C15 - Burgundy (reviewed) Flashcards
Describe climate of burgundy
- Overall: Cool continental in the north around Chablis and moderate continental further south in Maconnais
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Rain
- Frequently disrupts flowering in early summer and harvest later in the year
- Making grey rot a potential issue since Pinot Noir is a thin-skinned grape highly suceptible to grey rot
- Hazards: spring frosts and summer hail
Describe climate of Chablis
Highly suceptible to spring frosts as late as May
Where are the more generic vs. premier / grand cru vineyards usually located in Burgundy?
- Basic: on flat sites or at the bottom of slopes
- Premium:
- mid-slope as makes them less prone to frost
- South or east facing: sun exposure and sheltered from prevailing westerly winds
Describe soils of Burgundy?
- The soils are very varied, as a result of a large number of geological faults combined with gradual erosion
- Resulting in subtle changes in wine-style
- Soils on hillsides are shallower and better drained
- Soil on flat land is deeper and more fertile
What are the grapes used in Burgundy wine production?
- Pinot Noir (Over a third of the production, grown throughout, but the most important plantings are in the Côte d’Or)
- Chardonnay (~50%)
- Aligoté
- Gamay
Describe typical Burgundian Pinot Noir
- High acidity
- Low to medium tannin
- Red fruit flavours in youth
- Evolve into flavours of earth, game and mushroom
Which practice gradually became more popular in Burgundian vinification of Pinot Noir?
The use of whole bunches
Describe Pinot Noir aging in Burgundy’s best wines?
- 16 to 18 months in barrel
- Generally speaking the better wines will be aged in a proportion of new oak (although it really depends on the producer).
What proportion of vineyard area in Burgundy does Chardonnay usually account for?
Nearly half
Describe the character of Chardonnay in Burgundy
The character of Chardonnay in Burgundy varies daramtically depending on the region:
- Chablis - Lean, steely and high acid
- Côte d’Or - Complex and expressive
- Mâcon - Full bodied, riper fruits
Chardonnay in Burgundy is the foundation of the modern style of premium Chardonnay production
What are the four modern techniques used in Chardonnay production in Burgundy that now contribute to the world’s most famous Chardonnays?
- Barrel fermentation
- Barrel ageing (6-9 months typically)
- MLF
- Using lees during maturation
What is still in high debate when it comes to Burgundian vinification of Chardonnay?
- How much new oak ageing is appropriate
- The appropriate amount of toasting for barrels
How long can the best Burgundian Chardonnay age for?
Ten years or more
What problem was discovered with Burgundian Chardonnays 15 years ago?
- Chardonnays were not ageing as expected with some bottles of premium wines showing signs of premature oxidation
- This is now an established problem in Burgundy
- No cause (whether vineyard of winery-based) has yet been identified.
What is the other white grape variety grown in Burgundy and what are its flavour profile ?
- Aligoté
- White grape
- Neutral wines
- High acidity
- It can provide high quality wines when grown in the right vineyard where it can ripen fully but these are usually reserved for Chardonnay so such wines are rare.
Why does Aligoté rarely produce quality wines in Burgundy?
Appropriate sites are usually taken by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Describe Gamay in Burgundy
- Early drinking red
- Low tannins
- Ripe berry fruit
- Some regional appelations, but nothing higher. Only Pinot Noir for wine of Village level and above.
Describe Chablis in Burgundy
- Location: In the valley of the Serein River (northernmost Burgundy)
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Climate: Cool continental
- Spring frosts are major hazards - use of sprinklers and heatersis common
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Wineyards:
- Basic/village level grown on North-facing slopes & flatter land
- Premier/grand cru sites grown on South facing hillsides
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Wines:
- Chardonnary is only permitted grape variety
- Lesser Chablis vineyards are known as Petit Chablis
Describe the flavours of Chablis
Petit Chablis and Chablis
- Can be very austere with green fruit and high acidity
- Better examples show riper fruit flavours
Chablis Crus
- High acidity
- More body
- Riper, more concentrated fruit (citrus rather than green apple)
- Some Cru producers age Chablis in old oak to gives a rounder texture and subtle flavours
How may pure fruit flavours be retained in Chablis?
By fermenting and storing wines in stainless steel or concrete
What are the different appellations in Burgundy?
- Regional appellations
- Bourgogne Rouge, Bourgogne Blanc
- Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
- Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beane
- Bourgogne Côtes Chalonnaise
- Macon (red and white)
- Macon Villages (white only)
- Côte de Nuits-Villages
- Côte de Beaune Villages
- Communal appellations - e.g, Chablis, Chambertin
- Single Vineyard appleations: Premiers Crus and Grands Crus
Describe Côte d’Or
- The Massif Central runs along the western limit of Côte d’Or, providing favourable east and southeast facing hillside locations
- Côte de Nuits
- Best known for many of the fullest-bodied, longest-lived Pinot Noirs
- Home to all but one of the red Grand Crus
- Côte de Beaune
- Best know for the best Chardonnays in Burgundy
- Home to all but one of the white Grand Crus
- Also produces reds in a fruitier style than those of Côte de Nuits
List the key villages of Côtes de Nuit, running from north to south with their key grands crus sites
- Gevrey-Chambertin (Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Bèze)
- Vougeot (Clos de Vougeot)
- Vosne-Romanée (Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, La Romanée)
- Nuits Saint-Georges
List the key villages of the Côtes-de-Beaune in order from north to south, with their Grands Crus
Most known for red
- Aloxe-Corton (Corton, Corton-Charlemagne)
- Beaune
- Pommard (red only)
- Volnay (red only)
Most known for white
- Meursault
- Puligny-Montrachet (Montrachet)
- Chassagne-Montrachet (Montrachet)
What colour of wines do the key villages of Côtes de Beaune produce?
Both (all except for Pommard and Volnay which produce red only)
What are the three villages of Côtes de Beaune with the highest reputation for white wines?
- Meursault
- Puligny-Montrachet
- Chassagne-Montrachet
Describe regional appleations of Côtes de Nuits and Côte de Beaune
Côtes de Nuits-Villages and Côte de Beaune Villages
- Located to the west and at higher altitudes
- Higher altitudes and greater exposure to wind gives them a cooler climate and wines with less body and concentration
Côtes de Nuits-Villages
- Red or a white wine
- Can be from any village that doesn’t qualify as an appellation
Côte de Beaune Villages
- Red wine only
- Can come from any one or several village in Côte de Beaune (with some exceptions)
Describe Côte Challonaise
- Located to the south of the Côte d’Or
- Higher altitude
- Main grapes are Chardonnay Pinot Noir
- Due to the higher altitude harvest is later and ripening is less reliable
- Aspect is less consistently toward the east
- As a result - wines are lighter and mature earlier
What are the four main village appellations of the Côte Chalonnaise from North to South?
- Rully - More wines are white than red, an important centre for sparkling production
- Mercurey - Red wines enjoy the highest reputation of the Côte Chalonnaise
- Givry - quality red wines, smallest appellation of Chalonnaise
- Montagny - white wines only
All of the communes have premier cru vineyards, but no grands crus
Describe wines of Rully
More wines are white than red
An important centre for sparkling production
Describe the wines of Mercurey
Red wines enjoy the highest reputation of the Chalonnaise
Describe Givry and its wines
High reputation red wines
Smallest appellation of Chalonnaise
Describe the wines of Montagny
These are only white
Which of the four village appellations of Cote Chalonnaise have a premier cru and/or a grand cu
All of the communes have premier cru vineyards, but no grands crus
What is the regional appellation for the Côte Chalonnaise? Why style of wine can they be?
- Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise
- White wine from Chardonnay
- Red wine from Pinot Noir
What are the most widely planted grapes of the Mâconnais?
- Chardonnay - most planted grapes
- Gamay - principal red grape though some Pinot Noir is made
What is the regional appellation for the Mâconnais? Describe it
- Mâcon
- Can be red or white
- Better whites:
- Medium acidity
- Medium to full body
- Fresh apple or citrus fruit
- Some possible creaminess from MLF
- Red: Light and fruity, made for early drinking
Describe wines labelled Mâcon Villages or Mâcon followed by a village name
- White wine
- More ripeness, body and character than Mâcon
- Excellent value for money
- Village with the biggest reputation: Lugny
- May come from any village if labelled Mâcon Villages
Which are the two most famous village appellations in The Mâconnais?Descibe…
- Two most famous villages: Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran
- Ripe notes of tropical and stone fruits
- Most matured for a time in barrel to enhance texture and add flavour
- Planed on the limestone slopes of the Roche de Solutré with east and southeast exposures
- The slopes of Roche de Solutré are amphitheatre-like and act as natural sun traps and therefore produces some of the richest and ripest Chardonnays in Burgundy
- Often complemented by toasty oak flavours
What is the hierarchy of Burgundy appellations based on?
The quality of the vineyard sites
Describe the lowest rank in the Burgundy appellation hierarchy
- Regional appellations of Bourgogne Rouge and Bourgogne Blanc
- Vineyards that do not have the right to a superior appellation (or declassified region e.g. if excessive yield)
- Usually Pinot Noir or Chardonnay
Name Burgundy’s regional appellations which cover a slightly more restricted area
- Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
- Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune
- Bourgogne Côte Challonaise
- Mâcon (Red and white)
- Mâcon Villages (white only)
What is the next highest rank after regional appellations in Burgundy?
Commune appellations
What proportion of production in Burgundy do commune appellations account for?
About a third
What else may appear on a Burgundy commune wine other than the commune name? Why?
Vineyard name If the wine comes from a single vineyard and the vineyard is not a Cru
What term is sometimes used in Burgundy instead of commune?
Village
What are the appellations in Burgundy above commune?
Premier Cru
Grand Cru
What are Cru vineyards?
Vineyards that have consistently made high-quality wines
What is a monopole?
A vineyard which belongs to just one owner
How are vineyards organised in Burgundy?
They are divided between a number of different owners, each owning a different parcel of vines
How many premiers crus are spread between Chablis, the Côte d’Or and the Challonaise?
More than 600 representing 10% of Burgundy’s total production
What may also appear on a premier cru label (other than premier cru)?
The name of the vineyard
If the wine comes from a single vineyard
When may there be no vineyard name on the label of a Burgundy premier cru vineyard?
If the wine is a blend of wines from various premier cru vineyards within a village
What is the very top of the Burgundy appellation hierarchy?
- Grand Cru
- Little more than 1% of the total production of Burgundy
- 33 Côte d’Or and one Chablis
How can the grand cru wines of Burgundy be recognised? What else must appear?
Only the vineyard appears on the label ‘Grand Cru’
