Burgundy Flashcards
Burgundy
- located in east-central France
- 200 miles from Chablis to Lyons in the south
- 10,000 acres of vine, second to bodeaux in size and production amongst AOC regions
- vines 1st planted in A.D. 200
Burgundy Climate
- cool-continental
- responsible for intense and complex wines
Burgundy primary noble grape varietals
-Chardonnay
-Pinot Noir
(Aligoté and Gamay also grown)
Burgundy Cistercian and Benedictine monks
- were the ones that originally planted vines in burgundy
- started playing around with the idea of classification
Domaine or maison (burgundy)
Producers that grow their own grapes and make their own wine
Négociant-éleveurs
- wine brokerage firms that purchase grapes and wine from small producers, blend it together and label it their own négociant label
- 70% of wine un Burgundy produced in burgundy is sold by négociant firms
Burgundy Top regions
Chablis Côte d'Or -Côte de Nuits -Côte de Beaune Côte Chalonnaise Mâconnais Beaujolais
Regional Hierarchy in Burgundy
- regional
- commune/village
- premier cru vineyard
- grand cru vineyard
Commune/Village (Burgundy)
- second tier
- generally higher quality than regional
- wines made with grapes from vineyards surrounding one of Burgundy’s important subregions
- i.e. Côte de Beaune Contrôlée and Appellation Pouilly-Fuissé Contrôlée
Premier Cru vineyard (Burgundy)
- “first growth” status
- reserved for vineyards that have historically produced important and highly regarded wines
- 562 premier cru vineyards
- wines are labeled with name of village or commune grown in or around, the name of the premier cru vineyard itself and the term premier cru or 1er cru. i.e. “Appellation Pommard Epenots Premier Cru Contrôlèe”
Grand Cru vineyard (Burgundy)
- “great growth”
- highest designation
- must be produced entirely from from grapes grown in one of these famous vineyards
- 1 in Chablis and 33 in Côte d’Or
- 1% of wines of Burgundy’s total production
- “Appellation Le Montrachet Grand Cru Contrôlée”
Chablis
- northernmost region or Burgundy
- 60 miles northwest of the Côte d’Or
- cooler climate then the rest of Burgundy
- famous for Kimmeridgian limestone soils, made from the fossilized remains of millions of tiny, prehistoric oyster shells
- only chardonnay; leanest mineral-driven, and flinty whites
- one vineyard divided into 7 Climats
The Seven Climats of Chablis Grand Cru
Blanchots Les Preuses Grenouilles Valmur Bourgros Vaudésir Le Clos
Côte d’Or
-French for “golden slope”
-famous for its limestone soil and is on the eastern side of a 30-mile escarpment, perfectly oriented to the sun
-divided into 2 major areas
Côte de Nuits (north)
Côte de Beaune (south)
Côte de Nuits
- approximately 99% of production with Pinot noir
- 13 miles long