Grape Varieties

Question 1

Grapes

Red (2)

7 + 4

Answer 1

Reds (46% of plantings)

Pinot Noir (36%)

1. Difficult grape to grow: thin-skinned, small berries prone to rot and mildew.
2. Uninteresting if overcropped.
3. Lower tannin & anthocyanins make it harder a very delicate grape to vinify
4. Believed to have been brought by the Romans in 4th C
5. Prone to mutation
6. Tends to grow better on limestone soils

Gamay (7.5%)

1. Potentially named after village of same name close to Puligny-Montrachet
2. Early budding, flowering & ripening -> susceptible to spring frosts
3. Easy to let it overproduce -> gobelet
4. Very little in Burgundy, mainly in Cote Chalonnaise

Question 2

Grapes (White)

2

(2) + (4)

Answer 2

Whites (54% of plantings)

1. Chardonnay (46%)
2. Hardy, easy to grow & versatile
3. Can produce interesting wines at hi yields
4. Aligoté (6%)
5. Hardy grape variety
6. Less replanted post-phylloxera in favour of Chardonnay
7. Mostly thin, hi-acid wines
8. For Bourgogne Aligoté & Crémant