Burgundy Flashcards
Climat
Individually named vineyard fixed in AOC legislation
Region
north to south strip between Dijon in the north and Macon, 80 miles, to the south; approximately 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, 8% Aligote, 2% Other
Cote d’Or
divided into Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune; over 60% Pinot Noir
Cote de Nuits
runs south from Dijon to just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges
Cote de Beaune
runs from south of Nuits-Saint-George to Santenay
Yonne department
includes Chablis; 80% Chardonnay; 40,000 ha in early 19th century (proximity to Paris), but plantings shrunk to 500 ha after phylloxera, powdery mildew, Paris-Lyons-Marseille railroad (cheaper wines coming from south of France), rural depopulation after WWI, devastating frost of 1945; modern demand = 5,500 ha
Chablis - Geography
Name of town and appellation that lies in the valley of the River Serein in the northern-most part of Burgundy; 70 miles NW of Dijon
Chablis - Climate
Continental with cold winters, warm summers; slightly cooler than Cote d’Or; average rainfall 670 mm but spread throughout year
Chablis - Chardonnay Tasting Note
dry, light to medium bodied , medium alcohol, zesty high acidity, green apple, pear, lemon and lime fruit flavor, wet stone; minimal to no oak (some fermentation and aging in oak for 1er cru and Grand Cru); good to outstanding; cellaring and aging potential; mid to premium price with a few super premium examples (not as expensive as Cote d’Or)
Chardonnay
Buds early (susceptible to spring frost); early ripening (advantage in cool Chablis); very versatile; suited to a range of climates; produces relatively high yields without loss of quality; prone to grey rot, powdery mildew, millerandage, grapevine yellows; can be grown in wide range of soil types and climates (large range of styles); top-quality are grown on limestone/clay soils (Burgundy); main challenge is vigor management to avoid excessive yield and shading, which would reduce the quality of fruit
Chablis Climate Risks
Cool climate: uncertainty about ripening and considerable vintage variation; moist climate: high threat of fungal disease and difficulties leading up to harvest with rot; vulnerable to spring frosts and hail storms (severe impact in recent vintages)
Chablis - Soil
Limestone and clay, some with considerable amount of fossilized seashells (Kimmeridgian)
Frost Risk Management
- Smudge pots: smokey, causes air pollution, requires staffing vineyard
- Sprinklers (aspersion): most popular, installation and maintenance cost high (only an option for 1er Cru, Grand Cru, well-funded company)
- Pruning choices: later pruning promotes later bud-burst, reducing chance of damage to new buds
Chablis Rootstocks
41B rootstock is widely used = tolerant of limestone soils with high pH; 420A rootstock is popular for low vigor and tolerance to high pH soils
Chablis Training
double Guyot replacement cane training system - Due to the risk of frost damage in Chablis, this system means that if one of the canes is damaged by frost, the other one may well survive, thereby reducing the impact on yield
Chablis Picking
Most machine harvested except grand cru vineyards (most too steep) which are still picked by hand
Petit Chablis AOC
higher, cooler vineyards predominantly with Portlandian soils; predominantly on flat land or gentle slopes; aspects vary w/ many north-facing sites - leads to light bodied wines, notable for high acidity, light intensity and green apple and lemon fruit; mid-priced
Portlandian soil
Hard limestone with less clay
Chablis AOC
Large area of Kimmeridgian soil and mixed aspects; predominantly on flat land or gentle slopes; aspects vary w/ many north-facing sites - leads to light bodied wines, notable for high acidity, medium intensity and green apple and lemon fruit; mid-priced, sometimes premium
Chablis Premier Cru AOC
15% of area under vine; 40 named vineyards/climats, (ex. Montée de Tonnerre, Mont de Milieu, Vaillons, and Fourchaume); S/SE facing slopes on Kimmeridgian soil; premium to super-premium in price
Labelling
some 1er cru with lieux-dits (named plots) within them - can be labelled under specific site (Chablis Premier Cru Troesmes) or under larger climat they fall within (Chablis Premier Cru Beauroy)
Lieu-dit
named piece of land in the centralized land register
Chablis Grand Cru
Single Grand Cru with 7 named vineyards (climats); examples: Les Clos, Vaudesir; immediately next to village of Chablis, facing SW on right bank of River Serein and is on Kimmeridgian soil; south-facing slopes promote ripening (wines with greater weight and concentration, capacity to age than 1er cru or village level); protected from northern winds by belt of trees between it and Petit Chablis; 1% of total production; premium, super-premium in price
Kimmeridgian Soil
mixture of crumbly marl with good drainage and high clay content for water retention = higher quality
Slopes
1er and Grand Cru predominantly on S-facing slopes, mid-slope; slope allows for better drainage, better protection from frost, better light interception (riper fruit)
Chapatalisation
used regularly in all but warmest years; adding dry beet or cane sugar to increase alcohol content of final wine (aim is to create a more balanced wine, especially if optimal ripeness of sugars, acids, tannins, and flavors has not been reached
Chablis - Winemaking
- Fermentation in stainless steel
- Chapatalisation during fermentation
- Storage in stainless or concrete for few months
- Malolactic conversion is common to soften acidity
- Spend time on lees (months) to enhance texture
Oak in Chablis
Oak aromas, flavors, textures not desirable nor commonly found in generic Chablis (celebrated for crisp, bright citrus, and green apple fruit flavors and high acidity; some 1er and Grand Cru fermented and aged in barrel
Vincent Dauvissat
old oak; wines sell at extremely high prices
Francois Raveneau
old oak; wines sell at extremely high prices
William Fevre
new oak; founded Le Syndicat de Defense de l’Appellation de Chablis in 1993 with aim of combatting fraud and addressing environmental issues
Jean-Marc Brocard
stainless steel or concrete
Chablis Wine Law
100% Chardonnay;
Max Yields:
Petit Chablis - 60 hL/ha
Chablis AOC - 60 hL/ha
Chablis 1er Cru AOC - 58 hL/ha
Chablis Grand Cru AOC - 54 hL/ha
Chablis - Business
traditional distinction between negociant and domaine breaking down as negociants have bought land and some domaines supplement their own production with additional negociant business; more growers are making and marketing their own wine; name of domaine and level of appellation are very important drivers of price; generally lower prices than corresponding hierarchy in Burgundy
La Chablisienne
Co-op operating at all levels of the appellation hierarchy; 1/3 of all wine
L’Union des Grand Crus de Chablis
voluntary association to promote the quality of Chablis Grand Cru: members must practice sustainable viticulture and harvest by hand
Chablis - Exports
2/3 of volume exported: UK #1, USA, Japan, Sweden, Canada
Why is Chardonnay particularly well suited to being grown in Chablis?
can successfully ripen to produce high quality wines in cool to warm climates, therefore it is suited to the cool continental climate that typifies Chablis; early ripening variety which is beneficial as the summers can be short in Chablis; the styles of wines produced range from unoaked, dry, high acidity and light body to richer, medium body with green apple and citrus fruit character when grown on warmer sites
Cote d’Or - Climate
moderate continental; Dijon 300 miles from Mediterranean with cold winters and warm summers; short summers make early-ripening Chardonnay and Pinot Noir suitable varieties; average rainfall = 700 mm; early autumn typically dry, though rain can be a threat at harvest; climate warmer than in previous decades (cool vintage = underripe tannins); marked vintage variation due to variable weather; organic/biodynamic grape growing challenging
Cote d’Or - Geography
Morvan hills to the west provide protection from rainfall; northern location = vineyard site very important for yield and quality
Maconnais - Climate
slightly drier and warmer than the Cote d’Or
Pinot Noir - Ripening
Precarious - promoting ripeness of skins and seeds is a priority: each individual site needs ideal combination of aspect, altitude, degree of slope, soil
Cote d’Or - Climate Risk - Frost
Spring frost = significant problem, may substantially reduce yields if occur after budburst; acute because Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are early-budding; warmer than usual winters encourage earlier growth, making vines more vulnerable to frost
Cote d’Or - Climate RIsk - Hail
problem throughout growing season; April-May damage severely reduces yields or total loss of the crop; late in season = fruit damage particularly to exposed grapes; damaged berries must be removed or risk grey rot; highly localized but problems are substantial in winemaking and commercial terms (see Volnay and Pommard 2012-2015)
Hail - Solutions
- sorting tables
- limited hail netting permitted since 2018 (traditionally restricted because thought to cause shading and appeared inauthentic in landscape)
- seed thunderclouds with silver iodide to induce precipitation away from vineyards
Cote d’Or - Climate Risk - Rain
early = disrupts flowering and fruit set, lowers yields and leads to uneven ripening; extended periods of rain increase risk of fungal disease; too much just before harvest = dilution of grape and increased chance of rot
Cote d’Or - Climate Risk - Drought
hot, dry summers cause berries to shrivel; vines shut down completely causing a halt in ripening; irrigation not permitted; vineyards with higher clay content cope better because of water-retaining properties
Cote d’Or - Topography
aspect and elevation very important determinant of quality and style; range of hills oriented north-south with elevations ranging from 200 m - 400 m; side valleys are east-west at various points along main slope; range of aspects S/SE; best sites found on mid-slope
Cote d’Or - Slope
Sites on the mid-slope benefit from well-draining, shallow soils, good sunlight interception, comparative frost protection, better ripening potential; top of slope = very poor (too little for vines to thrive), thin soil (erosion), exposed to cool winds; bottom slope = deeper soil (poor drainage, more clay, greater fertility) and vulnerable to frost (coolest planted to Aligote or used for production of Cremant de Bourgogne)
Aspects
more varied in Cote Chalonnaise and Maconnais; best SE facing slopes are found in Bouzeron and Rully; best sites of Pouilly-Fuisse on slopes with south facing aspect