CERTIFIED SOMMELIER UPDATED EXAM SCRIPT
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔Grenache - ✔✔DEHYDRATED STRAWBERRIES, BLACK PEPPER, RAISINS,
GRENADINE, OXIDATIVE, SWEETNESS TO THE FRUIT ON THE FINISH, strawberry
jam, raspberry, black cherry, powdered sugar
✔✔Chenin Blanc (Loire) - ✔✔BRUISED RED APPLE (OXIDATIVE), CHAMOMILE,
WASABI, WET WOOL, PRONOUNCED CHALK/LIMESTONE, honey, tangerine, high
acid
✔✔Sangiovese (Tuscany) - ✔✔SOUR RED CHERRY, CHERRY PITH, LEAFY
UNDERBRUSH, HIGH ACID, licorice root, fennel, black tea
✔✔Pinot Gris (Alsace) - ✔✔SWEET PEAR, POTTING SOIL, SMALL AMOUNTS OF
RS, WHITE FLOWERS, white mushrooms, green apple, honey, slightly bitter finish
✔✔Viognier - ✔✔FRUIT LOOPS, ORANGE PEEL, VANILLA, M-MM ACIDITY, peach
apricot, mandarin orange, orange blossom, honeysuckle, mango, weighty texture, bitter
finish
✔✔Muscat - ✔✔ORANGE CANDY, ROSE PETAL
✔✔Pinot Grigio (Italy) - ✔✔PEANUT SHELL, FLAT BEER, lemon rind, melon, bitter
finish
✔✔Nebbiolo - ✔✔DRIED SOUR RED CHERRY, TRUFFLE, FENNEL, HIGH TANNIN,
CINNAMON, MARASCHINO CHERRY, tar, dried rose petal, red licorice, anise,
mushroom, clay, high acid, MP-H alcohol
✔✔Zinfandel - ✔✔PLUM SKIN, BLUEBERRY JAM, PEPPERCORN, PEACH YOGURT,
cranberry, blackberry pie, high alcohol
✔✔Listrac & Moulis - ✔✔- Lesser appellations
- Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines
- No classified growths
✔✔Margaux - ✔✔- Largest AOC in Haut Medoc
- Wines know for ELEGANCE and FINESSE
- 1 First Growth (Chateau Margaux)
- Other notables: Chateau Palmer, Giscours, Brane- Cantenac
✔✔Pauillac - ✔✔- Considered the epitome of "claret"
- Wines balance POWER and FINESSE
,- 3 First Growths: Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild
✔✔Saint-Julien - ✔✔- Smallest commune, but 11 classified growths
- Styles combine ELEGANCE and STURDINESS
- 5 Second Growths: Ducru-Beaucaillou, Leoville-Las-Cases, Leoville-Poyferre, Leoville-
Barton, Gruard-Larose
✔✔Graves & Pessac-Leognan - ✔✔- Appellation for red AND dry whites
- No ranking; all designated Cru Classe
- Pessac-Leognan AC in northern part
✔✔Right Bank Communes (Bordeaux) - ✔✔- Saint-Emillion (PGCC's are Ausone and
Cheval Blanc)
- Pomerol (Petrus, Le Pin, La Fleur Petrus, La Conseillante, Vieux-Chateau-Certan,
Trotanoy)
✔✔Right Bank Grapes (Bordeaux) - ✔✔70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% minor
varietals
✔✔Sauternes - ✔✔- Sits in Graves
- World famous botrytis dessert wines
- Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle
- Dry wines labeled as Graves Blanc or Bordeaux Blanc
✔✔Saint-Estephe - ✔✔- Northernmost commune of the Haut-Medoc
- Wines are RUSTIC, STURDY, FULL-BODIED
- 5 classified growths, including 2nd growths (Cos d'Estournel and Montrose)
✔✔Left Bank Communes (Bordeaux) - ✔✔- Haut Medoc
- Saint-Estephe
- Pauillac
- Saint-Julien
- Listrac & Moulis
- Margaux
- Graves
- Pessac-Leognan
- Sauternes
✔✔Left Bank Grapes (Bordeaux) - ✔✔Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (70%); Merlot, minor
varietals (30%)
✔✔Medoc First Growths - ✔✔- Lafite-Rothschild
- Latour
- Mouton-Rothschild
- Margaux
, - Haut-Brion
✔✔Chablis - ✔✔- AOC for whites only
- exclusively Chardonnay
- limestone ove Kimmeridgian Clay (think crushed oyster shells)
- region susceptible to late frost
- Grand Cru sites have SW exposure
✔✔Chablis Grand Crus (7) - ✔✔- Vaudesir
- Valmur
- Les Preuses
- Grenouilles
- Bougros
- Les Clos
- Blanchot
- Highest minimum alcohol of Chablis ACs
✔✔Cotes de Nuits Appellations (11) - ✔✔- Marsannay
- Fixin
- Gevrey-Chambertin (8 Grand Crus)
- Morey St. Denis (5 Grand Crus)
- Chambolle-Musigny (2 Grand Crus)
- Vougeot (1 Grand Cru)
- Flagey Echezeaux (2 Grand Crus)
- Vosnee-Romanee (6 Grand Crus)
- Nuits St. Georges (Premier Cru only)
- Hautes Cote de Nuits
- Cote de Nuits Villages
- All Grand Cru in Cotes de Nuits are RED, except Corton (Beaune)
✔✔Cotes de Beaune ACs (7 main) - ✔✔- Aloxe Corton (red Grand Cru is Corton, white
Grand Cru is Corton Charlemagne)
- Beaune (Premier Cru only)
- Pommard (Premier Cru only)
- Volnay (Premier Cru only)
- Puligny-Motrachet (4 Grand Cru*)
- Chassagne-Montrachet (4 Grand Cru*)
*2 overlap; 6 total Grand Crus
✔✔Cote Challonaise ACs - ✔✔- Bourgogne Aligote Bouzeron (Aligote)
- Rully (AC & Premier Cru)
- Mercurey (AC & Premier Cru)
- Givry (AC & Premier Cru)
- Montagny AC (white only)
- Premier Cru if more than 11.5% alcohol
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔Grenache - ✔✔DEHYDRATED STRAWBERRIES, BLACK PEPPER, RAISINS,
GRENADINE, OXIDATIVE, SWEETNESS TO THE FRUIT ON THE FINISH, strawberry
jam, raspberry, black cherry, powdered sugar
✔✔Chenin Blanc (Loire) - ✔✔BRUISED RED APPLE (OXIDATIVE), CHAMOMILE,
WASABI, WET WOOL, PRONOUNCED CHALK/LIMESTONE, honey, tangerine, high
acid
✔✔Sangiovese (Tuscany) - ✔✔SOUR RED CHERRY, CHERRY PITH, LEAFY
UNDERBRUSH, HIGH ACID, licorice root, fennel, black tea
✔✔Pinot Gris (Alsace) - ✔✔SWEET PEAR, POTTING SOIL, SMALL AMOUNTS OF
RS, WHITE FLOWERS, white mushrooms, green apple, honey, slightly bitter finish
✔✔Viognier - ✔✔FRUIT LOOPS, ORANGE PEEL, VANILLA, M-MM ACIDITY, peach
apricot, mandarin orange, orange blossom, honeysuckle, mango, weighty texture, bitter
finish
✔✔Muscat - ✔✔ORANGE CANDY, ROSE PETAL
✔✔Pinot Grigio (Italy) - ✔✔PEANUT SHELL, FLAT BEER, lemon rind, melon, bitter
finish
✔✔Nebbiolo - ✔✔DRIED SOUR RED CHERRY, TRUFFLE, FENNEL, HIGH TANNIN,
CINNAMON, MARASCHINO CHERRY, tar, dried rose petal, red licorice, anise,
mushroom, clay, high acid, MP-H alcohol
✔✔Zinfandel - ✔✔PLUM SKIN, BLUEBERRY JAM, PEPPERCORN, PEACH YOGURT,
cranberry, blackberry pie, high alcohol
✔✔Listrac & Moulis - ✔✔- Lesser appellations
- Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines
- No classified growths
✔✔Margaux - ✔✔- Largest AOC in Haut Medoc
- Wines know for ELEGANCE and FINESSE
- 1 First Growth (Chateau Margaux)
- Other notables: Chateau Palmer, Giscours, Brane- Cantenac
✔✔Pauillac - ✔✔- Considered the epitome of "claret"
- Wines balance POWER and FINESSE
,- 3 First Growths: Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild
✔✔Saint-Julien - ✔✔- Smallest commune, but 11 classified growths
- Styles combine ELEGANCE and STURDINESS
- 5 Second Growths: Ducru-Beaucaillou, Leoville-Las-Cases, Leoville-Poyferre, Leoville-
Barton, Gruard-Larose
✔✔Graves & Pessac-Leognan - ✔✔- Appellation for red AND dry whites
- No ranking; all designated Cru Classe
- Pessac-Leognan AC in northern part
✔✔Right Bank Communes (Bordeaux) - ✔✔- Saint-Emillion (PGCC's are Ausone and
Cheval Blanc)
- Pomerol (Petrus, Le Pin, La Fleur Petrus, La Conseillante, Vieux-Chateau-Certan,
Trotanoy)
✔✔Right Bank Grapes (Bordeaux) - ✔✔70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% minor
varietals
✔✔Sauternes - ✔✔- Sits in Graves
- World famous botrytis dessert wines
- Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle
- Dry wines labeled as Graves Blanc or Bordeaux Blanc
✔✔Saint-Estephe - ✔✔- Northernmost commune of the Haut-Medoc
- Wines are RUSTIC, STURDY, FULL-BODIED
- 5 classified growths, including 2nd growths (Cos d'Estournel and Montrose)
✔✔Left Bank Communes (Bordeaux) - ✔✔- Haut Medoc
- Saint-Estephe
- Pauillac
- Saint-Julien
- Listrac & Moulis
- Margaux
- Graves
- Pessac-Leognan
- Sauternes
✔✔Left Bank Grapes (Bordeaux) - ✔✔Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (70%); Merlot, minor
varietals (30%)
✔✔Medoc First Growths - ✔✔- Lafite-Rothschild
- Latour
- Mouton-Rothschild
- Margaux
, - Haut-Brion
✔✔Chablis - ✔✔- AOC for whites only
- exclusively Chardonnay
- limestone ove Kimmeridgian Clay (think crushed oyster shells)
- region susceptible to late frost
- Grand Cru sites have SW exposure
✔✔Chablis Grand Crus (7) - ✔✔- Vaudesir
- Valmur
- Les Preuses
- Grenouilles
- Bougros
- Les Clos
- Blanchot
- Highest minimum alcohol of Chablis ACs
✔✔Cotes de Nuits Appellations (11) - ✔✔- Marsannay
- Fixin
- Gevrey-Chambertin (8 Grand Crus)
- Morey St. Denis (5 Grand Crus)
- Chambolle-Musigny (2 Grand Crus)
- Vougeot (1 Grand Cru)
- Flagey Echezeaux (2 Grand Crus)
- Vosnee-Romanee (6 Grand Crus)
- Nuits St. Georges (Premier Cru only)
- Hautes Cote de Nuits
- Cote de Nuits Villages
- All Grand Cru in Cotes de Nuits are RED, except Corton (Beaune)
✔✔Cotes de Beaune ACs (7 main) - ✔✔- Aloxe Corton (red Grand Cru is Corton, white
Grand Cru is Corton Charlemagne)
- Beaune (Premier Cru only)
- Pommard (Premier Cru only)
- Volnay (Premier Cru only)
- Puligny-Motrachet (4 Grand Cru*)
- Chassagne-Montrachet (4 Grand Cru*)
*2 overlap; 6 total Grand Crus
✔✔Cote Challonaise ACs - ✔✔- Bourgogne Aligote Bouzeron (Aligote)
- Rully (AC & Premier Cru)
- Mercurey (AC & Premier Cru)
- Givry (AC & Premier Cru)
- Montagny AC (white only)
- Premier Cru if more than 11.5% alcohol
