Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superier

Where may Bordeaux AOC come from?

Any wine from the Gironde department

All Bordeux wine is AOC

Why is a bulls-eye more appropriate than a pyramid for Bordeaux classifications?

Because a wine in an inner circle can also claim the classification of an outer circle.

What are the 3 levels of Bordeaux wine?

commune: innermost circle (e.g., Margaux)

sub-regional: middle circle (e.g., Haut Medoc)

regional: outermost circle (e.g., Bordeaux)

Why does Chateaux Latour have 66 vats?

Each vat holds the harvest from a single parcel of vines within the Latour vineyard.

Each parcel has a different terroir.

How many appellations does Bordeaux have?

Traditional: 57

Actual: about 60

What are the 6 families of Bordeaux wine?

* Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur

* Cotes

* Graves / Medoc (left bank)

* Saint-Emilion / Pomerol / Fronsac (right bank)

* Dry White

* Sweet White

How much production do Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur appellations comprise of all Bordeaux wine?

Half of all AOC wine produced (increasing: 42% in 1986

55,225/117,500 ha = 47% AOC vineyards (2009)

Everywhere within the Gironde department but most is from Entre deux-Mers

Why don't Entre deux-Mers wine producers use Entre-deux-Mers instead of Bordeaux AOC?

Because Entre-deux-Mers AOC is for white wine only

Name all 7 AOC within the Bdx/Bdx-Sup appellations

* Bordeaux Rouge

* Bordeaux Clairet

* Bordeaux Rose

* Bordeaux Blanc Sec

* Bordeaux Superieur Rouge

* Bordeaux Superieur Blanc

* Cremant de Bordeaux

Do Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur cover the same geographic regions?

Yes

Do AOC Bordeaux and AOC Bordeaux Superieur cover only red wines?

Yes

Which organization administers the appellation laws?

Before 2007: Institut National des Appellations d'Origine Controlees

Now: L’Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité

What quality levels does INAO (E-NOW) govern?

AOC/AOP

When was Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure (VDQS/AOVDQS) eliminated?

2011

What are the 6 aspects of wine specified by AOC laws?

* Geographic area

* Grape varieties

* Max yield per vineyard area (Bdx: how much wine may be produced

* Vineyard techniques (e.g. pruning, min vine density, spacing)

* Winemaking techniques (e.g., chaptalization, destemming)

* Min Alcohol Content (specifies sugar content which is a function of ripeness)

Does yield (hl/ha) mean much?

* Little unless you also know the vine density (vines/ha)

Is higher or lower vine density associated with higher quality wine?

Higher (e.g., Margaux: 6500-10K

How do Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur differ in terms of AOC laws?

* Yield (Bdx: 55 hl/ha

* Alcohol Content (Bdx: 10%

What are the 3 types of pruning in France?

* Guyot (simple, double) -- cane pruning -- Bordeaux

* Cordon (de Royat = one cordon) -- spur pruning -- Bdx and Champagne for PN/PM

* Goblet (aka fan) -- spur pruning -- Burgundy, Rhone, Provence, L-R

Most AOC Bordeaux is branded wine from negociants. How many brands are produced?

300 (e.g., Dourthe, Sirius, Michel Lynch, Mouton Cadet)

When did the cooperatives get their start?

Great depression

How many coops are there in Bordeaux?

40 cellars (+ 6 unions of cellars)

How many coops are there in Bordeaux regions?

Entre-deux-Mers: 18

Libournais: 10

Medoc: 8

Bourg/Blaye: 4

Graves & Sauternais: 0

What percent of Bordeaux/Bordeaux-Superieur wines are made by cooperatives?

Bordeaux: 34%

Bordeaux Superieur: 20%

What percent of 2009 Bordeaux production was Bordeaux and Bordeaux-Superieur?

Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur: 50%

The Cotes: 13%

Graves/Medoc: 17%

Saint-Emilion/Pomerol/Fronsac: 10%

Dry White: 8%

Sweet White: 2%