"assemblage" and "en primeur"

[asjoman]

Hi,

I am preparing a research project on Bordeaux wines, especially the "premier crus" for a faculty member at Harvard Business School. Right now, I am just trying to get all the processes and terminology sorted, and am wondering if someone can help me with the following:

- When in the wine making process does the blending (or "assemblage") of a Bordeaux-wine take place? Do you first fully mature the individual grape-wines (the cabernet sauvignon, the merlot, etc) and then blend them, or do you blend them at an earlier stage?

- When is a Bordeaux said to be "en primeur"? After or before the assemblage? After or before bottling? And when does it stop being "en primeur"? (More high-level, I guess I wonder what the term actually means.)

Thankful for all answers and/or pointers to resources. Hugh Johnson and Robert Parker has not helped me so far.

Many thanks,
Anders Sjöman
HBS Europe Research Center
Paris, France