Burgundy and Beaujolais Flashcards
Maconnais - General
Chardonnay mostly, with some Gamay and a little Pinot Noir
Macon regional appellation - red or white
Whites: fresh apple, citrus, med acid, med body, creamy MLF
Reds: light and fruity for early drinking
Cote Chalonnaise Appellations
All have 1er Cru, no Grand Cru
Rully - more white, sparkling big
Mercurey - reds with high reputation
Givry - small app, reds admired
Montagny - whites only
Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise - generic appellation for Pinot Noir reds and Chardonnay whites
Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau
Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau producted in larger alluvial plain.
Carbonic maceration is primary process.
Beaujolais Nouveau - early drinking wine, released 3rd Thursday in November and sold until following August 31. Cannot be from the 10 Cru. Light body, low tannin, red berry, kirsch, banana, cinnamon.
Macon Villages
Macon Villages or Macon-XXX high value
May be from any combination or an XXX designation
Pouilly-Fuisse and Saint-Veran: vines planted on S-E limestone slopes. Amphitheater of sun.
Ripe notes of tropical, stone fruits. Richest Chards in Burgundy with toasty oak flavors.
Gamay
High-yielding grape
Best wines in low-yield soils
Gobelet pruning - head trained bush, shoots tied together to hold verticle. Increasing numbers using VSP for mechanisation.
Fragrant, raspberry, cherry, med tannin, med body, can be very light and even served chilled.
Beaujolais - Climate and Grape Growing
Moderate Continental, similar to Maconnais
Ideal for early budding and ripening GAMAY
Best from granite soils, low nutrients, limiting yields
Cote d’Or
Cote De Nuits - Villages + Grand Cru (N-S)
Gevrey-Chambertin (Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Beze)
Vougeot (Clos de Vougeot)
Vosne-Romanee (Romanee-Conti, La Tache, La Romanee)
Nuits Saint-Georges
Cote Chalonnaise
South of Cote d’Or at higher altitude, less east aspect
Cooler, later harvest less reliable at ripening
Less concentrated and prestigious than Cote d’Or
Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de…
From vineyards to the west and at higher altitudes than Cote de Nuits or Cote de Beaune
Altitude and wind exposure = cooler climate
Less body and concentration
Burgundy - Chablis
Chardonnay-only village appellation far north, with FROST as an issue. Sprinklers and heaters used to protect.
Best are on south-facing slopes
Lesser vineyards (Petit Chablis) and basic village-level (Chablis) are austere, green fruit, high acid. Some riper.
1er and Grand Cru Chablis are ripe, concentrated, citrus, more body, balanced high acid. Often with older oak to round out.
Burgundy Climate
Cool Continental - Chablis
Moderate Continental - further south
Rain hazards during flowering and harvest
South/East aspect offers wind protection
Burgundy Site Impact
Premier cru and grand cru often mid-slope (frost protection), and often with South or Southeast facing exposure (wind protection)
Basic village-level wines on flats or slope bottoms
Soils highly varied due to many small geological faults
Hillsides shallower soils than the fertile, deeper flats
Cote d’Or
Cote de Beaune - Villages + Grand Cru
Aloxe-Corton (Corton, Corton-Charlemagne)
Beaune
Pommard, Volnay (no red either)
*Mersault
*Puligny-Montrachet (Montrachet)
*Chassagne-Montrachet (Montrachet)
Cote d’Or General
North-Cote de Nuits, reds only from Pinot Noir. All but one red Grand Cru here.
South-Cote de Beaune, whites from Chardonnay (some fruity red). All but one white Grand Cru here (other is in Chablis).
Beaujolais Appellations
Beaujolais
Beaujolais Villages
Beaujolais Cru
Chardonnay
Almost 1/2 of Burgundy planting with multiple styles. Best when balanced and expressive.
Lean and steely, high-acid Chablis
Complex and expressive Cote d’Or
Full-bodied, ripe fruit in Macon
Premox problem…
Burgundy Appellations
Hierarchy based on vineyard site. Note there are declassifications
1-Regional appellations ~ 50%, no right to superior app
2-Bourgogne Rouge / Bourgogne Blanc - generic anywhere
3-Restricted regionals (Bourgogne Haute Cotes…)
4-Commune appellations (Chablis, Gevrey-Chambertin)
5-Single vineyards: 600(10%) 1er Cru, 34 (1%) Grand Cru
Beaujolais Villages and Cru
North and west along Rhone River, rolling hills of granite soil.
39 villages - Beaujolais Villages. Rarely named. Mostly blends.
10 villages have their own Cru. Structured, concentrated, age-worthy wines.
Brouilly, Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent
Often crushed fruit ferment and oak aging in large vats
Others use semi-carbonic maceration with some whole bunches
Pinot Noir
Over 1/3 of total vyds in Burgundy, thin skinned and susceptible to rot
Red fruit evolves to earth, game, mushroom
High acid, low-to-med tannin
Varied winemaking, whole cluster is popular
Best get 16-18 months barrel age, best w new oak
Cote d’Or
Cote de Nuits-Villages
Cote de Beaune-Villages
Red or white from Cote de Nuits vyds, but not qualifying for famous village appellations
Reds only from Cote de Beaune, from any one or combination of villages. There are exceptions
