France: Burgundy

Question 1

What department is Chablis located in?

Answer 1

Yonne

Question 2

Where are the best vineyards located in Chablis?

Answer 2

Southwest facing slopes along the Serein River

Question 3

What are the two major types of soil found in Chablis?

Answer 3

Kimmeridgian

Portlandian

Question 4

Describe the differences between Kimmeridgian and soil and Portlandian soil.

Answer 4

Both made of clay and limestone (mark), with fossilized oyster shells

Kimmeridgian has better drainage and is found on the mid-slopes; better quality wines

Portlandian has more limestone but gives less finesse to wines; found on tops of hills with cooler climates (Petit Chablis)

Question 5

Gives a breakdown in production percentages between the AOCs in Chablis

Answer 5

Grand cru: 2%
Premier cru: 16%
Chablis: 64%
Petit Chablis: 18%

Question 6

Name three reasons for the decline in Chablis production in the late 19th century

Answer 6

Powdery mildew
Phylloxera
Railway connecting cheap wines of Midi to Paris

Question 7

Describe the climate in Chablis

Answer 7

Continental, with cold harsh winters and fairly hot summers. Climatic uncertainty is an issue, so vintage variation is common, both in quantity and quality

Question 8

What are two common climatic hazards in Chablis?

Answer 8

Spring frost and hail

Question 9

Name five different remedies to combat frost in the vineyards

Answer 9

Smudge pots or heaters, sprinklers for aspersion, electric cables, plastic sheeting over the vines with small holes (artificial greenhouse), later pruning to promote later bud burst

Question 10

Name two issues that have threatened the quality of wine production in Chablis within the past 50 years

Answer 10

Rapid expansion of vineyard area leading to overproduction

Machine harvesting, leading to damaged fruit

Question 11

Name 5 notable producers in Chablis

Answer 11

Domaine Raveneau
Vincent Dauvissat
Louis Michel
William Fevre
Jean-Paul Droin

Question 12

What is Chablis’ biggest cooperative, and how much production is it responsible for?

Answer 12

La Chablisienne; nearly 1/3 of vinification in Chablis

Question 13

What is the only red wine GC in the Côte de Beaune?

Answer 13

Corton

Question 14

Where is the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune located?

Answer 14

Vyds dispersed in hills above escarpment of the Côte d’Or, often above 500m

Question 15

What is most grown in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune and how many communes are included in this area?

Answer 15

PN most common, followed by some CH, PB, PG, Aligote

47 communes in the Hautes Côtes (both Beaune and Nuits)

Question 16

Describe the Côte de Beaune Villages AOC in terms of quality and regions it can come from

Answer 16

A “middle” designation that’s a step up from Bourgogne rouge; used for young vines/cuvées or as purchased fruit from many villages

Can come from 15 different communes within CdB

Question 17

What are the trio of communes that share the hill of Corton?

Answer 17

Ladoix
Aloxe-Corton
Pernand-Vergelesses

Question 18

Describe the red wines of Corton

Answer 18

Big, fruity, tannic; dense when young

Question 19

What is the name of the white GC on the hill of Corton?

Answer 19

Corton-Charlemagne

Question 20

How much vineyard land in Beaune is Premier Cru?

Answer 20

75%

Question 21

Describe the key differences between wines of Pommard and Volnay

Answer 21

Pommard (iron-rich) is sturdy, dark, tannic

Volnay is light, ethereal, delicate

Question 22

What labels can be used for red wines grown in Meursault?

Answer 22

Blagny, Volnay Santenots

Question 23

Name the 4 grands crus of Puligny-Montrachet

Answer 23

Chevalier Montrachet
Bienvenues Batard Montrachet
Le Montrachet (shared)
Batard Montrachet (shared)

Question 24

Name the 3 grands crus in Chassagne-Montrachet

Answer 24

Les Croits Batard Montrachet 
Le Montrachet (shared)
Batard Montrachet (shared)

Question 25

Chablis has high pH soils. What is done to combat this?

Answer 25

The use of specific rootstocks that are highly tolerant of limestone and high pH levels (41B and 420A)

Question 26

What training system is most widely used in Chablis and why?

Answer 26

Double Guyot; if one cane fails, the other may survive frost

Question 27

How many premier cru vineyards are there in Chablis?

Answer 27

40

Question 28

How does the climate of the Mâconnais differ from the Côte d’Or?

Answer 28

Mâconnais is slightly drier and hotter

Question 29

What are methods used to combat hail damage?

Answer 29

Hail netting, seeding thunderclouds with silver iodide (indices precipitation away from vyds) and sorting tables for damaged berries

Question 30

Where is Aligote often planted?

Answer 30

In the coolest sites, often at the top of hills. Bouzeron, in the Côte Chalonnaise

Question 31

What training system in Burgundy has become popular once again and why?

Answer 31

Poussard-Guyot, a softer method of cane pruning that reduces the number of pruning wounds so to cut down on Esca and other trunk diseases

Question 32

Why are planting densities quite high in Burgundy?

Answer 32

8-10,000 vines/ha; thought to encourage root competition leading to better quality fruit

Question 33

What is a pièce?

Answer 33

228L Burgundy barrel

Question 34

What is Henri Jayer known for?

Answer 34

Promoting destemmed fruit instead of whole bunches for red winemaking

Question 35

Where will you find Les Rugiens and Clos Epeneaux?

Answer 35

Pommard (premier crus)

Question 36

Where will you find Le Clos des Mouches and Les Grèves?

Answer 36

Beaune (premier crus)

Question 37

Where will you find Clos des Chênes and Les Caillerets?

Answer 37

Volnay (premier crus)

Question 38

Where will you find Perrières and Genevriéres?

Answer 38

Meursault (premier crus)

Question 39

Which AOC in Chalonnaise is important for Crémant de Bourgogne grape production?

Answer 39

Rully

Question 40

How much vineyard land in Mercurey is classified premier cru?

Answer 40

25%

Question 41

What type of wines can Montagny produce, and how much is classified premier cru?

Answer 41

Only white wines; 2/3 classified

Question 42

Explain why grapes from Pouilly-Fuissé can usually ripen more fully than in other parts of the Mâcon.

Answer 42

There is an amphitheater where vyds get better sunlight and better drainage

Question 43

List the different types of production organizations in burgundy’s wine trade.

Answer 43

Growers (sell grapes)
Domaines (own vyds and produce own labels)
Negociants (buy grapes/wines, make under own label)
Micro-negociants (small production from high quality purchased grapes)
Cooperatives