Burgundy Flashcards

Question

In the villages of the Côte d’Or, vineyards graded simply as village (rather than premier cru or grand cru) are generally located on a commune’s ______ side, where the angle of slope is slight, or along the far _______ fringe, adjacent to forest-capped ridgelines—where both elevation and slope are far more significant. Between these extremes lie the premiers and grands crus.

Answer 1

In the villages of the Côte d’Or, vineyards graded simply as village (rather than premier cru or grand cru) are generally located on a commune’s "eastern" side, where the angle of slope is slight, or along the far "western" fringe, adjacent to forest-capped ridgelines—where both elevation and slope are far more significant. Between these extremes lie the premiers and grands crus.

Answer 2

True. For example: A blend of Chambertin AOP and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze AOP (two neighboring grand cru appellations in Gevrey-Chambertin) could claim neither AOP as its origin on the label, just as a blend of Gevrey-Chambertin AOP and Vosne-Romanée AOP fruit loses the right to display either appellation on the label. In these two cases, the wines would be “declassified” as Gevrey-Chambertin AOP (with the right to a generic premier cru geographic designation) and Bourgogne AOP, respectively..

Answer 3

40 premiers crus

Answer 4

A mixture of limestone and clay laced with millions of oyster fossils, Kimmeridgian marl is visible in hillside outcrops around the village of Chablis, and soils derived from it are believed to produce higher quality wines.

Answer 5

On the elevated plateaus above the hillsides Kimmeridgian marl is buried under Portlandien limestone, a younger rock strata and a purer form of limestone. Petit Chablis, typically the simplest wine, is produced from these cooler, wind-exposed sites situated on Portlandien limestone.

Answer 6

Serein river

Answer 7

The village wines are actually produced from "17" different communes, and Chablis' 40 premier cru geographic designations, further grouped into "17" major premiers crus, are located on hillsides on both right and left banks of the Serein.

Answer 8

Right side

Answer 9

Les Clos, Vaudésir, Valmur, Preuses, Blanchot, Bougros, Grenouilles.

Answer 10

An eighth parcel in Chablis Grand Cru, La Moutonne—a monopole of Domaine Long-Depaquit overlapping Vaudésir and Preuses—is permitted by the INAO for usage on labels but not listed as an official geographic designation.)

Answer 11

Irancy AOP

Answer 12

St-Bris AOP

Answer 13

A soil mixture of limestone and clay, but if the limestone content is higher than it is argillaceous limestone.

Answer 14

A soil mixture of limestone and clay, but there is more clay in the soil than it is known as marl or calcareous clay.

Answer 15

Côte de Nuits stretches from the suburbs of Dijon in the north to the hamlet of Corgoloin in the south.

Answer 16

``` Marsannay AOP Fixin AOP Gevrey-Chambertin AOP Morey-Saint-Denis AOP Chambolle-Musigny AOP Vougeot AOP Vosne-Romanée AOP Nuits-Saint-Georges AOP ```

Answer 17

``` Marsannay, Fixin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Vougeot Nuits-Saint-Georges ```

Answer 18

24 Note*: All 24 produce red wine; one—Musigny—may also produce white wines.

Answer 19

``` Le Chambertin Chambertin Clos de Bèze Mazis-Chambertin Latricières-Chambertin Ruchottes-Chambertin Griottes-Chambertin Chapelle-Chambertin Charmes-Chambertin ```

Answer 20

Armand Rousseau, Claude Dugat, and Jean-Marie Fourrier

Answer 21

Yonne, Côte d'Or, Saône-et-Loire, and Rhône

Answer 22

named for the commune of Beaujeu

Answer 23

Beaujolais typically produces about one-third of the wines of Burgundy.

Answer 24

Burgundy is positioned between 46-48° latitude; the 47th parallel runs right through Volnay

Answer 25

Chardonnay is Burgundy’s most planted grape, comprising almost half of the planted land in Burgundy.

Answer 26

Pinot Gris in Burgundy

Answer 27

César, Tressot, and Sacy

Answer 28

César, a tannic red grape of probable German origin, gives strength and longevity to basic Pinot blends and the reds of Irancy, yet it is only permitted as a minor component in AOP wines.

Answer 29

Tressot, a red variety dating from at least the 14th century, descends from Duras and Petite Verdot—rare parentage for the Burgundy region.

Answer 30

Sacy (Saint-Pourçain’s Tressalier grape), a variety authorized only for sparkling wines in Burgundy. Sacy, like Gamay, Aligoté, Chardonnay, and Melon de Bourgogne, is a Pinot x Gouais Blanc progeny.

Answer 31

A separate appellation for varietal wines produced solely from the white Aligoté grape. Wines from the appellation are often—but not always—simple and refreshing, and the grape frequently exhibits high acidity.

Answer 32

Climat: A Burgundian term used to denote “a parcel of vines defined and named to be associated with the wines it produces”; in other words, a single vineyard in Burgundy.

Answer 33

The word climat has been regulated by the INAO for use throughout Burgundy since 1935. There are over 1,200 climats in Burgundy today.

Answer 34

Lieu-dit: Nearly synonymous with climat, a lieu-dit is a named single vineyard, and forms one contiguous parcel within a single commune. Frequently, the names of lieux-dits recall historic uses of the land or former owners.

Answer 35

Cru: An imprecise term, cru is used both to denote quality and to indicate a delimited place; depending on the region and the wine in question the term can carry legal weight or simply evoke popular meaning.

Answer 36

Parcel: A parcel is a single contiguous holding within a vineyard, owned entirely by one grower. Often, domaines may hold several different parcels in the same climat; for instance, Domaine Leflaive owns three separate parcels in the grand cru Bâtard-Montrachet.

Answer 37

Clos: A clos indicates a vineyard enclosed within a stone wall. While there is temptation to assume that these walls were built with foresight of the vineyard’s exactingly prime location, they are basically medieval fences, originally erected to keep animals away from the vines. Today, Clos de Vougeot is the largest and most famous example. In some, like Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, the walls have long since fallen but the name remains.

Answer 38

Village, indicating one of the many small towns that dot the Burgundy landscape or the wines produced in village appellations.

Answer 39

A commune is an administrative unit of local government encapsulating a town and its immediate surroundings.

Answer 40

A hamlet is the smallest form of settlement, often included administratively within the commune of a larger neighboring town. For example, Puligny-Montrachet is a village appellation and a commune, whereas Blagny is a village appellation and a hamlet located within the Puligny-Montrachet commune.

Answer 41

Coteaux de l’Auxois and Sainte-Marie-la-Blanche.

Answer 42

The Coteaux de l’Auxois IGP covers much of the Côte d’Or département north and west of the Hautes-Côtes appellations and does not overlap any AOPs of the Côte d’Or.

Answer 43

Sainte-Marie-la-Blanche IGP is a much smaller appellation; it sits to the east of the D974 and the Côte de Beaune. It is adjacent to Bourgogne AOP, but they do not overlap. Thus, there is no IGP that covers the actual Côte d’Or winegrowing region.

Answer 44

Red grapes are crushed and kept on their skins at cool temperatures (10-14° C) for days—sometimes a week or more—which, alongside prudent sulfur dioxide additions, preclude the onset of fermentation.

Answer 45

Etienne Grivot (of Domaine Jean Grivot, Vosne Romanee) began using the technique in 1984 and accelerated its practice during the Accad era of the late '80s and early '90s; he believes a cold maceration of 5-7 days improves a wine's capacity to age and renders organic acids more stable. Others see it as an intrusive technique: Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac views cold soaking as "an element of convergence, when we are really trying to make wines that are different."

Answer 46

To induce carbonic maceration, a winemaker will seal whole clusters or whole berries of red grapes in a closed vat and pump in carbon dioxide. In the absence of oxygen, intact whole berries undergo a short intracellular fermentation, metabolizing individual stores of glucose and malic acid to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide without the aid of yeast.

Answer 47

During carbonic maceration, tannins and anthocyanins move from the skins to the flesh of each grape, giving the juice color. The grape can develop an alcohol level of approximately 2% before it dies and the cellular activity ceases. The grapes may then rupture due to an internal build-up of carbon dioxide, or the winemaker may simply press the juice off the skins; either way, the wine ferments to dryness with the normal activity of yeast.

Answer 48

There are 53 communal appellations which represent 36% of total production. Examples include Meursault, Puligny Montrachet, Volnay and Gevrey Chambertin. The communal or village name may be followed by the name of an individual vineyard, e,g, Meursault Clos de la Barre, Gevrey Chambertin Les Evocelles. Many villages have double barrelled names because they have hyphenated the name of their most famous vineyard: thus Gevrey has added Chambertin and Chambolle has added Musigny.

Answer 49

Gevrey Chambertin Premiers Crus: Combe au Moine les Cazetiers Estournelles St Jacques Clos St Jacques Aux Combottes.

Answer 50

Morey St. Denis Grand Crus: Clos.St-Denis Bonnes Mares Clos de la Roche Clos des Lambrays Clos de Tart

Answer 51

Morey St. Denis Premier Crus: Les Ruchots La Bussière La Faconnières

Answer 52

Chambolle Musigny Grand Crus: Musigny Bonnes Mares

Answer 53

``` Chambolle Musigny Premiers Crus: Les Amoureuses Les Beaux-Bruns Les Cras Les Fuées Les Véroilles ```

Answer 54

Vougeot Grand Cru: Clos du Vougeot

Answer 55

``` Vosne Romanée Grand Crus: Romanée-Conti La Tâche Richebourg Romanée Saint-Vivant Romanée La Grande Rue ```

Answer 56

``` Vosne Romanée Premiers Crus: Aux Raignots Les Chaumes Les Suchots Aux Brûlées Les Beaux Monts Combe Brûlée ```

Answer 57

Flagey-Echézeaux (sold under name of Vosne Romanée) Grands Crus: Echézeaux Grands-Echézeaux

Answer 58

``` Nuits St Georges Premier Crus: Les Cailles Les Vaucrains Les St Georges Aux Murgers Aux Boudots ```

Answer 59

``` Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Crus: Les Lavières Aux Vergelesses Les Narbantons Les Grands Liards Les Perrières Les Fourneux ```

Answer 60

``` Beaune Premiers Crus: Clos des Mouches Les Greves Les Perrières Clos du Roi Les Cras Les Bressandes ```

Answer 61

``` Pommard Premiers Crus: Les Epenots Les Jarollières Les Fremiers Les Charmots Les Combes Les Pézerolles ```

Answer 62

``` Volnay Premier Crus: Champans Les Caillerets Les Angles Clos des Chênes Clos de la Pousse d'Or Les Pluchots La Gigotte ```

Answer 63

Semi-carbonic maceration is more common, and it is actually the more traditional technique in Beaujolais. Here, carbon dioxide is not added to the fermentation vat but produced naturally. Whole clusters at the bottom of the tank crush under the weight of those above and begin fermenting normally. As the carbon dioxide released by standard fermentation blankets the whole berries above, they begin to ferment internally. Typically, semi-carbonic maceration is conducted in an open vat.

Answer 64

Domaines de la Romanée-Conti and Dujac are high-profile practitioners of whole-cluster fermentation; depending on the site, both domaines may use higher proportions of clusters—up to 100%—in warm vintages, and lower percentages (70-80%) in cooler years.

Answer 65

While winemakers’ opinions about the benefits of whole cluster differ, when expertly handled one typically achieves more aeration and cooler temperatures during fermentation, lighter color, slight carbonic notes, and firmer tannins in the final wine.

Answer 66

Advocates of whole-berry fermentation, in which the grapes are de-stemmed but not crushed prior to fermentation, can achieve some of the same high-toned, floral, carbonic aromatic complexity that results from whole cluster, without risking the green tannins that can prevail if stems are not properly lignified. Stems can also harbor potassium, raising pH in the final wine.

Answer 67

For white wines, Burgundy vignerons often press whole clusters without crushing the fruit. This produces a cleaner, less phenolic must with a slightly lower pH and fewer attendant dangers of oxidation.

Answer 68

Chaptalization—the addition of white (beet) sugar to increase alcohol content in a fermenting wine—is a common enrichment practice in Burgundy. If a vigneron chooses to chaptalize his or her wine, it is subject to the maximum alcohol levels stipulated in each AOC/P cahier des charges. Once added by rote at the beginning of fermentation, many producers now add sugar toward its conclusion, and often in multiple additions, performing a sort of “sweet spot” tasting.

Answer 69

Burgundy winemakers now have a new tool available to them: subtractive must enrichment. The technique, illegal before 2009, allows the producer to remove water from the must to concentrate the remainder by a maximum factor of 10%.

Answer 70

Acidification, like chaptalization, is also legal in Burgundy, provided it is declared and documented. In fact, despite recent hot vintages like 2003 or 2009—two years in which acidification was not uncommon—the need to acidify today is reduced from what it was in the 1980s and 1990s.

Answer 71

Years of heavy synthetic fertilizer use left high levels of potassium in the soil—potassium will raise pH in red wine macerations—and many growers acidified to combat it. As potassium levels slowly ebb with modern interest in soil health and organic viticulture, the need to acidify actually decreases.

Answer 72

bâtonnage can reduce reduction in barrel, but overuse may invite concerns of premox and produce an obvious leesy aromatic character.

Answer 73

An average vigneron may use the following percentages of new oak for red wines: 0-10% for Bourgogne AOP, 0-25% for a village wine, 25-50% for a premier cru, and 50-100% for a grand cru.

Answer 74

The favored cooperage of the Côte d’Or has long been François Frères, a local tonnellerie originally established in Saint-Romain.

Answer 75

feuillettes, which hold 132 liters of wine, remain the official unit of measurement for growers selling wine to négociants but are rare in actual wine production. Few coopers even make feuillettes today.

Answer 76

In that year a Marseille-Paris railway opened, providing a quick and efficient means of transporting cheap Midi wines to the French capital and beyond, while diminishing Chablis’ ability to compete.

Answer 77

The future looked grim: the 1880s brought the twofold devastation of powdery mildew (1886) and phylloxera (1887), and World War I summoned every available vigneron—and their horses—to the front. The high-yielding Sacy unseated Chardonnay in the region’s diminishing vineyards. Chablis suffered heavy German bombardment during World War II, and despite battlefield victory the 1945 vintage fell victim to frost.

Answer 78

Yes. New techniques of frost prevention arrived to shield vigilant growers’ vines, and the first tractors appeared in Chablis by the early 1950s.

Answer 79

Mechanization made vineyard work and vineyard expansion easier; mechanical harvesters appeared in the early 1980s to further lighten the load. (Today nearly 95% of Chablis’ vineyards are harvested by machine!)

Answer 80

Premiers crus were added to the basic Chablis AOP regulations in 1967, and the AOP boundaries were controversially enlarged to include another 1000 hectares in 1978 (including several new premiers crus).

Answer 81

In 1970, Chablis produced less than 20,000 hectoliters of wine; by 1982 the annual production reached 118,000 hl. In 2012, a modestly sized vintage, the three AOPs of Chablis recorded over 300,000 hl of wine from more than 5,000 ha of vines.

Answer 82

“Kimmeridgian” refers to an age in the Upper Jurassic Epoch, occurring roughly 150-157 million years ago. Named for the village of Kimmeridge in Dorset, UK, the Kimmeridgian rock stratum consists of crumbly, chalky marl (clay and limestone) and contains abundant Exogyra virgula fossils—the imprints of tiny oyster shells. Outcrops are visible on the hillsides of the Serein River Valley.

Answer 83

On the ridges and plateaus surrounding the Serein River Valley the Kimmeridgian marl is buried beneath Portlandian limestone, a harder cap rock with less clay content.

Answer 84

Portlandian limestone in Chablis lacks the multitudes of fossilized seashells that characterize Kimmeridgian marl, and it is younger, formed 130 million years ago. Portlandian soils—those that overlay Portlandian limestone—are sandier and thinner than Kimmeridgian soils.

Answer 85

The Petit Chablis AOP, established in 1944, found a home for Chardonnay wines produced on the plateaus of Portlandian limestone-derived soils—often higher, colder, and wind-exposed areas.

Answer 86

Chablis’ best vineyards—the grands crus, numbering around 100 total hectares—are located on a two-kilometer stretch of hillsides just north of town, facing south and southwest in an arc alongside the Serein. A product of coincident Kimmeridgian soil and privileged aspect, the grand cru slopes are the region’s warmest, bathed in afternoon light and protected from cold north winds.

Answer 87

Unlike the grands crus of the Côte d’Or, Chablis Grand Cru AOP is a single appellation, with seven official geographic designations: Blanchot, Les Clos, Valmur, Les Grenouilles, Vaudésir, Preuses, and Bougros.

Answer 88

11% for Chablis Grand Cru AOP

Answer 89

The grand cru climats are also the only vineyards routinely harvested by hand in the entire region—prices are commensurate with the added expense of labor, and much of the hillside is too steep for machines anyway.

Answer 90

``` Right Bank: Berdiot, Côte de Vaubarousse, Fourchaume, Les Fourneaux, Mont de Milieu, Montée de Tonnerre, Vaucoupin ```

Answer 91

``` Left Bank: Beauroy, Chaume de Talvat, Côte de Léchet, Côte de Jouan, Les Beauregards, Montmains, Vau de Vey, Vaillons, Vosgros, Vau Ligneau ```

Answer 92

The southwest-facing Montée de Tonnerre, a stone’s throw across the narrow Vallée de Bréchain from Blanchot, is widely considered the top premier cru in Chablis, and in the right hands (Raveneau, Patrick Piuze, Billaud-Simon) it surpasses many less ambitious estates’ grand cru output.

Answer 93

On the left bank, the premier cru slopes usually face southeast, cradled in the hillsides of finger-like side valleys rather than alongside the Serein River itself.

Answer 94

Vaillons and Montmains are the most important sites on the left bank.

Answer 95

In very general terms, the left bank wines might appear a bit more restrained; the right bank wines show more opulent and exotic ripe fruit notes.

Answer 96

The quintessential Chablis style is that espoused in the premier cru range: these are steely wines, with elevated acidity, leesy character, austere lemon and orchard fruit aromas, subtle oxidation, and medium weight.

Answer 97

Yes. Frequently—and traditionally—vignerons allow full malolactic fermentation to soften Chablis’ acidic edges, but it occurs in tank or used barrels rather than new oak.

Answer 98

Limestone, forged during the Jurassic period, is the building block of the Côte d’Or, and its topsoils typically contain some combination of limestone and clay.

Answer 99

The slope can become quite steep, reaching a 35% grade near the vineyards’ upper limits, but the grands crus generally lie at a gentler grade of 10% or less. Such a mild incline has tremendously positive impact: soils are slightly deeper and more nutrient-rich than those found on the higher slopes, yet the vineyards remain well-drained—rather than the ultimate recipients of eroded material, like the flat lands nearer the Saône.

Answer 100

These are dry, transverse valleys, carved during the last ice age by melt-water and erosion, which today serve as conduits for both cool breezes and hailstorms. Thousands of years of erosion deposited deep alluvial fans of pebbles and stone at the mouths of the combes, diversifying soil makeup. The combes play a large role in the complexity of the Côte d’Or’s terroir.

Answer 101

The côtes are cut here and there by "combes"—a significant geological feature of the region.

Answer 102

Broadly speaking, the Côte de Nuits faces due "east" while the Côte de Beaune’s vineyards turn to face "southeast".

Answer 103

The Côte de Beaune has about twice as much land under vine as the Côte de Nuits

Answer 104

Côte de Beaune: its strip of vineyards is wider and numerous appellations are located in side valleys rather than along the escarpment of the côte itself.

Answer 105

Soils in the Côte de Beaune, with the exception of the surroundings of Montrachet, tend to contain greater amounts of marl and less limestone than those in the Côte de Nuits

Answer 106

Hillsides in the Côte de Beaune are generally less steep, although they can reach higher elevations overall, particularly at its southern end.

Answer 107

Neither. Both regions produce more red wine than white; in fact, the Côte de Nuits produces hardly any village white wines at all, even if most of its appellations are entitled to do so. The Côte de Beaune, however, is more renowned for white wine quality: all but one of the grands crus authorized to produce white wine are located in the Côte de Beaune.

Answer 108

Despite its more southerly location and slightly warmer mesoclimate, Côte de Beaune reds are generally lighter in style, more affordable, and less driven by new oak than those of the Côte de Nuits.

Answer 109

Marsannay is the northernmost and newest of the Côte de Nuits appellations. Established in 1987, it encompasses approximately 230 ha of vines spread among three communes—from north to south, they are Chenôve, Marsannay-La-Côte, and Couchey—sitting among the outskirts of the city of Dijon.

Answer 110

Three communes—from north to south, they are Chenôve, Marsannay-La-Côte, Couchey

Answer 111

Marsannay AOP wines may be red, white, or rosé; in fact, Marsannay is the only village appellation in all of Burgundy in which producers may choose to produce all three colors of wine.

Answer 112

Marsannay is the only village AOP in which rosé wines are produced—the style, introduced by the now-defunct Domaine Clair-Däu in the 1920s, was an early economic boon to vignerons, whose reds have historically been among the lightest in the Côte de Nuits.

Answer 113

Currently, there are no premiers crus in Marsannay, but producers frequently label top village sites with a lieu-dit.

Answer 114

Fixin, a commune between Couchey and Brochon, in the Cote de Nuits, and produces red and white appellation wines in both village and premier cru tiers.

Answer 115

The monopole "Clos de la Perrière," a climat whose boundaries cross the Brochon border, is the top premier cru in the Fixin AOP, and the only current source of premier cru blanc wines. Domaine de la Perrière, the monopole’s owner, is Fixin’s most ambitious grower today

Answer 116

Domaine de la Perrière, the monopole’s owner for "Clos de la Perriere," is Fixin’s most ambitious grower today

Answer 117

The appellation’s red wines are more akin to Gevrey-Chambertin than classic Marsannay in style—burly, earthy, and often rather tannic in youth. To Fixin, Clive Coates applies the descriptor sauvage.

Answer 118

White wines make up less than 5% of the AOP’s production.

Answer 119

Gevrey-Chambertin AOP (400 ha of vines—not including the grands crus.)

Answer 120

A country road running parallel to the D974, divides the grands crus of Gevrey-Chambertin into two sectors. West of the road, on shallower soils and a slightly higher grade, are—from north to south—Mazis-Chambertin and Ruchottes-Chambertin, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, Chambertin itself, and Latricières Chambertin.

Answer 121

Chambertin and Clos de Bèze, Burgundy’s oldest climat, are the top vineyards here; together they comprise almost 28 hectares of vines and represent two of Burgundy’s finest sources of Pinot Noir.

Answer 122

The village of Gevrey-Chambertin lies at the mouth of the Combe de Lavaux, a small valley separating two forest-capped hills.

Answer 123

Another top climat, Aux Combottes, lies at Gevrey’s extreme southern end and is the only premier cru climat in Burgundy surrounded on all four sides by grands crus.

Answer 124

The classic red wines of Gevrey-Chambertin are usually touted as models of solidity, power and structure for Pinot Noir, and may be tannic and austere in youth. They veer toward a darker cherry fruit profile. Deep color and concentration are often touted as hallmarks of the village’s wines, but this may have more to do with cold soaking and other extractive techniques popular in the village (particularly in the 1990s) rather than inherent terroir.

Answer 125

Among the most reputable domaines based in Gevrey-Chambertin are Rousseau, Fourrier, Claude Dugat, Denis Bachelet, Denis Mortet, Joseph Roty, and Pierre Damoy.

Answer 126

``` Clos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, Clos de Tart, Clos des Lambrays, Bonnes Mares ```

Answer 127

Clos de la Roche, the vineyard “on the rocks,” produces the most substantial, structured wine in the village

Answer 128

Clos Saint-Denis is its more elegant

Answer 129

Chambolle-Musigny typically have a high active limestone component and lower percentages of clay, triggering mild chlorosis in the village’s vines—one cause, tasters suggest, for the silky, ethereal, light-colored style of red wines produced in the commune.

Answer 130

Chambolle-Musigny is often regarded as Gevrey’s antipode: the wines are elegant and “feminine” counterparts to the sturdy, “masculine” wines produced further north.

Answer 131

Chambolle-Musigny has two grands crus: Musigny itself, and the lion’s share—90%—of Bonnes Mares.

Answer 132

Town and combe separate the two. Bonnes Mares is adjacent to Morey-Saint-Denis’ Clos de Tart Grand Cru AOP, and like its neighbor was once the property of the Cistercian nuns of Tart.

Answer 133

Soil composition in Bonnes Mares shifts from denser red clays on the Morey side (and throughout its lower sections) to lighter marl soils, rich in limestone, as one approaches Chambolle.

Answer 134

Musigny, which comprises three distinct lieux-dits—Le Musigny, Les Petits Musigny, and a small section of the premier cru climat La Combe d’Orveaux—is situated south of the town, on the slopes above Clos de Vougeot.

Answer 135

The 3 lieux dits of Musigny

Answer 136

Chambolle style: fragrant, floral, and silky—Musigny is the archetype of elegance for Pinot Noir.

Answer 137

Musigny is the only grand cru in the Côte de Nuits in which white wine production is permitted.

Answer 138

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé owns three-quarters of the entire vineyard, including its sole parcel of Chardonnay, currently sold simply as Bourgogne blanc while the domaine’s vines, replanted in the early 1990s, mature

Answer 139

Les Amoureuses, is directly down-slope from Musigny, adjacent to the commune of Vougeot. Like Gevrey-Chambertin’s Clos Saint-Jacques, good bottlings of Les Amoureuses are often of grand cru quality. It resembles Musigny, with an impression of weightlessness, and can regularly outperform Bonnes Mares in the hands of a good grower.

Answer 140

De Vogüé, Georges Roumier, Ghislaine Barthod, and Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier.

Answer 141

Château de Clos de Vougeot, is hard to miss. Built by Cistercian monks as a symbol of their prestige and authority, the building fell into secular hands during the Revolution.

Answer 142

At 50 hectares, it is also the largest grand cru in the Côte de Nuits, stretching from Musigny all the way down to the D974. It produces four times as much wine as Vougeot AOP.

Answer 143

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru itself produces only red wines, Vougeot AOP village and premier cru wines may be red or white. Wines of both colors are infrequently encountered in the market.

Answer 144

François Lamarche

Answer 145

Comte Liger-Belair

Answer 146

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Answer 147

Four of Vosne’s six grands crus are monopoles: François Lamarche is the sole owner of La Grande Rue, Comte Liger-Belair owns La Romanée, and the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti possesses both La Tâche and Romanée-Conti.

Answer 148

The 1.8-ha Romanée-Conti, source of the most expensive red wine on earth at release, was the last grand cru in Burgundy to be replanted after phylloxera, in 1946.

Answer 149

0.85-ha La Romanée

Answer 150

While village and premier cru vineyards exist within the borders of Flagey-Echézeaux, the town itself does not have an appellation; instead, producers use the more illustrious name of its neighbor, Vosne-Romanée.

Answer 151

the commune does contain two grands crus: Echézeaux and Grands-Echézeaux.

Answer 152

premiers crus of Vosne-Romanée, Les Suchots, Les Beaux Monts, Les Petits Monts, Aux Malconsorts, Cros Parantoux

Answer 153

Top premiers crus of Vosne Romanee

Answer 154

Nuits-Saint-Georges is the largest commune in the Côte de Nuits, and the only real center of commerce and population between Dijon and Beaune.

Answer 155

vineyards north of the commune of Nuits-Saint-Georges, vineyards south of the commune, and those within the borders of Premeaux-Prissey.

Answer 156

Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair’s Clos des Grandes Vignes is the only premier cru in the entire Côte d’Or located east of the D974—the “wrong side” of the highway

Answer 157

Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair’s "Clos des Grandes Vignes"

Answer 158

Domaine Henri Gouges

Answer 159

Flagship estate in the appellation, and the man’s modesty during grand cru deliberations in the 1930s is often cited as the reason why the village does not have any: he was too closely involved in the demarcation process, and felt it unfitting to nominate his own village’s vineyards.

Answer 160

In the late 700s the Frankish King Charlemagne observed snows melting first on this arc of southern slopes, and ordered vines to be planted there. As the king grew older his beard whitened, and his wife, distressed by newly visible wine stains on his beard, persuaded him to switch from red wine to white.

Answer 161

Smaller grand cru appellations within Corton—Corton-Charlemagne AOP and Charlemagne AOP—thus bear the king’s name, and produce only white wines.

Answer 162

Corton is the only red-wine producing grand cru in the Côte de Beaune, and the largest single grand cru appellation in all of Burgundy.

Answer 163

At its best, red Corton needs significant time in the bottle to uncoil, yet never quite hits the high notes of the head-of-class grands crus; at its worst, it is coarse and rustic.

Answer 164

Corton-Charlemagne AOP white wines are likewise good, but rarely the equal of top grands crus further south. It is generally an opulent and broad Chardonnay, yet without the depth and concentration of Montrachet.

Answer 165

Ladoix-Serrigny, Aloxe-Corton, and Pernand-Vergelesses

Answer 166

The 3 communes that encircle the southern half of Corton.

Answer 167

Aloxe-Corton, as its name might indicate, is the biggest shareholder, with 75% of the entire appellation—120 hectares—falling inside its borders.

Answer 168

On the hill’s western mid-slope, where the soils turn white, the remaining two—Le Charlemagne in Aloxe-Corton and En Charlemagne in Pernand-Vergelesses—form the core of Corton-Charlemagne AOP. In all three communes, vineyards along the uppermost, steepest slopes are also entitled to this appellation, and are usually planted to Chardonnay.

Answer 169

Yes. In total, 72 of Corton’s 160 ha fall within Corton-Charlemagne.

Answer 170

The commune itself is small, with fewer than 100 ha of vines, and it produces both red and white village and premier cru wines.

Answer 171

The Hill of Corton lies in the midst of a cluster of famous wine-growing villages - Ladoix-Serrigny, Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Savigny-lès-Beaune - with, to the North, the southern end of the Côte de Nuits where vineyards mingle with stone quarries (Comblanchien limestone). The vineyards lie at heights of 250-330 metres and form a kind of amphitheatre not found elsewhere in the Côte.

Answer 172

Exposure is South-East/South-West (not an arrangement frequently found in the Côte).

Answer 173

Although both red and white wines are produced under this AOP, producers in the Pernand-Vergelesses sector only produce Corton rouge, labeling white wines Corton-Charlemagne instead.

Answer 174

Yes, only white wines may be produced under this AOP name.

Answer 175

Bonneau du Martray

Answer 176

négociant house Louis Latour

Answer 177

Savigny-Lès-Beaune is one of the larger appellations in the Côte de Beaune—behind Meursault and Beaune itself—and over 300 of its nearly 350 ha of vineyards are planted with Pinot Noir.

Answer 178

Chandon de Briailles and Simon Bize are the leading domaines in the village.

Answer 179

Beaune has more hectares under vine than any other commune in the Côte de Beaune, and is second only to Gevrey-Chambertin in the Côte d’Or

Answer 180

Pommard, one of only four appellations in the Côte de Beaune that may only produce red wines, offers a denser, gutsier, more tannic style of Pinot Noir than most communes in the region.

Answer 181

The commune and appellation are bifurcated by the Dheune stream, which flows down through a combe into the town itself. In comparison to Volnay, water flow and erosion have deposited a greater percentage of iron-rich clay on Pommard’s lower slopes, resulting in fuller-bodied, weightier, sturdier wines.

Answer 182

Savigny-Lès-Beaune is one of the larger appellations in the Côte de Beaune—behind Meursault and Beaune itself—and over 300 of its nearly 350 ha of vineyards are planted with Pinot Noir.

Answer 183

Chandon de Briailles and Simon Bize are the leading domaines in the village.

Answer 184

There are no premier cru vineyards. The commune produces red and white wines, but the latter comprises only one-tenth of its already small output (there are under 150 ha of vines). The reds are often light, soft, and a bit generic—tasting more like Bourgogne AOP than a village-level wine.

Answer 185

Beaune has more hectares under vine than any other commune in the Côte de Beaune, and is second only to Gevrey-Chambertin in the Côte d’Or.

Answer 186

three of Beaune’s best premiers crus—Les Bressandes, Les Grèves, and Les Teurons—occupy the mid-slope of the Montagne de Beaune, where the hillside tilts inward to face due east, but they range in size from 17 ha (Bressandes) to over 30 ha (Les Grèves).

Answer 187

Côte de Beaune AOP. Not to be confused with Côte de Beaune-Villages AOP, this small appellation covers a smattering of vineyards located above the northern sector of premiers crus, at an elevation of 300-370 meters.

Answer 188

Water flow and erosion have deposited a greater percentage of iron-rich clay on Pommard’s lower slopes, resulting in fuller-bodied, weightier, sturdier wines. Consequently, Pommard may see more new oak than other red wines of the Côte de Beaune.

Answer 189

Les Rugiens Bas is likely Pommard’s most exceptional vineyard, and produces its richest wines, archetypes of the appellation’s classic form. Unfortunately, many wines from the vineyard are labeled simply as Les Rugiens, and may include fruit from the neighboring Les Rugiens Hauts, an inferior and steeper site.

Answer 190

Top producers in Volnay

Answer 191

Volnay’s best sites—Les Caillerets, Champans, Clos des Chênes, and Taillepieds—are at the southern end of the commune, on the hillside toward Monthélie and Meursault.

Answer 192

If the wine is red, producers may label four Meursault climats (the premiers crus Les Santenots du Milieu, Les Santenots Blancs, and Les Plures; and the village-level Les Santenots Dessous) as Volnay 1er Cru Santenots.

Answer 193

Monthélie AOP

Answer 194

Climat du Val premiers crus in Auxey-Duresses

Answer 195

Saint-Romain AOP

Answer 196

Classic Meursault white wine is rich—almost fat—on the palate, with a nutty, buttery, honeyed spectrum of flavors and a softer acidity than exhibited in Puligny-Montrachet.

Answer 197

Top Meursault producers

Answer 198

The village’s most important climat, Perrières

Answer 199

Two outstanding premiers crus in Meursault, Les Charmes and Les Genevrières. All sit below 300 meters in elevation on the hillside south of town, alongside Porusot and Les Gouttes d’Or.

Answer 200

Albert Grivault’s monopole Clos des Perrières

Answer 201

Chaumes—meaning scrubland—is among Meursault’s newest vineyards, cleared and planted in the late 1990s.

Answer 202

Blagny is a hamlet within the Puligny-Montrachet commune, poised on the higher slopes north of town.

Answer 203

Its vineyards are technically divided between Puligny and Meursault, and white grapes are labeled under those better-regarded, better-known appellations.

Answer 204

Blagny AOP, yet the whites are split between Meursault AOP and Puligny Montrachet AOP

Answer 205

Puligny-Montrachet lays claim to four of eight hectares in the most coveted Chardonnay vineyard on earth, Montrachet Grand Cru AOP itself.

Answer 206

Puligny shares it and Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru AOP with its southern neighbor Chassagne-Montrachet.

Answer 207

Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

Answer 208

The 3 top premiere crus in Puligny Montrachet

Answer 209

Top producers in Puligny Montrachet

Answer 210

Marquis de Laguiche owns the largest parcel of Montrachet—2 hectares, or 25% of the total vineyard, all on the Puligny side.

Answer 211

Chevalier-Montrachet, Bouchard Père & Fils is the largest landowner, with 2.5 of 7.3 total hectares. They produce two wines from the parcel: a “basic” Chevalier-Montrachet and “Cuvée la Cabotte,” from a lieu-dit once included in Montrachet itself.

Answer 212

Le Montrachet

Answer 213

Chassagne Montrachet

Answer 214

Chassagne-Montrachet is actually better suited to Pinot Noir than Chardonnay. Red clay soils characterize many of the village vineyards and the lower slopes of the premiers crus.

Answer 215

In style, the whites are broader and more thickly textured than Puligny—generally a result of heavier new oak usage—but more difficult to distinguish in broad strokes from Meursault.

Answer 216

1.6 ha Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet is the only grand cru Chassagne claims in its entirety, and the smallest white wine-producing grand cru in Burgundy.

Answer 217

The commune of Saint-Aubin and its hamlet, Gamay, are tucked away in a cool valley amidst the hills behind Chassagne-Montrachet.

Answer 218

Maranges AOP

Answer 219

The Côte Chalonnaise, a 25-kilometer-long corridor extending southward from Santenay, spans the hillsides along the western edge of the Saône River Valley

Answer 220

Soils here resemble those in the Côte de Beaune—weathered limestone and clay—but the area is no longer protected from prevailing winds by the dominating escarpment of the Côte d’Or.

Answer 221

In 1990, Côte Chalonnaise officially became a geographic designation of the Bourgogne AOP.

Answer 222

Village appellations of Cote Chalonnaise: Mercurey (1936), Montagny (1936), Rully (1939), Givry (1946), and Bouzeron (1998).

Answer 223

All except Bouzeron have a premier cru classification.

Answer 224

Bouzeron AOP

Answer 225

Domaine A & P Villaine, established by Aubert de Villaine (of DRC fame), is the village’s most famous estate, and works to create greater respect for the grape by cultivating superior selections of the grape—the golden Aligoté d’Oré instead of the green Aligoté Vert.

Answer 226

Rully is the 19th-century birthplace of sparkling wines in Burgundy, and the commune is the center of Crémant de Bourgogne AOP production today.

Answer 227

Communes of Rully and Chagny, this appellation produces both white and red wines in a 70% to 30% ratio.

Answer 228

Mercurey AOP has almost 650 ha under vine—nearly double the acreage of Rully, the second-largest appellation in the region—and it has long been considered the viticultural heart of the Côte Chalonnaise.

Answer 229

Mercurey’s original five premiers crus—Clos Marcilly, Clos Voyens, Le Clos du Roy, Les Fourneaux, and Les Montaigus—date to 1943; it has 32 in total today following additions in 1956 and 1988.

Answer 230

As 85% of its vines are Pinot Noir, Mercurey is really a red wine village, producing the firmest and most muscular reds in the Côte Chalonnaise, with greater levels of tannin and new oak than either Givry or Rully can support.

Answer 231

Like Mercurey, Givry produces a lot of red wines and a little white. The red wines are often sleeker and more charming but a little less tannic and weighty than those of Mercurey.

Answer 232

The four communes of Montagny AOP

Answer 233

Only white wines produced from Chardonnay are authorized.

Answer 234

The largest producer in Montagny—and the entire Côte Chalonnaise—is the Cave de Buxy, the local cooperative.

Answer 235

The Mâconnais region is a major producer of white wines in Burgundy, second in volume only to Chablis.

Answer 236

85% of the Mâcon AOP production, however, carries the geographic designation Mâcon-Villages or—more precisely—the name of a single commune appended to the appellation, such as Lugny, Milly-Lamartine, or Pierreclos—27 communes may currently appear as geographic designations appended to Mâcon.

Answer 237

No, only white wines may be labeled as Mâcon-Villages

Answer 238

In comparison to Chablis it tends to be fruitier and more open, but lacks Chablis’ sharp mineral edge and high acidity.

Answer 239

Maconnais' five village appellations

Answer 240

``` Pouilly-Fuisse, Pouilly-Loche, Pouilly-Vinzelles, Saint-Veran, Vire-Clesse ```

Answer 241

Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly, Vergisson, and Chaintré—with vineyards rising up the slopes below the Rocks of Solutré and Vergisson, two large limestone escarpments that define the landscape of the southern Mâconnais.

Answer 242

Pouilly-Fuisse

Answer 243

The region of Beaujolais overlaps the southern Mâconnais, but most of its territory lies further south in the Rhône département, not far from Lyon, a culinary mecca and France’s second-largest city.

Answer 244

Over 95% of the cultivated area is planted to Gamay, while over 50% of the world’s Gamay acreage is located in the region.

Answer 245

11 AOPs specific to Beaujolais, including the basic Beaujolais AOP—for which red, white, and rosé wines are authorized—and the ten northern cru AOPs.

Answer 246

Most Beaujolais AOP (and Coteaux Bourguignons AOP) wines are grown and produced in the flatter reaches of southern Beaujolais, where the granite ebbs and the soils begin to look more like the limestone-clay of the Mâconnais.

Answer 247

Over half of the red wine production of the south is nouveau.

Answer 248

Beaujolais nouveau was first allowed by law in 1951; it surged from the bistro tables of Lyon to worldwide popularity in the 1970s and ‘80s, and made a household name out of Georges Duboeuf, the region's largest producer.

Answer 249

Beaujolais-Villages, a once-separate appellation created in 1950, was subsumed under the larger Beaujolais AOP in 2011.

Answer 250

All of the ten cru Beaujolais

Answer 251

Famous examples include Côte du Py in Morgon, Les Capitans in Juliénas, and La Madone in Fleurie.

Answer 252

Saint-Amour, the most northerly of the Beaujolais crus, is adjacent to Saint-Véran AOP, and it is the only cru located entirely within the Saône-et-Loire département.

Answer 253

Saint-Amour, like Fleurie and Chiroubles, usually provides a lighter and less concentrated expression of cru Beaujolais.

Answer 254

With its range of elevation (230-430 meters) and varied soils, Juliénas can be unpredictable, yet generally exhibits greater depth and fuller body than Saint-Amour. It also has nearly twice as much vine acreage (approx. 600 ha) and output as its northern neighbor.

Answer 255

Julienas AOP is the most ancient winegrowing region in Beaujolais, with its roots in the Roman era? Four communes, including Juliénas and Jullié—presumably honoring Julius Caesar

Answer 256

Top producers in Julienas (one of the ten crus of Beaujolais)

Answer 257

Chénas AOP The name of Chénas, the smallest of the ten crus, recalls chêne, or “oak,” but the appellation’s vines have gradually replaced ancient forests and now occupy one densely planted square mile—approximately 240 hectares.

Answer 258

The style here is similar to its southern neighbor, Moulin-à-Vent: fuller in body, more tannic, and better with a few years of bottle age. In fact, producers in the commune of Chénas itself can choose to bottle their wines as either Chénas AOP or Moulin-à-Vent AOP.

Answer 259

Moulin-à-Vent AOP, named for a historic windmill rather than a commune of production, is the longest-lived, most full-bodied, and most tannic Beaujolais cru. *Of all the wines of Beaujolais, these are the most frequently confused with those of the Côte d’Or or the Côte Chalonnaise when tasted blind.

Answer 260

The vines are planted in soft, pink granitic soil (gore) on gently contoured, east-facing slopes in Chénas and Romanèche-Thorins. Most literature suggests that the robustness of Moulin-à-Vent wines stems from a heightened presence of manganese—a necessary element for plant growth but toxic to vines in high concentrations—which serves to stunt growth and naturally limit yields.

Answer 261

Producers in Moulin Vent AOP

Answer 262

Top producers in Fleurie AOP

Answer 263

Chiroubles AOP Chiroubles’ harvest may lag a week behind its neighbors.

Answer 264

If Moulin-à-Vent is the fullest and most robust of all the cru wines, Chiroubles is the lightest.

Answer 265

With over 1,100 hectares under vine, Morgon is the second-largest cru in Beaujolais.

Answer 266

On the côte itself, wherein many of the appellation’s signature wines are produced, roche pourrie—“rotten rock,” an unusual mixture of iron-rich schist and basalt streaked with manganese—is predominant.

Answer 267

roche pourrie—“rotten rock,” an unusual mixture of iron-rich schist and basalt streaked with manganese

Answer 268

Top producers in Morgon AOP

Answer 269

Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Jean-Paul Thevénet, and Guy Bréton. They are all in Morgon AOP.

Answer 270

Régnié is a small cru situated on pink granite hillsides. Vineyards lie at an average elevation of 350 meters, and wide-ranging southeasterly aspects make for an early-ripening appellation.

Answer 271

Encompassing over 1,300 hectares of vines and six communes, Brouilly is the largest Beaujolais cru, and alone accounts for over 20% of the total Beaujolais cru production.

Answer 272

The name itself derives from brûlé—“burnt.” Brouilly’s vineyards carpet the broad lower flanks of the Mont Brouilly, an extinct volcano that rises to 484 meters and presides over the landscape of the southern crus.

Answer 273

Côte de Brouilly occupies the higher and steeper hillsides of Mont Brouilly, and with just over 300 ha under vine it is a much smaller cru than its neighbor, Brouilly AOP.

Answer 274

Lavalle published his Plan Topographique of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, a detailed map of every vineyard from Santenay to Dijon, grading them Tête de Cuvée, Première, Deuxième and even Troisième Cuvée. This was the basis for mapping the Côte d’Or into more than 400 appellations when the appellation contrôlée system was introduced in 1936. Today, every vineyard in Burgundy has its place in a hierarchy descending from grand cru, to premier cru, to village wine, down to generic Bourgogne.

Burgundy Flashcards

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