Burgundy Flashcards
(291 cards)
The Cistercians
Founded Clos De Vougeot, fully enclosed in 1336. They also plotted all along Côte d’Or and also introduced the Cru system
Aubert De Villaine
1940-
French co- owner and co- director of Domaine de La Romanee- Conti
Climate- Burgundy
Continental- Summer is hot, winter is cold
Beaune
Central hub of burgundy and burgundy business hub
Dukes of Burgundy
Ruling religions had a lot of say about winemaking
Clos de Vougeot was created by……
14th Century monks created the vineyard
Phillip the Bold…..
Banned importation from other v/ yards and ordered Gamay to be torn out.
Gamay can be produced in Chardonnay, but not in ____________ itself
Gamay
Burgundy uses new oak…….
(Much like Bordeaux)- but less and less
Climate Change- Burgundy
More riper grapes, different to 20- 30 yrs ago. It has been positive so far, but might be quite bad in future.
1855 Lavalle Classification of the Côte d’Or
In his Histoire et Statistique de la vigne et des grands vins de la Côte d’Or Dr. Jules Lavalle creates classifications for vineyards in each commune of the Côte d’Or, and he also suggests a single classification for the entire region. The two classifications do not align exactly; we have elected to use the latter. Order, spelling and hyphenation are as they appear in the book.
Hors Ligne: Tête de Cuvée #1- 1855 Lavalle Classification of the Côte d’Or (Red Wines)
Vosne: Romanée-Conti Gevrey: Chambertin, Clos-de-Bèze Vougeot: Clos de Vougeot followed by... Morey: Clos-de-Tart, Bonnes-Mares (part), Lambrays (part) Aloxe: Corton (part) Chambolle: Musigny Vosne: Richebourg, Tâche, Romanée-Saint-Vivant (part) Nuits: Saint-Georges
Hors Ligne: Tête de Cuvée #2- 1855 Lavalle Classification of the Côte d’Or (Red Wines)
Vosne: Beaux-Monts Nuits: Boudots, Cailles, Cras, Murgers, Porrets, Pruliers, Thorey, Vaucrains Volnay: Caillerets, Champans Puligny: Clavoillon Chassagne: Clos-Morgeot Gevrey: Clos-Saint-Jacques, Mazy, Varoilles Chassagne: Clos-Saint-Jean, Clos-Pitois Santenay: Clos-Tavannes, Noyer-Bart Aloxe: Corton (part) Premeaux: Corvées, Didiers, Fôrets Flagey: Echézeaux Beaune: Fèves, Grèves Fixin: Perrières Vosne: Romanée-Saint-Vivant (part) Meursault: Santenot
Hors Ligne- 1855 Lavalle Classification of the Côte d’Or (White Wines)
Puligny: Montrachet
Première Cuvée- 1855 Lavalle Classification of the Côte d’Or (White Wines)
Puligny: Bâtard-Montrachet Meursault: Perrières Aloxe: Corton followed by... Meursault: Charmes, Combettes, Genevrières, Goutte-d'Or Pernant: Charlemagne
Premier Cru
Is a cru judged of the first rank, usually according to some official classification. The direct translation of the French term premier cru, much used in the context of bordeaux, is first growth. A premier grand cru (classé) or premier cru supérieur may, as in the case of st-émilion and Ch d’yquem, be a rung higher even than this. In Burgundy, scores of vineyards are designated premiers crus, capable of producing wine distinctly superior to village wine but not quite so great as the produce of the grands crus. See burgundy in general and each of the villages on the côte d’or in particular.
Grand Cru
Means literally ‘great growth’ in French. In Burgundy’s côte d’or a grand cru is one of 34 particularly favoured vineyards (see burgundy for list), a decided notch above premier cru. In chablis and alsace, grand cru is a separate, elevated aoc accorded to specific vineyards listed in the relevant entries. In Bordeaux, the words grand cru usually apply to a specific property or château and depend on the region in which it is located (see classification)
Cru
French specialist term for a vineyard, usually reserved for those officially recognized as of superior quality. Such recognition was already known in Ancient rome. In English the word is often translated as ‘growth’. premiers crus, for example, are called first growths in bordeaux, according to one of their official classifications. A cru that has been ‘classified’ is a cru classé, or classed growth. grands crus can also have a very specific meaning, notably in burgundy and alsace. The top-ranked communes in beaujolais are called crus, and their produce is Cru Beaujolais. In switzerland, the first two vineyards to be officially awarded cru status were the neighbouring Dézaley and Calamin in Vaud. The term has been enthusiastically adopted in Italy, where there have been some attempts to define various superior vineyards as crus. The local dialect for such a site in piemonte is sorì.
Monopole
Burgundian term for wholly owned vineyard or climat.
Chalk
A soft and crumbly, highly porous (35 to 40%) type of pure white limestone and a word often used erroneously as synonymous with it. Chalk-derived soils are valued in viticulture for their excellent drainage, combined with a capacity of the subsoil to store substantial amounts of water. Because vine roots can usually penetrate to chalk bedrock, continuity of moisture supply is assured regardless of short-term fluctuations in rainfall. Pure chalk is of low fertility, resulting in a rather low vine vigour and naturally good canopy microclimate. True chalk is much less common under vineyards than most wine books suggest, chiefly because calcarcous (calcaire in French) has been taken to mean chalky. Apart from some vineyards in southern england, the principal wine region with chalk is champagne. Even here, the better vineyards are mostly on clays, with only the longer roots reaching the underlying chalk. It is also widely believed that the sherry region around Jerez in south west Spain is on chalk, although the bedrock is not even pure limestone. The fact that Jerez, Cognac, and Champagne produce more or less exclusively white wines is one of the bases for the widely held misapprehension that there is a correlation between wine colour and soil colour.
Limestone
A rock made of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate); dolomitic limestone or dolomite is a mixture of calcium-magnesium carbonate. Limestone is calcaire in French. Common limestones differ from chalk (a soft form of limestone) in being hard and not readily penetrated by plant roots, except through cracks. Unless mineral material is brought in by wind or water, the depth of soil formed on limestone depends on the impurities (clay, silt, and sand) in the limestone because the dissolution of calcite produces only calcium and bicarbonate ions. Some limestone soils, such as the Mediterranean terra rossa, are red-brown in colour; these are moderately alkaline and have a good clay-loam texture and structure. Some limestone soils overlie substantial reservoirs of soil water, of high quality for irrigation. The longer roots of well-established vines may reach these reservoirs, if they are not too deep. Deep ripping to shatter the hard limestone may be carried out before planting, typically to 1 m (3 ft) depth, but any slabs of limestone brought to the surface may need to be removed. Limestone-derived soils are in general valued most highly in cool viticultural regions. The great wines of burgundy come from vines grown on the slopes of the côte d’or escarpment, where Jurassic limestone is the predominant rock but not the only type of limestone found there. The red limestone-derived terra rossa of Coonawarra in south australia similarly produces some of Australia’s best red wines from Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, both vine varieties being close to the cool limit for their reliable ripening. In warm climates, however, such as in the south of France, and the Riverland of South Australia, limestone soils are not regarded as superior, or even necessarily as suitable for viticulture.
History- Burgundy
Vine growing started by the Celts and expanded under Roman rule. Great wines were produced under monasteries. 11th, 12th and 13th Centuries more white produced than red. 1370: First mention of Pinot Noir. Lack of access to rivers meant lack of transport. 18th and 19th Century opening of railways and better roads meant greater access. These were exploited by early negotiants (some still in business). French Revolution meant that the v/yards were divided into small parcels under the Napoleonic law of inheritance. This created confusion and difficulty for the consumer. Phylloxera almost wiped out the area as American rootstocks were banned until late 1800s. Only the best areas were initially planted with grafted vines.
1930s many co-ops were formed, meaning moves away from Negotiants and towards domaine bottling. Negotiants still play an important part, but many domaines are now forming their own Negotiants divisions.
Trade Structure- Burgundy
Fragmented due to the Napoleonic law of inheritance. Majority of wines are grower vilified, and then either domaine bottled (40% of total production) or sold to a negotiant. Negotiants need large quantities of wine each year to satisfy customers. They use brokers (courtiers) who know quantities and prices of wine for sale by being in close contact with the different growers as well as having their own vineyard holdings.
More growers choose to domaine bottle; wine available for the large negociants has decreased resulting in a price rise. Large rise in the number of single producers buying the wine from their neighbours as it is cheaper than purchasing land. In Chablis and Macon co- operative cellars feature largely. Small proportions of growers sell grapes, rather than wine, to the merchants.
Regional ACs- Burgundy
Make up 2/3s of production of the area. Often grapes grown in lesser vineyards or declassified wines, declassification can be due to excessive yields or a quantity producer who wants to keep only the best wine for the superior appellation. Come from anywhere in Burgundy (even parts of Beaujolais).
Ascending hierarchy:
Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire AC- mainly Gamay. Some white produced, blend of Melon de Bourgogne and Alight
Bourgogne Aligote AC- High acid, low alc. Chablis and some villages on the Cote d’ Or and the Cote Chalonnaise. The village of Bouzeron has its own appellation for Aligote.
Bourgogne Passetoutgrains AC- Literally ‘chuck it all together’. Blend of Pinot Noir (at least 30%) and Gamay.
Bourgogne Rouge AC, Bourgogne Blanc AC- Pinot Noir for red and chardonnay for white
Bourgogne Hautes- Cotes de Nuits AC and Haut- Cotes de Beaune AC- Red and white wine made from 18 villages situated in hills behind the Cote. Lighter in body and less concentrated than Cote de Nuits. Most made in the co- operative cellar in Beaune.
Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise AC- covers Rully, Givry, Montagne, Mercurey and some surrounding v/yards. Each of these areas are also AC’s in their own right.
Macon- Villages and Macon + village name AC- see Maconnaise