Beaujolais Flashcards
How is the soil in Beaujolais? How it can influences the wines produced?
Considering Villefranche-sur-Saône as point of division:
N, “High” Beaujolais: granite of any colours overlaid with clay and sand, which drains, warms and ripens the Gamay (Noir à Jus Blanc) grape, often to perfection.
S, “Bas” Beaujolais: lighter soils and flatter land, clay over granite and limestone, notably in the area of the Pierres Dorées (“golden stones”). Plain “Bas” Beaujolais is not for keeping; even in good vintages, its clay soils its too cold to fully ripen Gamay (although there are occasional exceptions).
How is the climate in Beaujolais?
Almost southern with some summers distinctly hot. Overall, moderate semi-continental climate, similar to the southern Mâconnais.
Where is situated Beaujolais? How much ha it has? How is divided?
It stretched for 55 km from the granite-based hills of Mâcon in the north (the southern end of Burgundy) to the much flatter land northwest of Lyon.
15.175 ha (37.500 acres), with various soils.
North to Villefranche-sur-Saône (the regional’s capital) is the “High” Beaujolais, instead south there is the “Bas” Beaujolais.
How many communes in the “Haut” Beaujolais have the right to be part of the Beaujolais-Villages appellation?
Which is the average altitude of the vineyards, and how it influence a-Villages wine?
Who bottle their wines just with the name of a single Village?
Made few examples of Villages which are often single labelled.
How usually merchants labelled and produced wines?
38.
450 m of wooded mountains to the west, on which vineyards climb. It is almost always worth paying for its extra concentration.
Much the minority, only those individual growers who bottle their wines.
Lantignié and Leynes.
Merchants still dominate the production and are much more likely to blend the produce of different communes to make a wine simply labelled Beaujolais-Villages, with no further detail.
Talking about “Beaujolais taste-alikes”, which are three smaller regions similarly devoted to Gamay? Where are situated?
Which are the soil composition of them and the related wine style?
Well off Beaujolais to the west, over a mountain ridge in the Upper Loire basin in fact, are three much smaller regions similarly devoted to Gamay grape:
-Côte Roannaise: on south- and southeast-facing slopes of the Loire, near Roanne, also presents granite soils which give wines similar in style to Beaujolais. Here work several individual domaines.
-Côtes du Forez: further south to the previous, on a similar soil, is dominated by a single well-run co-op.
-Côtes d’Auvergne: near Clermont-Ferrand (western and so inland to Côtes du Forez), is more extensive, and makes lighter reds and rosés from Gamay, and a little light whites, also.
Which is the geological affinity between the “Haut” Beaujolais, particularly in the area of the 10 Crus, and the Côte Rôtie, 97 km (60 miles) further south?
How the soil can impact the wines?
Recent geological studies have demonstrated that the underlying rock of “Haut” Beaujolais is the same volcanic schist or sandy granite present in Côte Rôtie,
but constant erosion has left a mosaic of different topsoils, aspects and gradients so that wines can vary enormously even within a single cru, and this is so evident in the distinctive wine profile of each Beaujolais Cru.
Which are the 10 Crus of Beaujolais?
Describe their soil composition and so, related wine style.
• St-Amour:
the northernmost Cru, which, like its neighbours St-Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé in the Mâconnais, has some limestone in its soils. Its wines have more charm than structure.
• Juliénas:
Fuller-bodied, little rustic wines, although Les Mouillets and Les Capitans are superior lieux-dits.
• Chénas:
Needs time to “blossom”. Is the smallest (243 ha/600 acres divided between the village of Chénas and La Chapelle de Guinchay) of the ten Beaujolais crus in the far north of the region in the shadow of Moulin-à-Vent. (Hubert Lapierre is one of the oldest domaines.)
• Moulin-à-Vent:
Structured wines, with fruit concentration, well worth ageing. With time, the wines begin to taste more like old Pinot Noir than Gamay, and some 50-year-old Moulin-à-Vent can be quite a satisfying drink, even if an atypical Beaujolais. One of the more expensive wines in Beaujolais. (Ch des Jacques, bought by Louis Jadot, is a notable name.)
It is divided in to two sub-zones: a. The zone near the windmill itself, which comprises the lieux-dits of Les Clos, Les Carquelin, Champ de Cour, Les Thorins; b. The area slightly above, that includes La Rochelle, Les Rochegrès, Les Vérillats. (Examples from the lower, flatter land in the far south of the cru lack their complexity, ageability, and even, sometimes, nobility).
• Fleurie:
Generally speaking, lighter, more perfumed style, floral, even if there are three distinctions based on soil type and aspect: a. Sandy soil: La Madone, Chapelle de Bois, Les Quatre Vent, feminine style; b. Clay soil: La Roilette, Les Moriers, more structure; c. Warm, south-facing slopes: Les Garants, Poncié, that can equal the best Moulin-à-Vent in body and longevity, with quite meaty profile. One of the most expensive wines in Beaujolais. It has a very strong co-operative.
• Chiroubles:
The highest cru, with very light, sandy soil, that can produce wines with a lot of charm in sunny vintages (even if they can result too tart in cold ones).
• Morgon:
Structure wines, with fruit concentration, well worth ageing. The birthplace of the natural wines, is the second largest cru in Beaujolais, associated with its famous, volcanic cone Côte du Py, whose wines are particularly strong, warm and spicy, whereas Les Charmes, Les Grands Cras, Corcelette and Château Gaillard vineyards give lighter and rounder wines. Soils in Morgon are much weathered.
• Regnié:
East to Beaujeu and west to Brouilly, similar to it or to a superior Beaujolais-Villages. It is the most recently created Beaujolais Cru, in 1988.
•Brouilly:
The biggest, unpredictable cru, which contains the notorious Pisse Vieille vineyard.
• Côte de Brouilly:
Situated on the volcanic slopes of Mont Brouilly, it can age well. (Ch de Thivin is a landmark producer.)
Why is so important to memorise the name of each Beaujolais Cru?
Because on the label of wines produce in there the name “Beaujolais” is rarely (almost never!) mentioned.
Why there is so much granite in the area of the 10 Crus (“Haut” Beaujolais)?
Because it is a glacier-free make-up area;
indeed the granite-based soils that dominate this area survived in this part of France because no glaciers melted here to wash the granite away.
White wine is produced in Beaujolais?
If yes, which is their style?
Which is the percentage of white plantings?
Rosé is also produced?
A tiny amount of Beaujolais Blanc and Beaujolais-Villages Blanc are produced from Chardonnay grapes grown in the north, cause Chardonnay vines love the patches of limestone present there.
So that they are effectively southern neighbours of Mâcon Blanc and taste exactly like it.
No more than 10%.
There is a similar small production of Beaujolais Rosé, too.
Which are the yields for Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages?
And for Beaujolais-Crus?
64 hL/ha.
58 hL/ha.
What it means the term “il morgonne”?
Is a verb associate with Morgon Cru, as in describing the process by which a young Beaujolais becomes more like a Pinot Noir-dominated red burgundy with time in bottle, due to the density of the wines produce there.
Which are the viticultural practices in Beaujolais?
Hand harvest (healthy whole bunches)
High planting density (from 9,000 to 13,000 vines/ha)
Gobelet in the “Haut” Beaujolais, Guyot with long traning system (up to 12 buds) in the “Bas”
How is composed the Beaujolais vineyard?
Is possible to include white grapes in the production of red Beaujolais?
98% Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc (so called to distinguish it from the relatively widely planted red-fleshed Gamay teinturiers), rest Chardonnay and since 2024 Aligoté.
Yes, until 15%.
Which is the most use rootstock in Beaujolais?
Vialla, perfect for the granitic soil present here.
SO4 and 3309 are also used.
