Bourgogne Overview Flashcards
Which AOCs in Bourgogne are not based on Chardonnay or Pinot Noir?
Bouzeron - Aligote;
Bourgogne Aligote - Aligote;
St Bris - Sauvignon Blanc and Gris
Where in France is Bourgogne?
It is a spreadout region in eastern France. It streches 140 miles/224 km north to south.
What are the five sub-regions of Bourgogne?
Chablis, Cote de Nûits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise, Maconnais
Which river flows along the length of Bourgogne? What influence does it have on the vineyards?
The Saône river. It has no temperature moderating influence as it is too far away from the vineyards.
What is the overall climate of Bourgogne?
It has a continental climate. There are Atlantic influences in the north around Chablis and Mediterranean influences in the most southerly around Maconnais.
What effect does the climate variation between north and south Bourgogne have on bud break and harvest?
Bud break happens a week later in the Chablis than in Maconnais and harvest comes in early September in Macon and late September in Chablis.
What are the two main climate/weather threats in Bourgogne?
Spring frosts and severe summer hail.
What was the original inhabitants of Bourgogne called prior to the Romans?
A Celtic tribe named the Eduens.
Why was Bourgogne an important trading region in the 1st century?
It was a major trade crossroads between the northern Celtic tribes and the Roman Empire. The four rivers of Saone, Rhone, Loire and Seine provided an excellent network of transport routes. Viticulture arrived with trading Celts or visiting Romans.
After the decline of the Roman Empire in 5th century CE what happened in Bourgogne?
Various barbarians sacked it. It was then settled by the Burgunds who called it Burgundia until Clovis brought it into the new Frankish kingdom.
How did the church assume its powerful role in viticulture?
After the violence and instability of the Dark Ages the church monks and monasteries filled the vacuum. They needed wine for mass so expanded and came to dominate the vineyards and production.
What important contribution did the monks make to the Bourgogne viticulture heritage?
They created the concept of “terroir”. They studied each of the vineyards and noted the taste differentiation between wines from individual parcels of land. They categorised these. Because of their work every parcel of land in Bourgogne has a name that recognises it’s uniqueness.
Name the four Dukes of Burgundy. What did any of them contribute to viticulture or wine production?
Phillippe the Bold (1363-1404) - outlawed Gamay to promote Pinot Noir;
John the Fearless (1404-1419) - assassinated;
Phillippe the the Good (1419-1467) - captured Joan of Arc, established Hospices de Beaune. Famous for its wine auction nowadays.
Charles the Rash (1467-1477) died trying to take Alsace-Lorraine
Why are there few monopoles in Bourgogne?
During the French Revolution the domaines where broken up. Land was parcelled up and sold to ordinary citizens.
What impact did Phylloxera have on Bourgogne?
Its arrival reduced the area under vine and halted economic activity hence the population reduced.
What is the Napoleonic code and what did it result in?
It was a law passed by Napoleon Bonaparte (1804-1815) which required landowners to divide their holdings equally between their heirs. This resulted in sub-division generation after generation.
As a result most Burgundian vineyards have multiple owners with many vignerons farming a few rows of vines on specific sites e.g. Clos de Vougeot has almost 80 vignerons. This heralded the birth of the negociants. Unlike Bordeaux which created paper shares.
When was the double-barrelled village name introduced? Which village was first to adapt it?
In 1847 King Louis Phillippe granted Gevrey the right to add the name of its most famous vineyard, Chambertin, to its name.
What is the significance of the double-barrelled village names?
More villages with famous vineyard followed suit - Puligny, Chassagne, Aloxe - it gives the lesser vineyards in a village the reflected glory of the very greatest. It helped to market the wines.
When was the first wine auction at Hospices de Beaune?
1859.
When did vineyard classification take place?
First was in 1861 by the Agricultural Committee of Beaune which created three ranks.
In 1930 the boundaries were legally defined.
In 1936 AOC legislation gave form and structure to the named parcels and climats. Most of the “first class” vineyards from 1861 map became Grand Cru AOCs.
What was the ratio of red to white wine production in 1986 compared to 2019 in Bourgogne? Why did it change so much?
In1986 - 60% red; in 2019 60% white.
This was due to the change in consumer habits and a worldwide increase in demand for white in the 1980’s. Chablis and Maconnais expanded their plantings in response.
What are important statistics for Bourgogne wine production?
Produces 15.5 million cases annually;
White wine -60%
Red and Rosé - 29%
Cremant - 11%
16 Co-ops, 266 negociants, 3577 estates;
4.5% of production but 21% of French still wines revenue.
Decribe the geology of Bourgogne in general?
It is fundamentally a granite massif which has layers of mainly sedimentary soils of limestone and marl from many geological epochs including when this area was covered by a shallow sea.
How was Bourgogne formed?
It is a graben formed from the last European upheaval. The Alps rose and the Bresse Plain sank. It is bounded by the uplifts of the Morvan uplands, the Côte d’Or escarpment and the Jura Mountains. It is not a river valley. Soils are colluvial not alluvial.
Why is there such a varied soil age and juxtaposition in Bourgogne?
Earths movement up, down, left and right disrupted the chronological layers, coupled with soil erosion and slope wash.
