France - Beaujolais Flashcards
Location
Production volume (compared to Burgundy)
Main variety (planting)
- located south of Maconnais in eastern France.
- it’s considered part of greater Burgundy.
- produces large quantity of wine (similar to whole of Burgundy).
- 98% of plantings: Gamay.
Climate
Natural factors influencing climate (2)
Viticultural measures taken to reduced the averse effects of climate
- continental climate, slightly warmer than Burgundy.
- Saone river moderates extreme temps.
- cold Mistral: a) can affect flowering in cold / damp spring; b) can damage leaves / grapes towards the end of the season (Gamay = thin skin).
- how to reduced these effects: a) vine orientation; b) training vines low to the ground.
Northern part: elevation, soil composition, soil properties, vineyard orientation and AOC’s
Southern part: soil properties, date of harvest and AOC’s
- northern part is hilly (200-500 m ASL): a) schist, granite and sandy soils; b) fast draining; c) vineyards located on south / south-east facing slopes; Beaujolais Cru AOC’s and Beaujolais-Villages situated here.
- southern part is flatter; a) richer, less well-drained soils; b) later harvest than the Crus / Village sites.
Gamay:
Budding & ripening (advantages & disadvantages)
Training & harvesting methods
Chardonnay
Where it’s found and why
Gamay
- early budding / early ripening.
- advantages: a) can be picked before autumnal rains; b) produces approachable wines, even at Cru levels; c) it’s very fashionable (which gurantees a certain level of demand).
- disadvantages: a) susceptible to spring frosts; b) vulnerable to millerandage (reduces yields); c) thin / delicate skin is vulnerable to rot & wind; c) very vigorous vine.
- traditionally trained as bushes to give protection from the wind).
- more recently and wherever possible, vines are trained on trellises to aid mechanisation for more inexpensive wines.
- most of Gamay grapes are picked by hand (whole bunches are required for semi-carbonic fermentation).
Chardonnay
- usually found in the northerly parts of Beaujolais, bordering Macon-Villages appellation.
- reason: it does best in cooler marl or limestone soils (slow down ripening, preserving acidity).
Principal fermentation technique
Most used fermentation aid (must stage)
Skin maceration: Nouveau x AOC / Village x better quality Village x Crus
Fermentation vessels
Ageing: AOC / Village x Crus
Low intervention winemaking
- majority of Beaujolais is made by semi-carbonic maceration.
- chaptalization is common (particularly in cooler years).
- skin maceration: a) Nouveau: practically no skin contact (bottled 3-5 days after fermentation); b) Beaujolais / Village: 4-5 days; c) better quality Villages: 6-9 days; d) Crus: 10-20 days.
- fermentation vessels: stainless steel (more common) and concrete vats; rarely oak.
- ageing: a) AOC and Village: briefly in stainless steel; b) Crus: may be aged in barrel (small or large) with a proportion of NFO.
- with the interest in sustainable / organic viticultre, Beaujolais has become a centre for low intervention winemaking (Jules Chauvet & Marcel Lapierre).
Nouveau / Village Nouveau AOC: difference
Release date
Fermentation method
Ageing
Malolactic conversion
Wine stabilization (3 methods)
- Nouveau x Villages Nouveau: depends on where the grapes come from.
- release: wines can be released from 3rd Thursday in November.
- carbonic / semi-carbonic maceration.
- bottled 3-5 days after fermentation.
- MLF: some do, other do not.
- fining / filtration are common.
- use of sulphur: can be high, if MLF hasn’t taken place.
Location
Yield
Wine style
Release
Quality / price level
- regional appellation; in theory, covers the whole are; in practice, most of the wine is produced in southern Beaujolais.
- max yield: 60 hL/ha
- wines have low intensity of aromes / flavours.
- release mid-January following the harvest.
- good in quality / inexpensive.
Location
Yields
Labelling terms
Wine style
Quality & price levels
Factors that lead to premiumization in this category
- northern half of Beaujolais, alongside 10 crus.
- yields are marginally smaller: 58 hL/ha
- individual village name may be added; most of wines are labelled Beaujolais Villages.
- typically purple in colour; med intensity of red cherry, raspberry, red pum, banana & kirsch; med (+) to high acid, light to med body, med alc, low to med tannins.
- very good in quality, inexpensive to mid-priced.
- some producers work with organic, old vines and make low-intervention wines, which raises its quality and price levels.
Location
Wine category permitted
How many crus?
Styles in particular crus: Brouilly, Chiroubles, Fleurie,
Moulin-a-Vent & Morgon
Reasons for recent investment and its results
- red wines only.
- located in the northern part of Beaujolais.
- 10 crus: Brouilly, Cote de Brouilly, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Chenas, Julienas, Morgon, Moulin-a-vent, Reignie and Saint-Amour.
Some crus have reputations for particular styles:
- Brouilly: most souther / marginally warmer - ligher, more perfumed style.
- Chiroubles: highest altitude - lighter, fragant wine, marked acidity.
- Fleurie is divided in 2 parts: a) southern: sandy soils (ligher, fragrant wines); b) northern, close to Moulin-a-vent: heavier soils with more clay (fuller bodided, lower acid).
- Moulin-a-vent: powerful, long-lived wines, closer to Cote d’Or red in style than other Beaujolais.
- Morgon: pronounced intensity of black cherry & red fruit; sufficient tannins for bottle ageing.
- recent investment from Burgundian producers: a) producers looking for diversity; b) land prices are much lower than in Burgundy; c) some of the cru vineyards have high reputation.
- results: a) it has driven quality in the region; b) it has encouraged producers to move away from carbonic; c) it has incentivised producers to increase the use of oak.
Average holding
The role of coops and negociants
Nouveau x other AOC’s (in volume)
Domestic x international markets
Domestic channels (4)
Main export markets and styles exported
Duboeuf and his impact on Beaujolais
Reasons for growth in popularity / price of Beaujolais (specially Crus)
- average holding: 10 ha.
- cooperatives: responsible for 25% of sales.
- many growers also sell to negociants.
- 25% of all wine is made as Nouveau.
- 60% of Beaujolais is consumed in France; most important channels: a) direct sales; b) specialist wine shops; c) supermarkets; d) hospitaliy sector.
- Main export markets: Japan (huge preference of Nouveau), USA and UK (huge preference of Crus).
- George Duboeuf: promoted Beaujolais Nouveau; sales of Beaujolais and Crus increased as a result.
- with prices of Burgundian Pinots increasing, the focus shifted to Beaujolais Crus as a more affordable option in similar style.
- Beaujolais & specially Crus have gained a following with somms and wine lovers, specially USA, driving sales and prices.
