Alsace, Jura, and Savoie Flashcards
When was the Alsace AOC first established
The region was est. in 1945 after the Germans left at the end of WWII; Officially became an AOC in 1962, the last major winemaking region in France to do so
What are the allowed grapes for Alsace AOC white wines; what are the requirements
Riesling, Gewurtz, PG, Muscat (Blanc/Rose aPG and/or Ottonel), Muscat Ottonel, PB (PB & Aux), Sylvaner, Chasselas, Pinot/Klevner (PB, PG, Aux, &/or PN vinified white); must be 100% the stated varietal, bottled in the stated region of production (as of 1972)
What are the allowed grapes for Alsace AOC red wines; rose wines
Pinot Noir only for both
What is edelzwicker and what are the requirements
Translates to noble mixture. A blended white Alsace AOC wine. May be made from one or more the grapes allowed for varietal wines. may or may not be vintage dated
What is Gentil and what ar the requirements
A superior designation for Alsace AOC white blends. min 50% noble grapes; base varieties must be vinified separately; must be vintage dated
What is Vendage Tardive and what are the requirements
Late harvest Alsace white wine designation for AOC and AOC grand cru bottlings; may or may not show botrytis w/ a greater emphasis on varietal character, may be dry or sweet, Noble single varietal only; chaptalization not allowed, must be vintage dated, hand harvesting required, may not be released until 6/1 the 2nd year after harvest
What is Selection a Grains Noble and what are the requirements
Sweet, botrytised Alsace white wine designation for AOC and AOC grand cru bottlings; Must be hand harvested in tries and show botrytis, with less emphasis varietal character; noble single varietal only; chaptilization not allowed, must be vintage dated, may not be released until 6/1 the 2nd yr after harvest
What year were the VT and SGN designations created
1984
What are the min must weights for VT and SGN wines
VT: Ries/Muscat: 235 g/l; PG/Gwtz: 257 g/l SGN: Ries/Muscat: 276 g/l; PG/Gwtz: 306 g/l
What are the restrictions for residual sugar in Alsace AOC Riesling, when were they established
max 6 g/l RS for chaptilized wines; max 9 g/l for wines w/ < 6 g/l Tartaric Acid; max 12 g/l for wines > 6 g/l tartaric acid (most quality Riesling falls into this category); excludes VT, SGN and lieu-dit labeled wines; est. w/ the 2008 vintage
Haut Rhin
Alsace Department, southern half of the AOC, with Colmar at it’s center. Area for the premieres wines, 2/3 GC here.
Alsace climate
Semi-continental climate: sunny, warm and dry in summer, Indian summer in fall and cold in the winter. In the rainshadow of the Vosges Mtns: 2nd lowest rainfall in France @ 16-20 inches. Colmar is the driest city in France.
Alsace cities
Strasbourg, Selestat, Colmar, Mulhouse
Alsace geo
France’s smallest region. On the west bank of the upper Rhine, on the eastern border w/ Germany. Pfalz to the north, Baden to the east on the other side of the Rhine. Vineyards stretch 75 miles from north to south and vary in width from 1-9 miles. Vineyards mainly S and SE facing along the lower slopes and foothills of the Vosges Mtns at an altitude of 650-1300 ft
Alsace soil
50 million years ago the Vosges Mtns and the Black Forest in Germany were a single Massif. It collapsed and formed the Rhine plain. Vineyards are situated along the fault line between the remaining massif of the Vosges and the plain. The collapsed upper layers jumbled many soil types together, thus Alsace has 13 soil types, the most diverse in France.
Mtn Range: Granite Gneiss, Schist, Volcanic-Sedimentary, Sandstone
Hillside: Limestone, Limestone Sandstone, Marl Limestone, Marl Sandstone, Marl Clay, Limestone-Marl-Sandstone
Valley: Alluvial, Loess & Loam, Valley Floor Colluvial
Alsace communes for Savagnin Rose
aka Klevener de Heiligenstein. Heiligenstein, Bourgheim, Gertwiller, Goxwiller, and Obernai
Field blend advocate in Alsace
Marcel Deiss of Bergheim. Advocate of complantation: blending grapes from one site rather than single varietal. Played a large role in the 2005 INAO reform dropping the GC variety requirement and making Altenberg allow blends. Biodynamic
Producers that eschew the GC system
Trimbach of Ribeauville. known for its “purist” vision, producing dry wines that are labeled by proprietary names rather than grand cru designation b/c sites predate the category
Hugel et Fils of Riquewihr. Does not use the GC designation b/c they believe the system is overly inclusive. Had a pioneering role in the development of VT and SGN designations. Estate bottling and negocient
Leyon Bayer of Eguisheim
Alsace grand cru AOC
Est. with the Schlossberg vineyard in 1975, officially designated AOP with the addition of 24 sites in 1983, 25 vineyards added in 1992, Last vineyard added (Kaefferkopf) in 2007; became individual AOP’s in 2011
Alsace GCs for blends
Altenberg de Bergheim: Ries based blends: 50-70% Ries, 10-25% PG, 10-25% Gwrtz, max 10% comb’d Chass, Musc, PN, and PB
Kaefferkopf: Gwz based blends: 60-80% Gwtz, 10-40% Ries, max 30% PG, max 10% Musc
Alsace GCs for non noble grapes
Zotzenberg allows Sylvaner
Largest and smallest Alsace GC
Shlossberg @ ~80 ha, Kanzlerberg @ ~3 ha
Clos St Hune
Trimbach: historical monopole within the Grand Cru Rosacker, owned by the Trimbach family for over 200 years; average vines are 50 years old; (released under Alsace AOP, not GC)
Clos St Urbain
Zind-Humbrecht: GC Rangen Clos Saint Urbain: Ries (1978), PG, Gwtz
Alsace Grand Cru AOP rules
Must be sold in the traditional “Flute of Alsace”/”Vin du Rhine” bottle
min 100% of stated variety; Noble grapes only (w/ 3 exceptions): Ries, Gwtz, PG, Musc
Ries/Musc: 11% abv; Gwtz/PG: 12.5% abv (certain vineyards mandate higher amounts)
Hand harvesting mandatory; min must wt higher and yields lower than Alsace AOP; must be vintage dated; Intent to produce Grand Cru wine must be declared before March 1 of the harvest year; released 6/1 year after harvest
Cremant d’Alsace AOP
Est. 1976
Blanc: Chard, PB, PN, Ries, PG, Aux; PB is the predominant varietal used
Rose: 100% PN
Traditional Method; Min 9 mnths on lees prior the degorgement; min 12 mnths total aging as of 2012 vintage; Min 4 atmospheres of pressure; Hand harvesting mandatory
Cotes de Toul
Lorraine AOP. light red wines are produced from Pinot Noir and white wines contain Auxerrois and Aubin. Rosé wines, made in a pale vin gris style, include a high proportion of Gamay and Pinot Noir
Moselle
Lorraine AOP. produces red, white, and rosé wines, principally from Auxerrois and Pinot Noir. Varietally-labelled Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Gris are also allowed
Gres de Vosges
Pink sandstone found in Alsace
chaptalization in Alsace
allowed in Alsace AOP and Alsace Grand Cru AOP. not allowed for VT and SGN wines
Jura climate
continental, harsh winters
Jura geo
SW of Alsace, E of Burgundy; vineyards on the lower slopes of the forested Jura Mtns on Jurassic Limestone & marl w/ more clay at the lower sites
Cotes du Jura
Jura AOC, umbrella appellation.
White: Chard, Savagnin + PN, Poulsard, Trousseau but typically 100% Chard;
Red & Rose: PN, Poulsard, Trousseau + Chard, Savagnin
vin jaune
style allowed for the Cotes de Jura AOP. 100% savagnin. Must be aged until December 15 of the sixth year following the harvest, including at least 60 months under the “voile”, without topping up, may be released on January 1 of the seventh year following the harvest. must be bottled in a 62 cl “Clavelin”.
vin de paille in the Jura
style allowed for the Cotes de Jura AOP. Chard, Poulsard, Trousseau, Savagnin (no PN). dried min 6 weeks, min must wt: 320 g/l, Must be aged until November 15 of the third year following the harvest, including at least 18 months in oak, may be released on December 1 of the third year following the harvest
Arbois
Jura AOP. Leading wine village, home to Louis Pasteur, in the N, covers 12 communes. A single commune, Pupillin, may append its name to Arbois. may make same wines as the Cotes du Jura AOP
L’Etoile
Jura AOP. White only: Chard, Savagnin + Plousard; Vin de Paille; Vin Jaune (100% Savagnin). SW of Chateau-Chalon; Whites are generally bottled late in an oxidative style
Chateau Chalon
Jura AOP. White Vin Jaune: 100% Savagnin; Wines must be aged until December 15 of the sixth year following the harvest, including at least 60 months under the “voile,” without topping up, and may be released on January 1 of the seventh year following the harvest; must be bottled in a 62 cl “Clavelin”
Appellations for vin de paille in the Jura
Cotes du Jura, Arbois, L’Etoile
Cremant du Jura
Jura AOP. Trad method White & Rose: PG, PN, Chard, Poulsard, Trousseau, Savagnin
Appellations for Cremant wine in France
- Bordeaux, Loire, Alsace, Burgundy, Jura, Savoie, Die, Limoux
Jura producers
Jean Bourdy, Berthet-Bondet, Chateau D’Arlay
Appellations for vin Jaune in the Jura
Chateau Chalon, Cotes du Jura, Arbois, L’Etoile
Savoie climate, geo
S of Jura; Mtnous, vineyards dispersed amoung the disconnected flatter stretches along the upper Rhone and lakeshores; Continental climate moderated by Lake Bourget & Lake Geneva (Lac Leman in France)
Vin de Savoie
Savoie AOP. umbrella appellation. White grapes occupy a majority of vineyards; Jacquère is the most common grape but Altesse, Roussanne (Bergeron) and Chardonnay produce higher-quality wines. Gamay, Mondeuse, and Pinot Noir comprise a majority of the red and rosé Vin de Savoie wines. A host of lesser grapes are also allowed for all three colors; the exact encépagement varies by département. A number of villages have the right to add their names to the basic Vin de Savoie AOP, and a more localized, communal encépagement will sometimes supersede the generic appellation
Roussanne aka in Savoie
Bergeron
Savagnin aka
Traminer, Nature (Jura), Klevener de Hieleigenstein (Alsace)
Chignan-Bergeron
Vin de Savoie cru village. 100% Roussanne
Apremont
Vin de Savoie village. min 80% Jacquere
Vin de Savoie cru villages for Chasselas
All located on Lake Geneva near the Switzerland border. Ripaille, Marin, Marignan, Crepy
Roussette de Savoie
Regional appellation covering the same area as Vin de Savoie AOP. 100% Roussette (Altesse). Four communes may attach their name to the appellation: Frangy, Marestel, Monterminod, and Monthoux.
Frangy
Roussette de Savoie cru village. 100% Roussette
Seyssel
Savoie AOP. Small, N of Lake Bourget. White: 100% Altesse (sec, demi-sec); varietal Molette; Mousseux: Altesse + Molette, Chasselas
Bugey
Savoie AOP, west of Lake Bourget. White: min 70% Chard; Red: varietal Gamay, Mondeuse, PN; Rose: min 70% Gamay, PN. cru villages: Cerdon, Montagnieu, Manicle
Bugey Cerdon
subzone of the Bugey AOP for Methode Ancestrale mousseux rose: Gamay, Poulsard
Roussette de Bugey
Savoie AOP. same region as the Bugey AOP for 100% Altesse. cru villages: Montagnieu, Virieu-la-Grand
