Short definition
A small oak barrel holding 225 liters (about 300 bottles), the standard aging vessel in Bordeaux and Burgundy.
The barrique is the workhorse of fine winemaking. At 225 liters, it gives wine significant oak contact compared to larger casks. A new barrique imparts strong vanilla and toast; by its third or fourth use, the flavors are spent and it functions more like a neutral container. Seeing "élevé en barrique" on a label tells you the wine spent time in these small barrels.