The Bordeaux Vineyard

WORKSHOP

WORKSHOP

The BordeauxVineyard

• An ancient vineyard

• 1152 : wedding of Alienor of Aquitaine with Henri Plantagenetstrong commercial links with England, the golden age of claret !

• 15th century: Aquitaine returns under the French crownend of the trade with England

• 17th century: Holland, Hanse and Brittany are the main markets for Bordeaux wines

A historical summary

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• 18th century: development of trade with the Caribbean

• 19th century: major investments in quality wine production, fighting the vine diseases (oidium, mildew, phylloxera)

• 1936: Creation of INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine)

• 1948: Creation of the CIVB (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)

A historical summary

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• Almost 110 250 hectares – largest French region of AOC• 1,5% of the world vineyard• 5 million hectolitres of quality wine produced pa (average production)• 7 900 wine estates• 60 different appellations• The origin of the world famous grape varieties

Bordeaux today

(Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon)

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Crédits photographies :© CIVB © Ralf Kabelitz © Laurent Renault © Nath Photos © chiyacat © mr.lightning © Yuri Arcurs © Bata Zivanovic © benamalice

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The Bordeaux vineyard

Champagne33 100

Bourgogne27 800

Beaujolais18 600

Valléedu Rhône

76 300

Provence27 000

Bergerac12 000

Vallée dela Loire51 800

Sud-Ouest20 000

Languedoc35 500

Roussillon8 000

BORDEAUX110 250

Alsace15 600

The Bordeaux appellations (in ha) The largest French AOC 60 appellations 6 wine families

AOC : APPELLATION D’ORIGINE CONTRÔLÉE

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How to tasteBordeaux wines

1. Colour2. Reflections3. Quality of the bouquet4. First nose: at rest5. Second nose: after swirling6. Flavours7. Retro-nasal8. Balance9. Length10. Comments

10 ways to describe a wine

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Senses and sensations

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Animal Balsamic Woody Chemical Spicy BurntEthereal Floral Fruity Mineral Vegetal

The eleven aromatic families

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Vanilla, grilled and toasted notes: Wines aged in oak barrels

A few typical aromasof Bordeaux wines

RED WINES(Cabernet dominated)• Green pepper (young)• Blackcurrant• Spices• Leather• Prunes

WHITE WINES• Lemon• Grapefruit• Box hedge• Tropical fruit• Acacia flower

RED WINES(Merlot dominated)• Red fruits• Violet• Animal• Liquorice• Truffle

SWEET WHITE WINES• Acacia flower• Quince• Marmalade• Honey• Tobacco

ROSÉ/CLAIRETS• Raspberry• Red currant• Cherry• Strawberry• Iris

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Balance in red wine

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Balance in white wine

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The Bordeaux wines

Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur

Côtes de Bordeaux

Saint-Emilion – Pomerol – Fronsac

Médoc and Graves

Dry white Bordeaux

Sweet white Bordeaux

The 6 families of Bordeaux wines

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Situation + Climate=

Microclimate____________________________________

Microclimate + Soil=

Terroir____________________________________

Terroir + Selection of grape varieties + know-how=

The secret of the elegance of Bordeaux wines

Bordeaux’s magical equation

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• Hot sunny summers

• Fine autumns

• Winters with rare frosts

• Damp springs

• The Gulf Stream warms ans regulates temperatures

• Pine forests barrierprotects the vineyard from Atlantic winds and storms

A favourable climate

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• Left bank of the GaronneGravel soils

• Between the Garonne and the DordogneClay-limestone soils

• Right bank of the DordogneClay, limestone, sand and some gravels

A great diversity of soils

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Gravel soils

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Clay-limestone soils

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Clay, limestone, sand and some gravels

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Characteristics of the red grape varieties

MERLOT• Early ripening• High degree of alcohol• Supple and round• Aromatic (red fruits)• Rapid aromatic evolution

CABERNET SAUVIGNON• Late ripening• Tannic• Aromatic young wines (black fruits)• Apt for ageing

CABERNET FRANC• High degree of alcohol• Elegant tannins and aromas

PETIT VERDOT, MALBEC, CARMENÈRE

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The Merlot

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The Cabernet Sauvignon

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The Cabernet Franc

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Muscadelle7 %

Sauvignon34 %

Otherwhites4 %

Sémillon55 %

Characteristics of the white grape varieties

SAUVIGNON• High degree of alcohol• Pale colour• Aromatic richness (gooseberry, citrus)• Crisp acidity

SÉMILLON• Golden colour• Elegant• Unctuous

MUSCADELLE• Powerful Muscat and floral aromas• Light acidity• Round

COLOMBARD, UGNI BLANC

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The Sauvignon blanc

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The Sémillon

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The Muscadelle

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Merlot

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Sauvignon

SINGLEVARIETYWINES

Ageing 1

Ageing 2

FINAL BLENDING AND BOTTLING

AND / OR

Blendingis typical for Bordeaux wines

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Food and wine matching

1. Match the strength of the food and the wine

2. The complexity of th food and the wine

3. Flavour traditional regional marriages

4. Experiment with the dominant flavours in the food and the wineReinforce-eg: the acidity of sorrel / the acidity of an Entre-Deux-MersContrast-eg: acid / bitterness of Roquefort / sweetness of a SauternesAccompany-eg: bitterness of chocolat / supple red Bordeaux with light tannins

The 4 rules of food and wine matching

Light food Light wineStrong food Powerful wine

Simple food Simple wineComplex food Complex wine

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• The Classified Growths of Bordeaux represent at most 3 to 5%

• 95% of Bordeaux wines are for everyday and every budget

• The ageing potential depends upon the style of the wine, its quality, the vintage, the terroir, the wine making techniques...

Purchasing and storage advice

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Crédits photographies :© CIVB © Ralf Kabelitz © Laurent Renault © Nath Photos © chiyacat © mr.lightning © Yuri Arcurs © Bata Zivanovic © benamalice