Burgundy Flashcards
(113 cards)
Red Grapes in Burgundy
Major- Pinot Noir, Gamay
Minor- Cesar, Tressor, Sacy (all extinct)
White Grapes in Burgundy
Major- Chardonnay, Aligote
Minor- Pinot Blanc, Beurot (Pinot Gris)
“Beaunois”
Another name for Chardonnay in Burgundy, in the Yonne, derived from Beaune.
it is a natural crossing of Pinot and an obscure old variety, Gouais Blanc
Styles of Wine in Burgundy
dry red, white, rosé, dry to semi-dry
sparkling in white or rosé, dry sparkling red,
very rarely and usually in the Mâcon are late-harvest wines made, but they do not fall under an AOP
Location of Burgundy
Central/eastern portion of the country.
Northwest of the Alps and roughly 175 miles southeast of Paris.
Major Rivers/Bodies of Water in Burgundy
Saone River, a tributary of the Rhone
Geology/Regions of Burgundy
Five regions over 4 departments.
Chablis, Côte d’Or, Côte Chalonaise, Mâcon,
Beaujolais;
the Côte d’Or is 60 miles stretching
from Dijon to Maranges, it is a long southeastern
facing limestone escarpment, with the best
vineyards being in the middle of the slope
protected from the elements at the top and
flooding at the bottom.
Climate of Burgundy
Continental with dry, warm summers, and cold, dry winters. Rains come in Spring
and Fall with frost being an issue in both seasons.
Soil in Burgundy
Clay, marl, limestone. The best chardonnay grows on limestone and Chablis has the
highest amount.
How long has Burgundy been making wine
2000 years
Monks in Burgundy
Benedictine Order in Cluny, Burgundy, promoted winemaking in the 10th and 11th
centuries.
Cistercians continued purchasing land and making wine in the 12th century.
Valois Dukes in Burgundy
Valois dukes including Philippe the Bold (who ordered all Gamay ripped up in
preference to Pinot Noir) ruled and created an industry out of wine.
Influence of French Revolution in Burgundy
land owned by the clergy and noblemen was auctioned off after the French
Revolution. This started private ownership of vineyards in Burgundy.
Napoleonic Code
Edict issued in 1804, land inheritance to be split equally between male heirs, this
created the fractured vineyards we have today
Negociants in Burgundy
The 18th century saw the rise of the negociants to handle the making and marketing of wines, Either because families held too little land to be profitable or because they had other
careers within the community.
They controlled much of Burgundy until the 1920s after WWI.
When Landowners in Burgundy did NOT want to use Negociants or make the wine themselves
landowners also used métayage (sharecropping) or fermage
(leasing) to farmers when they didn’t want to make the wine themselves or use
negociants.
Who created the first classification of Burgundy’s vineyards?
Dr. Jules Lavalle created the first classification of Burgundy’s vineyards in 1855. This is similar, but
not exactly the same as the classifications today.
Start of Domaine Bottling
Domaine (private owner) bottling began in earnest in the 1920s.
Today many houses offer both (from fruit they purchased) and domaine (from vines they own) bottlings.
Oak aging in Burgundy
Wines are traditionally aged in 228-liter French oak barrels called Pieces, with some using larger,
neutral barrels for Chardonnay and Aligoté.
Red wines usually see more new barrel use
than whites.
Oak Aging in Regional Level Wines
mainly neutral barrel with up to 20% new (depending on the producer)
Oak Aging in Village Level Wines
neutral to 20-30% new oak
Oak Aging in Premier Cru Wines
30-50% new oak
Oak Aging in Grand Cru Wines
50-100% new oak
MLF in Burgundy
All reds and most whites go through malo-lactic fermentation.
