Burgundy & Beaujolais Flashcards
what is the climate in Burgundy
Cool continental in the north to moderate continental in the south
what are the weather hazards in Chablis
Late spring frosts, summer hail storms and rainfall which can disrupt flowering and bud break ( rain is an issue across all of Burgundy ). Rain also causes an issue with rot. Pinot is esp susceptible
What are the prevailing winds in Burgundy…..which vineyards are therefore protected
Westerly. South and East facing vineyards are protected
Where are the village level vineyards typically located
On the flat lands or at the bottom of slopes
Where are the premier and grand cru vineyards typically situated. What is the advantage of this
Mid slope. Better drainage and less frost
What can be said about the soils on slopes vs soil on flat lands
Soil on slopes is more shallow and better draining. Soil on flats is deeper and more fertile
In addition to Chardonnay and Pinot what other grapes are also grown
Aligote and Gamay
What is the typical flavor profile of red Burgundy
red fruit flavors in youth developing into game, earth and mushroom with age. High acid, low to med tannin
Appox what percentage of Burgundy is planted with Pinot …Chardonnay
33% and 50% respectively
How long are the best wines matured in oak typically
16 - 18 months with at least a proportion being in new oak
How does the flavor profile of Chardonnay vary across Burgundy
Chablis - lean steely, high acid.
Cote D’Or - complex and expressive, stone fruit and oak
Macon - full bodied, riper, tropical fruit
How long are the best Chardonnays from Cote D’Or aged in oak
6 - 9 months
What are the winemaking techniques pioneered by white burgundy makers
Barrel fermentation, barrel maturation, use of lees, lees stirring and MLF
How long can the best Burgundy Chardonnays age in the bottle
A decade or more
What type of trellising is common in Burgundy
Vertical shoot positioning
What is the french for stones
Perrier
What problem did burgundy chardonnays start experiencing around 15 years ago
Premox
Describe wine made from Aligote. Why is it rare to find high quality ones
Dry high acid white with neutral flavors Needs a premium site to achieve full ripeness but such places are reserved for more profitable pinot and chardonnay
Describe Burgundian Gamays
Red fruit, early drinking with low tannin
List the major Burgundy regions from N to S
Chablis, Cote de Niut, Cote de Beaune, Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnaise
What grapes are permitted in Chablis
Chardonnay only
In what valley is Chablis located
Valley of the river Serein
Where are the best Chablis vineyards. What are the lesser vineyards known as
On south facing slopes. Petit Chablis
What is the major climatic problem in Chablis. What is used to combat it
Frost. Sprinklers and heaters
Is Gamay allowed in village level wine
No only in regional appellations
Where is basic village level Chablis grown
North facing slopes an flatter land
What can be said about the fruit character of Chablis between basic and high quality examples
The fruit is green fruit and high acid but the fruit is riper in high quality Chablis which also shows more citrus than green apple
Does Chablis see new oak
Not generally. Some 1er and Grand Crus are aged in old oak
What is the name of the geographic feature that runs along the western limit of the Cote D Or providing east and south easterly facing slopes
Massif Central
Compare the red wines produced in Cote de Nuit and Cote de Beaune
CDN are full bodied and long lived. CDB are lighter and more fruity
What is the split of white and red grand cru vineyards between CDN and CDB
All but one of the whites is in CDB. All but one of the reds are in CDN
From N to S name the 11 villages of Cote D Or
Gevrey Chambertain, Vougeot, Vosne Romanee, Nuits St George, Aloxe Corton, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Mersault, Puligny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet
Described the lowest appellation level of Burgundy
Regional ( Bourgoine Rouge and Blanc ), Bourgoine Hautes Cotes de Nuits, Bourgoigne Hautes Cotes de Beaune and Bourgiogne Cote Chalonnaise. Macon ( reds only ), Macon Villages ( whites only )
Described the second from bottom appellation level of Burgundy. Give 2 examples
Commune or Village. Chablis, Gevrey Chambertain
Approx what percentage of Burgundy production comes from regional, village and 1er cru and Grand cru appellations
50%, 33%, 10%, 1%
What is the name given to a Burgundy vineyard with a single owner
Monopole
Roughly how many 1er and Grand crus are there
600+ / 33 ( = 1 in Chablls )
If the wine comes from a 1er cru or Grand cru single vineyard what will appear on the label
Grand / Premier Cru and the vineyard name. Grand Cru does not show the village
Can the name of the vineyard appear on the label of a wine which is not cru status
Yes if the it is a single vineyard village wine
When does the vineyard NOT appear on a 1er cru wine
If the wine is blended from grapes sources from more than one 1er cru vineyard in the same village
What are the grand cru sites of Gevrey Chambertin
Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Beze
Grand cru sites of Vougeot and Vosne Romanee
Clos de Vougeot, Romanee Conti, La Tache and La Romanee
Grand cru sites of Nuit St George
There are none
Grand Cru sites of Aloxe Corton
Corton, Corton Charlemagne
Grand Cru sites of Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault
There are none
Grand Cru sites of Puligny Montrachet and Chassagne Montrachet
Montrachet
which of the grand crus produce red or white wine
All except Volnay and Pommard produce both…these 2 are red only
what 3 villages have the best reputation for whites
Mersault, Puligny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet
How is a red or white wine from Cote de Nuit labelled if it is not from a famous village appellation
Cotes de Nuit Village
What can be deduced about a wine labelled as Cote de Beaune Village
It MUST be red. It came from one or a combination of villages of the Cote de Beaune
Where are the regional appellations of Bourgoigne Hautes Cote de Nuit and Beaune. How could their wine be described
To the W and at a higher elevation with greater exposure to winds. Wines have slightly less body and concentration
Describe the vineyards of the Chalonnaise compared to Cote D Or. What is the effect on the wines
Further south and at a higher elevation. Aspect is less consistently towards the east. Grapes ripen later and less consistently so the wines are lighter and mature earlier
What are the 4 village appellations of Chalonnaise
Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny
What sort of wines do the 4 Chalonnaise village appellations produce
Rully ( more white than red - also sparkling)
Mercurey ( best reputation for red )
Givry ( reds are admired )
Montagny ( whites only )
Are there any 1er or G cru sites in the Chalonnaise
All 4 village appellations have 1er cru sites but no Grand Cru
What is the regional appellation of the Chalonnaise …it is for red or white wine
Bourgogne Cote De Chalonnaise. Both red and white
What grapes are grown in the Maconnaise
Gamay, some Pinot and Chardonnay
What is the regional appellation for the Maconnaise. Describe typical reds and whites
Macon. Reds are light fruity and early drinking. Whites have good balance of fresh apple, citrus fruit, med acid and med to full body sometimes with creaminess from MLF
What are wines labelled Macon Village or Macon followed by the name of a village. Give 3 examples
ONLY white wines. Lugny, Pouilly Fuisse and Sant Veran
How do the white wines of Macon compare with Macon Village
Similar but less ripe with less body and character
Describe the wines from Pouilly Fuisse and Sant Veran. Describe where they are grown
Tropical and Stone fruit. Matured in barrel giving toasty oak flavors. Grown on the S and SE facing limestone slopes of the Roche de Solutre
How is the appellation named for a grand cru vineyard. Give an example
The name of the village where they GC vineyard is located. Appellation Gevrey Chambertin Controlee
Does Beaujolais produce red or white wines
Both but reds dominate
When does Gamay bud / ripen
Early bud / early ripen
What kind of soil yields the best Beaujolais wines …why is this
Granite soils. Gamay grows voraciously and if not controlled will produce very high yields of low quality. The granite soils are low in nutrients so limit yields naturally.
What is the typical method of pruning in Beaujolais. Describe it
Gobelet. Head trained, spur pruned with the shoots tied together holding them vertically.
What are the typical flavors of Beaujolais
red cherry and raspberry, Med tannin and body. Often notes of kirsch, banana and cinamon like spice from carbonic or semi carbonic maceration
What is the appellation hierarchy in Beaujolais
Regional, Beaujolais Village, Cru Beaujolais
Where is the appellation of Beaujolais
the alluvial plane of the River Saone
What is Beaujolais Nouveau
Made specifically for early drinking it is released on the 3rd thurs in Nov after the harvest and cannot be sold after 31 Aug the following year
Can cru Beaujolais be sold as Nouveau
No
How many villages can use the term Beaujolais Village . Where is the appellation in the region
- In the rolling hills to the N and W of the region
How many Crus - name 4
- Cote de Brouilly, Brouilly, Fleurie, Morgon, Moulin a vent
Described the cru wines from 4 places
Moulin a Vent and Morgon are more tannic with concentrated fruit. Can be aged. Brouilly and Fleurie are lighter and more perfumed
Do cru Beaujolais see oak
Many do but not new oak. Larger old barrels are typically used,
Why are many Beaujolais fermented by carbonic maceration
To impart a greater fresh fruit flavor
