FR_BURGUNDY Flashcards
Red Grapes of Burgundy
2 Major
2 Minor
- Major: Pinot Noir and Gamay
- Minor: Tressot (trey-so) and César (say-sar)
Major/Minor White Grapes of Burgundy
- Major: Chardonnay and Aligoté
- Minor: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Beurut (Gris) and Sacy (sassy)
4 Wine Styles of Burgandy
- Dry red, white, rosé and sparkling
- Dry red sparkling
- Dry to semi-dry white, rosé and sparkling
- Late harvest is rare (usually in Mâcon)
Location of Burgundy
3 Facts
• 175 miles east of Paris
• Central/Eastern France
• Northwest of Alps
Main water-oriented Geological Feature of Burgundy
Soane River: a tributary of Rhône River
Burgundy Climate and Climate Threats
- Continental with warm, dry summers and cold, dry winters
- Spring and fall rain create threat of frost
4 Burgundy Soils
Limestone: A sedimentary rock (composed of once living organisms.) Chablis has highest amount. Best Chardonnay grows on Limestone.
Clay
Marl: clay and limestone
Granite: in Beaujolais
How long has wine been been made in Burgundy?
2000 years
Significance of Cluny Burgandy
- Benedictine Monks promoted winemaking here during the 10th and 11th Centuries (had biggest religious order in the world at this time)
- Benedictine Monks continues purchasing
land and making wine in the 12th century
Who were the Valois Dukes? (val-waa)
Years of rule
1 significant Duke
- A noble French family that ruled France from 1328-1589 (261 years) and made an industry out of wine
- “Phillip the Bold” ordered Gamay to be torn up and replaced with PN
The French Revolution
When
Effect on Burgundy Vineyards
- 1789-1799
- French Clergy and Noblemen auction off land, initiating the private ownership of vineyards in Burgandy
Napoleonic Code/Code of Inheritance
When
2 facts
•In 1804 Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte declares that land inheritance shall be divided equally amongst male heirs
•This creates the fragmented vineyards we have today.
Negociant
* Define
* Period of significance
* 2 Reasons
- A wine merchant who buys grapes or finished wines for blending and bottling under their own name. “Negociant” need not be on the label.
- 18th Century until 1920s: they controlled much of Burgandy
- To handle making and marketing of wine bc families had too little land to be profitable (Napoleonic Code)
- Because families had other careers within their communities.
Creator of the 1st Burgundy Classification System
- Dr Jules Lavalle
- This system was similar, but not exactly the same as the classification system we use today
What is a Domain
When did this concept begin?
- A vineyard or vineyards under control of a winemaker who produces and bottles wine from their own grapes
- 1920s
