France & Spain Flashcards
Five main growing areas for Cremant de Bourgnone
- The Macconais, especially for Chardonnay
- Beaujolais
- Areas around Chabilis, sandwiched between Champagne in the north
- Haut Cotes de Beau and the Hautes Cotes de Nuits
- Cote d’Or flatland
Common hazards affecting Burgundy Cremant growers are
Summer storms, hail, spring frost, fungal diseases and esca
Maximum yield for Cremant de Bourgnone
75 hL/ha
Seven grape varieties allowed in Cremant de Bourgnone
- Pinot Noir
- Chardonnay
- Gamay
- Pinot Gris
- Pinot Blanc
- Aligote
- Melon
Breakdown of Cremant de Bourgnone producers by type
66% Merchants
30% Co-op
2% Grower
Significant producers of Cremant de Bourgnone
Jean Charles Boisset, Louis Bouillot, Cave de Lugny
CIVC
Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne, or Comite Champagne for short
Describe a typical Champagne
High acidity, med intensity, medium alcohol, aromas and flavours of apple, lemon with biscuit autolytic notes
Rose d’assemblage
Rose Champagne made by blending red wine with white
Rose de sanignee
Rose Champagne made through short skin maceration
Remuage
Riddling in French
Echelle des crus
Ladder of growths - Champagne’s idea ladder branding basically
Champagne’s climate
- Cool continental
- Oceanic influence of high moisture
- Rains throughout the year, 700mm percipitation per year
- Average annual temperature of 11°C
Five key regions in Champagne
- Vallee de la Marne
- Cote des Blancs
- Montagne de Reims
- Cote de Sezanne
- Cote des Bar
Montagne de Reims
- Best known for Pinot Noir and Meunier
- Grand cru villages: Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy - famous for chalky soils
- Prone to frost
- Wines high acidity and austere in youth
Vallee de la Marne
- Mostly Meunier
- Its clay, marl and sand soils can produce v fruity Meunier
- Prone to frost
- Grand Cru village: Ay
Cote des Blancs
- Exclusively white grapes, 95% Chardonnay
- Has the purest form of chalk, giving great balance between water retention and drainage
- Grand cur villages: Cramant, Avize, Pger and Le Menil-sur-Oger
- Wines of great intensity and longevity, but austere in youth
Cote de Sezanne
- Mostly Chardonnay
- Planting on warmer south-east facign slopes
- Fruitier and riper grapes = rated lower quality
Cote des Bar
- Mainly Pinot Noir
- Kimmeridgian Calcareous marls, like Chablis and Sancerre
- Steep slopes
- Full flavoured Pinots for NV blends
Breakdown of production by grape variety in Champagne
38% Pinot Noir
32% Meunier
30% Chardonnay
Four other varieties found in Champagne
Pinot blanc, Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Fromenteau
Four common pruning methods in Champagne
- Taille Chablis - Spur pruning
- Cordon du Royat - Spur punning
- Guyot - replacement cane with VSP
- Vallee de la Marne - replacement cane with VSP
Hazards in Champagne vineyards
- Sever winter frost
- Spring frot
- Cold and rainy weather during flowering and fruit set in June
- Summer storms
- Summer hail
- Hot and humid summer leading to fungal diseases
- Mildew - downy and powdery
- Dagger nematode
Harvest in Champagne
- Hand harvest
- Requires 100k people every year
- Date set by Comite Champagne, on consideration of ripeness across the region
- Yield also set by Comite Champagne, in order to control yield
- Proportion of reserve wine also set by Comite Champagne
Methode Champenoise
Same as traditional method
Cuvee vs taille
Out of 4,000kg grapes (a marc), the first 2,050L is free run/cuvee and 500L of first pressing is taille
Assemblage
Blending in French
Chef de cave
Master blender
Colour pigments from wine would be absorbed by _______.
Yeast absorbs colour during each ferment.
Echelle de Crus was created to
Establish the prices to be paid for grapes
Price range by crus in Champagne
17 Grand Cru Villages - 100% of set price
42 Premier Cru Villages - 90-99% of set price
257 other villages - 80-89% of set price
Breakdown of Champagne producers by type
16,000 Growers owning 90% vineyards, selling the houses and coops
340 Champagne houses owning about 10% of vineyards
NM
Negociant manipulant
Code on Champagne bottles denoting “houses”
Eg. Moet & Chandon, Pommery
RM
Recoltant manipulant
Code on Champagne bottles denoting “growers”
Eg. Jacque Selosse, Egly-Ouriet
CM
Cooperative de manipulation
Code on Champagne bottles for coops who make wine from grapes of their members
Eg. Mailly, Nicolas Feuillatte