France - Burgundy

Question 1

How frequently is chaptalisation used in Chablis?

Answer 1

Generally deployed up to the legal limit in all but the warmest years

Question 2

What are typical vessels used in Chablis?

Answer 2

Stainless steel for fermentation, stainless steel or concrete for maturation.

Question 3

What are common practices regarding MLC and lees ageing in Chablis?

Answer 3

MLC is common to soften acidity. Lees ageing for a few months may be carried out to increase texture.

Question 4

What are common practices regarding oak usage in Chablis?

Answer 4

The aromas, flavours and textures are generally not desired nor commonly found in most generic Chablis as its celebrated for its crisp, bright orchard fruit and high acidity.
Some wines, especially Grand Cru and increasingly Premier Cru may be fermented and aged in barrel.

Question 5

What are examples of producers that use old oak, new oak and, still for grand cru, stainless steel/concrete

Answer 5

Raveneau and Dauvissat.
William Fèvre.
Jean-Marc Brocard.

Question 6

How do some view oak usage for Chablis?

Answer 6

Controversial as some think Chablis should not smell or taste of oak, unlike many other Chardonnays from around the world.

Question 7

What is happening to the relationship between négociants and estates in recent times?

Answer 7

Breaking down, as négociants have bought land and some domaines supplement their own production with estate bought fruit.

Question 8

Who vinifies 1/3rd of wine in Chablis?

Answer 8

The co-operative, La Chablisienne, which operates at all levels of the quality hierarchy.

Question 9

What is the current trend for growers in Chablis?

Answer 9

To make and market their own wines.

Question 10

Which association did William Fèvre establish? When? What does it aim to achieve?

Answer 10

Syndicat de Défense de l’Appellation de Chablis, in 1993.
Combat fraud and address environmental issues.

Question 11

What association is applicable to Grand Cru Chablis? What does it seek to achieve?

Answer 11

L’Union des Grands Crus de Chablis. A voluntary association which promotes the quality of Grand Cru sites. Therefore limited to those that own them.
It has a quality charter where members must practise sustainable viticulture and harvest by hand.

Question 12

What are key drivers of price for Chablis and Côte d’Or wines?

Answer 12

The namebof the domaine and level of appellation.

Question 13

What prices do the wines of Chablis usually fetch?

Answer 13

PC and Chablis: mid - premium
1er and Grand: premium - super premium
Raveneau and Dauvissat: extremely high

Question 14

How do the prices of Chablis compare to the Côte d’Or?

Answer 14

In a corresponding quality hierarchy, lower.

Question 15

Who are Chablis biggest export markets, and how much is exported?

Answer 15

Over 2/3rds is exported.
The UK is by far the biggest market, followed by the USA, Japan, Sweden and Canada.

Question 16

Historically, how was much of Burgundys wine trade carried out? When did this start to change?

Answer 16

Through large négociants who would buy grapes/must/finished wine from other growers.
Since the 1980s there has been a move towards more domaine bottling.

Question 17

Who are key négociants still operating?

Answer 17

Albert Bichot, Joseph Drouhin, Faiveley, Louis Jadot and Bouchard Pere et Fils.

Question 18

What was a change seen in in the 2000s in how domaines operate?

Answer 18

The rise of those that also operate as négociants. For example Dujac as Domaine Dujac or Dujac Fils et Pére.

Question 19

What are the different types of organisations operating?

Answer 19

• Growers - those that have vineyard holdings and sell grapes or unfinished wine to negociants. There are several thousand growers and typically their holdings are divided in parcels over vineyards and villages.
• Domaines - those that own vineyards, make wine from them and sell under their own label.
• Négociants - usually large businesses that buy grapes +/ wine, finish them then bottle under their label.
• Micro-négociants - smaller businesses that buy grapes from very good - top quality vineyards, make the wines and sell them under their label eg Benjamin Leroux.
• Co-operatives - less important in the Côte d’Or but have a predominant role in Chablis (La Chablisienne), the Mâconnaise (Cave de Lugny) and to a lesser extent, the Chalonnaise.

Question 20

Why can it be hard to identify the source of a particular wine, even at domaine level?

Answer 20

There is the complexity of multiple producers with very similar names, making detailed knowledge necessary to identify the source.
Partly in consequence of the inheritance laws of France where all children have status of equal inheritors of an estate.

Question 21

What factor has led to a significant rise in quality?

Answer 21

There are now many young winemakers who are better trained technically and who have often travelled and made wine more widely, resulting in a more adaptable and open minded approach to wines.

Question 22

What are the routes to market in Burgundy?

Answer 22

Can be as simple as from producer direct to end consumer via cellar door, or it could be through a negociant or co-operative through the distribution chain.

Question 23

What type of sale is on the increase?

Answer 23

Direct to consumer, as are those direct from producer to final retailer.

Question 24

What is the division of where Burgundy is consumed, and what are the top export markets by Value?

Answer 24

50% within France, 25% to other EU states, 25% outside the EU.
USA, UK and Japan.

Question 25

What are key drivers of price in Burgundy?

Answer 25

Both the name of the domaine and of the appellation, including single vineyard names.
Eg well regarded domaines can fetch high prices for their village wines, such as Armand Rousseau’s Gevrey Chambertin AOC can easily outprice Premier crus from the same village from lesser known producers.

Question 26

What act as indicators of style, and are sold on the reputation for a particular stylistic feature?

Answer 26

The village name, for both red and white, eg sellers and consumers will describe Volnay as intensely perfumed and elegant, and Pommard as robust and tannic, or Meursault Perrieres as having steely concentration while Charmes is full bodied and approachable.

Question 27

Where are the wines often sold?

Answer 27

En primeur, specialist wine shops, fine dining and, at generic village level, more generally in supermarkets and the hospitality sector.

Question 28

What direction has the price of land been going in recently? Why?

Answer 28

Increasing. Partly due to relatively scarce supply, particularly in more sought after vineyard names, and foreign buyers of wine businesses have added to pressure on land prices.

Question 29

What factors have acted as key drivers for the increase in the price of wines from Burgundy?

Answer 29

High land prices, increasing worldwide demand for relatively small production and differences in volumes produced due to weather hazards reducing the crop.

Question 30

How does production compare to Bordeaux? What producer examples this?

Answer 30

Roughly 1/4 of Bordeaux, DRC producers ~ 1/4 of that of Lafite Rothschilds Grand Vin.

Question 31

What has led to steep increases of price in wines being sold on the secondary market?

Answer 31

The increased interest in the most expensive wines.
The Liv-ex Burgundy 150 Index shows prices rose over 200% between 2003 and 2016.