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)
3 Wine Styles of Burgandy
- Dry red, white, rosé and 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
Burgandy Soils
Limestone: A sedimentary rock (composed of once living organisms.) Chablis has highest amount. Best Chardonnay grows on Limestone.
Clay
Marl: clay and limestone
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)
A noble French family that ruled France from 1328-1589 (261 years) and made an industry out of wine
Who was “Phillip the Bold”
A Valois (val-waa) Duke who ordered Gamay to be ripped up and replaced with Pinot Noir
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.
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
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.
