Clearly most of my adventures this year have been about taking my palette to a different level versus, say, surviving sandstorms with the Bedouin in the Sahara.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  L’Arte de Vivre was honed here in France…and food and wine is so much a part of that tradition. And can’t dining at a 3 star Michelin restaurant in a charming Bourgognon village after spending the day biking through world famous vineyards be just as adventurous as hiking the Himalayas with a personal sherpa?  Okay, maybe not :).  But this is just  the “adventure” three of my favorite friends from Paris and I embarked on this past weekend.

To Burgundy I bring you!

Getting there….

Moret-sur-Loing

Following the A6 from Paris, my Australian friend, James, and I spied a road sign for a little town called Moret-sur-Loing that inspired us to divert from our path to take lunch there.  Although we didn’t anticipate the 20 minute detour, our lost time was just rewarded at first sight of the picture-perfect French village.

…and so were our bellies. Lunch conversation, as we sat on the balcony overlooking the river, was dominated by the activities of the geese, duck, pigeons and heron that enjoyed the water below us. Exactly what we needed to break-up our journey. Onward, ho!

Our home base in Burgundy: Beaune

Beaune is known as the wine capital of Burgundy. It is an old, walled city whose history ties to the Dukes of Burgundy (dating back to the 9th century).  Much of its ramparts, moat and battlements are in good condition.  It is a wonderfully walkable town. Wine stores and cafes dominate the cobble stone streets. A dream for some (e.g. me!).

CAUTION to Americans Planning a Trip to Beaune:  The risk of visiting a town with the word “ramparts” eveywhere is one constantly wants to break out into the Star Spangled Banner verse, “O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.” Naomi, another one of my friends on the trip who was also American, and I would spontaneously burst into our national anthem upon seeing the “Hotel des Remparts” or any one of the rempart street signs.  It is not the easiest song to sing in tune so usually our outbursts were much to the distress of our companions (I also learned James is quite proficient at eye rolling.).

One can’t go to one of the “Capital of Wine” and not see where the magic takes place. So on our first full day in Burgundy we did a driving tour of the region.  Brendan, our British guide who has lived in the Bourgogne for 20 years, did not want our visit to be a regular “tourist” experience.  He, of course, wanted to show us highlights, but he also wanted to make sure we  learned about the terroir, met the farmers and witnessed the product of  their labor, done entirely by their own hands, from the vine to the cellar to our glass.

Toto, we aren’t in Bordeaux anymore.

Unlike the great chateaus of Bordeaux, Burgundy is compiled of many small producers.  There are no fancy castles with vast tasting rooms owned by big corporations.  Everything is much more modest and family operated.  Appointments are required to visit a winery and only kept if there isn’t work that needs to be done in the vineyards.

Each place we visited we were warmly greeted and proudly served by the farmer/wine maker.  And as with all art, meeting the artist brought us greater appreciation to the final product.

Tasting at Domain Pascal & Fils in Puligny-Montrachet

Being able to buy the art after meeting the artist is also pretty darn cool!!  In the above picture from left to right is Brendan, our guide, Angela, Naomi and James.  All are lined up to snatch up a couple bottles of our favorite tastes. Alex, one of the fils of Domain Pascal & Fils, is hidden but working the credit card machine :).

Route des Grands Crus

Brendan wouldn’t stop the car for pictures…”too much to see.”  Fine.  He also said that our palettes are freshest in the morning so it is better to do as many tastings as possible before lunch. Huh? Apparently our taste buds are much more receptive and “alert” in the morning AND on an empty stomach. A full stomach means a less sensitive palette…so one should eat prudently before tasting wines to aid the bouche  in its task to discern all the subtle flavor notes in a wine. Okay, makes sense, but also sounds pretty much like a recipe for disaster.  Good thing we learned how to spit!

Gilles Bouton in Gamay

Stop number two was to see Valerie at Gilles Bouton in the little town of Gamay. We tried her wonderful wines in the cellar below her house. C’est normal!

Valerie digs roses and, like on her family’s wine bottle label, roses were found all around the entrance and courtyard.

In we go! Angela is being cautioned by Valerie and Brendan to watch her head as she descends into the cave.

Barrels in Burgundy are used for 7 years, unlike in Bordeaux where the oak barrels are used for a maximum of 2 years. The new wood and its flavor is a more integral part of the wine making process in Bordeaux than in Burgundy.

Don’t worry, Valerie, our taste buds are still fresh!  It is only 11am, so pour away!

We tasted some excellent examples of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the 2 most prominent and well known cepages of the region. But no time to buy, we still had to get in one more tasting before lunch. So back in the car we went until Brendan spotted his friend and a local farmer/winemaker, Bernard, out working his fields!

Labor of Love!

Bernard and his petite cousine were hand pruning the vines when we met him.

Fun fact about Bernard:  He doesn’t drink water. Period. Only coffee and wine! A man after my own heart?

Photo Credit: Angela (my camera isn’t as cool)

This moment in this vineyard in Auxey-Duresses made me desire to be part of vendage (harvest).

After I post this blog, I will write some wine producers to see if they will take this American as free labor to help pick grapes in September.

2012 has been a rough year for the vine in Burgundy. Inconsistent weather, lots of rain then heat plus hail, has made cultivation of the grape not for the faint of heart. Damaged vines and mildew are rampant, broken machinery is the norm.  Even organic farmers have thrown in the towel and have decided to use sulfur and other chemical means to save their vintage.  During our visit we witnessed 2 hailstorms.  Devastating. Guess we will see how it all turns out in 2 years. (The above picture shows some of the mildew damage on Bernard’s vines. 🙁 )

Photo Credit: Angela

From the vine to the glass!

After we met Bernard, we went to his family cave to meet his brother, Pierre.  Tasting around barrels led to tasting from barrels which led to an intense discussion about French football (apparently this is the typical succession of events in cellars across Burgundy).  Spitting on the gravel floor and emptying our unfinished glasses back into the barrel are also typical practices we learned…although they seemed a little naughty to me :).

Note: 2011 vintages of Domaine Pierre BATTAULT will all contain a small amount of DNA from a certain group of anglophones!  I am sure it will be his best year ever!

Happy?  Impossible not to be.

Photo Credit: Angela

How I would like to spend all my days!

My view at lunch :)!

Brendan had us order a small pitcher of another white cepage from Bourgogne with our lunch, Aligoté.

Which way is home? 

With exhausted taste buds and full tummies, Brendan wrapped up our day with a scenic drive through the Haute-Cotes de Nuits and Haute-Cotes de Beaune...then we were homeward bound.  We arrived back at the hotel richer in our love and appreciation for Bourgogne as well as, and perhaps most importantly, richer in great Bourgognon specimens to bring back to Paris. Thanks, Brendan!

Chef  Frédéric Ménager at La Ruchotte, Bligny sur Ouche

After spending the day close to the farmers who produced the divine wine we sampled, we headed to a working farm house about 20 minutes outside of Beaune to dine close to the source of our farm fresh meal.

La Ruchotte is owned and operated by Frédéric and Eva Ménager.  Chef Frédéric uses his talent acquired through years of experience in great Paris restaurants, passion for fresh ingredients and personal philosophy on cuisine to prepare a “bio” meal from ingredients his family raises in their backyard. He serves a maximum of 10 guests only a few nights a week in their 12th century farmhouse. One guest room is available for those who want to wake up to roosters crowing outside and the smell of fresh bread baking  inside.

Frédéric has a particular love for raising game fowl.  Our main course this evening was the most tender, juicy and flavorful guinea hen I have ever eaten.

Above is Frédéric and Eva’s promise, written on a blackboard, that their bread is homemade and to their “rigeur”  to only present and prepare the best and freshest ingredients. As a witness, I can say they beat my expectations.  Our simple meal was one of the most memorable I have had in France.

Une assiette de courgettes: C’est beau.

Angela was again the talent behind the last 3 pictures.

Et Viola!

But tomorrow was still another day.  Tough to think it could get better…but it does.

Here’s to dumping unfinished glasses of wine back into the barrel! Still marveling at that!

Plan YOUR Adventure:

Brendan’s tour of Burgundy: www.wine-liaisons.com

 

La Ruchotte