Style Summaries Flashcards
hi lights grapes and regional differences
blanc de blanc
meaning white from white this term refers to a sparkling champagne exclusively using chardonnay
requirements non vintage champagne
must use traditional method in designated champagne boundaries. Aged 15 months minimum 12 on lease.
requirements vintage champagne
aged 36 months 12 on lease minimum. must contain juice from the same year.
Brute nature
dry no aded sugar
special club champagne
Special Club Champagne is the highest tier of classification that grower Champagnes can achieve. 12 founding members, three of which currently remain: Pierre Gimonnet, Gaston Chiquet and Paul Bara. 28 members currently. To be awarded comity must unanimously agree that a vintage exhibits the best of the best. All must agree on the vintage year. Then still wines are tasted before cellaring and sparkling development. After weeding out the remaining are blind tasted in 3 years when sparkling develops and awards are given. decision must be unanimous. All bottled in same Special Club bottle, whose design is based on one from the 18th century.
crémant de limoux
Crémant de Limoux is an appellation for the modern-styled sparkling wines from vineyards around the town of Limoux, in the Pyrenean foothills of southern France. They are made from Mauzac, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. More emphasis is placed on the latter two more fashionable varieties. Traditional method
crémant d’alsace
French sparkling using traditional method from Alsace. Must age 9 months on lees minimum. Typically uses traditional grapes to the region. usually made of some blend among pinot blanc, pinot gris, pinot noir, riesling, auxerrois and chardonnay. Crémant d’Alsace rosé, while rare, is made of pinot noir.
crémant de loire
traditional method aged 9 months on lease minimum from Lori Vally. chenin and cab franc dominated.
crémant de bourgogne
traditional method aged 9 months minimum on lees. pinot and chardonnay focused. Gamay also allowed
crémant de jura brut
sparkling wine made in the traditional method in jura aged 9 months on lees minimum.
jura
Jura wine is French wine produced in the Jura département. Located between Burgundy and Switzerland, this cool climate wine region produces wines with some similarity to Burgundy and Swiss wine.
Molette
Molette is a white French wine grape planted primarily in the Savoie region. As a varietal wine, Molette tends to produce neutral tasting wine so it is often blended with Roussette to add more complexity
Savoie
located in eastern France this is the only alpine wine region. heavy in white wine production. Climate moderate continental on the warmer side for altitude. Regulated by aspect, rivers and lakes.
Altesse [al-tess] (aka Roussette)
The grape variety produces characterful, age-worthy wines, which achieve a compelling complexity after a few years in the bottle. In its youth, flavors range from fresh almonds and bergamot to pineapple, peach and quince. With age, the wines develop aromas of honey, toast, nuts and white truffle. This grape variety is used in the production of Roussette de Savoie AOC. These wines should be set aside for at least three years to allow their potential develop fully.
poulsard
Poulsard (also Ploussard) is a red French wine grape variety from the Jura wine region. While technically a dark-skinned noir grape, the skins of Poulsard are very thin with low amounts of color -phenols and produces very pale colored red wines, even with extended maceration and can be used to produce white wines. Because of this, Poulsard is often blended with other red-skin varieties or used to produce lightly colored rosé wines. Additionally the grape is used to make blanc de noir white wines and sparkling cremants. Poulsard is a dry red wine known for its zippy, tangy notes of wild strawberry, cranberry, red currant, hibiscus and spice accented by a light earthiness.
pinot auxerrois
Auxerrois Blanc de Laquenexy is a white wine grape that is important in Alsace, and is also grown in Germany and Luxembourg. It is a full sibling of Chardonnay that is often blended with the similar Pinot blanc.
aligoté
Aligoté is Burgundy’s “other” white grape, more rarely encountered than Chardonnay; yielding light, citrusy wines. Dry with white-fleshed fruit, white blossom, peach, lemon, linden, acacia, hazelnut, green apple, and sometimes even citrus
Pineau D’Aunis
Pineau D’Aunis (pronounced “Pee-no Doh-nee” is a red grape variety that was once widely grown in the Loire Valley, particularly around Tours, Anjou and Saumur; it is characterized by a slight peppery flavour. Other notes cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit flavor and sometimes kirsch and confit notes.
mauzac
Mauzac or Mauzac blanc a white variety of grape used for wine, of the species Vitis vinifera. It is mainly grown in the Gaillac and Limoux regions in southwest France. Mauzac’s dominant aromas, green apple and sometimes pear, can be clearly identified when tasting its wines.
cour-cheverny
A unique wine region located within the Cheverny appellation, producing white wines made only from the rare grape variety Romorantin. zesty Sauvignon Blanc notes of passion fruit and lime zest, followed by the roundness and complexity brought by the Chardonnay, showcasing Meyer lemon and orchard fruit flavors. The wine’s texture is both crisp and lush, offering a captivating mouthfeel.
romorantin
Romorantin is a traditional French variety of white wine grape, that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite widely grown in the Loire, it has now only seen in the Cour-Cheverny.
muscadet sevre-et-maine
Muscadet (“muss-kuh-day”) is a bone-dry, light-bodied white wine from the Loire Valley of France that is made with Melon de Bourgogne grapes. Muscadet is loved as an excellent food pairing wine due to its minerally, citrus-like taste and high acidity. The appellation, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, is the largest and most important region for high quality Muscadet.
melon de bourgogne
Melon de Bourgogne or Melon is a variety of white grape grown primarily in the Loire Valley region of France. The variety has naturally high acidity, but often struggles to achieve good concentration of flavor. The best wines show apple and citrus flavors, with underlying mineral notes. A saltiness can sometimes identified in the wine, suggestive of the region’s maritime geography.
muscadet-sevre-et-maine sur lie
melone de bourgogne grape from loire Vally that has spent some extended time on lees. this gives a rounder an nuttier experience.
saumur
Saumur is a French wine region located in the Loire Valley. The region is noted for sparkling wines produced by the traditional method, and for red wines made primarily from Cabernet Franc. The main variety in the white wines is Chenin blanc.
sauvennières
full bodied chenin blanc. In their youth, those from Savennières can have jolting austerity. But with age, they are perhaps the most elegant expression of the variety, featuring honey, acacia and ripe apples. Newer vintners here are softening the wines with malolactic fermentation, barrel aging and added residual sugar.
vouvray
chenin blanc from loire Vally fresh and floral. Typically, the aromas are moderately intense, delivering flavors of pear, honeysuckle, quince, and apple (green or yellow)
pouilly-fumé
Sauvignon Blanc loire Vally. Pouilly-Fumé tends to be a little broader, softer, slightly less vibrant and aromatic than Sancerre. It can have a smoky character, especially those from flint (silex) soils, though this can also be true of Sancerre grown on flint.
côte de beaune
The Côte de Beaune area is the southern part of the Côte d’Or, the limestone ridge that is home to the great names of Burgundy wine. typically known for whites.
chablis
Chardonnay from northern Burgundy. range of quality typically stony and mineral driven from soil. Its cool climate produces wines with more acidity and less fruitiness than Chardonnay vines grown in warmer ones. These often have a “flinty”
saint-veran
Saint-Véran is a wine region for dry white wines that are produced in the southern half of the Mâconnais sub-region of Burgundy. Saint-Véran appellation produces one of the best Burgundy wines. The main grape variety is Chardonnay, which grows on hills made of limestone and marl-limestone.
Meursault
Meursault wine is produced in the commune of Meursault in Côte de Beaune of Burgundy. The Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) Meursault may be used for white wine and red with respectively Chardonnay and Pinot noir as the main grape varieties
chassagne-montrachet blanc
Located in the Côte de Beaune, the southern area of the Côte d’Or, the unique balance of terroir, proper natural drainage, climate and low yields can lead to astoundingly intense and complex wines.
