Beaujolais Flashcards
10 crus of Beaujolais North to South
(So Julius Ceasar marched forth chasing my regiment to the coast and back)
St-Amour Juliénas Moulin-a-Vent Chénas Fleurie Chiroubles Morgon Régnié Brouilly Côte de Brouilly
When was Beaujolais noveau wines first authorized?
When was the Beaujolais Villages appellation created?
How much of Beaujolais does it cover?
Noveau in 1951
Villages in 1950 (subsumed under the larger Beaujolais AOP in 2011)
Covers a little less than half of the AOPs acreage, encompassing all ten northern cru appellations and surrounding communes—38 in total.
Who is Georges Duboeuf?
Founder of Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, one of the largest and best-known wine merchants in France. The company is know especially for its popularization and production of Beaujolais wines, leading Duboeuf’s nicknames of le roi du Beaujolais (the king of Beaujolais) or sometimes pape du Beaujolais (Pope of Beaujolais). He is almost single-handedly responsible for popularizing the annual Beaujolais noveau phenomemon.
What soils make up Beaujolais?
The northern topography, where all the crus are, is marked by granite hillsides and occasional schist. The southern sector is marked by flatter stretches of limestone-clay similar to the Maconnais.
Generally speaking, which three Beaujolais crus are the fruitiest?
Brouilly, Regnie, Chiroubles
Generally speaking, which Beaujolais crus are known for their structure?
Côte de Brouilly, Morgon, Juilénas, and Moulin-à-Vent.
What is the training system generally used for Beaujolais?
Gobelet
a form of vine-training system, used since Roman times, whereby the spurs are arranged on short arms in an approximate circle at the top of a short trunk, making the vine look something like a goblet drinking vessel. The vines are free standing (apart from a small supporting stake when young) and the system is best suited to low-vigour vineyards in drier climates. This is a form of head training and is generally subject to spur pruning. The trunk is short, typically 30 to 50 cm (12–19 in), and the foliage is unsupported by wires.
When was Gamay banned and by whom?
1395 by Philip the Bold
What other Burgundy varieties (besides Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) are allowed in Bourgogne AOP?
Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, César
How much of Beaujolais red wine production is nouveau?
Over half.
What is the difference between Beaujolais “Villages” and “Supérieur”?
Geographic vs stylistic: Beaujolais Villages is limited to a certain geographical area, whereas wines from anywhere in Beaujolais may be “Superieur” if they meet the minimum requirements on must weight, potential alcohol, etc.
Superieur is any red Beaujolais wine that meets a standard of minimum potential alcohol beyond that required for the basic appellation: 10.5% rather than 10%. That may have been an uphill climb in the 1930s, but the designation really has no relevance to superiority today, perceived or otherwise.
Beaujolais AOP
Styles?
—Blanc: 100% Chard
—Rouge and Rosé: Gamay (aka Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc), max. 10% combined Gamay de Bouze and Gamay de Chaudenay (both teinturiers??), max 15% combined mixed plantings of Aligoté (allowed until 2024 so long as it was planted before 2004-Jancis check fact), Chard, Melon de Bourgogne, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir (Whole PN blocks were allowed through 2015 vintage up to a max 15%)
—Rouge “Supérieur”
—Beaujolais “Villages”
Beaujolais
Min Pot Alcohol? Min Must Weight? Max RS Min Planting Density? Max Yields? AOC established?
—Min Pot Alcohol Blanc: 10.5% Rosé: 10% Rouge: 10% “Supérieur”: 10.5% “Village” Blanc: 11% “Village” Rosé/Rouge: 10.5%
—Min Must Weight? Blanc: 170 g/l Rosé: 161 g/l Rouge: 171 g/l “Supérieur”: 180 g/l “Village” Blanc: 178 g/l “Village” Rosé/Rouge: 170 g/l/180 g/l —Max RS: 3 g/l —Min Planting Density: 5,000 vines per hectare (more often 9,000-13,000 vines per ha, some of the highest in the world) —Max Yields: Blanc: 68 hl/ha Rosé/Rouge: 60 “Supérieur”: 58 “Village” Blanc: 66 “Village” Rosé/Rouge: 58 ** 1937 (Beaujolais AOC and Beaujolais-Villages AOC were consolidated in 2011) (last updated 2013)
How much of Beaujolais production do the crus cover?
1/4-1/3 depending on the year.
How is the majority of Beaujolais planted, trained, and harvested?
Most of the wines here are still planted at high densities, gobelet-trained, and hand-harvested.
