Burgundy Flashcards
What is the climate of Burgundy?
Climate ranges from cool continental in the north around Chablis to moderate continental to the south.
What are some major climatic hazards Burgundy can experience?
- Spring frosts (particularly in Chablis)
- Localised summer hail storms
What makes Burgundy prone to Grey rot?
frequent summer rains
What are the main grapes of Burgundy? (4)
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay, Aligote
What is the protective barrier on the Eastern fringe of Burgundy?
Massif Central
What kind of soil would you expect to find in Chablis?
Kimmeridgian
Describe Pinot Noir from Burgundy:
Red fruit flavors in youth that evolve into flavors of eart, game and mushroom as the wine matures. Wines tend to have high acidity and low to medium tannins but can vary widely according to vineyard, producer and vintage.
Describe the various styles of Chardonnay in Burgundy:
- lean, steely, high acid wines in Chablis
- complex, expressive wines made in the Cote d’Or often using some combination of MLF, barrel fermentation, barrel ageing, and lees during maturation
- full bodied, riper-fruited wines of the Macon
For top quality Burgundy wines made from Pinot Noir, how long is normal barrel ageing?
16-18 months
What style of wine(s) are produced from Aligote?
Neutral, high acid wines.
It is capable of making high quality wines when grown in sites where it can reach full ripeness, but these locations are often reserved for the more profitable Pinot Noir and Chardonnay so such wines are rare.
List the regions of Burgundy from North to South:
Chablis Cote de Nuits Hautes Cotes de Nuits Cote de Beaune Hautes Cotes de Beaune Cote Chalonnaise Maconnais
What is the river that flows through Burgundy?
R. Saone (joins the Rhone river in Lyon)
What river flows through Chablis?
R. Serein
What is a classification for lesser vineyards in Chablis?
Petit Chablis
What is the major climatic problem in Chablis? What are some commonly used solutions?
Frost
Sprinklers and heaters are both used as protective measures.
Describe vineyard sites across all levels of Chablis.
Petit Chablis and Chablis are often grown on north facing slopes and flatter land.
Premier and Grand cru vineyards are located on south facing slopes with better aspect giving greater concentration and ripeness
Name the white Grand Cru in Cote de Nuits
Musigny
Name the red Grand Cru in Cote de Beaune
Corton
In the Maconnais regional appellations, what wines are allowed in Macon and Macon Villages?
Macon - red and white
Macon Villages - white only
List the generic hierarchy of Burgundy appellations.
Regional > Commune > Single Vineyard
What is a term for a vineyard belonging to just one owner?
Monopole
List the production percentages in the Burgundy hierarchy.
Regional - around 50%
Commune - around 35%
Premier Cru - around 10%
Grand Cru - little more than 1%
From north to south, name the key villages of Cote de Nuits (with their most famous Grand Cru sites)
- Gevrey-Chambertin (Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Beze)
- Vougeot (Clos de Vougeot)
- Vosne-Romanee (Romanee-Conti, La Tache, and La Romanee)
- Nuits-Saint-George
From north to south, name the key villages of Cote de Beaune (with their most famous Grand Cru sites)
- Aloxe-Corton (Corton, Corton-Charlemagne)
- Beaune
- Pommard
- Volnay
- Meursault
- Puligny-Montrachet (Montrachet)
- Chassagne-Montrachet (Montrachet)
What are the three villages with the highest with the highest reputation for whites in Cote de Beaune?
Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet with the last two sharing the Grand Cru (Montrachet)
What styles of wine can be made in Cote de Nuits-Villages?
Red or White
What styles of wine can be made in Cote de Beaune-Villages?
Red only
Where are the vineyards of Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits and Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune? Why and how are the wines geographically affected?
To the west and at higher altitude of the main strip.
Their higher altitude and greater exposure to winds gives them a cooler climate and means that the wines typically have less body and concentration.
What are the four village appellations of Cote Chalonnaise? Briefly describe what each appellation is known for.
- Rully (more white than red. Important for sparkling production)
- Mercurey (red wines here have the highest reputation)
- Givry (smallest of the village appellations, admired for reds)
- Montagny (produces only white wines)
What are the two most famous villages of the Maconnais?
Pouilly-Fuisse and Saint-Veran
