Beaujolais Flashcards
Where does the Beaujolais region lie?
immediately south of the Maconnais in eastern France and is considered part of greater burgundy
What is the dominant variety planted and used in Beaujolais?
Gamay - accounting for 98% of plantings
What is white and rose wines made from in Beaujolais?
white - mainly chardonnay
rose - Gamay (small amount)
What is the climate in Beaujolais
continental climate slightly warmer than the rest of Burgundy
normally adequate rainfall for grape growing (740 mm)
What acts as a moderator of extreme temperatures in Beaujolais?
Saone River
What is the region of Beaujolais subject to?
cold Mistral winds that can affect flowering in cold, damp, early summer weather and damage leaves and grapes towards the end of the ripening period when Gamay’s naturally thin skins are at their most vulnerable
How are vines trained in beaujolias
low to the ground to reduce affects of the Mistral
Which AOC in Beaujolais is the most southern and marginally warmer area producing lighter more perfumed style
Brouilly AOC
Which AOC in beaujolias is the cru at the highest Altitude that produces lighter and fragrant wines with marked acidity
Chiroubles AOC
How many individual crus with their own AOCs in the northern pasrt of the regiomn for red wines only are there in Beaujolais?
10
What are the two crus in beaujolias that are significantly larger?
Brouilly and Morgon
What is the size range of the crus in beaujolais?
250-1300 ha
What cru in Beaujolais has sandy soils in the southern part of it which produce lighter and more fragrant wines while towards the north the soils are more clay and the wines are heavier, have lower acidity and are more full bodied?
Fleurie AOC
What cru in Beaujolais produces more powerful and long lived wines closer to the style of Cote D’Or red wines than most Beaujolias
Moulin a vent AOC
What cru in Beaujolais introduces wines from fruit grown on the south-facing Cote de Py vineyard part of appellation that tend to have pronounced intensity of black cherry fruit alongside red fruit and sufficient tannins to age for a decade in the bottle?
Morgon AOC
Name the other 5 crus that are not noted in detail in the book for Beaujolais
Saint Amour AOC, Julienan AOC, Regnie AOC, Cote de Brouilly AOC and Chenas AOC
compare land prices in Beaujolais and Burgundy
cheaper in Beaujolais than Burgundy
What is the current trend in Beaujolais
away from semi carbonic maceration and more towards oak especially in Beaujolais Crus
What is the elevation and the soils in the northern part of the region of Beaujolais?
200-500m very hilly
fast draining schist, granite and sandy soils
Where are vineyards situation in the northern part of Beaujolais?
south, southeast facing slopes for max exposure to the sun
When is harvest typically where Beaujolais Cru and Beaujolais Villages AOCs are located?
earlier than for Beaujolais AOC
What is Gamay Noir susceptible to in Beaujolais?
spring frost
What is Gamay Noir vulnerable to?
millerandage in the cold damp and windy conditions which can lead to reduced yields
think delicate skin vulnerable to rot and wind
When can Gamay be picked and why?
before autumn rains arrive due to its early ripening
How do Gamay wines from beaujolais express different nuances
based on topography and soil of the site where they are grown which gives wines varying levels of tannins and fruitiness
What does the main difference between sites relate to?
ripeness of the grapes including skins and seeds
What kind of sites produce intense fruit character compared to leafy green character often seen in less ripe examples of Gamay in Beaujolais?
sites with very good sunlight interception and warm granite soils
What kind of grape is Gamay in terms of yields
it is productive and needs to be controlled to produce concentrated ripe grapes