Is Bordeaux oaked?

For the top growers in Bordeaux, such as Ch. Lafite, oak still remains an incredibly important element in their wine. With their own cooperage on site, they produce 90% of the oak they use each year, with the Grand Vin typically seeing 90% new wood.

Is Bordeaux aged in oak?

To be classed a Bordeaux Superieur wine, the wine is required to age in oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months. The wines will also have higher sugar levels than lesser wines and they will come from vineyards with lower yields than is commonly found in generic Bordeaux AOC wines.

Are white Bordeaux oaked?

White Bordeaux wine is usually aged in the same French oak barrels the wine was fermented in, or in stainless steel tanks. However, all the top Bordeaux chateaux age their wine in varying percentages of new, French oak barrels.

What are the characteristics of Bordeaux wine?

Bordeaux reds are medium- to full-bodied with bold aromas of black currant, plums and an earthiness like smelling wet soil or pencil lead. Depending on the quality, vintage and what region within Bordeaux the wine is from, fruit flavors range from more tart fruit to sweeter ripe fruit.

What kind of wine is Bordeaux?

Bordeaux (“Bore-doe”) refers to a wine from Bordeaux, France. Over 90% of Bordeaux wines are red wines made with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This article will introduce you to Bordeaux wine including tasting notes, food pairing suggestions, and key details to know.

Understanding Bordeaux, Pomerol and Merlot for WSET L3 including working written question

Is Chardonnay grown in Bordeaux?

Clos Dubreuil is the first grower to plant and produce a 100% Chardonnay in the Bordeaux region that I know of.

What is special about Bordeaux, France?

Bordeaux is, unsurprisingly, best-known for its wine-related activities. The capital city of the New-Aquitaine region is world-famous for its vineyards and top-notch wine labels, but that's not all the area has to offer.

What is the difference between Bordeaux and Cabernet?

Generally speaking, Bordeaux wines are balanced and nuanced, with less of a fruit-forward flavour to them. They also typically possess a stronger minerality. In contrast, California Cabernets are dense, rich, oaky and higher in alcohol content than Bordeaux wines.

What is the flavor profile of Bordeaux?

The taste of Bordeaux wine from the Left Bank delivers fruit scents and flavors of cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, vanilla, black cherry, coffee bean, spice and licorice. The wines are often concentrated, powerful, firm and tannic. Depending on the specific wine, it can appear to be austere in character in its youth.

What is the difference between Burgundy and Bordeaux?

The wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy are quite different. Generally, red Bordeauxs will be bigger, heavier and more tannic or drying than wines from Burgundy. I'd expect purple fruit, tobacco and anise flavors in Bordeaux, while Burgundies should show off red fruit flavors, spice and fresh earth notes.

Is white Bordeaux the same as Chardonnay?

So, generally speaking, white Burgundies are Chardonnays, and white Bordeauxs are blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Bot not all white Burgundies are Chardonnays (Aligoté is another prominent white grape there), and in Burgundy's small St.

Is Sauvignon Blanc a white Bordeaux?

The grapes of White Bordeaux include Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. There are a few other less-known varieties used in White Bordeaux such as Colombard and Ugni Blanc (the grape used in Cognac), but most White Bordeaux are made of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.

Which wines are aged in oak?

As the most common type of barrel used during the wine-aging process, oak barrels add oxygen, tannins (the backbone of a red wine), and a depth of flavor to the wine stored inside of them. Oak barreling is most commonly used with red wines and Chardonnay.

What is Bordeaux aged in?

In Bordeaux, most serious wines undergo barrel-ageing, although white wines can be an exception. Usually, six months of ageing in-barrel is required, but some châteaux barrel-age for as much as 20 months.

How do you identify oak wine?

To detect oak in red wine, take a large marshmallow and toast it. Smell the toasted marshmallow. The sweet smokiness smells like oak used in ageing red wine. Not all wines are “oaked” to the same degree and some are not oaked at all (aka “unoaked”).

What wine did Olivia Pope drink?

According to Washington—who, for the record, says she doesn't actually drink alcohol herself—Shiraz is an Olivia Pope favorite.

Is Chianti drier than Cabernet?

Which One Is Sweeter Or Drier Than The Other? Although both wines are considered dry, Chianti tends to be a little sweeter than Cabernet Sauvignon. Of course, there are exceptions to this, especially since Chianti is a wine blend, not a specific wine that comes from one grape.

Is Bordeaux full-bodied?

In Bordeaux, wines are produced by blending varieties that are high in tannins; so they are full-bodied.

Is Bordeaux is pure red wine?

The most common association for Bordeaux is its famous red color, but Bordeaux wines can be white or even rosé.

Is Bordeaux a type of grape?

Reds. Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère. Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines.

What is the traditional food of Bordeaux?

With the Atlantic ocean coastline, fish and shellfish are popular, but Bordeaux is carnivore country and its most celebrated dish is entrecôte marchand de vin, also called entrecote a la bordelaise; rib steak cooked in a rich gravy made from Bordeaux wine, butter, shallots, herbs and bone marrow.

Is Malbec oaked?

Malbec is a blending grape in Red Bordeaux Blends. Less oak than you might think. Malbec is so fruity and smooth, it often doesn't need as much oak-aging. Affordable Malbec wines may only get 4–6 months in oak whereas, top-shelf Malbec get as much as 18–20 months in oak.

What is a tempranillo wine?

Tempranillo is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano, meaning "early". This is a reference to the fact that this grape ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes.

Which is better Malbec or Merlot?

They both go very well with beef and cheese, although Merlot has a slightly larger range than that of Malbec. Malbec is also lower in acidity than Merlot, and has softer tannins than Merlot, even as a young wine.