Cadillac AOC
Encyclopedia
Cadillac is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
(AOC) for medium-sweet to sweet
white wine
from the Bordeaux wine
region in France
. It is located within the Entre-Deux-Mers subregion of Bordeaux. It takes its name from the town of Cadillac
.
In 2008, the area under cultivation was 128 hectares (316.3 acre), producing 6,000 hectolitres of wine.
Situated within the Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AOC, Cadillac has been a separate AOC since August 10, 1973.
, Beguey
, Cadillac
, Capian
, Cardan
, Donzac
, Tabanac
, Le Tourne
, Verdelais
and Villenave-de-Rions
.
The Cadillac region enjoys the same moderate oceanic climate as the Mérignac
meteorological station.
The proximity of the Garonne
, which runs immediately beneath the wine-growing area, creates a local micro-climate. In autumn the river gives rise to early morning humidity, which gradually dries up in the course of the day, conditions that are particularly conducive to the development of moulds that eventually turn into noble rot
.
covers 70% of the area. A grape variety with potentially high concentrations of sugar, it has a thin skin which allows the Botrytis cinerea
fungus to develop and produce noble rot. The 20% of Sauvignon Blanc
and Sauvignon Gris
grapes used add a touch of liveliness to the wine, while the 10% of Muscadelle
add a touch of added complexity.
The density of planting required is at least 4,500 vines per hectare. The distance between rows should be 2.50 metres at most, and the distance between individual vines within the row should be at least 0.85 metres.
Pruning of vines should take place annually, before the first leaves have fully developed. Single and Double Guyot, Cordon de Royat (unilateral cordon), Eventail (Fan) and Gobelet (Goblet) are the permitted pruning methods. he number of buds (that will eventually bear clusters) is limited to a maximum of 12. Once suckering and green harvesting have been completed, the maximum number of clusters allowed per vine is 14.
Plots that have been abandoned can no longer be considered part of the AOC area. Wine-growers must mow or use herbicides to prevent weeds from growing up around the vines, otherwise they could create a humid micro-climate below the leaves that would encourage the development of cryptogamic diseases. They must also carry out treatments to keep the occurrence of diseases such as mildew
and oidium
below the permitted quality thresholds. The proportion of dead or missing vines may not exceed 20% of the total number. If this percentage is exceeded, the final yield must be cut down proportionately.
Harvesting is carried out manually over multiple successive pickings combined with sorting of the grapes. The grape-pickers are ordered to pick only those clusters or part-clusters which are either fully ripe or have heightened sugar content brought about by noble rot. This means that the use of harvesting machines is automatically precluded.
Once they arrive in the wine sheds, the grapes are pressed
. The process is carried out slowly in order to allow enough time for the must to be extracted from the virtually dried-out fruits. Even so, yields of juice are low. The use of machines which completely break down the grapes is prohibited, i.e. self-emptying tanks with combined rotor crushers and must pumps, continuous screw presses and small diameter screw presses.
The must is placed in tanks and cooled ready for racking. Afterwards, the must is left to ferment, either in vats or in barrels.
The fermentation process is lengthy, since the sugar and alcohol slow down the activity of the yeast. Fermentation
either stops naturally or is stopped by the wine-grower using cooling and sterile filtering processes: this kind of filtering uses a very fine mesh to capture the yeasts that have been anesthetized by the cold. At this stage, the wine is stabilized against possible yeast or bacterial contamination by the addition of sulfites.
The wine is left to mature in vats or barrels for several months and is not allowed to leave the wine sheds before the 31st March of the year following the harvest. Quarterly rackings ensure that the lees held in suspension in the wine are gradually removed. Before being bottled, the wine is filtered and the sulfite level is adjusted.
The wine must have a minimum acquired alcohol content of 12% by volume. The amount of (non-fermented) residual sugar must be at least 51 grams per litre. If the wine has been enriched, the potential alcohol content of the wine may not exceed 19% by volume.
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
(AOC) for medium-sweet to sweet
Sweetness of wine
The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine to be sure, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Briefly: sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness; acids and bitter tannins counteract it...
white wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
from the Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
region in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is located within the Entre-Deux-Mers subregion of Bordeaux. It takes its name from the town of Cadillac
Cadillac, Gironde
Cadillac is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Geography:Cadillac is directly across the Garonne river from Sauternes, and is known for producing sweet dessert wines under the Cadillac AOC designation.-History:...
.
In 2008, the area under cultivation was 128 hectares (316.3 acre), producing 6,000 hectolitres of wine.
History
The history of wine-growing in the Cadillac area parallels that of the wider Bordeaux wine growing region.Situated within the Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AOC, Cadillac has been a separate AOC since August 10, 1973.
Location and climate
Cadillac is a small town tucked between the right bank of the Garonne and the calcareous cliffs of the Entre-Deux-Mers plateau, and is about thirty kilometres from Bordeaux. The appellation area includes the communes of BaurechBaurech
Baurech is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.-Population:...
, Beguey
Béguey
Béguey is a commune on the right bank of the Garonne river in the Gironde department in southwestern France.-Population:-Personalities:One of Béguey's famous sons is Jean-Louis Vignes, pioneer of the California wine industry.-References:*...
, Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
, Capian
Capian
Capian is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located southwest of Bordeaux on the Garonne river. The commune is in the middle of the Bordeaux wine appellation AOC Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux. Many of the villagers own or work in wineries.-Population:...
, Cardan
Cardan
Cardan may refer to:* Gerolamo Cardano or Jerome Cardan , a Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer, and gambler* A universal joint, U joint or Cardan joint, a joint in a rigid rod that allows the rod to 'bend' in any direction...
, Donzac
Donzac
Donzac may refer to the following places in France:* Donzac, Gironde, a commune in the Gironde department* Donzac, Tarn-et-Garonne, a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department...
, Tabanac
Tabanac
Tabanac is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located approximately a 30 minute drive from the centre of Bordeaux.-Population:-Le Bourg:...
, Le Tourne
Le Tourne
Le Tourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Verdelais
Verdelais
Verdelais is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:...
and Villenave-de-Rions
Villenave-de-Rions
Villenave-de-Rions is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
.
The Cadillac region enjoys the same moderate oceanic climate as the Mérignac
Mérignac
Mérignac can refer to Bordeaux - Mérignac Airport.Mérignac is also the name of several communes in France:* Mérignac, Charente* Mérignac, Charente-Maritime* Mérignac, Gironde...
meteorological station.
The proximity of the Garonne
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
, which runs immediately beneath the wine-growing area, creates a local micro-climate. In autumn the river gives rise to early morning humidity, which gradually dries up in the course of the day, conditions that are particularly conducive to the development of moulds that eventually turn into noble rot
Noble rot
Noble rot is the benevolent form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes. Infestation by Botrytis requires moist conditions, and if the weather stays wet, the malevolent form, "grey rot", can destroy crops of grapes...
.
Grape varieties
The appellation area is planted with traditional Bordeaux grape varieties. SémillonSémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.-History:The origin of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 19th century and by the 1820s the grape covered over 90 percent...
covers 70% of the area. A grape variety with potentially high concentrations of sugar, it has a thin skin which allows the Botrytis cinerea
Botrytis cinerea
Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species, although its most notable hosts may be wine grapes. In viticulture, it is commonly known as botrytis bunch rot; in horticulture, it is usually called grey mould or gray mold.The fungus gives rise to two different kinds of...
fungus to develop and produce noble rot. The 20% of Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
and Sauvignon Gris
Sauvignon gris
Sauvignon gris is pink color wine grape that is a clonal mutation of Sauvignon blanc. The grape is primarily found in Bordeaux and Chile, where it was imported with Sauvignon blanc and Sauvignon vert cuttings. The grape produces less aromatic wines and is often use for blending....
grapes used add a touch of liveliness to the wine, while the 10% of Muscadelle
Muscadelle
Muscadelle is a white wine grape variety. It has a simple aroma of grape juice and raisins like grapes of the Muscat family of grapes, but it is unrelated....
add a touch of added complexity.
Viticulture
Pruning of vines should take place annually, before the first leaves have fully developed. Single and Double Guyot, Cordon de Royat (unilateral cordon), Eventail (Fan) and Gobelet (Goblet) are the permitted pruning methods. he number of buds (that will eventually bear clusters) is limited to a maximum of 12. Once suckering and green harvesting have been completed, the maximum number of clusters allowed per vine is 14.
Plots that have been abandoned can no longer be considered part of the AOC area. Wine-growers must mow or use herbicides to prevent weeds from growing up around the vines, otherwise they could create a humid micro-climate below the leaves that would encourage the development of cryptogamic diseases. They must also carry out treatments to keep the occurrence of diseases such as mildew
Mildew
Mildew refers to certain kinds of molds or fungi.In Old English, it meant honeydew , and later came to mean mildew in the modern sense of mold or fungus....
and oidium
Oidium
This article is about a type of fungal spore. For the ascomycete genus, see Oidium . For the fungus that causes powdery mildew on grapes, see Uncinula necator....
below the permitted quality thresholds. The proportion of dead or missing vines may not exceed 20% of the total number. If this percentage is exceeded, the final yield must be cut down proportionately.
Harvesting
Harvesting is carried out when the grapes are fully ripe. The degree of ripeness is ascertained by the presence of noble rot or signs of over-maturity, i.e. grapes have begun to dry out on the vine and have become shrivelled, golden-coloured berries. It can also be assessed by measuring the sugar content. Before harvesting can begin, it must be shown that the grapes contain at least 255 grams of sugar per litre.Harvesting is carried out manually over multiple successive pickings combined with sorting of the grapes. The grape-pickers are ordered to pick only those clusters or part-clusters which are either fully ripe or have heightened sugar content brought about by noble rot. This means that the use of harvesting machines is automatically precluded.
Winemaking
Wine press
A wine press is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the fruit...
. The process is carried out slowly in order to allow enough time for the must to be extracted from the virtually dried-out fruits. Even so, yields of juice are low. The use of machines which completely break down the grapes is prohibited, i.e. self-emptying tanks with combined rotor crushers and must pumps, continuous screw presses and small diameter screw presses.
The must is placed in tanks and cooled ready for racking. Afterwards, the must is left to ferment, either in vats or in barrels.
The fermentation process is lengthy, since the sugar and alcohol slow down the activity of the yeast. Fermentation
Ethanol fermentation
Ethanol fermentation, also referred to as alcoholic fermentation, is a biological process in which sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose are converted into cellular energy and thereby produce ethanol and carbon dioxide as metabolic waste products...
either stops naturally or is stopped by the wine-grower using cooling and sterile filtering processes: this kind of filtering uses a very fine mesh to capture the yeasts that have been anesthetized by the cold. At this stage, the wine is stabilized against possible yeast or bacterial contamination by the addition of sulfites.
The wine is left to mature in vats or barrels for several months and is not allowed to leave the wine sheds before the 31st March of the year following the harvest. Quarterly rackings ensure that the lees held in suspension in the wine are gradually removed. Before being bottled, the wine is filtered and the sulfite level is adjusted.
Wine styles and AOC regulations
The wine has a golden yellow colour that slowly develops over time to a shade of amber. Aromas are generally fruity (apricot, citrus), floral (honeysuckle, honey, acacia...) and spicy (vanilla). On the palate, sweetness of aroma and sugar content are balanced by the wine's acidity. The wine is suitable for aging.The wine must have a minimum acquired alcohol content of 12% by volume. The amount of (non-fermented) residual sugar must be at least 51 grams per litre. If the wine has been enriched, the potential alcohol content of the wine may not exceed 19% by volume.