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Wine School - Levels 2 and 3 > L3: France > Flashcards

L3: France Flashcards

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1
Q

Champagne Region - Overall Characteristics (Climate, Grapes)

A

Climate:
Cool Continental
Coolest area from grapes in France

Grapes:
Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier
Chardonnay

Known for Sparkling

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2
Q

Loire Valley Region (general overview)

A

Climate:
Maritime (Western coast) to Continental (inland, East)

Grapes:
Sauvignon Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Melon de Bourgone*

Pinot Noir
Cabernet Franc

Notable Wines / Sub Regions:
Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape / Upper Eastern Region

Central Region: Chenin Blanc / Cabernet Franc Focus

Western Region: includes Muscadet region, known for white wine from the Melon de Bourgogne grape

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3
Q

Burgundy Region - Overall Characteristics (Climate, Grapes)

A

Climate:
Cool Continental
Kimmeridgian Clay (calcified fossils and limestone; good drainage; low nutrients; returns heat; reflects light)
Soil more gravelly as move south (e.g. Beaujolais = gravelly)

Grapes:
Chardonnay
Aligote
Pinot Noir
Gamay

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4
Q

Five Sub-Regions of Burgundy, North to South

A

Notable Wines / Sub-Regions
Five main regions (N to S)
+ Chablis (Chardonnay; intense minerality; no oak; no malolactic fermentation)
+ Cote d’ Or (best Pinot and Chardonnay)
–>Cote de Nuits
–> Cote de Beaune
+ Cote Chalonais
+ Maconais
+ Beaujolais (Gamay)

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5
Q

Northern Rhone

A

Warm Continental

Vigonier (W)
Rousanne (W)
Marsanne (W)

Syrah (all red = Syrah in N. Rhone)

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6
Q

Southern Rhone - Overall Characteristics (Climate, Grapes)

A

Warm Mediterranean

Vigonier (W)
Rousanne (W)
Marsanne (W)

Grenache
Syrah
Mouvedre
“GSM Blends”

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7
Q

Name Several Notable Rhone AoCs

A

Châteauneuf
Cote Rotie
Hermitage
Cote du Rhone - AOC vineyards on hillsides of top regions (Hills = best sunlight, best drainage, fewest nutrients)

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8
Q

Bordeaux - Overall Characteristics (Climate, Grapes)

A

Climate
Maritime
Most difficult - rain early, hail possible)
Known for blends - response to difficult climate; grapes ripen at different times.)

Grapes
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon

Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Malbec
Petit Verdot

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9
Q

Ideal Bordeaux Wine Characteristics (Flavor Profiles)

A

Bordeaux Red Ideal Characteristics:
Dark Current
Sweetly herbaceous (green pepper, eucalyptus)
Cedar
Violet

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10
Q

France Regulatory Model

A

AOC / AOP System administered by national administrator

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11
Q

French Regulatory Body

A

Institute National de l’Origine et de la Qualité, also known as the INAO, and is led by a national minister.

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12
Q

French Appellation System

A

400 Appelations in France Today

Started to combat fraud

Focused on place–location definition of terroir, including:
Grapes used
Vinification process
Maximum yields
Alcohol level
Quality of finished product

In increasing order of specificity, and AOC name can be the name of (1) a region; (2) a district; (3) a sub-district; (4) a village or commune; or (5) a specific vineyard.
Hierarchy:
Grand Cru / Premier Cru **
Villages AOC
AOC

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13
Q

Appellation System History - France

A

Introduced in 1930s

AOC: Appellation d’ Origin Contorlle

AOP: Appellation d’ Origin Protege

2012 instituted shift to AOP; not substantive changes

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14
Q

Burgundy Appelation System

A

Grand Cru at at top
Premier Cru next
70% of Burgundy vineyards = premier cru
**Based on Vineyard itself

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15
Q

Bordeaux Appellation System

A

Left Bank (Medoc): 1855 classification
Premier Cru to Sequiemme (5th) Cru - Premier Cru = most expensive
Based on prices of wines in 1855 and on producing Chateaux

(Right bank: Grand Cru system)

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16
Q

Kimmeridgian Clay

A

Kimmeridgian clay is the famous chalky soil found in Chablis and in the Côte d’Or. Its benefits include heat retention, easy root penetration, and good drainage. It is a type of limestone created from ancient sea life that existed in the Paris Basin during the Kimmerdigian period, about 152 million years ago.

Although this type of limestone is found elsewhere in France, including Champagne and the Loire Valley, only Burgundy is situated along an important fault line that exposes this unique soil on its hillside vineyards.

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17
Q

Negociant

A

Burgundy
Person who brings together grapes from fractionally owned vineyards to make wine. (Vineyard ownership is heavily fragmented in Burgundy)

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18
Q

Clos

A

Rock enclosed plot
Special, specific plot of land

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19
Q

Domaine

A

Burgundy
Winery with House

20
Q

Chateau

A

Bordeaux
Winery with House

21
Q

Cote

A

Hillside

22
Q

Vielles Vignes

A

Old Vines (smaller production, hand harvested, higher quality)

23
Q

Top two french gapes by production volume

A

Merlot
Ugni Blanc (used in Cognac production)

24
Q

Barrique

A

225 L barrels used by french

25
Q

Sur Lee Aging

A

Process of resting finished wine on lees to produce additional flavors

26
Q

Lees

A

dead yeast cells and other particles remaining in a wine after fermentation

27
Q

Cru Bourgeois

A

Classificaiton (maybe still used?) in Medoc based on the wine itself - wines must be tasted and qualified as CB

28
Q

Chablis

A

Northernmost part of Burgundy.

Known for Unoaked, “naked” style of Chardonnay

29
Q

Chablis Region

A

Burgundy

Chablis lies in the northwest region, separate from the other communes. Except for the tiny commune of St-Bris that grows Sauvignon Blanc, the vineyards of Chablis are exclusively planted with the Chardonnay grape. These wines are notable for their light-bodied flavors of citrus, white flowers, and pear, along with a distinctive minerality.

30
Q

Cote de Nuits

A

Burgundy; Cote d’ Or

The Côte de Nuits is a stretch of Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites that includes such famous villages as Meursault, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Vosne-Romanée. Pinot Noir reigns here, producing elegant, concentrated, and long-lived wines.

31
Q

Cote De Beaune

A

Burgundy, Cote d’ Or

The Côte de Beaune is twice the size of the Côtes de Nuits. Most of its output is red wine, but its whites are world-renowned. These include Corton Charlemagne, Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet.

32
Q

Cote Chalonais / Maconais

A

Burgundy
Other important regions include the Mâconnais, which produces reasonably-priced Chardonnay, and the Côte Chalonnaise, which grows all four of the region’s grapes.

33
Q

Beaujolais

A

Beaujolais, known primarily for its quick harvest-to-sale Beaujolais Nouveau, is a juicy, fruity wine made from the Gamay grape. The soil here changes to a gravel base. Most Beaujolais should be consumed within the first three years to ensure quality. However, wine produced from one of the 10 Beaujolais crus (the elite villages) is noticeably more complex and interesting, tending to improve over time.

34
Q

Pouilly Fume

A

Loire Valley; Sauvignon Blanc. Dry.

35
Q

Vouvray

A

Loire Valley, Chenin Blanc; Dry, sweet, still, sparkling

Vouvray is the most famous and most respected appellation of the Loire Valley’s Touraine growing region. The title covers white Chenin Blanc wines of various styles (sweet wine, dry, still and sparkling), from eight villages around the medieval town of Vouvray, on the northern banks of the Loire river.

36
Q

Sancerre

A

Loire Valley, Sauvignon Blanc

Sancerre is a small wine district in central France, famous for its crisp, aromatic white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc. It is also known for its high-quality goat cheeses, which are an excellent match for the local wine.

37
Q

Sauternes

A

Bordeaux. Sweet Wine. Semillion and Sauvignon Blanc.

From Graves. Botritys affected grapes; shrivel and concentrate.

38
Q

Chinon

A

Loire Valley Cabernet Frac

39
Q

Champagne Grapes

A

Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier
Chardonnay

40
Q

Loire Valley Grapes

A

Sauvignon Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Melon de Bourgone (Muscadet)

Pinot Noir
Cabernet Franc

41
Q

Chinon

A

Loire Valley AOC
Cabernet Franc Focus

This is the best known appellation in the Loire Valley for Cabernet Franc. A great example will smell of roasted red pepper, raspberry sauce, jalapeño, fresh raspberry, and wet gravel.

On the palate you’ll taste high acidity and moderately low tannin. Flavors of sour cherry, smoky tomato, dried oregano, and sweet pepper dominate. The taste will burst through your palate and drop out quickly with a subtle tingle from the acidity.

42
Q

Medoc

A

Left Bank of Bordeaux

1855 Classification

Cabernet Sauvignon Dominant

43
Q

Burgundy Grapes

A

Pinot Noir
Gamay

Chardonnay
Aligote

44
Q

Bordeaux Grapes

A

Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Merlot
Malbec
Petit Verdot

Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon

45
Q

Rhone Grapes

A

Vigonier
Roussanne
Marsanne

Syrah

Grenache (S. Rhone)
Mouvedre (S. Rhone)

46
Q

What is Claret?

A

Original name for red wine from Bordeaux

47
Q

What % of grapes must come from a geography if it is printed on a french wine label?

A

100%

Wine School - Levels 2 and 3 (15 decks)

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