Alsace, Jura, and Savoie Flashcards
If a wine is white and labeled Bugey “Manicle” what grape is used to produce it? What if it’s red?
100% Chardonnay if white
100% Pinot Noir if red
What are the two late harvest designations in Alsace? When were each first produced?
Vendanges Tardives
Selections de Grains Nobles
Both were introduced in 1984
What is the synonym for Pinot Blanc in Alsace? Chasselas? Savagnin?
Klevner (Pinot Blanc)
Gutedel (Chasselas)
Klevener (Savagnin)
What type of soil type dominates the higher altitude vineyards of the Jura? The lower altitude sites?
Jurassic limestone and marl (higher altitude vineyards)
Clay (lower sites)
Which late harvest designation correlates to wines that suppress varietal character in return for the complexities of botrytis? What style (sweetness) are these wines in practice?
Selections de Grains Nobles
Dessert-like sweet
How does Alsatian Riesling compare in style to German Riesling?
Characteristically dry, more powerful, and higher in alcohol than their German cousins
Clos-Ste-Hune is considered one of the greatest expressions of Riesling in the world. From what Grand Cru vineyard does the fruit used for its production come from?
Rosacker
Why are Alsatian Rieslings considered to be among the most long-lived white wines in the world?
Pronounced acidity and minerality
If a still wine is labeled Bugey “Montagnieu” what grape is used to produce it? What if it’s Mousseux/Pétillant? What three grapes must comprise a minimum of 70% for its production?
100% Mondeuse
Mondeuse, Chardonnay, and Altesse must comprise minimum of 70% for its production.
In what style is rosé usually produced in within the Côtes de Jura? What does this mean? What grapes are used most commonly in its production? (5)
Vin Gris style. Wine gets its color from a pressing for exclusively rosé where the grapes are almost immediately pressed after a short fermentation. Poulsard, Trousseau, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Traminer.
Why do some producers, while producing wine with fruit from Grand Cru vineyards, choose instead to bottle their wines as Alsace AOP without mention of the vineyard on the label? What is the most notable example of this?
The rapid development of the Alsatian Grand Cru system coupled with the lack of an intermediary premier cru has many producers feeling that the politics of the vineyard selection has far outweighed the specificity of the site as many vineyards are delisted too largely.
What are the main red and white grapes respectively used for the production of Moselle AOP wines?
Pinot Noir for red
Auxerrois for whites
What are two Grand Cru vineyards notable for blending?
Altenberg de Bergheim
Kaefferkopf
Which noble grape is considered the most planted in Alsace?
Riesling
What is the minimum atm measure of pressure that a bottle of Crémant d’Alsace must be bottled under?
4 atmospheres is the minimum
With sweetness creeping upwards in recent years, Alsatian AOP law mandates that from what year forward that the standard Riesling must be dry in style?
2008
Which Grand Cru vineyard produces its varietal bottlings from a non-noble grape? What’s the grape?
Zotzenberg
Sylvaner
What is the name of the appellation that produces exclusively Vin Jaune?
Château Chalon
What three permutations of Muscat exist in Alsace?
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Muscat Rosé à Petits Grains
Muscat Ottonel
The AOP of L’Etoile is named after what? What style of wine is produced here and from what grapes?
Takes its name from a local fossil, shaped like a five-pointed star
Oxidative style is the norm here made from Chardonnay, Poulsard, and Savagnin
What soils are mostly present on the Mountain slopes in Alsace? The lower slopes? The plains?
Schist, granite, and volcanic sediments (Mountain slopes)
Limestone base (lower slopes)
Richer alluvial clay and gravel (plains)
Rosacker is located in what village? What is the major soil type here?
Hunawihr
Dolomitic Limestone is the main soil type here.
Where does Jura get its name?
Jurassic limestone that it sits on top of
What are the four noble grapes of Alsace?
Riesling
Muscat
Gewürztraminer
Pinot Gris
What mountain range separates Alsace from the rest of France and is responsible for the dry climate of the region?
Vosges Mountains
Sparkling wine is produced in Vin de Savoie AOP and is labeled with one of which two designations? What’s the difference?
Vin de Savoie Mousseux (bottled under higher pressure, more effervescent)
Vin de Savoie Pétillant
What grape is commonly blended with Pinot Blanc and can actually be labled Pinot Blanc without any blended in?
Auxerrois
Which late harvest designation may show botrytis but emphasizes varietal purity and vary in actual RS and can be quite dry?
Vendanges Tardives
For how long are Vin de Paille wines aged prior to their release? How much of this time must be spend in neutral wood barrels?
Minimum 3 years of aging with 18 months in neutral wood barrels