Burgundy Flashcards
When were grapes planted in Burgundy?
The first century ad by the Romans on their Gaulic campaigns.
What is the first order of monks to promote viticulture in Burgundy? Where were they based? What is the offshoot of this order of monks that also spread viticulture throughout Burgundy and beyond?
The Benedictine monks based in Cluny became Europe’s cultural center in the tenth and eleventh century AD. The Cistercian monks rose to prominence in the 12th century.
Why were the vineyards of Burgundy split into smaller and smaller parcels?
In 1804 Napoléon issued his Napoleonic Code, requiring inheritances to be split equally among heirs. This edict greatly fractured vineyard ownership over time and laid the foundation for the current division of Burgundy holdings. Today’s vineyards are a patchwork: the grand cru Clos Vougeot alone claims over 80 growers.
How many cases does Domaine de la Romanée-Conti produce annually? How many vineyards do they produce these wines from? What is their cru status?
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, one of Burgundy’s most storied houses, produces 6,000 to 8,000 cases a year divided among eight grand cru bottlings.
What are the five main growing areas of Burgundy from North to South?
Chablis, Côte d’Or, Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais, and Beaujolais.
What is the regional capital of the Côte d’Or and what is the commercial center?
Dijon is the regional capital, but the city of Beaune is the commercial center for the wine trade in the Côte d’Or.
What is the informal name of the lesser known vineyard areas that are in Yonne surrounding Chablis called?
The Grand Auxerrois, after the capital of Yonne, Auxerre.
Name ten allowable grapes in Burgundy. Name an eleventh and its appelation.
Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chardonnay, Aligoté, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne, César, Tressot, and Sacy. And Sauvignon Blanc in St. Bris.
What is the four tier hierarchy of the AOP system?
régionale, village, premier (1er) cru, and grand cru
What are the allowable styles and grape varieties of Coteaux Bourguignons?
Blanc: Aligoté, Melon de Bourgogne, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris
Blanc Primeur/Nouveau
Rosé (Clairet):
Principal Varieties: Gamay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris (César is authorized as a principal variety in the Yonne département)
Accessory Varieties (Max. 10% combined): Aligoté, Melon de Bourgogne, plus a max. 15% combined Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc
Rouge:
Principal Varieties: Gamay and Pinot Noir (César is authorized as a principal variety in the Yonne département)
Accessory Varieties (Max 10% combined): Aligoté, Melon de Bourgogne, Gamay de Bouze, Gamay de Chaudenay, plus a max. 15% mixed plantings of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris
What is the meaning of Encépagement?
Grape varieties. Usually in reference to the allowed grape varieties in a wine region or wine.
What is Côte de Beaune-Villages?
Wines are red, and grape material may be sourced from any village in the Côte de Beaune save Pommard, Volnay, Aloxe-Corton, and Beaune itself.
What wine can be made and where can it be sourced to be Côte de Nuits-Villages?
Wines are red or (rarely) white, and may be sourced from the villages of Fixin and Brochon in the north, and Prissey, Corgoloin, and Comblanchien in the south.
What is the name of the appellation for blends of Pinot Noir and Gamay in Burgundy?
Passe-tout-grains. Red and rose can be made, but rose is super rare.
What are the names of the two sparkling AOP in Burgundy? What are the differences?
Crémant de Bourgogne and Bourgogne Mousseux. Bourgogne Mousseux is an older, rare appellation reserved exclusively for sparkling reds produced via the traditional method—in fact, once the first sparkling wines appeared in Burgundy in the 1820s, it was not uncommon to see sparkling red renditions of many of the famous crus, like Clos de Vougeot or Chambertin. Crémant de Bourgogne debuted in 1975 as an AOP for hand-harvested, traditional method white and rosé sparkling wines, principally produced from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Crémant styles may be made throughout Burgundy, but much production is concentrated in and around the commune of Rully in the Côte Chalonnaise, where Burgundy sparkling wines were born in the early 19th century.
What is the difference between AOP and AOC?
No difference!
It’s just that the AOC – Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée – is a French label, while the AOP – Appellation d’origine Protégée – is … European. But both refer to the set of rules a wine needs to comply with in order to be labelled after a given appellation (e.g. Sancerre).
How many Grand Cru are there in all the Côte d’Or?
32
What is smallest Grand Cru in Burgundy (and all of France)? How big is it?
La Romanée AOP at .85 hectares.
What is the largest Grand Cru in Burgundy? How big is it?
Corton AOP at 160 hectares.
What is Burgundy’s largest white wine growing region?
Chablis
What are the seven Grand Cru Climats of Chablis in order from Northwest to Southeast?
Bougros, Preuses, Vaudésir, Grenouilles, Valmur, Les Clos, and Blanchot
What is the eighth unofficial Grand Cru Climat of Chablis and where does it lie? Who owns it?
La Moutonne lies between Vaudésir and Preuses and is a monopole of Domaine Long-Depaquit.
What are the three other communal appellations in the Yonne département? What do they each produce?
Irancy AOP light Pinot Noir based reds, Vezelay AOP for Chardonnay, and St-Bris AOP the only Sauvignon Blanc appelation in Burgundy.
What region lies on the western edge of the low Saône River Plain?
The Côte d’Or