Bourgogne Flashcards
(132 cards)
Explain the difference between lieu-dit and climat
Lieu-diet means “named place” - these are cadastral units whose name refers to a geographical feature within a single commune and are not always to do with wine - the names have often been in existence for centuries and can appear on regional and village level labels as a more specific point of origin.
Climat refers to a winegrowing plot within an AOC - the word comes from the greek work ‘klima’ meaning incline, which conveys the notion of exposure to the sun. generally, the climats are more of a vigneron’s notion of a site - the climats were turned into the premier and grands crus
Explain why quality varies greatly midst one Grand Cru parcel
Variation in soil & slope gradient - for example, Clos de Vougeot has 13 climats
Recall the influence of the various Dukes of Burgundy
Philippe the Bold: outlawed Gamay to promote Pinot Noir (1363-1404)
John the Fearless: died attempting to control the french state (1404-1419)
Philippe the Good: establishes Hospices de Beaune (1419-1467)
Charles the Rash: died attempting to conquer alsace and lorraine (1467-1477)
Explain the repercussions of King Louis-Philippe granting Gevrey the right to append Chambertin to its name
Gave the lesser vineyards the reflected glory of the greatest ones to help market the wine, others followed suit
Give examples of how the French Revolution & Napoléonic Code impacted the Burgundian wine industry
The French revolution caused a power shift away from the aristocrats and the church - the new government dismantled the monasteries and broke up the great estates - few monopoles survived - the land was parcelled up and sold to ordinary citizens. After the revolution, Napoleon restored stability & government - he introduced the Napolenic Code requiring landowners to diving their holdings equally among their heirs, further subdividing the land with each generation
Explain the reason for Bourgogne’s shift in focus from red wine to white wine in the 1980s
Due to skyrocketing demand for white wine in the 1980’s - Chablis and Maconnais expanded vineyard plantings in response
Account for why Bourgogne, representing only 4.5% of France’s total wine production, is so important on the global wine stage
Represents 21% of French wine revenue
Define the general climate of Bourgogne; detail how this varies from north to south and how the differing climatic influences impact the growing season
Continental overall - oceanic influences in the north (cooler) and mediterranean influences in the south (warmer)
Discuss the geologic forces that formed the Bourgogne region, especially the Côte d’Or escarpment
Continental upheaval formed the Saone graben - posses colluvial soils formed from rain driven slope wash (rather than alluvial soils from river sediment)
Name the two uplifts of the Saône Graben
Morvan uplands & Cote d’Or escarpment
Explain how vineyard location on the slope (and slope aspect) relates to wine quality
Top of the slope has thinnest soils & retains least amount of water (rain runs down hill before it can be absorbed) - premier crus
Middle of the slope moderate topsoil and adequate water, captures maximum sunlight - grand crus
Bottom of the slope has deepest soils & retains the most water - village AOCs
List the primary grape varieties of Bourgogne
White grapes: Chardonnay, Aligote, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Sacy, Melon de Bourgogne
Rose grapes: Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Gris
Red grapes: Pinot Noir, Gamay
List the chief viticultural hazards in Bourgogne
frost, hail, ripening
Compare and contrast the viticultural practices throughout Bourgogne’s sub-zones
Lutte Raisonee is most common farming method - more are adopting organic practices
Machine harvesting used extensively in Chablis and Maconnais
Handpicking dominates in cote dor
Both used in Cote Chalonnaise
Guyot is most common vine training method (cordon growing in popularity)
Describe how global warming is impacting the region
Resulted in earlier bud break and warmer summers - has moved harvest forward 10 days than it was 20 years ago
Challenge to delay harvest so that sugar & phenolic ripening happen together while retaining acid
Detail the important role of the négociant in Bourgogne wine sales
Negociants purchase grapes or even wine from growers who are too small & bottle and market the wine from their vineyards. Enables the negociant to blend from multiple growers and put wine on the market in decent quantities. They have the staff, knowhow and capital to purchase new equipment, barrels and tanks to increase quality.
Explain the classification hierarchy of vineyard sites (as opposed to Bordeaux)
Unlike Bordeaux, which classifies its chateaux, Burgundy classifies vineyards themselves
Describe winemaking practices within the various sub-regions of Bourgogne
Bourgogne whites are fermented in stainless or 228L barrels.
Maconnais & Chablis - mostly fermented in stainless & matured in neutral vat
Cote d’Or and Cote Chalonnaise - oak maturation common, new oak accounts for 20-50%
Bourgogne Chardonnay has less fruit, alcohol, aroma, overt oak, and more structure, acid, and mineral notes than from warmer climates
Bourgogne pinot noir is typically de-stemmed, some adding in whole bunches now for brighter flavors.
Red wines of the Cote d’Or and Chalonnaise will spend 12-18 months in oak barrels with some level of new oak.
With increasing ripeness, many switching to pump over method & shorter maceration times compared to traditional punch down method in open top fermenters
Small producers still use indigenous yeasts, large negociants more likely to use commercial yeasts
Define the term “premox”
Premature oxidation - multiple supposed causes - certain clones, fully ripe fruit, less use of sulfur, less batonnage - problem is diminishing
Name the 7 regional AOCs
Bourgogne AOC
Coteaux Bourguignons AOC
Macon AOC
Cremant de Bourgogne AOC
Bourgogne Mousseux AOC
Bourgogne Aligote AOC
Bourgogne Passe-tout-grains AOC
Bourgogne AOC wine style & grapes
Dry white, rose, red
White regional Bourgogne AOC is usually 100% chardonnay, red is 100% pinot noir
Could include pinot blanc & pinot gris
Red could include gamay from Beaujolais Crus (if from Yonne, could contain Cesar)
If 85% or more gamay, must be labeled Bourgogne Gamay & Gamay must come from Beaujolais Crus
Bourgogne Rose is usually Pinot noir
Coteaux Bourguignons AOC wine style & grapes
Dry white, rose, red
Most general of the regional AOCs
Red, White, & Rose
Macon AOC wine style & grapes
Dry white, rose, red
whites: 100% Chardonnay
reds & rose: pinot noir & gamay
Macon DGCs must use Chardonnay or Gamay (no pinot noir)
Macon Villages are white only
Understand Crémant de Bourgogne, where it is made and the grapes likely used in its production
Grapes: chardonnay, pinot blanc, pinot gris, pinot noir (most common), gamay, aligote, melon and sacy can also be used
Must be made in traditional method and aged for a minimum of 9 months on the lees
