Burgundy Flashcards
What are the characteristics of Chablis?
- Dry, very mineral Chardonnay
- High acidity, flinty characteristics, steely
- Very little or no oak usage compared to the rest of Burgundy
- most Chablis is aged in stainless steel
- Kimmerigian soil = limestone, clay, and shells
What are the Grand Crus of Chablis?
Vaudesirs* Grenouilles* Blanchots* Les clos Les Preuses Valmur
What are characteristics of the Petit Chablis AOC?
- 1/3 of wine produced in Chablis
- Big blend of vineyards in the sub-region
- Lower prices
- No Kimmerigian soils
What areas of Burgundy make up the Côte d’Or?
Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune comprise the Côte d’Or, which is considered to be the most distinctive area of Burgundy.
The Côte de Nuits produces what type of wines?
Côte de nuits produces red wines of big structure (Pinot noir).
What is the soil type in Côte de nuits?
Clay
What types of wines are produced in Côte de beaune?
The best white wines of Burgundy are produced here.
What is the soil type in Côte de beaune?
Limestone
What are four important villages of Côte de nuits?
- Gevrey-Chambertin (most important)
- Chambolle-Musigny AOC
- Vougeot AOC
- Vosne-Romanee + Nuits-St. Georges AOC
What are characteristics of Gevrey-Chambertin?
- bigger, fuller, more masculine expression of Pinot noir
- AOC with the highest number of Gran Cru climats in Cote d’Or with 9
- more Clay in soils
- Best known and most important village
-Côte de Nuits
What are characteristics of Chambolle-Musigny AOC?
- most delicate wines of The Côte d’Or
- 2 grand crus (Musigny and Les Bonnes Mares)
- main Chardonnay area of Côte de Nuits
- only white in Côte de Nuits
What are the characteristics of Vougeot AOC?
- epicenter of historical Burgundy
- 1 famous grand Cru: Clos de Vougeot
- very earthy wines
-Côte de Nuits
What are the characteristics of Vosne-Romanee + Nuits-St. Georges AOC?
- lots of very tiny vineyards
- 8 of the most prestigious grand crus in the world (Romanee-Conti, La Tache, Echezeaux)
- velvety, but structured
-Côte de Nuits
What are characteristics of Côte de Beaune?
- more important area for structured/Oaked/long aging whites
- the few reds are elegant and finessed compared to Côte de Nuits
- soil is the key difference with Côte de Nuits: more limestone/younger soils, giving wines higher acidity and minerality (which is better for Chardonnay)
- only one red Grand Cru (Corton)
What are characteristics of Corton AOC?
- Corton and Corton Charlemagne are the 2 great grand Cru vineyards: They contain 28 climats that are labeled
- most juicy, thick, and fat whites of Burgundy
- Corton is always Grand Cru
- Corton mostly produces red wine (95%)
- Only red Grand Cru of Cote de Beaune
- Largest Grand Cru of Burgundy
-Côte de Beaune
What are characteristics of Mersault AOC?
- the great white wine: world class Chardonnay that inspired half the world (Napa, Italy, South America, Australia….)
- wines tend to have a higher oak usage due to massive acidic structure. Rich mid-palate and unique notes of cereals
- no grand Cru vineyards
-Côte de Beaune
What are characteristics of Puligny-Montrachet/Chassagne-Montrachet AOC?
- The most balanced, long-aging white of Burgundy
- notes of marzipan, almonds, and honey
- 5 grand Cru parcels
-Côte de Beaune
T or F: Chablis is the southernmost area of Burgundy.
False. Chablis is the Northernmost area of Burgundy.
What are the wine areas/districts of Burgundy?
Chablis Cote de Nuits (red) Cote de Beaune (white) Cote Chalonnaise Maconnais (white) Beaujolais (gamay)
What are characteristics of Burgundy?
- Pushes the concept of terroir to the extreme (every vineyard and every parcel is classified)
- 33 Grand cru vineyards
- All Burgundy AOCs are villages
- Concentration on mono-varietals
- Less use of oak
- More use of native yeasts
- More white wine than red wine production
What was the first cru (single vineyard) of Burgundy?
Clos de Vougeot
What is the largest producer in Burgundy?
Louis Latour
What are the classification levels of Burgundy?
- GRAND CRUS (33) - single vineyard classified grand
- PREMIER CRUS (635) - single vineyard classified 1st groth
- VILLAGE APPELLATIONS (44) - blend of vineyards w/in a village
- REGIONAL APPELLATION - blend of multiple villages/ all regions
What are the grapes of Burgundy?
*Chardonnay
*Pinot Noir
Aligote
Melon
Gamay
What are three important villages of Cote be Beaune?
Corton
Mersault AOC
Puligny-Montrachet/ Chassagne-Montrachet
What are characteristics of Cote Chalonnaise?
*Middle Burgundy
*good values genrally, but producer dependent
62% delicate, soft, light reds
*sparkling wines are widely produced here ( Cremant de Bourgone)
What are important AOCs of Cote Chalonnaise?
Rully AOC
Mercurey AOC
What are characteristics of Rully AOC?
- soft and generous wines
- 50/50 red/white production
- reds have supple, soft tannins and floral scents
- reds that do well with fish
What are characteristics of Mercurey AOC?
- some of lightest colored wines of BURGUNDY
- very, very floral and delicate with strawberry
- high acidity
What are characteristics of Maconnais?
- area focuses on best values of Burgundy
- climate is milder than Cote d’or (closer to Mediterranean)
- less acidity/less earthiness/more ripeness and fruitiness
- mainly limestone = minerality + schist
What are the grapes of Maconnais?
*Chardonnay (main grape)
Gamay
What are the basic common appellations of Maconnais?
Macon AOC
Macon Villages
Puilly-Fuisse AOC
What are considered to be the best villages of Maconnais?
Puilly and Fuisse
What are characteristics of Puilly-Fuisse?
- only whites
* fruitiest and ripest whit Burgundy with hints of minerality (salty limestone)
What are characteristics of Beaujolais?
- land of the fruitiest, softest red, darkest/purple wines of Burgundy
- mildest, warmest climate of the region
What winemaking method is used to make Beaujolais?
Carbonic Maceration
What is the primary grape of Beaujolais?
Gamay (very little Pinot Noir)
What are characteristics of Champagne?
- most northerly of all of France’s wine regions
- cold, harsh climate
- extremely cold winters
- spring frosts are common and severe
- maritime influence, abundant cloud cover
What are the primary grapes of Champagne?
- pinot noir
- pinot meunier
- chardonnay
T or F: Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape in Champagne?
False. Pinot Noir is the most widely planted grape of Champagne
What characteristics does Pinot Noir contribute to Champagne?
- cherry and strawberry fruit
- power
- structure
- richness
- alcohol
- good acidity
What characteristics does Pinot Meunier contribute to Champagne?
- acid
- red fruit
- depth
- earthiness
What characteristics does Chardonnay contribute to Champagne?
- floral notes
- citrus
- apple
- lightness
- elegance
What are the soils of Champagne?
Chalk is the primary soil
other soil is limestone-rich marl (kimmeridgian)
What is the classification system of Champagne vineyards?
Echelle Des Crus System (1 - 100 point scale)
What are the quality classification levels of Champagne?
- GRAND CRUS - rated 100%
- PREMIER CRUS - rated at 90 - 99%
- VLLLAGE - rated at 80 - 89%; are not crus, just basic
What are important grand crus of Champagne?
Ambonnay Avize Bouzy Le Mesnil - Sur - Oger Verzenay
T or F: Champagne focuses on monovarietal production.
FALSE: The best Champagnes are a blend of all grapes of the region. The is some monovarietal production: Blanc de Blanc (all Chardonnay) and Blanc de Noir (only de=ark-skinned grapes)
