Burgundy Flashcards
1
Q
Not including Beaujolais, how many hectares do Burgundy’s vineyards span over the four départements?
A
nearly 30,000 hectares, not including the wines of Beaujolais. While this may seem expansive, compare it to the 70,000 ha, or Bordeaux’s 117,500 ha in production! Even Champagne has more acreage under vine.
2
Q
Rhône Valley has how many hectares under vine?
A
70,000
3
Q
Bordeaux has how many hectares under vine?
A
117,500
4
Q
Does Champagne have more or less hectares under vine than Burgundy?
A
more
5
Q
Hectares Chablis & Grand Auxerrois?
A
6,148 ha
6
Q
Côte de Nuits hectares?
A
2,607 ha
7
Q
Côte de Beaune hectares?
A
4,703 ha
8
Q
Côte Chalonnaise hectares?
A
2,197 ha
9
Q
Mâconnais hectares?
A
5,767 ha
10
Q
Other Regional Area hectares?
A
7,324 ha
11
Q
Beaujolais hectares?
A
16,947 ha
12
Q
Burgundy’s largest white wine growing region?
A
Chablis
13
Q
Burgundy’s second largest white wine growing regions?
A
Mâconnais
14
Q
When considered collectively, Beaujolais typically produces about ______ of the wines of Burgundy.
A
one-third
15
Q
The region of Burgundy is positioned between ____ latitude?
A
46-48°
16
Q
the 47th parallel runs right through where?
A
Volnay
17
Q
Burgundy’s northerly location results in what type of climate?
A
a continental to semi-continental climate with four true seasons.
18
Q
Rainfall, which averaged ____ annually from 1980-2009, is spread throughout the year
A
750 mm
19
Q
What is wettest month of year in Burgundy?
A
May is the wettest month—inviting concerns of mildew and rot
20
Q
T/F Late summer in Burgundy is often mercifully drier.
A
True
21
Q
Sunshine hours number around _____ for the Burgundy growing season?
A
1,300
22
Q
Average July-August temperatures hover near?
A
20° C (68° F).
23
Q
During the heat of the summer, Burgundy may actually be warmer than?
A
many New World Pinot Noir- and Chardonnay-growing regions; however, sunshine and average temperatures throughout the entire season are lower, and the growing season is compressed—harvest often comes abruptly, as the fear of bad autumn weather hangs like a cloud.
24
Q
Is Chablis is generally cooler and wetter than the Côte d’Or?
A
and much more susceptible to spring frosts
25
Are the southern Mâconnais and Beaujolais slightly warmer than Côte d’Or?
Yes, in the Saône-et-Loire département temperatures throughout most of the year are 1-2° C higher than in the Côte d’Or.
26
Is Burgundy's climate changing?
Burgundy has always been considered a marginal climate for grape-growing—its successes were dependent on early-ripening varieties, expertly matched to preferred soil, slope and aspect patterns. Historically, budbreak arrived in late April, flowering in mid-June, véraison in early August, and harvesters began their work near the end of September. However, Burgundy’s climate is changing:
27
Warming trends in Burgundy have seen an approximate ___ increase in growing season average temperatures
1. 3° C
1. 1° C increase during the ripening period, with ~200 more growing degree-days. There has also been a general trend of longer frost-free periods and increases in the number of days above 35° C during the growing season and ripening period.
28
There's also been a ____ increase during the ripening period, with approximately ____ more growing degree-days.
1.1° C; 200
29
T/F There has also been a general trend of longer frost-free periods and increases in the number of days above 35° C during the growing season and ripening period.
True
30
What do Phenological changes in Burgundy show from 1952 through 2010?
Budbreak has trended earlier (11 days over the time period), bloom is earlier (11 days), veraison is earlier (10 days), and harvest dates are 16 days earlier (all statistically significant trends). There is also some evidence that there are shorter intervals between these events as well.
31
T/F The climate during the 1955-1980 period in Burgundy was on average like the coolest years during 1980-2005, while the period from 2005-2030 is projected to be on average like the warmest years during 1980-2005
True (so far)
32
Of late, high variability and extremes of hail, heavy rain, and frost have plagued the ____ and ______ regions. There is every indication that a warmer world can also be more variable and extreme
Burgundy and Champagne
33
Burgundy’s most planted grape, comprising almost half of the planted land in Burgundy?
Chardonnay.
34
As of 2011, how many hectares in Burgundy are chardonnay?
15,233
35
Chardonnay local Burgundy names?
Known as “Beaunois”—from Beaune—in the Yonne, the Chardonnay grape may take its modern name from the commune of Chardonnay in the Mâconnais
36
Chardonnay crossing?
Pinot x Gouais Blanc.
37
What was Chardonnay once called?
Pinot-Chardonnay and has frequently been mistaken for Pinot Blanc.
38
Name varieties found in Burgundy?
1. Chardonnay
2. Pinot Noir
3. Gamay
4. Aligote
5. Sauvignon Blanc
6. Pinot Blanc
7. Pinot Gris
8. César
9. Tressot
10. Sacy
11. Melon de Bourgogne
39
As of 2011, how many hectares in Burgundy are Pinot Noir?
(10,634 ha, 2011)
40
Does Pinot Noir have a longer history than most modern grape varieties?
Yes, the grape has likely existed for two millennia and may have descended from wild vines
41
What color is Pinot Noir grape?
black-skinned
42
How many clonal variations of Pinot Noir exist?
innumerable
43
What was Pinot Noir once referred to?
Morillon and Noirien, Pinot Noir’s modern name first appeared in the late 14th century in Burgundy
44
Is Pinot Noir thick or thin skinned?
Thin-skinned, delicate, easily susceptible to any number of vineyard diseases, and scarred by both frosts and heat.
45
Is Pinot Noir easy to deal with?
No, Pinot Noir is famously fussy on the vine and in the winery.
46
Pinot Noir accounts for ____ of the Burgundy vineyard.
one-third
47
As of 2011, how many hectares in Burgundy & Beaujolais are Pinot Noir?
(2,534 ha – Burgundy, 2011; 17,433 ha – Beaujolais, 2011)
48
Gamay's full name?
Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc
49
Gamay is a sibling of?
Chardonnay and a progeny of Pinot x Gouais Blanc
50
Is Gamay an old variety?
Yes.
51
Gamay has been the subject of many condemnations, starting when?
1395 with Philip the Bold’s ban on cultivation within the environs of Burgundy. Through the years Gamay wines have been the recipient of faint praise at best.
52
T/F Today Gamay is entering the spotlight?
True the wines of Beaujolais, its home turf, are better than ever, and the best are a real alternative in quality to mid-tier examples of Pinot Noir.
53
As of 2011, how many hectares in Burgundy are Aligoté?
1,910 ha, 2011.
54
Aligoté is a progeny of?
Pinot x Gouais Blanc (like chardonnay)
55
Second-most (if a distant second) important white variety in Burgundy?
Aligoté
56
Aligoté is usually employed for varietal white wines, particularly in the commune of?
Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise
57
As of 2011, how many hectares in Burgundy are Sauvignon Blanc?
1,505 ha, 2011
58
Sauvignon blanc is planted in the Yonne département in the vineyards of?
Saint-Bris AOP.
59
Sauvignon Blanc is a varietal generally found where?
Bordeaux
60
Is Pinot Blanc a distinct variety from Pinot Noir?
Technically no. Pinot Blanc is really just a green-skinned mutation
61
Where is Pinot Blanc often found?
Often Alsace or elsewhere instead of Burgundy, its home.
62
T/F In Burgundy, Pinot Blanc is frequently authorized, and occasionally grown, for AOP white wines—up to and including grands crus.
True
63
What is Pinot Gris?
Like Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris is a color mutation of Pinot Noir that occurred spontaneously in Pinot vineyards throughout Burgundy, the Loire Valley, Germany, and elsewhere.
64
T/F Pinot Gris,a grey- to rosy-skinned Pinot, is rarely found in Burgundy today, although it is still accepted for inclusion in many appellations.
True
65
What color is Pinot Gris grape?
rosy-skinned
66
What is Pinot Gris aka in Burgundy?
Pinot Beurot
67
Three rare varieties found in the Yonne département?
César, Tressot, and Sacy
68
What is César?
tannic red grape of probable German origin, gives strength and longevity to basic Pinot blends and the reds of Irancy, yet it is only permitted as a minor component in AOP wines
69
How many hectares of César remain?
Less than 10 ha remain
70
What is Tressot?
Red variety dating from at least the 14th century, descending from Duras and Petite Verdot—rare parentage for the Burgundy region.
71
Is Tressot commercially relevant?
No
72
What is Sacy?
Sacy (Saint-Pourçain’s Tressalier grape), a variety authorized only for sparkling wines in Burgundy. Also commercially irrelevant
73
Name varietals that are progenys of Pinot X Gouais Blanc?
1. Sacy
2. Gamay
3. Aligoté
4. Chardonnay
4. Melon de Bourgogne
74
T/F There is a lot of Melon de Bourgogne in Burgundy?
False. Melon left in Burgundy, but it has essentially migrated in whole to its new home in the Loire Valley’s Muscadet region.
75
What is the average annual production in Burgundy?
1.5 million hectoliters
76
What percentage are white wines of the average annual production in Burgundy?
60.5%
77
What percentage are red wines of the average annual production in Burgundy?
31.5%
78
What percentage are sparkling wines of the average annual production in Burgundy?
8%
79
What is the most heavily regulated region in France?
Burgundy
80
Roughly how many appellations are in Burgundy?
100
81
What are the four tier hierarchy appellations of the Burgundy AOP system?
1. régionale
2. village
3. premier (1er) cru
4. grand cru
quantities reduce but wine quality theoretically improves as one climbs the ladder
82
Régionale wines comprise about what % of production?
50%
83
Grrand cru appellations account for less than what % of the total production of Burgundy?
2%
84
Where are Grand Cru appellations located?
only in the Côte d’Or and Chablis,
85
Is Premier cru a separate class of AOP?
Technically no. These are legally defined geographic designations for village AOP wines.
86
What is the baseline regional appellation for the entire Burgundy wine growing region?
Bourgogne AOP.
87
What wine colors fall under Bourgogne AOP?
Red, white, and rosé and are generally produced from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.
88
Are regional Burgundy increasingly prominently stating the name of the variety on the label?
Yes
89
What other lesser Burgundy varieties may be included, but they are generally limited to supporting roles, and are in any case disappearing from modern vineyards?
1. Pinot Gris
2. Pinot Blanc
3. César
90
What led to Gamays disqualification for general Bourgogne AOP rouge and rosé wines in 2011?
Bourgogne AOP varietal wines labeled as Gamay are permitted in the area of Beaujolais, but an effort to stem consumer confusion led to the grape’s disqualification for general Bourgogne AOP rouge and rosé wines in 2011.
91
When gamay was disqualified for general Bourgogne AOP rouge and rose wines in 2011, what also happened?
At the same time, authorities rechristened a little-used regional appellation, Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire AOP, as Coteaux Bourguignons AOP in an attempt to revitalize it.
92
Coteaux Bourguignons shares the same broad dimensions as?
Bourgogne AOP, but its regulations allow the inclusion of Gamay in red blends. Inexpensive blended white and rosé wines are also authorized for the appellation.
