France - Burgundy Appellations Flashcards
How does Burgundys classification compare and differ to the rest of France?
The vineyards have been classified and delineated, but the degree of classification is much more detailed than other parts of France
When did the vineyards become classified?
The monks began the story of delination, but much of the current classification began in the 1930’s, which categorised all lieux-dits into a four-tier hierarchy.
What were the vineyard classifications based on?
Soil, aspect, microclimate, and so on. Essentially a definition of terroir.
What is the four-tier hierarchy?
• Regional/generic appellations (Bourgogne AOC, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune AOC, recently Bourgogne Côte d’Or)
• Commune/village appellations
(Meursault AOC, Gevrey-Chambertin AOC)
• Premier Cru (Pommard 1er cru Les Rugiens)
• Grand Cru (Richebourg Grand Cru AOC)
What are the percentages of production in each tier of the hierarchy?
52% regional appellations.
47% Village and 1er Cru.
1% Grand Cru
How many appellations are there in Burgundy? How are different vineyards/lieux-dits classified throughout the region?
84 in total, 33 grands crus, 44 village and 7 regional.
Each grand cru in the Côte d’Or is an appellation in its own right, whereas in Chablis the climats are all part of the one appellation.
The Côte d’Ors 640 1er crus are additional geographic denominations related to a village, not appellations themselves. I.e. if the wine comes from more than one 1er vineyard it would be called village name 1er cru.
In which situations can appellations be followed by an additional geographical denomination?
• Regional appellation plus additional geographical denomination that can be a general area (Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune AOC) or a village (Bourgogne Chitry AOC)
• Vineyard name followed by the name of a 1er cru vineyard (Meursault Perrières AOC)
• Mâcon + village name (Mâcon Verzé AOC)
• Grand cru vineyard plus additional geographical denomination referring to climat (Chablis Grand Cru Valmur AOC, Corton-Les Bressandes AOC)
How does the size of appellations within the same tier of the hierarchy vary?
Some are much larger than others, even at grand cru level. Eg Clos de Vougeot is slightly over 50ha, Musigny is 10ha and the smallest, La Romaneé, is 0.84ha
Alongside the vineyard, what is the other main factor influencing quality? How did this come about?
The reputation and skill of the domaine. As a result of Napoleon’s inheritance laws, the majority of vineyards in the Côte d’Or are owned by more than one domaine, and as a result the range of quality from the same vineyard can be huge.
For example in Clos de Vougeot the quality difference can be huge, partly due to where the fruit is sourced from (middle or top of slope: steeper, poorer soils, lower section: flatter, richer soils), but all wines will say Clos de Vougeot.
What is the flat land beyond the slopes of the Côte d’Or classed as? Why?
It comes under generic appellations such as Hautes Côtes de Beaune/Nuits. Because of the slightly higher altitude, lack of protection from prevailing weather, poorer sunlight interception and richer soils encouraging vine vigour means these wines are less concentrated and structured than the wines of the Côte d’Or and can struggle to ripen in cooler years.
Where are the grands crus based?
The mid-slope with 1er crus often surrounding them. Here, full ripeness can be achieved even in cooler years.
The mid slope has poor but adequate, shallow soils, good drainage, protection from prevailing weather and good sunlight interception. All of which, in capable winemaking hands, contribute to producing wines with concentration, balance and length.
Where are village level wines typically found? Why?
The lowest part of the slope. Here the soils are richer and less well-drained, and fruit doesn’t reach the same level of ripeness, but can still produce wines of very food quality and character.
Where is the generic appellation, Bourgogne, generally found?
The flat land at the bottom of the slope. The D974 Road, from Dijon through and beyond Beaune generally divides the village level above it from the generic appellation below.
Where is Gevrey-Chambertin AOC based, what wine does it produce, what is unique about it, and what grands crus does it include?
Farthest north in the Côte de Nuits.
Red wine only.
Largest village in the Côte de Nuits.
Charmes-Chambertin AOC, Chambertin Clos de Bèze AOC.
Where is Morey-St-Denis AOC based, what wine does it produce, and what grands crus does it include?
2nd farthest north in Côte de Nuits.
Almost exclusively red wine.
Clos de Tart AOC and Clos de la Roche AOC.
Where is Chambolle-Musigny AOC based, what wine does it produce, and what grands crus does it include?
3rd farthest north.
Red wine only for village level wines.
Bonnes Mares and Musigny AOC.
Where is Vougeot AOC based, what wine does it produce, what grands crus does it include, and what is unique about this one?
3rd farthest south.
Tiny village appellation for reds and whites.
Clos de Vougeot AOC, much larger than the village appellation.
Where is Vosne-Romanée AOC based, what wine does it produce, and what grands crus does it include?
Penultimate from the south.
Red wines only.
La Tâche AOC and Romanée-Conti AOC, maybe the most famous.
