France - Burgundy - Beaujolais Flashcards
What is the main grape variety (incl. percentage)?
Gamay (98%)
What is the quantity compared to the rest of Burgundy?
Similar volume than the rest of Burgundy together
What two other styles of wines are produced?
- Tiny amount of rosé (Gamay)
- Tiny amount of white (mainly Chardonnay)
How is the climate? How compared to Burgundy?
- Continental
- Slightly warmer than Burgundy
What is the avg. yearly rainfall?
740mm
What are two factors that influence the climate? In what way?
- Saone River -> moderating influence
- Cold Mistral wind -> cooling influence
What effect can the cold Mistral wind have on grape growing?
- Can affect flowering in cold, damp early summer weather
- Can damage leaves and grapes towards the end of the ripening period
What can be done to mitigate the risks of the cold Mistral wind?
- Vine orientation
- Training low to the ground
What are the three classifications? (descending in quality)
- Beaujolais Cru
- Beaujolais-Villages
- Beaujolais
Describe the location, topography, and soils for Beaujolais Cru and Beaujolais-Villages
- Northern part
- Hilly (200–500 m)
- Fast-draining granite, schist and sandy soils
- South and south-east facing slopes
Describe the location, topography, and soils for Beaujolais AOC
- Southern part
- Richer soil
- Flatter
Gamay
What is the budding/ripening time?
- Early budding -> spring frost
- Early ripening -> early harvest
Gamay
What is it susceptible to?
- Spring frost
- Millerandage
- Rot (delicate skin)
- Wind
Gamay
On what does the style depend on?
Ripeness of grapes (incl. skins and seeds)
Gamay
Describe a fully ripe and less-ripe wine
- Fully ripe: Intense fruit character
- Less ripe: Green leafy character
Gamay
What is important to produce concentrated ripe grapes?
Yield control, e.g., restrain number of buds
Gamay
How were vines traditionally trained, why, and where is it still done like that?
- Bushes
- Protection from wind
- Steeper slopes
Gamay
How are vines increasingly trained and why?
Trained on trellises to aid mechanization
Gamay
How is harvest conducted and why?
- By hand
- Whole bunch fermentation is common
What other variety is planted, where, and on what soil does it grow best?
- Chardonnay
- North of Beaujolais, close to Mâcon villages
- Cooler marl or limestone soil to slow down ripening and preserve acidity
Winemaking
Describe the typical Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages (method, chaptalisation, time on skins, aim, blending, ageing, profile, aromas)
- Mostly semi-carbonic maceration
- Chaptalisation is common
- 4-5 days on skins
- Aim: enhance fruitiness and depth of color -> ready for early consumption
- Press wine is blended with free-run wine for added color and tannins
- Short ageing in stainless steel and released early -> reducing costs
- Red fruit and kirsch, banana, and blueberry
Winemaking
What are the two options for Cru Beaujolais in terms of skins contact?
- Extended maceration time (10–20 days)
- Destemmeing, crushing, and maceration like a normal red wine
Winemaking
Describe Cru Beaujolais that are made as normal red wines in terms of ageing, color, body, and tannin.
- Ageing in small or large barrels (some new oak)
- Deeper color
- Fuller body
- Higher tannin
Beaujolais Nouveau
How can the wines be labelled?
- Beaujolais Nouveau
- Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau
Beaujolais Nouveau
Describe the winemaking process (maceration, ageing, malo, fining, filtration, SO2, release date)
- Carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration
- Bottled 3–5 days after fermentation
- Some do malolactic conversion
- Commonly fined and sterile filtered
- Moderate to high use of SO2
- Third Thursday in November (VERY early)
Beaujolais
What is the max yield and what does it mean for the final wines?
- 60 hL/ha
- Low flavor intensity
Beaujolais
Describe the quality and price of the wines
- Good quality
- Inexpensive
Beaujolais-Villages
Why are these wines better than normal Beaujolais?
Higher level of ripeness
Beaujolais-Villages
What is the max yield?
58 hL/ha
Beaujolais-Villages
Where is it located?
In the north, alongside the ten single crus
Beaujolais-Villages
Describe the typical style (color, intensity, aromas, acidity, body, alcohol, tannins, quality, price)
- Purple
- Medium intensity
- Fresh red cherry, raspberry, red plum (often kirsch and banana aromas)
- Medium(+) to high acidity
- Light to medium(–) body
- Medium alcohol
- Light to medium tannins
- Good to very good quality
- Inexpensive to mid-priced
Beaujolais-Villages / Cru
How are the wines from top producers different? (vineyard, ageing, intensity, tannins, quality, price)
- Often organic with old vines
- May be aged in oak
- Medium(+) to pronounced intensity
- Medium tannins
- Very good to outstanding quality
- Premium and (for Beaujolais Crus) super-premium priced
Beaujolais Crus
How many are there and what is their rough size?
- 10
- 250-1,300 ha
Beaujolais Crus
Name the 5 most important Crus
- Brouilly
- Chiroubles
- Fleurie
- Moulin-à-Vent
- Morgon
Beaujolais Crus
Describe specifics and the style of wines from Brouilly
- Most southern
- Warmer
- Lighter, more perfumed wines
Beaujolais Crus
Describe specifics and the style of wines from Chiroubles
- Highest altitude
- Lighter and fragrant wines
- High acidity
Beaujolais Crus
Describe specifics and the style of wines from Fleurie
- South: sandy soils -> lighter, more fragrant wine
- North: more clay -> lower acidity and fuller body
Beaujolais Crus
Describe specifics and the style of wines from Moulin-à-Vent
- Most powerful and long-lived wines
- Closer in style to Côte d’Or red wines
Beaujolais Crus
Describe specifics and the style of wines from Morgon
- Pronounced intensity black cherry fruit alongside red fruit
- Sufficient tannins to age for a decade in bottle
Why are Burgundy growers interested in the region and what effects did it have?
- Land prices are cheaper
- Looking to diversify
- Helped drive quality
- Trend away from carbonic maceration and the increased use of oak
Wine Business
How much is exported?
40%
Wine Business
What are the top 3 export markets?
- Japan
- USA
- UK
Wine Business
What is the avg. size of holdings?
10 ha
Wine Business
How much wine is produced as Nouveau?
25%
