Burgundy Flashcards
What are the two major grape varietals of Burgundy?
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
What is the Climate in Burgundy?
Continental
What is the topography of the best vineyards in Burgundy?
Hillside slope facing east/southeast
What are the five sub-regions of Burgundy from North to South
Chablis Côte d'Or Côte Chalonnaise Mâconnais Beaujolais
What is the soil in Burgundy?
Chalk
Calcareous clay
Marl
Limestone
What is the soil in Beaujolais?
Granite
What is the Code of Inheritance?
Law made by Napoleon in 1804 stating that estates would be divided equally among male heirs instead of going only to the first born
Burgundy AOP Pyramid
33 Grands Crus (2%)
550-600 Premier Crus (12%)
Village Wines (30%)
Regional Appellations (56%)
Chablis Factors of Production
Location: 80 miles north of Cote d’Or
Climate: Cool continental
Soil: Kimmeridgian clay/limestone
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Viticulture: Harvest is critical with threat of frost
Vinification: Oak is common on the high end and not on the low end wines. Malolactic fermentation is common
Chablis AOPs
Chablis AOP
Petit Chablis AOP
Chablis Premier Cru AOP (40 vineyards)
Chablis Grand Cru AOP (7 vineyards)
What are the Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis?
Les Clos Valmur Vaudésir Les Preuses Bougros Grenouilles Blanchot
Côte d’Or is made up of what two sections?
Côte de Nuits (North)
Côte de Beaune (South)
What does the word Côte mean in French?
Hillside or slope
Côte de Nuits Factors of Production
Topography/Aspect: Hillsides and ridges
Climate: Continental
Soil: Marl and Limestone
Grape Varieties: Pinot Noir
Viticulture: Threat of frost, summer hail, and excessive rain in the fall
Vinification: Use of French oak, often new. Some produces ferment with whole grape clusters, others completely de-stem
Bourgogne AOP
Pinot Noir or Chardonnay from anywhere in Burgundy
Bourgogne Côte d’Or AOP
Pinot Noir or Chardonnay grown in Côte de Nuits or Côte de Beaune areas of production.
Côte de Nuits Villages AOP
General appellation for Pinot Noirs from five small areas in the Côte de Nuits
What are the 9 villages in Côte de Nuits?
Marsannay Fixin Gevrey-Chambertin Morey-St. Denis Chambolle-Musigny Vougeot Vosne-Romanée Flagey-Echézeaux Nuits-Saint-Georges
Côte de Nuits Premier Cru AOP
More than 130 specific, individually named premier cru vineyards. 100% of grapes are either single vineyard or a blend of grapes from any of the premier cru vineyards in Côte de Nuits
Côte de Nuits Grand Cru AOP
100% of grapes are grown in the named grand cru vineyard site. 24 of the 33 grand cru vineyards in Burgundy are in the Côte de Nuits.
Name 5 Côte de Nuits Grand Cru AOP
Chambertin Bonnes-Mares Musigny La Tâche La Romanée
Top Recent Vintages of Côte de Nuits
2015 2014 2010 2009 2005
Côte de Beaune Factors of Production
Climate: Continental with a wide range of microclimates from village to villageand even vineyard to vineyard
Soil: Marl and limestone
Grape Varieties: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Vinification: Oak, often new, is used for both reds and whites
What are some of the best known villages in Côte de Beaune
Aloxe-Corton Beaune Pommard Volnay Mersault Puligny-Montrachet Chassagne-Montrachet
Côte de Beaune Premier Cru AOP
100% of grapes are either single vineyard or a blend of grapes from any of the premier cru vineyards in Côte de Beaune. There are hundreds of premier cru vineyards in Côte de Beaune.
Côte de Beaune Grand Cru AOP
100% of grapes are grown in the named grand cru vineyard site. 8 Burgundy grand cru vineyards are in Côte de Beaune
Name 5 Côte de Beaunne Grand Cru AOP
Corton Corton-Charlemagne Montrachet Bâtard-Montrachet Chevalier-Montrachet
Top Recent Vintages of Côte de Beaunne
2015 2014 2010 2009 2005
Côte Chalonnaise Factors of Production
Location: Directly south of the Côte d’Or
Climate: Continental
Soil: Limestone
Grape Varieties: Chardonnay, Aligoté (small plots), Pinot Noir
Vinification: Little to no new oak used for whites or reds
Are there any grand crus in Côte Chalonnaise?
No but there are many premier crus
What are the five main villages in Côte Chalonnaise?
Montagny AOP - Chardonnay Bouzeron AOP - Aligoté Rully AOP - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Crémant de Bourgogne Givry AOP - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Mercurey AOP - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Mâconnais Factors of Production
Topography/Aspect: This is a relatively large area with low-lying hills and fairly flat farmland
Climate: Continental, but slightly warmer and drier than the more northern Burgundy regions
Grape Varieties: 90% Chardonnay also Pinot Noir and Gamay
Vinification: Little use of new oak aside from Pouilly-Fuissé
Are there any grand or premier crus in Mâconnais?
No
Name the three main villages of Mâconnais.
Mâcon AOP - Chardonnay
Saint Véran AOP - Chardonnay
Pouilly-Fuissé AOP - Chardonnay
Beaujolais Factors of Production
Location: South of and slightly overlapping Mâconnais
Climate: Continental but warmer than the rest of Burgundy
Soils: Schist and granite (in the north) and sandstone and clay (in the south)
Grape Varieties: Chardonnay (small volume) and Gamay
Viticulture: Hillside vineyards with low yields in the north and flatter plains in the south.
Vinification: Carbonic maceration, stainless steel, used or older French oak barrels
Beaujolais AOP
Made from grapes grown anywhere in the region (small amount is white)
Beaujolais Nouveau
These easy drinking red wines are released on the third Thursday in November following the harvest. They should be drunk soon afterwards.
Beaujolais-Villages AOP
There are 38 designated villages. The wines do not have the names on the labels and are simply designated as villages.
Beajolais Crus
These are the regions best wines. 10 named villages each with its own AOP. Reds only made from Gamay. Hillside vineyards. Granite soil.
