Chablis: Viticultural Techniques

Question 1

What are the permitted vine training techniques for Chablis and Chablis Premier Cru AOP?

Answer 1

Permitted Training Methods: Guyot (simple or double), Cordon de Royat, Taille Chablis

Question 2

What are the minimum must weights for Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru AOP?

Answer 2

Minimum Must Weight:
Petit Chablis: 153 g/l (144 g/l prior to 2011)
**Chablis: **161 g/l (153 g/l prior to 2011)
Chablis “Premier Cru”: 170 g/l (161 g/l prior to 2011)
Chablis Grand Cru: 178 g/l (170 g/l prior to 2011)

Question 3

What is the minimum planting density for Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru AOPs?

Answer 3

Minimum Planting Density: 5,500 vines per hectare

Question 4

What is the maximum yield per ha for Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru AOP?

Answer 4

Maximum Yield (Rendement de Base): Petit Chablis: 60 hl/ha
Chablis: 60 hl/ha
Chablis “Premier Cru”: 58 hl/ha
Chablis Grand Cru: 54 hl/ha

Question 5

What are the common vine diseases found in Burgundy?

Answer 5

Powdery and downy mildews, Eutypa dieback, esca, and grey rot.

Question 6

What diseases in Burgundy specifically rot the wood?

Answer 6

The wood-rotting fungal diseases (Eutypa dieback, esca, and dead arm), which can infect vines through grafting or pruning wounds, have become a greater source of worry in recent years, particularly as sodium arsenite—a wintertime chemical application that successfully controlled this complex of pathogens in the past—has been banned for agricultural use in France since 2001.

Question 7

What vintages in Burgundy were known to be severely affected by rot and mildew?

Answer 7

In some vintages (e.g. 2007, 2011, 2012), rot and mildew can wreak havoc on grapevines and the quality of wines overall—timely spraying, careful harvesting and attentive sorting become crucial.

Question 8

What are some common insect threats that Vignerons in Burgundy come across?

Answer 8

Burgundy vigneron regularly faces: all manner of insects, from grape worms to various leafhoppers and arachnids, cause direct damage to vines in the tradition of phylloxera, while others act as viral disease vectors.

Question 9

What species of soil nematodes spreads court-noué (grapevine fanleaf virus), a feared viral contagion in Burgundy that causes significant fruit set loss, stunted vine growth, and yellowing and curling of leaves.

Answer 9

Soil nematode: (Xiphinema index)

Question 10

What bug infestation was blamed on the “off” green notes of red wine in Burgundy for the 2004 and 2011 vintages?

Answer 10

Ladybugs: They secrete pyrazines as pheromones!

Question 11

What vine training method is this?

Answer 11

Double Guyot:
Common in Chablis

Question 12

Name the below vine training method.

Answer 12

Guyot or single Guyot:
Common in Chablis

Question 13

Name the below pictured vine training method.

Answer 13

Cordon de Royat:
Common in Chablis

Question 14

What is the below vine training method?

Answer 14

Taille Chablis:
Common in Chablis

Question 15

What type of disease does this insect spread?

Answer 15

Flavescence dorée, a disease caused by the spread of phytoplasma, specialized bacteria that are parasitic to plant material. Leafhopper insects spread the bacteria from vine to vine; growth slows, berries shrivel, leaves yellow, and the vine itself may die.

Question 16

What rootstock is most commonly used in Chablis?

Answer 16

41B, a vinifera (Chasselas) x berlandieri hybrid first developed in 1882, was the answer—its American parent conferred phylloxera resistance and its vinifera parent made it lime-tolerant. 41B is still widely planted in Chablis today, as is SO4.

Question 17

What does the attached picture show?

Answer 17

Chafferette: A diesel burning smudge pot employed in Chablis when the threat of frost in immenent.

Question 18

What is happening in the picture below?

Answer 18

The process of using water sprinklers to protect budding vines from late-spring frosts. The sprinklers are turned on just as temperatures dip below freezing, forming a protective barrier of ice that shields young vine buds from colder temperatures. aka aspersion

Question 19

What are the drawbacks to aspersion?

Answer 19

Water must be applied constantly when the temperature dips below freezing, and blocked/frozen pipes can pose a real challenge. The volume of water increases the humidity around the vines, which may cause frost to linger. And on a windy day, one might end up protecting a neighbor’s vines rather than his/her own!