Beaujolais Flashcards
Where is Beaujolais situated?
Immediately south of the Mâconnais
What is the output of Beaujolais compared to the rest of Burgundy?
Similar in volume, made almost entirely from Gamay
True or False
Beaujolais is it’s own region and no longer considered part of Burgundy.
False
Though its wines and practices are distinct from the rest of Burgundy, it is considered part of greater Burgundy.
What types of wine are made in Beaujolais?
Mostly red wine from Gamay. Gamay rosé and Chardonnay white are also produced here.
How much of the area under vine in Beaujolais is Gamay?
98%
What is the climate in Beaujolais?
Continental and slightly warmer than the rest of Burgundy
How much rainfall does Beaujolais experience?
740 mm/yr
What helps to moderate extreme temperatures in Beaujolais?
The Saone River
What effect does the Mistral have on Beaujolais?
It brings cold winds that can affect flowering in cool, damp spring weather.
It can also damage leaves and grapes toward the end of the growing period when Gamay’s thin skins are most vulnerable.
How do Beaujolais growers protect their vines from the Mistral winds?
Proper vine orientation and training low to the ground.
True or False
Harvest in the southern part of Beaujolais occurs later than in the northern part
True.
The soils in southern Beaujolais are flatter, richer in nutrients, and have no particular aspect. Hence, they ripen later.
Northern Beaujolais is typically south-facing on warm granite, less fertile soils.
What are the Crus of Beaujolais?
Saint-Amour Juliénas Chénas Moulin-a-Vent Fleurie Chiroubles Morgon Régnié Brouilly Côte-de-Brouilly
What is/are the principle grape variety(ies) of Beaujolais?
Gamay Noir
Chardonnay
Is Gamay Noir early, mid, or late budding? What effect does this have during the growing season?
Early budding, making it vulnerable to spring frost
What diseases is Gamay Noir susceptible to? What conditions promote it and what effect does it have?
Millerandage, which occurs most in cold, damp, windy conditions. It reduces yields.
Rot and heavy wind due to its thin skins
What determines the nuances of Beaujolais from different sites?
How are these nuances expressed in the wines?
Topography and soil generally determine the amount of tannins and fruitiness in the wine
What terroir specific conditions lead to a greater expression of fruit in Beaujolais wines?
The classic “good choices” in a moderate (marginal) climate:
Slopes with good drainage
Very good sunlight interception
Warm granite soils
Is Gamay Noir a low yielding or high yielding variety?
High yielding
How do growers control Gamay Noir’s yields?
Reducing the number of buds
What was the traditional method of training Gamay Noir in Beaujolais? Why? Is it still used today?
Bush training to protect the grapes from the wind. It is still used on some of the steeper slopes.
What type of vine training system is becoming more common in Beaujolais? Why?
Trellising in order to aid with mechanization
How is Gamay Noir harvested? Why?
Almost always by hand as whole clusters are required for carbonic maceration, the principle winemaking technique in the region
Is organic or sustainable viticulture possible in Beaujolais?
Yes and interest in it is high
What winemaking method is the majority of Beaujolais produced with?
Carbonic Maceration
Is chaptalization common in Beaujolais?
Yes, especially in cooler years
What is the typical maceration time for Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages? Why?
4-5 days to maximize the fruitiness of the wine and make it easily consumable when young
Are press juice and free run juice often blended together for Beuajolais and Beaujolais Village wines? Why or why not?
Yes. The press juice provides more color and tannins
How are Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages wines matured prior to release?
They are stored briefly in stainless steel before an early release
What aromas are typical of Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages wines? Why?
Kirsch, banana, and blueberry that arises from carbonic maceration
What is the typical maceration time for very good Beaujolais Villages wine?
6-9 days
What is the typical maceration time for Beaujolais Crus wines? Why?
10-20 days in order to extract tannins, color, and phenols to produce an longer lived wine
True or False
Beaujolais Crus wines might use grapes that are destemmed and put through a traditional fermentation
True
What is the typical maturation process for Beaujolais Crus wines?
They may be aged in oak barrels (small or large) with a percentage of new oak
What is the effect that traditional fermentation and barrel aging has on Beaujolais Crus?
What do they call this style of Beaujolais?
The wines are deeper in color, more full bodied, and have more tannins.
These are called Burgundian in style
True or False
Beaujolais wines are made with considerable intervention and decision making
False. Beaujolais is a center for low intervention winemaking
Define Beaujolais Nouveau.
Wine produced by carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration
Can be made in any of the Beaujolais AOC.
Labelled Beaujolais Nouveau AOC or Beaujolais Villages Nouveau AOC.
Sold starting on the third Thursday of November.
When is the earliest an AOC wine may be sold in France? How does this compare to Beaujolais Nouveau?
Standard AOC wines may not be sold earlier than December 15th or mid-January, depending on the AOC.
An exception was made for Beaujolais Nouveau, which can be sold on the third Thursday of November.
How long after fermentation is completed are Beaujolais Nouveau typically bottled?
3-5 days
Is fining, filtration, and high amounts of SO2 typically used when bottling Beaujolais Nouveau?
Yes, to keep the wine fresh. It is especially important in wines that have not undergone malolactic conversion
Define the boundaries of the Beaujolais AOC.
It technically covers the entire Beaujolais area, but in practice only covers the southern part as the north is reserved for Beaujolais Villages AOC and Beaujolais Cru AOC
What is the maximum yield permitted for Beaujolais AOC wines? What is the effect on wine aromatics?
60 hl/ha
The wines typically have low intensity aromas
When can Beaujolais AOC wines be sold? Why?
Starting in mid-January in the year after harvest as they are a fresh style intended for early consumption
What is the quality and pricing of Beaujolais AOC wines?
Good quality
Inexpensive pricing
Is Beaujolais Villages AOC typically of lower or higher quality than Beaujolais AOC? Why?
Higher. The ripeness achieved in Beaujolais Villages develops grapes of better quality.
What is the maximum yield permitted for Beaujolais Villages AOC wines? What is the effect on wine aromatics?
58 hl/ha
Compared to Beaujolais AOC there is no significant difference created by these marginally lower yields
Describe the character of Beaujolais Villages wines.
Purple in color
Medium (+) acid
Light to medium tannins
Light to medium (-) body
Medium Alcohol
Medium intensity fresh red cherry, raspberry, red plum, and semi-carbonic aromas such as kirsch and banana
What type of grapes and winemaking techniques do some of the top Beaujolais Villages producers use?
Old vines with organic growing practices.
Low intervention winemaking that may be aged in oak.
Also - may destem and macerate for 6-9 days (rather than 4-5 days for plain Beaujolais AOC) rather than use carbonic.
How do the wines from top quality Beaujolais Villages producers compare to other Beaujolais Villages wines?
Greater intensity of aromas - Medium (+) to pronounced
More tannins - Medium tannins
What is the quality and pricing of typical Beaujolais Village wine?
Good to very good
Inexpensive to mid-priced
What is the quality and pricing of Beaujolais Village wine from a top producer?
Very good to outstanding
Premium to super premium
How many Crus are there in Beaujolais?
10
True or False
Both white and red wine may be labelled under Beaujolais Crus AOC
False. These appellations are for the production of red wine only
What is the range of area under vine for the Beaujolais Crus AOCs?
250-1,300 ha
What is the general terroir in Brouilly AOC? What style of wine does it produce?
It is the most southern and marginally warmer of the Crus. It produces lighter, more perfumed styles of wine
What is the general terroir in Chiroubles AOC? What style of wine does it produce?
The highest altitude of the Crus. It produces lighter, fragrant wines with high acidity.
What is the general terroir in Fleurie AOC? What style of wine does it produce?
The southern part of the Cru has sandy soils that produce lighter, fragrant wine (the reputation of the AOC).
The northern part, next to Moulin-a-Vent, has clay soils that produce denser, fuller wines.
What is the general terroir in Moulin-a-Vent AOC? What style of wine does it produce?
No info in book on terroir. It produces the most powerful and long-lived wines of Beaujolais, closer to Côte d’Or reds than other Beaujolais.
What is the general terroir in Morgon AOC? What style of wine does it produce?
The south-facing Côte de Py vineyards share fruit with Morgon AOC. The grapes from here produce wines with pronounced black cherry, red fruit, and sufficient tannins for ageability
What factors have led to Burgundian investment in Beaujolais?
Cheaper land prices
Interest in portfolio diversification
Reputation for quality among some villages and vineyards in Beaujolais
What has been the effect on Beaujolais wines of Burgundian investment ?
An increase in quality
Trending away from carbonic maceration
Increased use of oak, especially in Beaujolais Crus wines
What is the average size of holdings in Beaujolais?
10 ha
What percentage of grape sales occur between growers and cooperatives or négociants?
25%
How much Beaujolais wine is sold in France?
60%
How much Beaujolais wine is exported?
40%
What are the most important distribution channels for Beaujolais in France? List them in rank order.
Direct sales
Specialist wine shops
Supermarkets
Hospitality
What are the top three export markets for Beaujolais? What percentage of sales do they comprise?
Japan
USA
UK
These comprise more than 60% of export sales
Which export market has a preference for Beaujolais Nouveau?
Japan
Which export market has a preference for Beaujolais Villages and Beaujolais Crus?
USA
UK
Has interest in Beaujolais Cru increased in recent years? Why or why not?
Yes, as prices in red Burgundy have increase consumers are looking for alternatives in a similar style
What impact did George Duboeuf have on Beaujolais wines?
Starting in 1964, he promoted Beaujolais Nouveau and created new markets both domestically and internationally.
Interest in all Beaujolais grew from this and the release of Beaujolais Nouveau became a massive wine festival and media event.
How much of all Beaujolais wine is in the Nouveau style?
Around 25%
