Major wine regions of France
Wine Appreciation from Grapes
to Glass, Lecture 6: The
Bordeaux Region
Dennis Swaney, Karin Limburg
http://about-france.com/wine-map.htm
Vineyard outside of St Emilion, France, Fall, 2006
WHAT IS BORDEAUX?
From the French “bord de
l’eau” or “bord d’eaux”:
“edge of the water”
Bordeaux:
Vineyard area
~113000 ha
A city
http://www.phonebookoftheworld.com/france/city/city-of-bordeaux.jpg
2008 population ~ 250,000
A wine
A region
(largely coincides
With the departement of
Gironde ~ 10725 km2)
(or a class of wines)
http://www.terroir-france.com/wine/bordeaux_map.htm
(For some great online maps of wine regions in France and elsewhere
go to: http://www.wein-plus.com/france_guide/france_F.html)
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Major grape varietals of Bordeaux
Red:
White:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Sauvignon Blanc
Cabernet Franc
Semillon
Merlot
Muscadelle
Malbec
Red varietals:
•
Cabernet Sauvignon is the major grape of
Medoc/Graves
•
Merlot is the major grape of St Emilion/Pomerol
White varietals:
•
Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon are the main grapes of
white Graves
•
Semillon is the dominant grape of Sauterne (sweet
dessert wine)
Petit Verdot
Others are blended in varying degree, depending upon
vintage, terroir, etc
Some Bordeaux History
•
•
•
•
•
122 BC Romans establish extensive vineyards in
Languedoc (1st in France…but not Bordeaux)
~48 AD – Wine production begins in St Emilion by the
Romans for soldiers posted there (“east bank”)
71 AD – Pliny the Elder notes vineyards of Bordeaux in
his writings
4th Century AD – Ausonius (Roman poet, teacher and
vineyard owner) lived in and around St Emilion
(associated with the famous Ch. Ausone)
12th Century AD- Bordeaux wine (“claret”) begins to be
exported in quantity to Britain after the marriage of
Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine
Some Bordeaux History
•
1787 – Thomas Jefferson, as
Minister to France, tours
Bordeaux and begins collecting
Bordeaux wines, including
Medoc, Graves, and Sauternes
(he lived in France from 17841789)
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Some Bordeaux History
Mid to Late 19th Century – Bordeaux was attacked by powdery
mildew in the 1850s …
and downy mildew in the 1880s–
the mildews were controlled by the use of sulfur and copper
sulfate;
These and other fungicides are still in use in the wine industry.
Powdery mildew surface of
grape leaf. Photo: Jack Kelly Clark
White downy mildew spore
masses on the underside of
grape leaf
Young downy mildew
lesions on the surface
of grape leaf
Photos: A. Schilder
http://www.grapes.msu.edu/downymildew.htm
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7494.html
Le Terroir
Terroir (adapted from Wikipedia): a French wine term used to
denote special characteristics that geography bestows upon grapes. It
also refers to a group of sites in same region which share the same
soil, weather conditions and farming techniques, which each
contribute to the unique qualities of the grapes.
Terroir can be very loosely translated as "a sense of place" which is
embodied in certain qualities, and the sum of the effects that the local
environment has on the manufacture of the product.
The concept of terroir is at the base of the French wine Appellation
d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system that has been model for appellation
and wine laws across the globe.
At its core is the assumption that the land from which the grapes are
grown imparts a unique quality that is specific to that region. The
amount of influence and the scope that falls under the description of
terroir has been a controversial topic in the wine industry
Some Bordeaux History
Mid to Late 19th Century – Bordeaux
(and, later, Europe in general) attacked by
several biological agents including
phylloxera, an aphid relative (1869);
Phylloxera was gradually overcome by
grafting Vitis vinifera grapes onto
resistant American rootstock (mainly V.
riparius and V. rupestris)
Phylloxera larvae on grapvine
Phylloxera adult on grapevine
Phylloxera galls on grape
leaves
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeipm/grape_phylloxera.htm
Le terroir
Some components of terroir:
Climate
Microclimate
Soil type & geology (drainage, heat retention minerals, clay
content,etc)
Topography (relates to slope, aspect and thus microclimate)
Terroir has been romanticized in many cases, ascribing almost
mystical relationships between subtle flavors (le goût de terroir) and
the character of the land and soil...this has commercial implications
(value goes up if terroir is unique to small areas)
Terroir has some scientific basis in that the success of particular
grape varietals in certain regions, or in particular soils and
microclimates, is due to their selection over time for features that favor
these characteristics…and the flavors associated with these wines
come to be associated with the terroir… though there is no evidence
that flavors are directly associated with corresponding “flavors” of soil
components
Image: winescale.com
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Le goût de terroir
(the taste of “terroir”)
“…terms such as terroir (to describe flavors supposedly
derived from particular vineyard sites) are figments of the
imagination—thankfully so, as anyone who has put their
nose to the soil or a compost pile can attest.”
- R. S. Jackson, 2002, Wine Tasting: A Professional
Handbook
Appelationmerica.com
For a great discussion of terroir, see NYT article by McGee and Patterson:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/style/tmagazine/06tdirt.html?pagewanted=all
French wine regions and naming conventions:
the AOC system
“Appellation d’origine contrôlée” (AOC):
= "controlled designation of origin"
System of certification run by the French
government bureau Institut National des
Appellations d'Origine (INAO) by which
official geographical designations are
granted to certain wines
(and some other agricultural products).
Similar systems of official
designations exist in other
countries, including the US
http://www.terroir-france.com/wine/bordeaux_map.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appellation_d%27origine_contr%C3%B4l%C3%A9e
AOC
Comments
Barsac
Blaye
Bordeaux
Bordeaux clairet
Bordeaux Côtes de Francs
Bordeaux moelleux
Bordeaux rosé
Bordeaux sec
Bordeaux supérieur
Cadillac
Canon Fronsac
Cérons
Côtes de Blaye
Côtes de Bourg
Côtes de Castillon
Crémant de Bordeaux
Entre-Deux-Mers
Fronsac
Graves
Graves de Vayres
Graves Supérieures
Haut-Médoc
Lalande-de-Pomerol
Listrac-Médoc
Loupiac AOC
Lussac-Saint-Émilion
Margaux
Médoc
Montagne Saint-Émilion
Moulis or Moulis-en-Médoc
Pauillac
Pessac Léognan
Pomerol
Premières Côtes de Blaye
Premières Côtes de Bordeaux
Puisseguin Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion grand cru
Saint-Estèphe
Saint-Georges Saint-Émilion
Saint-Julien
Sainte-Croix-du-Mont
Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux
Sauternes
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1943
AOC in 1973
name changed to Canon Fronsac in 1964
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1995, formerly part of Blaye
AOC in 1936 for red in 1941 for white wines
Separate AOC in 1989, formerly Côtes de Castillon
AOC in 1990
AOC in 1937
AOC in 1976
AOC in 1937
AOC in 1937
AOC in 1937
AOC in 1936
AOC 1936
Separate AOC in 1986
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1938
AOC 1936
Separate AOC 1987, previously part of Graves AOC
AOC 1936
AOC in 1994, formerly part of Blaye
AOC in 1937
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC in 1936
AOC 1937
AOC in 1936
Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
List of official
AOC regions
within Bordeaux
(each region
determines standards
and levels of quality
for wines within
its geographical area)
There are currently
> 300 AOCs in France
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Appellation_d%27
Origine_Contr%C3%B4l%C3%A9e_wines
For the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, Emperor
Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best
Bordeaux wines which were to be on display for visitors from
around the world.
Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a
château's reputation and trading price, which at that time was
directly related to quality. The result was the Bordeaux Wine
Official Classification of 1855…(it has since been modified slightly)
which classifies vineyards (“crus” or literally, “growths”) of the
Medoc and Graves into 5-levels:
Premier crus (first growths – the best!)
Seconds Crus, sometimes written as Deuxième Crus (second growths)
Troisièmes Crus (third growths)
Quatrièmes Crus (fourth growths
Cinquièmes Crus (fifth growths)…etc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordeaux_Wine_Official_Classification_of_1855
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Entre-deux-Mers
Other AOCS of Bordeaux have their own
classification systems
“between two seas”
(actually rivers)
~ 23000 ha vineyards
St Emilion (revised 2006)
•Premier Grand Cru Classé A
Mainly Sauvignon blanc
Semillon
Muscadelle
•Premier Grand Cru Classé B
•Grand Cru Classé
Most of AOC Bordeaux
white wine is from here
Relatively inexpensive
red and white wines
•Grand Cru
Image: CutisNP
Pomerol has none
Dordogne R
Garonne R
World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson,1985 Simon&Schuster, NY
•
Located in the village of Targon
in the heart of the Entre-DeuxMers region, southeast of the
city of Bordeaux.
•
Barthe family has owned the
estate since 1789. Veronique
Barthe has installed modern
vinification and aging
equipment.
•
Estate bottled and is sold
around the world.
•
The clay-limestone soil in
rolling hill terrain
•
50% Sauvignon Blanc, 25%
Semillon, 25% Muscadelle
•
Average vine age of 25 years,
•
Vinified in temperaturecontrolled, stainless steel tanks.
Jackson, 2002
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Sauternes
1700 ha vineyards
Sémillon grapes
Mainly Semillon
for dessert wines
Relies on “noble rot”
fungus (botrytis cinerea)
to remove water and
concentrate sugar and
flavors in the grapes
White (mainly dessert
wines)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sémillon
In Napa valley, without “noble rot”
http://grandpeyrot.com/ENpage2.html
In Bordeaux with “noble rot”
World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson,1985 Simon&Schuster, NY
The Medoc
15400 ha vineyards
Gravelly soil
Cabernet sauvignon,
Cabernet franc
Merlot
Main “inner appelations”:
Haut Medoc
St Estephe
Pauillac
St Julien
Margaux
Moulis
Listrac
The greatest of Sauternes: Ch. D’Yquem
Only red wines
World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson,1985 Simon&Schuster, NY
6
Graves/
Pessac-Leognan
~5000 ha vineyards
Gravelly soil
(“graves”=gravel)
Red & white wines
Cabernet sauvignon,
Cabernet franc
Merlot
Sauvignon blanc
Semillon
World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson,1985 Simon&Schuster, NY
The five premier crus of Bordeaux (Medoc & Graves): Ch.
Mouton Rothschild, Ch. Margaux, Ch. Haut-Brion, Ch. Lafite
Rothschild, & Ch. Latour
Photo by Bob Howarth
Stony soils (“graves”) of Ch Haut-Brion
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Jackson, 2002
St. Emilion
~5500 ha vineyards
Clayey, limestone soil
Mainly Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Malbec
Cab. Sauvignon
Only red wines
The two greatest of St Emilion: Ch. Cheval Blanc & Ch. Ausone
World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson,1985 Simon&Schuster, NY
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Pomerol
760 ha vineyards
Dense clayey,
limestone soil
with high iron
“crasse de fer”
(iron dirt or iron filth)
Mainly Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Malbec
Cab. Sauvignon
Photo by Bob Howarth
Only red wines
Harvest (2006) in St Emilion – note clayey soils
World Atlas of Wine, Hugh Johnson,1985 Simon&Schuster, NY
•
2005 a generally excellent
vintage for Bordeaux
•
In the Lussac-St Emilion
AOC
•
About 45 km NE of St
Emilion near village of
Lussac
•
Clay-limestone soil
•
Mostly merlot (> 70%)
Otherwise Cab. Sauvignon ,
The greatest of Pomerol: Ch. Petrus
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Everyone in
France loves
leetle dogs!
(Dogs at a
restaurant)
Jackson, 2002
References
Coates, Clive. 1995. Grands Vins. The Finest Chateaux of Bordeaux and
their Wines. U. California Press, Berkeley
Gale, George. 2003.Saving the vine from Phylloxera: a never-ending
battle. Chapter four in Sandler, M. and Pinder, R. (eds) Wine: A
scientific exploration. Taylor & Francis, London & New York.
http://cas.umkc.edu/philosophy/gale/proofs.pdf
Johnson, Hugh. 1985. The World Atlas of Wine.Simon & Schuster, New
York (newer editions available)
Zraly, Kevin. 2008. Windows on the World Complete Wine Course.
Sterling Press, New York.
(and see various websites noted on previous pages)
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