France - Burgundy Flashcards
What is Burgundy’s approximate latitude?
46 - 47 degrees north
From north to south, what are the Côte de Nuit’s 8 communal AOCs
Marsannay, Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanee, Nuit-St-George
Where are premier and grand crus planted in the cote d’or? Why?
Grand crus mostly planted mid-slope because this position allows grapes to fully ripen even in cool vintages, poor but adequate shallow soils, good drainage, good sunlight interception, and good protection from westerly winds. premier crus tend to surround grand crus in every direction.
How does the top of the slope compare to the mid slope?
Greater wind exposure leading to erosion, very low-nutrient thin topsoil. Low yielding; quality can come from here but it’s difficult. Premier crus may be found here
How does the bottom of the slope compare?
More fertile soil, higher yields, less drainage, usually village wine.
How is Burgundy wine classified?
By vineyard site. There are 7 regional AOCs, 44 Village AOCs, & 33 Grand Cru AOCs.
What important geographic features will you find in Burgundy?
The Côtes, The Saône River, the north-west hills blocking
What is the climate in Burgundy?
Chablis - cool continental
The rest of Burgundy & Beaujolais - moderate continental
What are the grapes & wine styles from the Cote de Nuit?
90% Pinot Noir
Medium alcohol, acid (+), & tannin
Dry red with restrained oak usage
How many of Burgundy’s Grand Crus are in the Cote de Nuit? How many make Grand Cru white?
24; only the Musigny grand cru of Chambolle Musigny makes a little grand cru Chard in addition to PN in the Côte de Nuit
What are the best known grand crus in the Cote de Nuits?
Musigny, Chambertin, Clos de Vougeot, Romanée-Conti,
What are the 6 regional appellations of Burgundy?
Bourgogne & Coteaux Bourguignons for still red, white, & rosé wine, Bourgogne Mousseaux & Crémant for bubbles, Bourgogne Aligoté for that odd white varietal, & Bourgogne passe tout grains for red & rose blends of pinot and gamay.
If production is 50/50, why is the Cote de Beaune considered a white wine region?
It’s the spiritual home of Chardonnay, with 7 of its 8 grand cru vineyards producing white wine exclusively, and the 8th, Corton, makes a splash of white in addition to its red as well. Soils here tend to be less marl, more limestone.
How many grand crus in the Cote de Beaune? How many produce red wine?
8 grand crus. Only Corton produces red.
What is the climate of Chablis?
Cool continental
What challenges do Chablis vinterns face?
Spring frosts: chardonnay is early budding so buds can be damaged and won’t ripen; it’s a big risk for low yeilds and high prices
Rainfall: rot, mildew; requires spraying or careful canopy management for aeration
Hail
How do vintners prepare for spring frosts?
vineyard planning: planting on slopes reduces risk of frost-settling.
In situ you can sprinkle; water will release heat as it changes state (aspersion)
add heaters (green house effect), add wind machines (keeps frost from settling through convection as well)
How do vintners prepare for hail storms?
Sourcing grapes from many different sites as a negociant.
Using netting in the vineyard
Have cannons fire silver oxide, stopping hail from forming and it falls as rain. Not great for environment
What are the main rivers of Chablis?
the Serein river, which runs through chablis before joining the Yonne river
What are the AOCs of Chablis?
Chablis AOC - area comprising chablis and surroundings
Chablis Grand Cru AOC - superior hillside vineyard to NE that’s only 254 acres or 103 hectares
Petit Chablis AOC - inferior growing site
What are the 7 parcels of the Chablis Grand Cru vineyard?
Blanchot, Bougros, Les Clos (largest), Grenouille (smallest), Preuses, Valmur, Vaudésir.
How many premier cru vineyards are there in Chablis? Which do we need to know?
79 eligible climats make 40 premier crus, grouped into 17 major premier crus; we need to know the most famous: Fourchaume, Montée de Tonnerre, Vaillons, Mont de Milieu, & Vosgros.
What hazards do vintners face in Burgundy?
Rainfall if gulf stream influence pulled across burgundy
Interferes most in June, disrupting flowering, lowering fruitset, and drastically reducing yields
September rainfall interfers at harvest; pinot especially vulnerable to rot. This further reduces yields because we have to dispose of rotted berries
Chard & PN are early budding and subject to spring frosts! April & May; again, this drastically reduces yields
Localized summer hail storms due to continentiality
Why is slope important in burgundy
Because it’s a cool area, you need to maximize aspect to sun exposure.
Burgundy’s planted on eastern slopes, which protects from westerly wind.
Slopes provide drainage, mitigating damage of excessive rain.
High slopes have eroded and thinner topsoil from wind and rain, which is why premier crus are planted there.
Why is aspect important in Burgundy?
East slopes protect form westerly winds, and maximizes gentle morning sunshine (cooler); grapes will ripen more delicately and elegantly, helping retain acidity
SE facing slopes have a bit more intensity of sun and ripen a bit more robustly
S facing slopes get excellent midday sun and produce more intense
SW-W get more aggressive, hot, intense afternoon sun. Critics label them new world in style; more ripe and dried fruit, can lack balance.
What the fuck is aspect?
Which direction the slope faces : )
What are the primary grapes of burgundy?
1/2 chardonnay
1/3 pinot noir
aligote, the bright, neutral white
gamay, the low maintenance light red
Discuss the Appellation hierarchy in Burgundy
There’s the regional AOC, Bourgogne.
Then sub-regions like the haut côtes, Macon, macon-village, cote de nuits village, cote de beaune village…
Commune level wines like Chablis, Gevry-Chambertin, meursaut, mercurey, pouilly-fuissé, beaune…
Premier cru wines, which add the name of a vineyard to the commune, and premier cru, like beaune grèves
Grand cru wines, from grand cru vineyard parcels; think chambertain, musigny, romanée conti, clos vougeout, montrachet, corton.
Acreage under vine & volume of wine produced in Burgundy?
71,500 acres under vine
17 million cases annually
about a quarter of bordeaux’s production
What two events make Burgundy’s vineyard ownership so bloody complicated?
Usurpation and redistriibution of vineyards from church and nobility to peasants during french revolution, and the napoleonic code of equal inheritance that followed.
When did Burgundy come under French crown?
What French department does it currently fall under?
1400s/15th century
Burgundy French-Comté
Chablis & Champagne are at similar latitudes. Why does Chablis produce way higher quality still wine?
Chablis vineyards are slightly more south, are planted on south facing slopes granting protection from Northerly winds, are planted on kimmeridgian marl with fantastic mineral composition
How does the climate & geography of the cote chalonaise & maconnais differ from the cote d’or?
It’s more south and closer to the mediterranean, granting warmer more moderate temperatures within the moderate-continental classification.
Its soils are less limestone dominant
What are the 5 very minor grapes of Burgundy?
César
Pinot blanc, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, sauvignon gris
What are the 9 crus of Gevry Chambertain?
Chambertain
Chambertain Clos-de-Bèze
Chapelle-Chambertain
Charmes Chambertain
Griotte-Chambertain
Latricières-Chambertain
Mazis-Chambertain
Mazoyères-Chambertain
Ruchottes-Chambertain
What are the 5 crus Morey-St-Dennis?
Clos St Denis
Clos de la Roche
Clos de Lambrays
Clos de Tart
A small part of Bonnes Mares
What are the 5 communal AOCs of Cote Chalonnaise?
Rully
Bouzeron
Mercurey
Givry
Montagny
What are the 5 village level appellations of the Maconnais?
Pouilly-Fuissé
Pouilly-Loché
Pouilly-Vinzelles
St.-Véran
Viré-Clessé
