Burgundy Flashcards
Red Grapes in Burgundy
Major- Pinot Noir, Gamay
Minor- Cesar, Tressor, Sacy (all extinct)
White Grapes in Burgundy
Major- Chardonnay, Aligote
Minor- Pinot Blanc, Beurot (Pinot Gris)
“Beaunois”
Another name for Chardonnay in Burgundy, in the Yonne, derived from Beaune.
it is a natural crossing of Pinot and an obscure old variety, Gouais Blanc
Styles of Wine in Burgundy
dry red, white, rosé, dry to semi-dry
sparkling in white or rosé, dry sparkling red,
very rarely and usually in the Mâcon are late-harvest wines made, but they do not fall under an AOP
Location of Burgundy
Central/eastern portion of the country.
Northwest of the Alps and roughly 175 miles southeast of Paris.
Major Rivers/Bodies of Water in Burgundy
Saone River, a tributary of the Rhone
Geology/Regions of Burgundy
Five regions over 4 departments.
Chablis, Côte d’Or, Côte Chalonaise, Mâcon,
Beaujolais;
the Côte d’Or is 60 miles stretching
from Dijon to Maranges, it is a long southeastern
facing limestone escarpment, with the best
vineyards being in the middle of the slope
protected from the elements at the top and
flooding at the bottom.
Climate of Burgundy
Continental with dry, warm summers, and cold, dry winters. Rains come in Spring
and Fall with frost being an issue in both seasons.
Soil in Burgundy
Clay, marl, limestone. The best chardonnay grows on limestone and Chablis has the
highest amount.
How long has Burgundy been making wine
2000 years
Monks in Burgundy
Benedictine Order in Cluny, Burgundy, promoted winemaking in the 10th and 11th
centuries.
Cistercians continued purchasing land and making wine in the 12th century.
Valois Dukes in Burgundy
Valois dukes including Philippe the Bold (who ordered all Gamay ripped up in
preference to Pinot Noir) ruled and created an industry out of wine.
Influence of French Revolution in Burgundy
land owned by the clergy and noblemen was auctioned off after the French
Revolution. This started private ownership of vineyards in Burgundy.
Napoleonic Code
Edict issued in 1804, land inheritance to be split equally between male heirs, this
created the fractured vineyards we have today
Negociants in Burgundy
The 18th century saw the rise of the negociants to handle the making and marketing of wines, Either because families held too little land to be profitable or because they had other
careers within the community.
They controlled much of Burgundy until the 1920s after WWI.
When Landowners in Burgundy did NOT want to use Negociants or make the wine themselves
landowners also used métayage (sharecropping) or fermage
(leasing) to farmers when they didn’t want to make the wine themselves or use
negociants.
Who created the first classification of Burgundy’s vineyards?
Dr. Jules Lavalle created the first classification of Burgundy’s vineyards in 1855. This is similar, but
not exactly the same as the classifications today.
Start of Domaine Bottling
Domaine (private owner) bottling began in earnest in the 1920s.
Today many houses offer both (from fruit they purchased) and domaine (from vines they own) bottlings.
Oak aging in Burgundy
Wines are traditionally aged in 228-liter French oak barrels called Pieces, with some using larger,
neutral barrels for Chardonnay and Aligoté.
Red wines usually see more new barrel use
than whites.
Oak Aging in Regional Level Wines
mainly neutral barrel with up to 20% new (depending on the producer)
Oak Aging in Village Level Wines
neutral to 20-30% new oak
Oak Aging in Premier Cru Wines
30-50% new oak
Oak Aging in Grand Cru Wines
50-100% new oak
MLF in Burgundy
All reds and most whites go through malo-lactic fermentation.
Length of Oak Aging in Burgundy
Top wines will age from 12-15 months (whites) to 15-18 months (reds).
Tannins in Red Wines of Burgundy
Producers of red wines have the choice to increase tannin by whole cluster fermentation,
or completely de-stem their grapes.
Batonnage
Bâtonnage is typically done for higher-quality white wines
Burgundy Classification System
Regionale- 50% of production
Village- 37% of production
Premier Cru- 10% of production (Premier Cru is not an AOP, but a legal definition of quality for village wines)
Grand Cru- 2% of production
Bourgogne AOP
red, white, rosé, gamay not allowed
Coteaux Bourguignons AOP
red blends including gamay, white and rosé.
Gamay, Ros-ay, honk-ay, red blend-ay
Bourgogne Côte Chalonaise, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Bourgogne Hautes
Côtes de Beaune
red and white wines from the mountains around the region.
Bourgogne Aligoté AOP
Dry white wines based from Aligoté.
Bourgogne Mousseux AOP
Dry sparkling RED wine made from Pinot Noir and Gamay in
the traditional method.
My Gay Moose sparkles red and dry
Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains AOP
Dry red and rosé from a mixture of Pinot Noir and
Gamay, some white varieties allowed.
Gamay passed out with Pinot Noir, some dumb honkies dried my car
Crémant de Bourgogne AOP
White and rosé dry and semi-dry sparkling wines made
from allowed red and white varieties (mainly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). The traditional
method, aged on the lees for a min. 9 months, released after 12 months.
Premier Cru Regulations
Tighter restrictions on yield and aging. Technically geographical indications of a
village, both the village and vineyard name will be present on a label. Different premier cru
vineyards can be blended together and the label can read “Premier Cru” but it cannot carry a
vineyard name
Grand Cru Regulations
Each grand cru is a single vineyard with its own AOP and its own restrictions on
yields, aging, blend, and must weight. (
Because they are their own AOP a producer may label the bottle with only the vineyard
name, the label will not require a village on it.
Grand and Premier Cru blending
IF two Grand Crus are blended together they can claim either of the grand cru designations
or declassify to any level below. If a Grand Cru and Premier Cru are blended together, it will be
declassified to a village level or can carry a basic “premier cru” label
Number of Premier Crus
640
Number of Grand Crus
32
Major Industrial Cities of Burgundy
From North to South: Dijon, Nuits-St.-Georges, Beaune, Châlon-sur Sâone, Mâcon, and Lyon
Mustard, Nuts. Beans, Say-on, and Bacon, eaten by a Lion
Chablis Geography
Halfway between Paris and Beaune in the Serein (“serene”) River Valley, a conduit for cold winds and frost
Chablis Climate
Cool Continental
Chablis AOP’s
Petit Chablis, Premier Cru Chablis, Grand Cru Chablis
Product only wines from Chardonnay
Chablis Soil for Premier Cru and Grand Cru
Kimmeridgian clay- mixture of limestone and clay laced with millions of oyster fossils
Petit Chablis soil
Portlandian limestone over Kimmeridgian clay
Top Right Bank Chablis Premier Cru
Montée de Tonnerre and Fourchaume
Monty is a charming four-flusher and weighs a ton
Top Left Bank Chablis Premier Cru
Vaillons and Montmains
Chablis Grand Cru AOP
-southwest facing
-seven geographic designations: Les Clos, Vaudésir, Valmur, Preuses, Blanchot, Bougros, and Grenouilles
Style for Premier Cru Chablis
Pronounced acidity, medium weight, lees character, and an intensely mineral, steely character unencumbered by new oak
Style for Grand Cru Chablis
Richer and riper, can have some new oak.
Aging brings hazelnuts, oyster shells and lemon.
Irancy AOP
Subzone of St Bris AOP
Red wines from Pinot Noir, Cesar, Pinot Gris
St Bris AOP
Only Sauv Blanc subzone of Burgundy
Cotes d’Or soil
Limestone and clay
If the limestone content is higher it may be termed argillaceous limestone; if lower, the soil is known as marl or calcareous clay
Soils in Cotes de Beaune
Soils in the Côte de Beaune, with the exception of the environs of Montrachet, tend to contain greater amounts of marl and less limestone than those in the Côte de Nuits
Oak In Burgundy
-Reds and whites aged in 228 liter piece
% oak increased with quality, Grand Crus 50-100%, Bourgogne AOC may see none
Top reds age 15-18 months, whites a year
Winemaking decisions in Burgundy
MLF, batonnage, whole cluster fermentation, destemming
MLF in Burgundy
All reds and most whites undergo MLF
Cotes de Nuits Village Appellations
Marsannay, Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, and Nuits-Saint-Georges
Cotes de Nuits Village White Wine
Marsannay, Fixin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Vougeot and Nuits-Saint-Georges produce AOP white wine (very little)
Number of Grand Crus in Cotes de Nuit
24- all produce red wine
White Wine Grand Cru in Cotes de Nuits
Musigny
Notable Gevery-Chambertin Premier Cru
Clos Saint-Jacques- often outperforms Grand Crus
Highly Acclaimed Gevery Chambertin Domaines
Armand Rousseau, Claude Dugat, and Jean-Marie Fourrier.
Gevery Chambertin Grand Crus (9)
Chambertin, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazoyères-Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin, Griotte-Chambertin, Latricières-Chambertin, Mazis-Chambertin, and Ruchottes-Chambertin
Wine Characteristics of Gevery-Chambertin
Masculine, brooding, and structured.
Characterized by concentration and weight, classic examples show black fruits and deeper color than the corresponding wines of Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny.
Characteristics of Chambolle-Musigny Wines
Suffused with silky charm, emphasizing elegance over power. The village’s red wines are marked by their delicate, pleasurable (even gulp-able!) character, yet they retain great intensity
Grand Crus of Chambolle-Musigny
Musigny and Bonnes-Mares (shared with Morey-St Denis)
Chambolle-Musigny Exceptional Premier Cru
Les Amoureuses
Top Chambolle-Musigny Domaines
Georges de Vogüé, Ghislaine Barthod, Georges (and Christophe) Roumier, and Perrot-Minot
Grand Crus of Morey St Denis
the monopole Clos de Tart, Clos de Lambrays, Clos de la Roche, and Clos St-Denis—and a sliver of a fifth, Bonnes Mares
Top Domaines of Morey St Denis
Domaines Dujac and Ponsot
Vougeot
One Grand Cru, Clos de Vougeot, subdivided into 80 plus parcels of varying quality due to Napoleonic code
Vougeot Premier Crus
Clos de la Perrière, Les Petits Vougeot, Les Cras and Le Clos Blanc.
Vosne Romanee Grand Crus
La Tache, La Romanee, Romanee-Conti, Romanee St Vivant, Richebourg, La Grande Rue
Vosne Romanee Top Premier Crus
Les Suchots, Les Beaux Monts, Les Petits Monts, Aux Malconsorts, and Cros Parantoux
Vosne Romanee Top Domaines
Romanée-Conti, Comtes Liger-Belair and Domaine Leroy are based in the commune, as are Anne Gros, Jean Grivot, Meó Camuzet, Sylvain Cathiard, and Jayer’s heir-apparent Emmanuel Rouget
Flagey-Echézeaux,
Town itself does not have an appellation
Two Grand Crus- Echézeaux and Grands-Echézeaux
Nuit St George top Premier Crue
No Grand Crus
Les Saint-Georges
Notable Nuits St George Domaines
Henri Gouges, Joseph Faiveley, Jean-Jacques Confuron, and Robert Chevillon
Corton AOP
Produces both white and red Grand Cru, most are red
Contains Grand Crus Corton, Charlemagne, and Corton-Charlemagne
Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny, and Pernand-Vergelesses—encircle the southern half of the hill, and each contains some slice of the grand cru pie.
Beaune AOP
Commercial capital of the region
No Grand Crus
Les Bressandes, Grèves, and Clos des Mouches are among the best vineyards, Premier Cru
Pommard AOP
Red wines only, Premier Cru
Best Pommard Premier Crus
Les Rugiens (divided into Hauts and Bas sections) and Les Epenots—particularly the wines of Comte Armand’s monopole Clos des Epeneaux
Volnay AOP
Red wines only, Premier Cru
Best Volnay Premier Crus
Les Caillerets, Champans, Clos des Chênes, Taillepieds, and Marquis d’Angerville’s monopole Clos des Ducs
Best Volnay Domaines
d’Angerville, Hubert de Montille, and Michel Lafarge
Mersault AOP Wine characteristics
Classic Meursault white wine is rich—almost fat—on the palate, with a nutty, buttery, honeyed spectrum of flavors and a softer acidity than exhibited in Puligny-Montrachet
Mersault Premier Crus
No Grand Crus, but some Premier Crus approach Grand Cru quality- Perrières, Les Genevrières, and Les Charmes.
Top Mersault Domaines
Coche-Dury, Guy Roulot, and Comtes Lafon are held in high regard
Puligny-Montrachet Grand Crus
Le Montrachet (shared with Chassange-Montrachet)
Chevalier Montrachet
Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
Batard Montrachet (shared with Chassange-Montrachet)
Chasssange Montrachet Grand Crus
Le Montrachet (shared with Puligny-Montrachet)
Batard Montrachet (shared with Puligny-Montrachet)
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet,
Puligny Montrachet Notable Premier Crus
Les Pucelles, Le Cailleret, and Les Demoiselles
Puligny Montrachet Notable Domaines
Domaine Leflaive and Jacques Carillon
Top Chassange Montrachet Premier Cru
Morgeot actually encompasses 15 smaller premiers crus, which are usually sold under Morgeot’s more marketable and recognizable name
Top Chassange Montrachet Domaines
Ramonet and Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey
Blagny AOP
Small hamlet, produces red wines
Lesser known Cotes de Beaune communes
Chorey-lès-Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Auxey-Duresses, Saint-Romain, Saint-Aubin, Monthélie, Santenay, and Maranges
Cote Chalonnaise Soils
weathered limestone and clay
Cotes Chalonnaise Main Villages
Bouzeron, Rully, Givry, Mercurey, and Montagny
Rully, Givry, and Mercurey wine styles
white and red
Bouzeron
Whites from Aligote
Montagny
Whites only
Rully AOP
19th-century birthplace of sparkling wines in Burgundy, and the commune remains the center of Crémant de Bourgogne AOP production today
Macon AOP Wines
Mostly Chardonnay, few reds are Pinot Noir and Gamay
Mâcon-Villages
White wines ONLY
Mâcon Chardonnay Winemaking
fermented and raised in stainless steel, sans shades of oak. In comparison with Chablis, it tends to be fruitier and more open, without the sharp mineral edge and high acidity characteristic of Chablis
Village AOP’s of Maconnais
Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loché, Pouilly-Vinzelles, Saint-Véran, and Viré-Clessé
Chardonnay ONLY
Beaujolais Rankings
Beaujolais AOP
Noveau Beaujolais
Village Beaujolais
Cru Beaujolais
Beaujolais AOP Wine Styles
Red, white, Rose
Beaujolais Soils
North- granite hillsides of the craggy monts de Beaujolais
South- limestone-clay
Ten Crus of Beujolais
St-Amour, Juliénas, Moulin-a-Vent, Chénas, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly.
Coteaux du Lyonnais AOP
Red and rosé wines are produced from Gamay; white wines contain Chardonnay, Aligoté, and Pinot Blanc
