generous yields are allowed, but also because selling prices make sacrifices for quality difficult. In effect, Cérons is a buffer zone between Barsac and the graves, and its dry whites and reds are entitled to the Graves appellation. Clay is slightly more common here than in Barsac and Sauternes and the generally flatter land may also play a part in reducing the likelihood of botrytis. Less than 40 ha produced sweet whites in the early 2010s.

369
Q

Graves de Vayres

A

A small bordeaux district, named after the historic town of Vayres, which has nothing to do with graves but is just across the river dordogne from the town of Libourne. From a total of 312 ha/770 acres in 2013 of, not surprisingly, gravelly soil, with patches of sand, the appellation produces light red wines made substantially from merlot grapes, although many of them are sold under the simple bordeaux aoc. White wines are now usually dry, often based on Sémillon, occasionally given barrel maturation, and were produced from just 67 ha in 2013.

370
Q

St Foy- Bordeaux

A

About 220 ha/543 acres of vineyards in the extreme east of the bordeaux region on the border with, and arguably more properly part of, bergerac. The appellation, technically part of the Côtes de bordeaux group, is named after its principal town, just 22 km/14 miles west of the town of Bergerac. Its red wines are very similar to red Bergerac and bordeaux aoc, while its much rarer white wines are often sweet and mostly undistinguished.

371
Q

St Croix du Mont

A

Most important of the sweet white wine appellations on the right bank of the garonne in the bordeaux region. At their best, these wines can be early-maturing answers to the wines made across the river in sauternes and barsac, being high in alcohol, sugar, and concentration. But prices are considerably lower, so production techniques are generally slacker. The topography and soil structure of Ste-Croix-du-Mont’s 380 ha/939 acres of vineyards are more promising than those of its right-bank neighbours loupiac and cadillac, for some of the vineyards here are on gravel slopes well situated for the development of noble rot. An increasing number of producers are prepared to take the risks necessary to produce botrytized wines, and barrel fermentation, such as introduced for the prestige cuvées of Chx des Arroucats, La Rame, and du Mont, is becoming increasingly common. Some very ordinary, sugary moelleux is also made, however.

372
Q

Loupiac

A

Sweet white wine appellation on the right bank of the garonne in the bordeaux region sandwiched between cadillac and ste-croix-du-mont with 344 ha/850 acres of Sémillon and Sauvignon vines in production on clay limestone soils in 2012. The wines of Loupiac were first cited in the 13th century (the Loupiac region was once much bigger), although in much of the 20th century the wines failed to fetch the prices necessary to justify truly meticulous winemaking. The best vineyards are on clay-limestone slopes overlooking the river and are well situated to benefit from noble rot, provided producers are prepared to take the necessary risks. Good Loupiac such as that produced at Domaine du Noble and Chx du Cros and Loupiac-Gaudiet is generally deeply coloured, early maturing, and noticeably full bodied; the use of new oak became gradually more common from the late 1980s

373
Q

Cadillac

A

Small sweet and medium-sweet white appellation of barely 130 ha/321 acres in 2013 just north of loupiac in the bordeaux region, once particularly popular with the Dutch, named after the walled town built by the English in the 12th century. Its special combination of chalk and gravel theoretically justifies a distinction which is still too rarely found in the wines. Low selling prices make high-quality production methods such as those practised in sauternes difficult to justify, and few producers are brave enough to try to make botrytized wines.

374
Q

St- Macaire

A

Own in the bordeaux region just across the river garonne from Langon in the graves district. It lends its name to Côtes de Bordeaux-St-Macaire, an appellation of just 42 ha/104 acres across the Garonne from Langon for mostly sweet white wines from the usual grapes.

375
Q

Cru Artisan

A

Was recognized by the eu in 2002 as a ‘traditional expression’ reserved for aoc wines from a particular category of wine estates in the Médoc, the Haut-Médoc, Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac, and St-Estèphe. A cru artisan is more humble, and generally much smaller, than a cru bourgeois.

376
Q

Chateau D’ Yquem

A
  • 16th Century chateau, 104 hectare v/ yard
  • 1855, Yquem was the only wine of Bordeaux designated Premier Cru Superieur, a classification from Napoleon 3 himself.
  • 1999: LVMH acquired the Chateau.
  • Nestled between Landes forest, the Garonne Valley and the cool Ciron River
  • Never used fertilisers on the estate on organic fertilisers.
  • The chateau uses 4 tries. This means that different sugar levels can be assessed.
  • New oak always used, fermentation uses indigenous yeasts.
  • Final alcohol is 12.5 to 14.5%. The sugar ripeness is usually 13.5 degrees. R/s 120 to 150g/L
  • Wines from each barrel is aged seperately 6- 8 months, in barrel.
  • A prelim blend is made in the Spring after blind tastings are conducted. Wines that do not fit Yquem’s standards are not used.
  • Wines worthy of Yquem go underground for 14 more months.
  • Bottled after 2 years. 54mm corks are used for ageing.
  • In nine years the entire crop was rejected in the 20th Century: 1910, 1915, 1930, 1951, 1964, 1972, 1974, 1992. In the 21st: 2012.
  • Best served chilled at 9 degrees.
377
Q

Y (Chateau D’ Yquem)

A
  • 100,000 bottles a year
  • Y was formerly made at the end of harvest, with the last bunches on the vine. Grapes affected by Botrytis, with potential alcohols of 14%.
  • Been around since 1959 in varying amounts. In 1996 it changed but without compromising its unique character, to be more in tune with the times by displaying the quantities of freshness and crispness.
  • In 2004 it was decided to make it every yr. Now uses Sav Blanc at the beginning of the vintage. The Semillon grapes are picked just when they are ripe.
  • Clay soils.
378
Q

Chateau Palmer- Region of Production

A

Margaux AOP

379
Q

Chateau Palmer- Winery Location

A

The château is in Margaux, but the vineyards are mostly in Cantenac.

380
Q

Chateau Palmer- Year Established

A

1814

381
Q

Chateau Palmer- Classification

A

third growth, Médoc 1855

382
Q

Chateau Palmer- Summary

A

With uneven performances by Margaux’s second growths, Château Palmer is universally considered to be the appellation’s second-best property, behind Château Margaux. It is a third growth, yet in popular imagination and in the modern Liv-Ex classifications, it is chief among the “Super Seconds” of the Left Bank.

Château Palmer began its winemaking life as Château de Gasq. Purchased and renamed in 1814 by the English general Charles Palmer, Château Palmer amassed 80 ha of vineyards, but the London-based general swam in financial ruin and sold his namesake estate in 1843. In 1853 the Pereire family of Paris purchased the property, but they could not raise the status of a château better known for clairet than claret in time for the release of the 1855 classification. The family did however raise the quality of its vineyards and its wines throughout its 85-year tenure as owners. In 1938, amid worldwide depression and the threat of war, a consortium of Bordeaux négociants purchased Château Palmer; today, two négociant families represent the majority of shares: Sichel and Mähler-Besse. Thomas Duroux, a former Ornellaia winemaker, has been running the estate since 2004.

383
Q

Chateau Palmer- Vineyard Holdings

A

55 ha

47% Merlot
47% Cabernet Sauvignon
6% Petit Verdot

384
Q

Chateau Palmer- Wine Produced

A

Château Palmer

Alter Ego

Historical XIX Century Wine: A Vin de France bottling that includes a small percentage of Hermitage Syrah.

385
Q

Chateau Palmer- Inaurgual Vintage

A

Historical XIX Century Wine: 2004 (This wine was not labeled with a vintage.)

Alter Ego: 1998 (Previously, the second wine was called Réserve du Général.)

386
Q

Chateau Palmer- Average Total Production

A

250,000 bottles (40-50% is the grand vin.)

387
Q

Chateau Palmer- Style/ Vinification Techniques

A

The Château Palmer grand vin blend typically mirrors the estate’s encépagement, with nearly equal proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and a small addition of Petit Verdot. In comparison with Château Margaux, the wine here is more supple and slightly more approachable in youth, yet it still has the capacity for long aging. With the higher proportion of Merlot in the blend, Château Palmer rarely exceeds 60% new oak. The élevage lasts up to 20 months. Alter Ego includes an even greater percentage of Merlot and is typically aged in one-third new oak.

388
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases: Region of Production

A

Saint-Julien AOP

389
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases: Year Established

A

1638

390
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases: Classification

A

second growth, Médoc 1855

391
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases: Summary

A

Likely the top property in Saint-Julien, this “Super Second” was once part of the grand Léoville estate, property of Alexander de Gasq in the 18th century. (Gasq also owned Château de Gasq, now known as Château Palmer.) Upon his death in the 1770s, the Marquis de Las-Cases inherited the lion’s share of his vineyards but fled the country in 1794, swept out by the revolution. With his absence the dismantling of the Léoville property began: Hugh Barton purchased one-quarter of the estate (now Château Léoville-Barton) in 1826, and another quarter passed to the Baron de Poyferré in 1840. Château Léoville-Las-Cases thus represents the core of the original estate—the 50-ha, walled Grand Clos directly south of Château Latour on Saint-Julien’s northern boundary.

The Las-Cases family maintained ownership of their namesake château until 1900, when financial difficulties forced a sale to a consortium. As members of the consortium, the Delon family gradually increased their holdings throughout the 20th century, and today Jean-Hubert Delon is sole owner of the château.

392
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases: Vineyard Holdings

A

97 ha

65% Cabernet Sauvignon
24% Merlot
10% Cabernet Franc
1% Petit Verdot

393
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases: Wines Produced

A

Château Léoville-Las-Cases

Clos du Marquis: This wine originated as a single-vineyard bottling from the Petit Clos, but over time it has grown to include other plots not appropriate for the grand vin. The estate does not consider it a “second wine,” but essentially it is.

Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las-Cases: A true second wine, this bottling consists of a greater percentage of Merlot sourced from younger vine plots.

394
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases: Inaugural Vintages

A

Clos du Marquis: 1902

Le Petit Lion: 2007

395
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases: Average Total Production

A

550,000 bottles (1/3 of production is typically the grand vin.)

396
Q

Chateau Leoville- Las- Cases: Style/ Vinification Techniques

A

Château Léoville-Las-Cases is a Pauillac-like style of Saint-Julien, and it veers toward concentration and richness rather than elegance. Cabernet Sauvignon usually accounts for at least 75% of the grand vin, and the top wine is aged in 75% new oak. The estate pioneered green harvesting in the late 1980s and is not afraid to employ modern technologies like reverse osmosis in its hunt for power, ripeness, and depth—and a desire to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the five first growths.

397
Q

Bordeaux (278,754 acres / 112,810 hectares)

A

Left Bank Red Bordeaux: A bold, dry red using Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the blend, with flavors of black currant, graphic, mint, and gravelly-tobacco notes. This is a more rustic style of Cab-Merlot (compared to Napa Valley) that’s known to age well for 20+ years. Look for wines from the appellations in the Médoc including Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien, Listrac, and Margaux.

Right Bank Red Bordeaux: A slightly softer, rustic red made with mostly Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with flavors of black cherry, tobacco, and mint. Look for wines from Pomerol, Saint-Émilion, and Fronsac.

White Bordeaux: Less the 10% of the region’s production is dedicated to White Bordeaux which is a zippy blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Wines offer up pink grapefruit, green melon, and beeswax notes. Entre-Deux-Mers and Pessac-Léognan offer great examples.

Sauternais (sweet whites): An intensely sweet white wine (perfect for dessert or pairing with Foie Gras). The Sauternais appellations include Sauternes, Barsac, Cérons and Cadillac among others.

398
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2015

A

Botrytis affected vineyards evenly and quickly in-between late autumn rains, resulting in very promising harvests. Quality looks to be very good indeed.

399
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2014

A

A triumph for Sauternes in this vintage, with some botrytis in September and plenty in late October. Some observers are even calling it the best vintage since the turn of the century.

400
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2013

A

Wildly uneven quality and excruciatingly low yields – but the good ones manage to somehow overcome the adversarial conditions. The top names of Sauternes can be trusted in 2013 in a way that their red counterparts mostly can not.

401
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2012

A

Will not be remembered fondly by the Sauternais. Headlines were made when Yquem, Rieussec, Suduiraut and Raymond-Lafon announced they would not be making any grand vin. The Barsac region had slightly better conditions, but nobody is pretending this will be a sought-after vintage.

402
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2011

A

Where red Bordeaux failed, Sauternes triumphed in 2011, giving opulent, rich, fresh wines of excellent quality.

403
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2010

A

Botrytis was late and irregular this year, giving more delicate and restrained styles than in 2009 and featuring generally lower residual sugar with higher acidity.

404
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2009

A

Tremendous conditions for the sweet wines; plenty of heat and humidity at the right time have made fantastically rich and concentrated examples, with plenty of complexity and promise.

405
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2008

A

A pretty ignoble year for noble sweeties, unfortunately: yields were devastated by April frost. The pittance that remained, however, was high quality with plenty of botrytis influence.

406
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2007

A

Complicated year requiring great precision with both picking schedules and selection. The top properties succeeded yet again.

407
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2006

A

Not that much botrytis influence.

408
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2005

A

No shortage of noble rot and almost as much sweetness as 2003 though not quite so much finesse as 2001.

409
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2004

A

A very difficult year where the strictest selection was needed. Avoid at lower levels. And even the best tend to be pretty light.

410
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2003

A

Extreme(ly sweet) but not particularly botrytised wines from this extreme(ly hot, dry) growing season.

411
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2002

A

Vineyards near the rivers were blessed with botrytis. Small crop.

412
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2001

A

The rain that spoilt the reds encouraged botrytis to such an extent that this is a truly magnificent, long-term vintage, helped by a greater degree of selection and cellar expertise than ever before. Perhaps the greatest Sauternes vintage in modern times.

413
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 2000

A

Some pretty, bumptious wines for relatively short-term drinking but there was too much rain after the red wine harvest for the development of botrytis.

414
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1999

A

Those producers who used only the very rich, botrytised grapes picked first produced some exciting wines but quality is extremely variable as later-picked grapes suffered somewhat.

415
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1998

A

Rather loose, early-drinking wines without strong botrytis influence.

416
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1997

A

Some very attractive, if not especially heavy, wines from the top producers. Ready to start drinking.

417
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1996

A

Very slightly less successful than the 1997 vintage.

418
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1995

A

Best Sauternes vintage since 1990 - so probably initially overrated. The noble rot developed so rapidly that most of the grapes were picked by early October. Not the most complex vintage.

419
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1994

A

Grey rot in September, so choose the châteaux that could afford to be fussy.

420
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1993

A

Another pretty dreadful autumn, hardly anyone made interesting wine.

421
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1992

A

Endless rains ruined the crop. Many estates declassified altogether.

422
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1991

A

After the April frosts a tiny crop was eventually harvested, but not bad.

423
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1990

A

Massive rich wines that presently seem a shade less complex than 1989 and, especially, 1988.

424
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1989

A

Huge, almost corpulent wines that are dramatic and exciting.

425
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1988

A

Of the fabulous trio of vintages this shows more botrytis and elegance and may live longest. The least flashy, a slow burner?

426
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1986

A

A very strong year, plenty of botrytis and beautifully balanced, though some are a little soft.

427
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1985

A

Rich and elegant but too little noble rot to add the magic.

428
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1983

A

The best since 1976, with similar power and size. Good value too!

429
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1982

A

Overlooked as a white vintage. Limited botrytis but Suduiraut and Yquem were more successful than most.

430
Q

Bordeaux- Sweet: 1980

A

Much better than the reds, the top châteaux are delicious and affordable.

431
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2015

A

Will this vintage adhere to Jancis’ rule of five, whereby any vintage divisible by five is of good quality? It seems so, with particularly healthy, uniform fruit at harvest. A generous flowering and hot, dry early summer was followed by a slighty cooler, damper August. Harvest was generally earlier than in 2014. Optimists are already calling it the best vintage since 2010 with early reports favouring the right bank.

432
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2014

A

Exceptionally cool, damp July and August but the vintage was saved by an unusually dry, warm September and October that (just about) ripened the grapes though autumn concentration has resulted in relatively high-acid wines. Reds have fragrance, medium body and supple tannins but are not for long term cellaring.

433
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2013

A

A universally poor vintage, beset by uneven ripening and dilution. Rot forced relatively early picking. Even at their best, the wines are pretty light – though perhaps a benefit of this is lower alcohol levels, as compared with some of the 15% bruisers of recent years. The best of a bad lot can be found in Pomerol, St-Julien and St-Estèphe.

434
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2012

A

Tricky across many European wine regions, and none more so than Bordeaux. Generally speaking, it was a wet, late year with a hot mid-summer. Bad weather in October compromised quality at the crucial moment, meaning that the earlier-ripening Merlot-based reds were less adversely affected. Making good Cabernet-based wine was achievable, but only by those who had the resources for micro-management in the vineyard. Top properties made small quantities of outstanding wines but most have a lack of depth and persistence.

435
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2011

A

Generalisations are difficult in this variable year, but there is agreement that quality is back down to earth after the excitement of 2009 and 2010, with lower alcohol and generally higher tannins too. A forgettable year.

436
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2010

A

Another stellar vintage, with higher tannin and more freshness than 2009 but comparable intensity. More appealing to classical palates.

437
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2009

A

‘Vintage of the decade/century’? This growing season seemed to have it all. A long, fine, warm summer but, crucially, with refreshing nights to help retain acidity. Dramatically ripe, voluptuous wines, especially on the left bank.

438
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2008

A

Another ungenerous summer saved by some better weather at the end of the season. Yet again, those properties at the top of the tree managed to field enough good fruit to salvage some pretty impressive grand vin but life was increasingly tough lower down the food chain.

439
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2007

A

An extremely difficult year for growers, with rampant mildew, not enough sun, too much rain until September. Thanks to an arsenal of modern techniques, not least rigorous selection, those who could afford it managed to make attractive wines for relatively early drinking but high prices left the primeur market as flat as a pancake.

440
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2006

A

This stop-start vintage suffered inevitably by comparison with 2005, although it produced some well-made wines which looked even better in comparison with the 2007s. Drought and high temperatures were the dominant characteristics until the end of July but August was unusually cool and wet and harvest was interrupted by rain. Pauillac and Pomerol seemed to perform best in a year that can taste pretty crisp.

441
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2005

A

Textbook perfection in all respects other than price. Best kept for many a year. Quite marked tannins.

442
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2004

A

The last affordable vintage? Large, late crop needed meticulous summer supervision. Grapes were often picked in the rain but healthy at the top end. Not massive but the best really are that rare breed, classic claret. Best on the left bank where sappy tannins suggest they might be ready to enjoy from 2010.

443
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2003

A

Exceptional heatwave resulted in many raisined grapes and uncomfortably dry tannins. A handful of stunning wines for the long term but most are probably best drunk while the bloom of youth can distract from that dryness.

444
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2002

A

Smallish crop dogged by an uneven flowering and a grey, humid summer which meant uneven ripeness in far-from-uniformly healthy grapes. Growers concentrated on the rescue effect of pretty fine weather from 9 September. The wines are correct and, in a 21st-century context, are not expensive, but they may not last all that long.

445
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2001

A

Extremely varied, large crop which depended on crop-thinning and extremely careful selection to produce exceptional wines. Hot August was followed by dangerously wet September, which sometimes resulted in dilute Merlots and tart Cabernets. Some good value to be found here, and with time the 2001s showed better and better - especially on the right bank where it can be superior to 2000.

446
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 2000

A

Nature’s benevolence coincided with the commercial imperative to have a good vintage in this numerically exceptional year. Great consistency and balance. The petits châteaux represented some of Bordeaux’s best value for many years though most are ready to drink or even starting to decline. The best wines should last well into their second or even third decades.

447
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1999

A

Good potential created almost exclusively by three weeks of sunshine from late August was diluted by rain at harvest time. Hail also devastated some St-Émilion vineyards in early September. A cool, humid start to the growing season led to excessive vegetation initially. Fairly early maturing wines with better potential on the left bank.

448
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1998

A

Very good on the right bank but a less starry performance in the Médoc, whose 1998s are a bit stolid, means that these wines, and their equally successful counterparts in Graves have tended to be overlooked.

449
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1997

A

Far from dramatic and early developers, these wines were ludicrously overpriced initially but provided some easy drinking in the early years of this century. Few show any possibility of improvement.

450
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1996

A

Some very fine, potentially long lived wines, especially in the Médoc, although robust tannin levels recall 1986s in many cases.

451
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1995

A

Hot, dry summer resulted in early harvest of healthy Merlot grapes. Relatively tannic Cabernet Sauvignon was picked after a week of mid-September rain. Generous crop levels, best in Pomerol and Pauillac.

452
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1994

A

The best year since 1990 (which is not saying that much). Nicely ripe but September rains were a problem again for less conscientious producers.

453
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1993

A

Another wet harvest. Picked earlier, the right bank a better bet than the left.

454
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1992

A

Light, fruity, simple wines that needed drinking early.

455
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1991

A

The start of Bordeaux’s run of bad luck. Spring frosts decimated the right bank, but the top Médocs are not bad.

456
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1990

A

Second scorching year in a row. Very ripe, alluring wines at all levels, many outstanding. The vintage character of velvety texture and luscious, almost overripe fruit is one of the easiest to spot and tends to impose itself over any geographical characteristics.

457
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1989

A

Seemed an unusually hot summer at the time, producing a huge crop of rich, opulent, expensive wines, drinking astonishingly well young. Some very good right bank wines indeed. And an exceptional year for Haut-Brion.

458
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1988

A

Overshadowed by 1989 and 1990. ‘Classic’ style ie firm and initially a bit austere. Chunky and chewy.

459
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1987

A

Simple, fruity and pleasant but unexciting. Early maturing.

460
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1986

A

Dense, brooding and viciously tannic at first. Some may impress in the end but have required enormous patience.

461
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1985

A

Uniformly lovely, fragrant wines especially but not exclusively from the right bank. They drank well for years but most are losing fruit or showing slight herbaceousness now.

462
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1983

A

Good but less concentrated and opulent than 1982. Their lesser amount of stuffing meant that most have peaked although it was a banner year for Margaux for once.

463
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1982

A

Legendary year, the first of the modern era. Horribly expensive but very concentrated and so delicious. The best are still going very strong.

464
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1981

A

Patchy quality, with a lack of guts but attractive balance. Most are well over the hill.

465
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1979

A

Graceful, suave and well-balanced for a time but they should have been drunk in the 20th century.

466
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1978

A

A perfect autumn saved the crop. The big left bank names are strongest.

467
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1975

A

Frequently overwhelmed by dry tannins. A few Pomerols and Pauillacs are huge and magnificent.

468
Q

Bordeaux- Red: 1970

A

These firm, sturdy wines, very much of their era, have lasted well but are generally pretty short on flesh.

469
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2015

A

Rain in August cased more problems for the thin-skinned Sémillon than Sauvignon Blanc. This is likely to be reflected in the final blends.

470
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2014

A

Searing acidity is the hallmark of many of these wines, some of which are exceptionally pleasing. Plenty of others, however, are relatively new creations and remain works in progress.

471
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2013

A

As with the reds in 2013, there is a lightness to Bordeaux’s Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc blends – though this is not an entirely bad thing.

472
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2012

A

Far better for dry whites than their sweet siblings – in fact, they are one of the notable successes of the vintage. Pessac-Léognan and Graves are both good, with more ‘liveliness’ than the average vintage.

473
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2011

A

Some real energy and excitement in dry whites.

474
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2010

A

Tremendous quality, combining the best weight of the 2009s with the lively freshness of the 2008s.

475
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2009

A

Warm conditions led to full and fleshy whites with high alcohol but sufficiently balanced acidity, in most cases. Yields for Sauvignon Blanc were a bit lower than for Sémillon, compounded by severe hail in Entre-Deux-Mers and Graves, leading to some supply shortages.

476
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2008

A

A cool growing season with late autumn sunshine gave well balanced whites to Bordeaux in 2008, with pure aromatic qualities and a steely austerity. Volume was affected by some hail and frost.

477
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2007

A

The season’s low temperatures benefited these dry whites, as in 2006. With white winemaking improving each year, dry whites were Bordeaux’s real triumph in 2007.

478
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2006

A

The cool August preserved acid levels and fruit in these wines, which deserve serious attention.

479
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2005

A

Very concentrated successful wines in general. Some run slightly to fat.

480
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2004

A

A long growing season and cool September nights, along with increasing white winemaking skill, produced a good tally of wines with impressive acid levels – a relief after 2003.

481
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2003

A

Acid levels were dangerously low in the heatwave. For very early drinking except for the very finest.

482
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2002

A

Small crop of concentrated, fragrant wines.

483
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2001

A

The low temperatures of September helped maintain freshness and produced well-etched, fruity flavours with good acidity.

484
Q

Bordeaux- White: 2000

A

Summer was if anything too hot to produce nervy wines and most of these were best drunk young, although there are one or two great wines at the top of the tree.

485
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1999

A

Some attractive, aromatic Sauvignon Blanc was harvested but the Sémillon fruit was often dilute.

486
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1998

A

Attractive wines with no shortage of ripeness.

487
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1997

A

Rather lacklustre without much depth or personality.

488
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1996

A

Like most French 1996 whites, vivacious, crisp wines.

489
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1995

A

Lots of body and flavour and structure thanks to the warm summer wherever grapes were picked before the mid-September rains.

490
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1994

A

Potentially superb as fully ripe grapes were again gathered before the rains.

491
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1993

A

Avoided the rains: generally good, soft and full, sometimes outstanding.

492
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1992

A

Clearly better than the reds, the best are intense and well-structured.

493
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1991

A

A difficult year, rather light and most are just too dilute to be interesting.

494
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1990

A

Mostly richer, fuller and more complex than 1989, but not very long-lived.

495
Q

Bordeaux- White: 1989

A

Picked too soon, generally light and not a patch on the reds except for Laville-Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion.

496
Q

Bordeaux: History

A

300AD: poet Ausonius first author and winegrower (De herediolo poem in 379). Ch. Ausone named after him.

1152: Bordeaux became under British rule. King John granted them privileges incl. tax exemption for exports. Gascon wines became cheaper, fashionable in the UK and the wine trade was kicked off by French, Dutch
and German merchants (≠clergy).

14th: Bordeaux has become a major export port for the wine trade with 1⁄4 of Bdx wines exported to Britain.
1453: Gascony back to French rule after 100 years war and the wine trade did recover partially

17th: development of the Dutch wine trade. The Dutch drained and planted in the Médoc to create the basis
for today’s fine wine region. Trade and trade wars with Britain continued.

18th: establishment of merchants from Britain and Germany able to buy, cellar and export the ‘new French
clarets’ w Barton & Guestier (1725), Cruse (1819)

1852: powdery mildew hit and was only beaten in 1858 w sulphur spraying

1855: in response to a request by Napoleon III for the world exposition in Paris, the Bordeaux brokers
formalised a market ranking based on the prices fetched by the estates in Médoc, Sauternes & Barsac

1870s-80s: Phylloxera followed by downy mildew caused a serious setback in the trade development. • 1910s: exports to Britain, Belgium and Germany were strong.

1918-1930s: slump after WWI -> Chateaux changing hands

1936: creation of Bordeaux AOC
1950s: Mouton Rothschild began bottling at the estate and others followed before becoming mandatory for first class growths in 72. In parallel, modernisation and replanting of some of the top estates e.g. Ch Pétrus.

1953 & 1955: classification of leading Graves whites & reds and St Émilions.

1970: the growing demand of the US market led to the sale of this vintage en primeur, which changed the
financial situation of Bordeaux winemakers.

1973: energy crisis’ inflation and en primeur sales meant that a lot of the merchants and leading Chateaux had
to be rescued by outsiders (e.g. Axa) and multinational corporations

Late 20th/early 21st: global economic boom -> huge demand and price increase for top-end Bordeaux and
overproduction of lower-end wines.

497
Q

Bordeaux: Climate and Weather

A

Moderate maritime climate similar to the south west of the UK. Viticulture possible thanks to:

  1. The warming effect of the Gulf Stream (powerful warm ocean current from Florida)
  2. The coastal pine forests on the Atlantic coast acting as wind breaks and rain barrier
  3. The Gironde estuary acting as a large body of water redistributing heat at the end of the growing season

Strongest maritime influence in Médoc; decreases inland.

Spring mild & damp; summers hot w occasional storms; mild autumns & winters.

2,000h of sunshine/yr; 900mm avg rainfall (distributed evenly throughout the year); 20.5C avg temp in July • High vintage variations due different temperature and rainfall year on year.

498
Q

Bordeaux: Soils and Typography

A

• Located on the French Atlantic coast with vineyards stretching from the Gironde Estuary and alongside the Garonne and Dordogne rivers.

• Varied soils but mainly:
1. Left bank: gravels, sand and clay. Gravelly soils of Médoc help regulate water supply to the vine.

  1. Right bank: limestone, clay and sand. St-Émilion famous for limestone plateau.
  2. Entre-deux-mers: clay and limestone
  • Best vineyards in Haut Médoc, Pessac Léognan (well drained gravelly soils), St Émilion and Pomerol (limestone or clay)
  • Low altitude area (max 100m)
499
Q

Bordeaux: Red Grapes

A

Reds (88% of plantings)

  1. Merlot (56% of plantings)
    - One of the most planted dark-skinned grape in the world; most planted in France
    - Progeny of Cabernet Franc grape; early flowering (-> coloure risk), prone to rot
    - Responds better to damp, cool soils (e.g. St Émilion, Pomerol and Entre-deux-Mers) that retain moisture. Dry summers in well drained soils can lead to under-ripeness
    - Higher yielding in moderate climates
    - Often blended w half brother Cab Sauv & Cab Franc
    - Typically dominant in Right bank blends
    - Medium body & tannins, adds smoothness to blend
  2. Cabernet sauvignon (20%)
    - Progeny of Cab Franc & Sauv Blc
    - Believed to have emerged as a spontaneous crossing
    in the Bordeaux vineyards in the 18th
    - Small-sized berries w concentrated phenolics
    - Ageing potential and affinity for oak
    - Moderate yields; deep coloured, tannic full-bodied
    wines w blackcurrant aromas.
    - Typically dominant in Left bank blends
  3. Cabernet Franc (10%)
    - Black grape
    - Co-parent of Cabernet Sauv with Sauvignon Blc
    - Well suited to cool inland climates
    - Buds, matures earlier -> easier to ripen fully vs. Cab Sauv - Less susceptible to poor weather at harvest
    - Lighter in colour, the wines have berry fruits flavours,
    unobtrusive tannins and higher acidity vs. Cabernet
    Sauvignon
    - Earlier maturing vs. Cab Sauvignon
  4. Petit Verdot (1%)
    - Late ripening thick-skinned black grape variety
    - Deep colour, hi tannins and spicy
    - Enjoying a revival in quality conscious vineyards - Only in the riper vintages
  5. Cot/Malbec (1%)
    - Sensitive to coulure, frost, downy mildew and rot - Usage decreasing. Used from early drinking reds.
500
Q

Bordeaux: White Grapes

A

Whites (12% of plantings)

  1. Sémillon (6%)
    - Thin-skinned golden grape variety
    - Easy to cultivate: vigorous, fairly resistant to
    coulure or diseases
    - Thin skin -> Prone to noble rot
    - Low acidity and oily texture
    - Often blended w Sauv Blc in dry wines
    (Graves) adding richness, colour and honeyed flavours and in sweet unfortified wines (Sauternes, Barsac) adding botrytis flavours, colour
  2. Sauvignon blanc (5%)
    - Green-skinned grape variety from Bdx
    - Buds early and ripens early
    - Vigorous vine (-> use of low vigour rootstock +
    canopy management)
    - Grassy, green fruits, elderflower w fresh acidity
  3. Muscadelle (1%)
    - Minor constituent in sweet white wines
    - Used almost exclusively in blends to add
    fruitiness (grapey aromas) and perfume.

Others: Ugni blanc, Colombard, Merlot blanc

501
Q

Bordeaux: Viticulture

A

• 110,000ha - largest area under vine for AOP in France
In sharp decline since 2004 due delayed adjustment to lower demand combined w Bordeaux plan to encourage lower yields, voluntary uprooting and sell excess production as VdP de l’Atlantique.

• Concentration of ownership with:

  • Avg holding going from 5ha in 87 to 14.5 in 2011
  • 23% biggest vineyard owners own 64% of vineyards
  • Key hazards: harvest rain, spring frost, water stress and grey rot.
  • Guyot training system: single (St Émilion) or double (Médoc) w vine density from 4,500 to 10,000 vines/ha
  • Careful replanting allows for hi average age in best Chateaux.
  • Majority of vineyards harvested by machine excl. for sweet wine for bunch selection

• Faculté d’oenologie de l’Université de Bordeaux:
- Founded in 1880
- Oenologists have worked closely w this research centre e.g. Émile Peynaud who then influenced winemakers
to better control fermentation temperatures and MLF; also Michel Rolland, advocate of super-ripeness

502
Q

Bordeaux: Red wine vinification

A

• Classic quality red wine vinification includes:

In vineyard:

  • Green harvest sugar concentration
  • Systematic destemming
  • Fruit selection at harvest and in the winery before crushing better quality

In the winery:
- Chaptalisation / reverse osmosis (i.e. removal of water from unfermented grape must) in better chateaux
denser wines with higher alcohol esp. in lighter years
- Fermentation and maceration for up to 3 weeks in large ‘cuve’ made from oak, concrete or stainless steel at
slightly higher temperature vs. New World (max 30C) using ambient yeasts. Extraction during fermentation via pumping over several times a day
Potential addition of stalks for more tannins. Grape varieties fermented separately.
- Post-fermentation maceration for up to 1 week
- Wine racked in barrels before/after MLF of 225l-Limousin oak barriques

Ageing: 0-24 months
- Wine racked off its lees into fresh barrel every 3 months and fined with egg whites in the first year and then
moved to a separate chai for final ageing before bottling.
- Blending done in first few months after fermentation or at bottling.

503
Q

Bordeaux: White Wine Vinification/ Sweet Wine Vinification

A

• Dry whites
- Use of cryomaceration/macération pelliculaire i.e. skin contact at low temperatures before fermentation for
more flavours
- Long & cool fermentation in traditional oak or stainless steel at 15-20C to retain flavours
- Barrel maturation for the upper echelons (Graves / Pessac Léognan) common for decades
- Traditional high doses of SO2 in finished dry wines

• Sweet whites
Moelleux:
- Fermentation stopped via chilling, SO2 and sterile filtration.

Liquoreux (Sauternes, Barsac)

  • Must weight, physiological ripeness and botrytis levels determine the quality of wine
  • Cryoextraction (freshly picked grapes frozen for stronger sugar concentration and pressed immediately
    afterwards) used by Ch. d’Yquem in poor vintages (e.g. 87)
  • Pressing as gentle as possible in hydraulic or basket presses
  • Fermentation in tanks or barriques (of which 1/3 new) until 14% abv reached (natural stop or via SO2).
  • Chaptalisation is permitted in weaker vintages but better estates avoid the practice
  • Ageing in oak barrels for 18-36mths with up to 100% new oak.
504
Q

Bordeaux: Wine Classifications- Medoc and Sauternes

A

In all Bordeaux classifications, it is the property that is classified (e.g. 1st growth/GC Classé A) and not the land as in Burgundy (i.e. Clos Vougeot is the GC not the producer)

Médoc and Sauternes: the 1855 Classification
- Following a request by Napoleon III in preparation for the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris, the Bordeaux Syndicat des Courtiers ranked wines using decades of trading statistics.

a. Médoc
- 60 Chateaux from the Médoc and one (Chateau Haut-Brion) were ordered in five different grades according to commercial value:
First growth (x5):
I. Chateau Haut-Brion
II. Chateau Latour
III. Chateau Lafite
IV. Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (since 73 only)
V. ChateauMargaux
Second growth (x14) / Third growth (x14) / Fourth growth (x10) / Fifth growth (x18)
- The classification only changed once (to promote Mouton from 2nd to 1st growth) since 1855 so some Chateaux have been more deserving of their status than others. For example, the Margaux wines from Ch.
Rauzan-Gassies (2nd growth) have been far less consistent in quality vs. Chateau Palmer (3rd growth)

b. Sauternes
- Similar to Médoc with 26 Chateaux in Sauternes (incl. Barsac) ranked 1st or 2nd growth.
- Chateau d’Yquem was singled out as Premier Cru Supérieur above the 11 first growths and 14 second growths

505
Q

Bordeaux: Wine Classifications- Médoc Cru Bourgeois: from classification (1932, 1978, 2003) to label of quality (2007)

A
  • 1932: classification created for other quality chateaux from Médoc appellations that missed out on the 1855 classification. 444 chateaux listed.
  • 2003: 78 chateaux excluded were excluded. Accusations of partiality -> legal complaints.
  • 2007: the term Cru Bourgeois was annulled and deemed illegal
  • 2008: classification re-instated with the following basis:
  • Cru Bourgeois is a designation of quality
  • Qualification determined by visit to the property and tasting by independent panel. Qualification awarded annually and awarded by a independent organisation
  • Any estate in the Médoc can apply
506
Q

Bordeaux: Wine Classifications- Graves the 1959 Classification

A
  • No hierarchy -> all wines are ‘Cru Classé’

- 16 Chateaux classified with 13 reds and 9 whites (NB: Includes Ch Haut-Brion)

507
Q

Bordeaux: Wine Classifications- St Émilion classification (1955, 1996, 2006, 2012)

A

a. St Emilion AC

b. St Emilion Grand Cru AC with:
- Straightforward Grand Crus (~600 chateaux)
- Grand Cru Classé (64 Chateaux in 2012)
- Premier Grand Cru Classé (18 Chateaux in 2012) with:
o 14 x Grade B Chateaux
o 4 x Grade A Chateaux (Angélus, Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Pavie)

  • The classed growths (i.e. Grand Cru Classé + Premier Grand Cru classé) reviewed every 10 years or so.
  • 2006: ruling faced legal complaints and was annulled.
  • 2012: new classification based on terroir, estate mgt & tasting, independently verified. Contention growing.
508
Q

Bordeaux: Wine Classification- Garage wines (unclassified)

A
  • Top wines produced in tiny quantities by microchâteaux from low yields & super-ripe grapes (Parker influenced)
  • Wines are full bodied, concentrated w moderate acidity, soft tannins and rich, complex berry fruit
509
Q

Bordeaux: Trade Structure- La Place de Bordeaux

A

(Producers -> courtiers -> négociants -> export/shippers):

  • Historically, merchants or négociants bought wine in bulk, blended it and aged it in their cellars (e.g Quai des Chartrons)
  • Nowadays, the role of merchants has evolved to the one of broker/courtier.

a. Courtiers
- Paid by négociants to submit samples from producers, obtain best price & manage legalities around transaction - Usually specialised in a specific area with close relationships with the producers

b. Négociants
- Buys, blends and sells generic wine in bulk or bottle
- Buys individual Chateau wines to sell either in bulk or bottle
- Buys individual Chateau wines to release and sell at different maturity levels

510
Q

Bordeaux: Trade Structures- Chateaux, Microchateaux & Petits Chateaux

A
  • Chateaux: may be used by a wine estate only of a specified plot or collection of plots i.e. no need for physical chateau to use the term (e.g. Ch Léoville-Barton has no chateau); cooperatives could use the term too.
  • Microchateaux: unofficial term to designate Bordeaux right bank miniature estates producing ultra-modern wines (deep coloured, early-maturing, sweet, oaky) produced in small quantities, often under the influenced of oenologist Michel Rolland. Le Pin in Pomerol (1ha) is the archetype.
  • Petits Chateaux: estates w modest reputation and price; mainly under Bordeaux, Bourg or Cotes de Bdx ACs
511
Q

Bordeaux: Trade Structures- Bordeaux wine buying

A
  • Before release: either En souche (before harvest) or En primeur 1st or 2nd offer – 1st yr after vintage from late March

En Primeur: stock on pre-sale March after harvest by top Chateaux to free up cash tied up in stock. Finished wines
released to buyer 2 years after harvest.

  • After release by hl (e.g. road tanker), 900l tonneau, 225l barrel, by case.
512
Q

En Primeur

A

wine trade term, French in origin, for wine sold as futures before being bottled. It comes from the word primeur. En primeur sales are a relatively recent speciality, but not exclusivity, of classed growths by the bordeaux trade (see bordeaux, history). Cask samples of wines have customarily been shown in the spring following the vintage. Thousands of trade and media representatives descend on Bordeaux each spring for carefully organized programmes of tastings. Sales are solicited, through brokers and then négociants, as soon as proprietors decide to announce their opening price and market reaction is keenly monitored by interested parties. A particular property often releases only a certain proportion, or tranche, of its total production, depending on its need for cash and reading of the market. This form of early sale has long been available to the wine trade, but was undertaken by wine consumers only from the late 20th century. It has been most popular in times of frenetic demand such as in the very early 1970s (when some wine was even sold sur souche, or on the vine before the grapes were picked) and since the 1980s, when a succession of good vintages coincided with widespread economic prosperity and the accessibility of early vintage assessments from the wine trade and press. The consumer pays the opening price as soon as the offer is made and then, up to two years later, having paid the additional shipping costs and duty, takes delivery of the wine after it has been bottled and shipped. The theory is that, by buying wine early, the consumer not only secures sought-after wines, he or she also pays less. This is by no means invariably the case, however, as outlined in investment in wine. En primeur purchases have many disadvantages in periods of economic recession. Not only may prices stagnate or even fall, but there is a much higher risk that one of the many commercial concerns in the chain between wine producer and wine consumer will fail, leaving the consumer with the possibility of having paid for the wine without any certainty of receiving it. There is also the important fact that en primeur purchases inevitably mean investing in an embryonic product. A third party’s assessment of a single cask sample taken when it is just six months old is a poor justification for financial outlay on a liquid that is bottled only a year later (and is particularly hazardous for a wine as notoriously transient as red burgundy), unless the wine market is extremely buoyant. Buying en primeur may make financial sense only for the most unanimously lauded vintages and the most sought-after wines, and then only in a rising market, although it can of course give a great deal of pleasure to those with a strong wine-collecting instinct.

513
Q

Microchateau

A

A Bordeaux garage wine.

514
Q

Uni Blanc

A

(which is in fact Italy’s ubiquitous trebbiano toscano) is France’s most planted white grape variety by far, with almost twice as much French vineyard devoted to it than Chardonnay, and yet it is rarely seen on a wine label. Just as airén, Spain’s most planted white variety, supplies that country’s voracious brandy stills, so the copious, thin, acid wine of Ugni Blanc washes through armagnac and, especially, cognac stills. In Charentes it is often known as St-Émilion. But despite eu encouragement to pull up poorer-quality vines, and a distinctly sluggish market for brandy, France’s total plantings of Ugni Blanc fell by well under 20% between the late 1980s and 2011 to 83,230 ha/205,578 acres. Ugni Blanc supplanted the folle blanche that was pre-phylloxera the main ingredient in French brandy production because of its good resistance to powdery mildew, and grey rot. It was probably imported from Italy during the 14th century when the papal court was established at Avignon. Other Italian varieties were presumably similarly transported but Trebbiano Toscano’s extraordinarily high yields and high acidity may have helped establish it in southern France, where it is still grown widely today. It is still the most planted white wine grape in Provence and is grown in the southern Rhône and in and around Bordeaux, but the great majority of plantings are in the Charentes. It is, like most copiously produced wines, low in extract and character, relatively low in alcohol, but usefully high in acidity. This exceptionally vigorous vine buds late, thereby avoiding most spring frost damage which makes it popular with growers. Yields can easily reach 150 hl/ha (8.5 tons/acre). Because it ripens relatively late, there is a natural geographical limit on its cultivation, but in areas such as Charentes it is simply picked before it is fully ripe.For more details of this variety, see trebbiano Toscano (although it is usually known throughout South America, where it is widely planted, as Ugni Blanc).

515
Q

Colombard

A

Is a natural cross of chenin blanc × gouais blanc. This widely planted Charentais white grape variety was traditionally blended with Ugni Blanc (trebbiano) and folle blanche, but considered inferior to both, as an ingredient in cognac. As Colombard’s star waned in France, almost half of total plantings being pulled up in the 1970s, it waxed quite spectacularly in California, where, as french colombard, it became the state’s most planted variety of all, providing generous quantities of reasonably neutral but reliably crisp base wine for commercial, often quite sweet, white blends to service the prevailing fashion for white wine. Its disadvantages of being quite prone to rot and powdery mildew are much lesser inconveniences in the hot, dry Central Valley, where almost all of California’s Colombard is planted. And Colombard’s disadvantages for the distillers of Charentes, that its wine is more alcoholic and less acid than that of the other cognac varieties, are positive advantages for consumers of the wine in its undistilled state. The annual rate of planting of French Colombard in California slowed to a standstill towards the end of the 1980s and then picked up briefly in the early 2000s but by 2012 total plantings were only about 22,500 acres/9,100 ha (whereas Chardonnay’s total was almost 100,000 acres). Colombard is found in other American states, notably Texas. It would take some sorcery to transform Colombard into an exciting wine, but pleasantly lively innocuousness is well within reach for those equipped with stainless steel and temperature control. In a nice example of transatlantic switchback, the producers of the Armagnac region set about duplicating California’s modern winemaking transformation of the dull Colombard grape on their own varieties surplus to brandy production, thus creating the hugely successful Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne. Colombard plantings have been steadily growing in France. It is the most planted variety in the Gers département where about two-thirds of France’s 2011 total of about 9,000 ha/22,230 acres was concentrated, although it is grown all over south west france. It is even more widely planted, as Colombar, in south africa, where it was once important to the local brandy industry, and is now also popular for cheap, commercial off-dry white. Total Cape plantings have remained steady at just over 11,000 ha, making it the country’s third most important wine grape, just behind Cabernet Sauvignon in 2012. As in Australia, it provides usefully crisp blending material with Chenin Blanc and the much more fashionable Sauvignon Blanc. Australia’s total plantings had fallen to just over 2,000 ha in 2012, mainly in the irrigated inland regions.

516
Q

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande- Region of Production:

A

Pauillac AOC

517
Q

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande- Year Established:

A

1850

518
Q

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande- Classification:

A

second growth, Médoc 1855

519
Q

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande- Summary:

A

Formally the Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande but commonly abbreviated as Château Pichon-Lalande, this cumbersomely named estate is widely regarded as a “Super Second” of the Médoc.

Pichon-Lalande was born in 1850 with the death of Joseph de Pichon-Longueville and the subsequent division of the original Pichon property into two separate estates: Pichon-Baron and Pichon-Lalande. The Pichon-Lalande château and its 42 hectares of vines he bequeathed to his three daughters. Virginie, the Comtesse de Lalande, took control of the siblings’ shared property and formally separated management of the two winemaking estates in 1860. It remained with this branch of the Longuevilles until 1926 when the property was unloaded to the Miailhe family, a prominent clan in the Bordeaux wine business. Three successive generations of Miailhes managed the property—the last, May-Élaine de Lencquesaing, inherited the estate in 1978, restored the château, and presided over an era of accomplished winemaking. Her children would not, however, follow in the family business, and she sold a majority stake in the château to Champagne Roederer in 2006. Today it is under the management of Sylvie Cazes, sister of Jean-Michel Cazes. (See Lynch-Bages for further information on the Cazes family.)

The château property is adjacent to Château Latour, and Pichon-Lalande’s vineyards spread southward along—and across—the Saint-Julien commune boundary, near Léoville-Las-Cases. 9 ha of vines are actually in Saint-Julien AOC, but the winery has received dispensation to include the fruit in its Pauillac wines. (Prior to 1959, the winery bottled a separate Saint-Julien.)

520
Q

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande- Vineyard Holdings:

A

89 ha

61% Cabernet Sauvignon
32% Merlot
4% Cabernet Franc
3% Petit Verdot

521
Q

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande- Wines Produced:

A

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande

Réserve de la Comtesse

522
Q

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande- Inaugural Vintages:

A

Réserve de la Comtesse: 1973

523
Q

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande- Average Total Production:

A

430,000 bottles (Up to 50% of the production may be the second wine.)

524
Q

Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande- Style / Vinification Techniques:

A

The most striking element of the Château Pichon-Lalande grand vin is its high percentage of Merlot. One-third of the blend is Merlot—a large component for a classified growth in the Médoc and the highest proportion of Merlot for any Pauillac AOC grand vin. The high proportion of Merlot is cause for the winery to employ less new oak than most upper-echelon Médoc châteaux; only one-half of the oak used for the top wine is new each year.

525
Q

Château Lynch-Bages- Region of Production:

A

Pauillac AOC

526
Q

Château Lynch-Bages- Year Established:

A

Early 1700s

527
Q

Château Lynch-Bages- Classification:

A

fifth growth, Médoc 1855

528
Q

Château Lynch-Bages- Summary:

A

Château Lynch-Bages is widely viewed to over-deliver and outperform its status as an 1855 fifth growth, particularly among American Bordeaux drinkers. The 2009 Liv-Ex re-creation of the price-based classification promoted Lynch-Bages to second growth, ranking it as the Left Bank’s 16th most expensive bottle of wine.

The estate may have produced wine before the 18th century, but its modern story begins with the arrival of Thomas Lynch, son of an Irish soldier, in 1749. He presided over the property near the old hamlet of Bages for almost a quarter-century and established its reputation. The Lynch family sold the château in 1824, and the estate sifted through several hands for the following century. Jean-Charles Cazes, an insurance agent hired to manage the estate in 1933, bought the property in 1939. The Cazes family has been at the helm ever since. Jean-Charles’ son André added to the Lynch-Bages holdings by acquiring nearby cru bourgeois estate Haut-Bages-Averous in the early 1970s, but he ultimately devoted more attention to local politics and insurance than wine. At his request, his son Jean-Michel assumed management in 1973 and brought the estate up to its present standards and status. (He excelled at both family businesses: Jean-Michel Cazes created and managed AXA Millésimes, the insurance giant’s subsidiary portfolio of wine properties.)

529
Q

Château Lynch-Bages- Vineyard Holdings:

A

110 ha (104 ha red, 6 ha white)

76% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot
7% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot

530
Q

Château Lynch-Bages- Wines Produced:

A

Château Lynch-Bages

Echo de Lynch-Bages: The domaine’s second wine, formerly known as Haut-Bages-Averous.

Blanc de Lynch Bages (Bordeaux AOC)

531
Q

Château Lynch-Bages- Average Total Production:

A

480,000

532
Q

Château Lynch-Bages- Style / Vinification Techniques:

A

Château Lynch-Bages is made in an unrepentantly modern and immediate style. The grand vin is aged in 70% new oak and typically contains 70-80% Cabernet Sauvignon.

533
Q

Château Latour- Region of Production:

A

Pauillac AOC

534
Q

Château Latour- Year Established:

A

1331

535
Q

Château Latour- Classification:

A

Premier Grand Cru Classé, Médoc 1855

536
Q

Château Latour- Summary

A

Latour (“the tower”) appears as early as 1331, when Gaucelme de Castillon received royal authorization to build the Tower of Saint-Maubert. The tower guarded the Gironde in the ensuing Hundred Years’ War, but it was soon seized by Anglo-Gascon troops and remained under English control until 1453. Once returned, the original tower was destroyed. By the early 17th century, owner Arnaud de Mullet reorganized the estate’s farms (and extensive vineyards) and commissioned a new tower, the iconic dovecote that appears on the label today.

In the late 1600s Marie-Thérèse de Clauzel took possession of the estate and married the owner of Château Lafite-Rothschild, Alexandre de Ségur in 1695. From 1695 through 1755 the two great châteaux were thus united in ownership. While ownership of Château Latour began to splinter in the latter 1700s, descendants of the Ségur family nonetheless maintained sole control over the property until 1962. By that year, however, there were so many minor shareholders (Ségurs, all) that sale was inevitable, and a British financial group purchased a majority stake. Château Latour remained in English hands until 1993, when a French billionaire named François Pinault acquired 93% of the company. The Ségur family retains the remainder.

Château Latour was ranked directly behind Château Lafite-Rothschild in 1855. In 1863 the château began bottling some of its wines on the property (though it did not fully convert to the practice until the 1930s). The pride of the property is L’Enclos, a 47-ha vineyard immediately surrounding the tower and château. It crowns a 16-meter-high croupe of gravel and is the primary source for the Château Latour grand vin.

In 2012 company president Frédéric Engerer made the surprising announcement to end Latour’s participation in Bordeaux’s en primeur tastings, preferring instead to release and sell wines “when they start to be ready to drink.”

537
Q

Château Latour- Vineyard Holdings:

A

78 ha (including the 47-ha L’Enclos, the 4-ha La Pinada, the 15-ha Petit Batailley, and other parcels)

80% Cabernet Sauvignon
18% Merlot
2% Cabernet Franc (not being replanted)
2% Petit Verdot

538
Q

Château Latour- Wines Produced:

A

Château Latour

Les Forts de Latour: The second wine is produced from plots outside the L’Enclos and young vines from within L’Enclos.

Le Pauillac de Château Latour: The third wine is produced from wines that do not meet selection criteria for Les Forts.

539
Q

Château Latour- Inaugural Vintages:

A

Les Forts de Latour: 1966

Le Pauillac de Château Latour: 1973

540
Q

Château Latour- Average Total Production:

A

380,000 bottles

541
Q

Château Latour- Style / Vinification Techniques:

A

Château Latour produces the quintessentially powerful and long-lived style of Médoc Cabernet Sauvignon. The top wine typically contains at least 85% of the grape, harvested from vines with an average age of 50 years. After meticulous sorting in the vineyard and winery, fermentation takes place in conical stainless steel tanks; maceration typically lasts around four weeks. Malolactic fermentation also occurs in tank, prior to a 20-22 month élevage in 80-100% new wood. (Les Forts de Latour receives only 50% new wood, and typically the blend for the second wine includes up to 30% Merlot.) A light fining with egg white occurs in barrel, but the wines have not been filtered since 2000.

542
Q

Château Léoville-Barton- Region of Production:

A

Saint-Julien

543
Q

Château Léoville-Barton- Year Established:

A

1826

544
Q

Château Léoville-Barton- Classification:

A

second growth, Médoc 1855

545
Q

Château Léoville-Barton- Summary:

A

Hugh Barton purchased this sector of the Léoville estate in 1826, separating its vineyards from those of the Marquis de Las-Cases. Five years earlier, Barton had acquired the neighboring property of Château Langoa-Barton, and the two estates have been united ever since. The château depicted on the Léoville-Barton label is actually the Langoa-Barton manor house, and today the Barton family vinifies both properties’ top wines identically. Both wines are produced in the Langoa-Barton facility.

Anthony Barton and his daughter, Lilian Barton-Sartorius, jointly manage the two properties today.

546
Q

Château Léoville-Barton- Vineyard Holdings:

A

50 ha

74% Cabernet Sauvignon
23% Merlot
3% Cabernet Franc

547
Q

Château Léoville-Barton- Wines Produced:

A

Château Léoville-Barton

La Réserve Léoville-Barton

548
Q

Château Léoville-Barton- Inaugural Vintages:

A

La Réserve Léoville-Barton: 1988

549
Q

Château Léoville-Barton- Average Total Production:

A

250,000 bottles

550
Q

Château Léoville-Barton- Style / Vinification Techniques:

A

If Léoville-Las-Cases is concentration and weight and Léoville-Poyferré is flash and generosity, Léoville-Barton is likely the most classic of the trio—although recent vintages have, like much of Bordeaux, been riper and riper. The grand vin assemblage is typically in line with the estate’s encépagement, and the wine spends 20 months in 50% new oak prior to bottling.

551
Q

Château Lafite-Rothschild- Region of Production:

A

Pauillac AOC

552
Q

Château Lafite-Rothschild- Year Established:

A

17th century

553
Q

Château Lafite-Rothschild- Classification:

A

Premier Grand Cru Classé, Médoc 1855

554
Q

Château Lafite-Rothschild- Summary:

A

Although the earliest-known mention of “Lafite” dates to 1234, the arrival of Jacques de Ségur by marriage in 1670 is generally acknowledged as the dawn of the estate as a winemaking property. His son Alexandre inherited the estate in 1691 and in an early union of two great châteaux, married the heiress of Château Latour four years later. His son Nicolas-Alexandre presided over the Lafite, Latour, and Calon (Ségur) estates until the union unraveled with his death in 1755. In that era the wines of Château Lafite found their footing in the City of London, where the prime minister himself was reputedly a regular customer. Later in the century the wine earned acclaim at Versailles, but the estate fell on hard times shortly before revolution broke out. The last relative of the Ségur family to preside over Château Lafite died by the guillotine.

Lafite passed through several hands after the French Revolution, but the estate maintained consistent management from 1797 through the 1855 classification under the Goudal family. Management and winemaking passed from father to son. Emile Goudal negotiated the purchase of a parcel called “Carruades”—then considered one of the finest in the Médoc—in 1853 as the various properties were jockeying for placement in the coming classification. A decade after Lafite was enshrined as first among four Premier Grand Cru Classé châteaux, Baron James de Rothschild purchased the property, and from 1868 onward the estate would be known as Château Lafite-Rothschild.

In the modern era, Baron Eric de Rothschild arrived in 1974 to lift the winery from a postwar slump of awkward vintages and return Lafite to prominence. It is the largest first growth today, with 112 ha under vine. Charles Chevallier is the technical director and Christophe Congé is winemaker. Château Rieussec in Sauternes, Château L’Evangile in Pomerol, and Château Duhart-Milon in Pauillac also fall under Rothschild ownership.

The word “Lafite” derives from faîte, an old Médocain word indicating a ridge and a fitting description for the château—it occupies a 27-meter gravel croupe, one of the highest sites in Pauillac.

555
Q

Château Lafite-Rothschild- Vineyard Holdings:

A

112 ha in three parcels, the main Château vineyards, the Carruades parcel, and a 4.5-ha parcel in Saint-Estèphe, entitled to the Pauillac AOC.

70% Cabernet Sauvignon
25% Merlot
3% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot

556
Q

Château Lafite-Rothschild- Wines Produced / Average Total Production:

A

Château Lafite-Rothschild: 16,000 cases

Carruades de Lafite: 20,000 cases. (The second wine of Lafite, known as “Moulin des Carruades” until 1985.)

557
Q

Château Lafite-Rothschild- Style / Vinification Techniques:

A

Château Lafite-Rothschild is typically positioned as an elegant, subtle counterpoint to the power of Château Latour. The blend for the grand vin changes with each vintage; in recent years the amount of Cabernet Sauvignon varies from 80-98%. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel and wood vats, and the estate does not practice cold-soaking or pigeage. The grand vin wines rest in new barriques (from the château’s own cooperage) for 18-20 months prior to a light fining before bottling. The winemaking team has experimented with vacuum concentration and other modern techniques, but professes to keep the machines away in favor of achieving proper ripeness in the vineyard. The second wine contains up to 50% Merlot and is aged mostly in second-use barrels.

558
Q

Château Calon-Segur- Region of Production:

A

Saint-Estèphe

559
Q

Château Calon-Segur- Year Established:

A

Unknown

560
Q

Château Calon-Segur- Classification:

A

third growth, Médoc 1855

561
Q

Château Calon-Segur- Summary:

A

Château Calon-Ségur, once joined with Lafite, Latour, and Mouton under the common ownership of Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, is the most northerly classified growth in the Médoc. Its origins date to the Middle Ages, although vines did not appear until the arrival of the Ségur family in the 1700s. Nicolas-Alexandre’s son sold the property in 1798 to Etienne Dumoulin, adding Calon-Ségur to the possessions of the reigning family of Château Montrose for a few short years. In 1824, Théodore Dumoulin sold Calon-Ségur to the Lestapis family; in 1894 they in turn sold the property to the Capbern-Gasqueton family, its present owners.

Calon-Ségur has not dramatically changed in size since the 1855 classification. It consists of a single, walled parcel of vines adjacent to the château, standing at a meager 12 meters above sea level. The “Calon” is of uncertain origin: some suppose it refers to the calonis, a boat that traveled the estuary, while others suggest it is a contraction of old words for water and stone.

562
Q

Château Calon-Segur- Vineyard Holdings:

A

55 ha

67% Cabernet Sauvignon
32% Merlot
1% Petit Verdot

563
Q

Château Calon-Segur- Wines Produced:

A

Château Calon-Ségur

Le Marquis de Calon-Ségur (formerly Marquis de Calon)

Saint-Estèphe de Calon-Ségur (formerly La Chapelle de Calon)

564
Q

Château Calon-Segur- Average Total Production:

A

300,000 bottles

565
Q

Château Calon-Segur- Style / Vinification Techniques:

A

Calon-Ségur is a solid and sturdy representation of great Saint-Estèphe, though critics claim troubling inconsistency in some years. The grand vin is dominated by Cabernet, while the second wine may include up to 75% Merlot.

566
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Region of Production:

A

Pauillac AOP

567
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Winery Location:

A

Pauillac, neighboring Grand-Puy-Ducasse and Mouton-Rothschild.

568
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Classification:

A

Cinquième Grand Cru Classe, Médoc 1855

569
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Year Established:

A

1725

570
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Summary:

A

Founded by Jean-François de Pontet in an old hamlet named Canet, the estate passed into the hands of a Danish-German négociant named Hermann Cruse in 1865. The Cruse family maintained the château for over a century and sold its wines to the French railways, establishing Pontet-Canet as a household name. But in 1973 the family’s négociant arm was embroiled in the Scandale à Bordeaux—French investigators brought charges against the company’s director, Lionel Cruse, asserting his complicity in buying and selling inferior wines as prestigious Bordeaux AOC products. The Cruse family was disgraced and forced to sell Pontet-Canet in the scandal’s wake. Guy Tesseron of Cognac fame bought the property in 1975 and installed Jean-Michel Comme as technical director in 1989. Together they have raised the estate from scandal and transformed the property into a biodynamic, natural-minded estate that often outperforms its 1855 ranking as a fifth growth.

571
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Vineyard Holdings:

A

81 hectares

62% Cabernet Sauvignon
32% Merlot
4% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot

572
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Wines Produced

A

Château Pontet-Canet (typically 90% of production)

Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet

573
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Inaugural Vintages:

A

Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet: 1982 (as Château les Hauts de Pontet)

574
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Average Total Production:

A

25,000 cases

575
Q

Château Pontet-Canet- Style / Vinification Techniques:

A

Jean-Michel Comme, vineyard manager and winemaker for more than a quarter-century, has transformed Château Pontet-Canet into the only certified biodynamic classified growth in the Médoc. (The only other classified château on the Left Bank that has fully converted to biodynamic viticulture is Château Climens in Barsac—where Comme’s wife has engineered the change.) The low-trained, high-density vineyard (10,000 vines/ha) is unlike any other in Pauillac: Comme does not hedge, trim, leaf-thin, or green-harvest his vines. Fruit is hand-harvested and sorted by hand, before and after destemming. Ambient yeast fermentation occurs in both truncated cement vats and in large, temperature-controlled oak casks. Maceration lasts up to 3-4 weeks, with malolactic fermentation also occurring in vat and cask. After pressing, the wines are racked into three types of vessel for a 16- to 18-month élevage: new barriques (50%), 1-year-old barriques (15%), and egg-shaped cement “amphorae” (35%) of Comme’s own design. Collage is no longer practiced. The resulting style is incredibly ripe, extracted and brambly, but not overtly oaky.

576
Q

Château Rauzan-Ségla- Region of Production:

A

Margaux AOC

577
Q

Château Rauzan-Ségla- Winery Location:

A

Margaux

578
Q

Château Rauzan-Ségla- Year Established:

A

1661

579
Q

Château Rauzan-Ségla- Classification:

A

second growth, Médoc 1855

580
Q

Château Rauzan-Ségla- Summary:

A

Rauzan-Ségla is by far the better-performing of the two Rauzan estates today, but it still struggles to merit its ranking as a second growth. The original Rauzan property, comprising both Ségla and Gassies, split in 1763; through marriage to a Rauzan daughter the Baron Ségla acquired this portion of the estate. It remained the property of his descendants until 1866. It survives several changes of ownership but the quality of the wines and the attention to the vineyards and winery dips noticeably by the latter 20th century. In 1994 Chanel purchased the estate, resumed use of the original spelling (Rauzan had become Rausan sometime beforehand), and put the estate back on track to attain its potential.

581
Q

Château Rauzan-Ségla- Vineyard Holdings:

A

60 ha

54% Cabernet Sauvignon
41% Merlot
4% Petit Verdot
1% Cabernet Franc

582
Q

Château Rauzan-Ségla- Wines Produced:

A

Château Rauzan-Ségla

Ségla

583
Q

Château Rauzan-Ségla- Average Total Production:

A

220,000 bottles (Typically 40-50% is the grand vin.)

584
Q

Château Rauzan-Ségla- Style / Vinification Techniques:

A

Rauzan-Ségla in the modern age is a classic, finesse-driven Margaux blend, incorporating 50-60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50-60% new oak.

WSET Diploma Unit 3: France (23 decks)

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