The Wines of France

1
The Wines of France

• Some of the Worlds Best

2
The Bordeaux Connection

• The Soul of the Wine Industry

3
Classification System

• Napoleon III called for classification before
  1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris
• Promoted by the Gironde Chamber of Commerce
• Bordeaux Wine Brokers' Union
• Only part of region was classified

4
The Implications

• Set certain Bordeaux wines apart from others
• Set Bordeaux as the premiere wine production area
• Limits potential for up and coming vineyards
• Maintains control by a select few

5
French Wines Laws

• Classifications
• Vin de Table
• Vin de Pays
• Vin Délimite de Qualité Supérieure
• Appellation dOrigine Contrôlée

6
Vin de Table

• Primarily the southern regions
• Produced using safe procedures
• No quality standards
• 12 of total production

7
Vin de Pays

• Conversion from vin de table
• Higher price and demand for better wines
• Removal of less desirable vines
• Regional tasting panel approval
• Grown in region from recommended varieties
• Regions, departments, zones like.
• New England, New Hampshire, Seacoast
• Roughly 33 of total

8
Vin Délimite de Qualité Supérieure

• VDQS wines roughly 3 of total
• Produced from slightly higher yielding vines that
  AOC
• A step toward AOC classification

9
Appellation dOrigine Contrôlée-(Controlled
Naming of Origin)

• Roughly 52 of total
• Region, district, village, single vineyard
• Grapes grown within the names area
• Grapes approved for that area
• Reach a set alcohol level
• Meet yield per acre standards
• Maintain specific viticulture practices
• Tested by taste and chemical analysis
• Also crus designations

10
Terroir

• Soils
• Grapes
• Selection
• History
• These four elements combine to produce the unique
  character that goes into each wine

11
Bordeaux in Brief

• Blending
• Fermented by lot
• Blended to yield best potential wine of that
  vintage
• Cabernets strong on left bank
• Merlots strong on right bank
• Atypical offerings when one variety fails
• Cabernet Franc grown minimally
• Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc primary whites
• Second labels offer great value

12
Top Players

• Medoc
• Margaux
• St. Julien
• Pauillac
• St. Estephe
• Graves
• St Emillon
• Pessac-Leognan
• Pomerol
• Sauterne

13
Margaux

• Margaux
• Châteaus in all 5 cru classifications
• 1 first growth
• 4 second growth
• gravel
• perfume
• feminine
• Château Margaux
• 75 cab 25 merlot

14
St Julien

• St. Julien
• 5 second growth
• Deep-rooted vines
• perfect
• balance of opulence and austerity
• Château Ducru Beaucaillou
• 75 cab, 20 merlot, 8 cab franc

15
Pauillac

• Pauillac
• 3 First growth
• 2 second growth
• Classic rich flavor
• black current and cassis
• pencil box
• Château Lafite Rothschild
• 70 cab, 20 merlot, 10 cab franc
• Château Mouton-Rothschild
• 76 cab, 13 merlot, 9 cab franc, 2 petit verdot

16
St Estephe

• St. Estephe
• 2 second crus
• Very deep rooted vines
• high tannin but softening of late
• longer to soften
• Chateau Cos dEstournel
• 60 cab, 38 merlot, 2 cab franc

17
St Emillon

• Gravel and limestone
• Higher merlot content
• Drinkable young or cellar
• Château Cheval Blanc
• 60 cab franc, 40 merlot

18
Pessac-Leognan

• Pessac-Leognan
• better graves
• smokey
• minerally reds
• Chateau Haut Brion

19
Pomerol

• Pomerol
• deep clay
• creamy seductively rich
• Chateau Pétrus
• Average vine over 40 yrs.

20
Sauternes

• Sauternes
• Dry or sweet
• one vine one glass
• three pressings
• gt20 degrees sugar
• 10 years

21
Alsace Loire
22
Alsace- On the border of Germany

• The geography and turns of historical events
  shape the wines of this region

23
History

• 1870 End of Franco Prussian War Alsace becomes
  German territory
• 1918 End of WWIAlsace becomes French
• 1945.German again
• Always a French flare for wine making and
  matching with cuisine
• Increasing move toward dryer wines

24
Alsacian Wine Region

• 70 miles long, avg. 1 mile wide
• vines hang on eastern slope of Vosges
• 600-1500 ft. elevation
• slow ripening...low heat summation
• influenced by Rhine river
• extension of German Pfalz
• wines more vinous than German cousins

25
Alsace- A Single AOC

• Strong German Influence
• Typically, label carries grape variety
• SparklingCremant dAlsace
• BlendedEdelzwicker
• 10 Pinot Noir
• 90 White
• Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot blanc

26
Alsatian Wine

• Dry yet fruity Muskat
• Rieslings dryer than Germany
• Gewurtztraminer thats spicy, light bodied,
  slightly sweet
• Pinot blanc in small quantities
• Some Tokay

27
Loire Valley Region
28
Loire

• Grape Varieties
• Chenin Blanc
• Muscadet
• Cabernet Franc (red)
• Four Regions
• Western (Nantes)
• Central (Anjou Saumur)
• Upper (Touraine)
• Jura Savoie
• mountainous

29
Nantes

• 1635 Burgundians introduced Melon grape
• Survived 20C temps in 1709
• Became known as Muscadet
• First appellations
• Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine
• Muscadet des Coteaux de la Loire
• Muscadet
• 1972 compulsory tasting instituted to grant or
  deny use of appellation

30
Anjou Saumur

• Vineyards begun in middle ages
• Monks played major role
• Canalization of tributaries important for trade
• Anjou known for rose wines
• Different grapes in each sub region
• Cabernet in Cabernet dAnjou
• Grolleau in Rosé dAnjou

31
Anjou Saumur

• Saumur is known for.
• Sparkling wines made from red (primarily cabernet
  franc) and white (primarily chenin) grapes
• Campigny made from cabernet franc
• Reds from cab and cabernet franc
• Whites primarily from chenin blanc grape

32
Touraine

• Most credit to monks in 300s AD
• Numerous sub-areas-
• Chinon primarily red from cab franc, deep red
• Vouvray solely from chenin grape to produce a dry
  to semi-sweet wine
• Touraine primarily gamay from reds and sauvignon
  for whites

33
Centre

• Evidence to the first century
• Major development in 12th century
• Sancerre best known sub-region
• Sancerre grape for white
• Some pinot noir for rose

34
Burgundy
35
Burgundy in Brief

• 100 miles SE of Paris..225 miles long
• 6 major districts
• 111,000 acres of AOC wines
• 27 million cases each year
• 15 of Frances AOC output
• Great Wine.Montrachet
• Popular Wine.Beaujolais

36
Labeling of Wines

• Small vineyards
• Bottling distribution primarily by
  negociant-eleveur
• Self-bottlers domains or clos
• e.g. Mis en Bouteille au Domaine
• Limited quantities, high prices
• Best wines carry name of vineyard

37
Labeling of Wines

• Single vineyard Grand Crus
• Best communes Premiere Crus
• Communal level Village names
• Regional level
• Bourgogne, Bourgogne Ordinaire, Bourgogne
  Passe-Tous-Grains
• Grape variety major distinguishing feature

38
By the Sub-Regions

• Chablis-4.7
• 7 grand crus, 17 premier crus
• Chablis, Petit Chablis
• northern location, limestone, south facing
  vineyards

39
Continuing South

• Cote de Nuits-3.2
• Gevrey Chambertin, Nuits St. George
• 25 grand crus

40
Further South

• Cote de Beaune-6.9
• 15 Grand crus
• Beaune, Pommard, Puligny-Montrachet
• Cote Chalonnaise-2.1
• increased plantings since 1980
• primarily pinot noir and chardonnay
• Vlgs- Mercurey, Montagny

41
Still further South

• Maconnais-10.9
• white equivalent of Beaujolais
• 68 chardonnay, 25 gamay, 7 pinot noir
• Vlgs- Pouilly-Fuisse, Macon-Villages

42
Most Southern

• Beaujolais-59.2
• largest area in Burgundy
• 14.8M cases red, 98K cases white
• gamay grape country
• half of the production is consumed domestically

43
Beaujolais- 35 m. long 5-10 wide

• Haut Beaujolaisincluding
• Crus Beaujolais 25 of total
• 39 Beaujolais Village25
• Bas Beaujolais.
• Beaujolais
• Beaujolais Superieur total of 50
• Beaujolais Nouveau 3rd Thursday of November each
  year

44
The Rhone

• From Avignon to Vienne

45
A Bit About the River

• Much of the river is canalized
• Agriculture and industry share the shore
• Dozens of medieval cities line its banks

46
The Region

• Divided into
• Northern Rhone
• Single varietal wines (Syrah)
• Temperate climate, fair rainfall
• Southern Rhone
• Blended wines
• Mediterranean climate
• Côte du Rhone term used throughout
• Côte du Rhone Village reserved for defined area

47
Northern Rhone

• Top appellations
• Chateau-Grillet
• Condrieu, Cornas
• Cote-Rotie
• Croze-Hermitage
• Hermitage
• St. Joseph
• St.-Peray

48
Northern Rhone

• Syrah grape predominates
• Some viognier
• Marsanne and Roussanne for white Hermitage

49
Southern Rhone

• Top appellations
• Chateauneuf-du-Pape
• Cotes du Rhone
• Cotes du Rhone Village
• Grenache grape predominates
• Syrah and Mourvedre used for blending
• Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc are the
  primary white grapes

50
Chateauneuf-du-Pape

• A favorite that feel from grace in the 1980s
• Now staging a comeback
• Primarily grenache but blended with up to 13
  other wines
• 320 domains produce this wine today

51
Vermouth

• Red or White
• Originally aged in casks at sea
• Now aged in seaside courtyard
• Barrels left loosely corked
• Speeds aging

52
Vermouth

• Herbs and other botanicals blended with wine to
  impart subtle flavor
• White vermouth as aperitif or mixed in martini
• Red vermouth in Manhattan or on the rocks

53
Champagne

• We cover Champagne in a separate presentation
  along with sparkling wines