Burgundy

Question 1

What are the major & minor red grapes of burgundy?

Answer 1

Major: Pinot noir, gamay
Minor: césar, tressot, saci (all virtually extinct)

Question 2

What are the major & minor white grapes of burgundy?

Answer 2

Major: chardonnay, aligoté
Minor: pinot blanc, pinot gris

Question 3

What is a burgundian synonym for pinot blanc? For chardonnay?

Answer 3

Beurot & Beaunois

Question 4

What styles of wine are made in Burgundy?

Answer 4

Dry red, white, rosé
Dry to semi dry sparkling white & rosé
Dry sparkling red
Very rarely late-harvest wines from Macon, but not AOC

Question 5

Where is Burgundy Located?

Answer 5

In the central eastern portion of the country

Question 6

What is Burgundy’s most important geographical feature?

Answer 6

The Saône river, a Rhône tributary

Question 7

What are the main regions of Burgundy?

Answer 7

Chablis, Cote d’Or, Cote Chalonnais, Macon, Beaujolais

Question 8

What 2 cities does the Cote d’Or stretch between? How long is the stretch?

Answer 8

Dijon & Maranges, 60 mi stretch

Question 9

Where are grapes planted in Cote d’Or & why?

Answer 9

Along the SE facing limestone escarpment that stretches from Dijon to Maranges, in the middle of the slopes where they’re protected by the elements as well as from flooding.

Question 10

What is Burgundy’s general climate?

Answer 10

Continental
warm, dry summers
cold, dry winters
rain & risk of frost in spring & autumn

Question 11

What is the general soil composition in Burgundy?

Answer 11

Clay, marl, & limestone.

Question 12

What general soil type does Chardonnay thrive in? Where in Burgundy is it most abundant?

Answer 12

Limestone, chablis.

Question 13

How long has wine been made in Burgundy? When did it all start?

Answer 13

More than 2000 years
first century roman conquest of gaul

Question 14

What were the Valois Dukes’ contributions to burgundy wine culture?

Answer 14

Phillip the Bold ordered Gamay vines ripped out & replaced with Pinot noir in

Question 15

What happened to viticulture in Burgundy after the collapse of the Roman Empire? When was this?

Answer 15

fifth century rome collapse & viticulture embraced by germanic barbarian tribsemen, the first burgundians

Question 16

What happened to viticulture in Burgundy during the dark ages? When exactly are we talking? Who ruled Burgundy semi-autonomysly until its annexation into greater France? When was all this?

Answer 16

The Dark Ages gave rise to the prominence of the Catholic Church, especially the benedictine order in Cluny, & an explosion of wine production in burgundy in 10th & 11th century

12th century cistercians (benedictine offshoot) continued viticultural tradition & purchased more vineyard land

Meanwhile the Valois dukes ruled from 1363 to 1477 until it was Annexed into greater France

Question 17

What happened to viticulture in Burgundy during the French Revolution

Answer 17

1790s French revolution saw mass seizures of vineyard land to the state, followed by auctions - this resulted in way more private ownership of vineyards in Burgundy than previously

Question 18

When did Napoleon issue his code of inheritance? What were its effects?

Answer 18

1804, resulted in land inherited equally among all male heirs, resulted in very fractured vineyard ownership in Burgundy, which helped give rise to negociants when small owners didn’t grow enough grapes to make it worth producing their own wine.

Question 19

Was the Napoleonic code the only factor in the rise of Burgundy’s Negociants?

Answer 19

No, the fact that many vine owners were bourgoise & had other careers, & didn’t have time to farm or make wine, also played a large roll.

Question 20

What was the option of bourgoise burgundian vine owners who didn’t want to sell to negociants or farm themselves?

Answer 20

They could use métayage (sharecropping), or fermage (leasing) to farmers instead of using negociants

Question 21

When did domaine bottling become popular in Burgundy? What did this do to negociants?

Answer 21

1920; it created more consumer choice & competition

Question 22

Who first classified the vineyards of Burgundy? When?

Answer 22

Dr. Jules Lavalle in 1855, in order to produce a burgundian soil guide for the universal exhibition!

Question 23

Are negociants and domaines mutually exclusive in Burgundy today?

Answer 23

No, many producers have significant holdings and bottle both Domaine & negociant sourced wine.

Question 24

What is Burgundy’s general relationship with oak & aging?

Answer 24

Wines are traditionally aged in Barriques; Reds see more oak, whites tend to see less new oak & larger barrels.

Regional reds see on average up to 20% new oak
Village level reds between 20 & 30%
1er cru reds see between 30 & 50%
Grand cru reds between 500 & 100%

Top whites tend to age 12-15 months
Top reds tend to age 15-18 months

Question 25

What is Burgundy’s general relationship with malolactic conversion?

Answer 25

All reds, and most whites, go through malolactic conversion.

Question 26

What is the primary consideration for Burgundy vinterns when deciding whether to completely destem or include whole clusters?

Answer 26

How much tannin they want in the finished wine, which will be minimized by complete destemming, and increased with more whole clusters

Question 27

What is Burgundy’s general relationship with Battonage?

Answer 27

Common in top quality whites

Question 28

What is Burgundy’s unique quality hierarchy from the bottom up? What is the production % of each category?

Answer 28

Regional AOC 50%, Village AOC 37%, Village AOC with a special premier cru designation 11%, and Grand cru AOCs 2%.