Côte d’Or Flashcards
The narrow strip of vineyards that comprises Côte d’Or winegrowing region lies on the western edge of the low____River Plain, occupying eastern slopes of a series of hills rising 400-500m elevation-the côtes.
Saône River Plain
Forged during the Jurassic period, is the building block of the Côte d’Or, and its topsoils typically contain some combination of___ and ___. As one travels eastward from the forested plateaus above the Côte d’Or down-slope toward the Saône, clay content rises appreciably.
Limestone and clay-If the limestone content is higher it may be termed argillaceous limestone; if lower-soil is known as marl or calcareous clay.
The limestone escarpments of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune rose upward thirty million years ago as the plain—a rift valley—collapsed, and over time, the Saône River Plain filled with nitrogen-rich, humid clay soils, the result of this geological upheaval and erosion from the côtes. True or False
True-The côtes are cut here and there by combes—a significant geological feature of the region (dry, transverse valleys, carved during the last ice age by melt-water and erosion), which today serve as conduits for both cool breezes and hailstorms. Thousands of years of erosion deposited deep alluvial fans of pebbles-stone at the mouths of the combes, diversifying soil makeup. The combes play a large role in the complexity of the Côte d’Or’s terroir.
Broadly speaking, the Côte de Nuits faces due____while the Côte de Beaune’s vineyards turn to face______.
east; southeast
True or False: Soils in the Côte de Beaune, with the exception of the environs of Montrachet, tend to contain greater amounts of marl and less limestone than those in the Côte de Nuits.
True-The Côte de Beaune has about twice as much land under vine as the Côte de Nuits: its strip of vineyards is wider and numerous appellations are located in side valleys rather than along the escarpment of the côte itself.
True or False: Both regions produce more red wine than white; in fact, the Côte de Nuits produces hardly any village white wines at all, even if most of its appellations are entitled to do so. The Côte de Beaune, however, is more renowned for white wine quality: all but one of the grands crus authorized to produce white wine are located in the Côte de Beaune.
True
Many of the best red wine vineyards—and all but one red grand cru appellation ______—are located in the Côte de Nuits. Despite its more southerly location and slightly warmer mesoclimate, Côte de Beaune reds are generally lighter in style.
All but one red grand cru appellation—are located in the Côte de Nuits
Red and white wines in both regions are typically aged in oak—____liter pièce remains the traditional barrel of choice, although some producers are adding larger barrels to the cellar, particularly for aging white wines.
228 liter-% of new oak typically climbs in concordance with ascending quality; Côte de Nuits reds will also show more new oak than those from the Côte de Beaune.
For white wines the practice of _____, or stirring the wine’s lees during élevage, is one of the more impactful decisions a winemaker can make in regards to final style and age-worthiness of the wine.
bâtonnage-Frequent stirring is an oxidative procedure that can round out young wines, but wines destined for longer lives do not necessarily require the immediate richness and texture that bâtonnage offers.
