10:44PM | Beaune | Burgundy
The Gare de Lyon buzzed quietly at 6:30 this morning, with sleepy travelers standing blankfaced in line for their coffee. The train to Dijon was sunny and sleepy as it rocketed smoothly through the lush French countryside.
Our first appointment, a 9:30 in Nuits-St-Georges, was a promising start to the week — a crisp, fresh white from the Côte de Nuits, and three clean and concentrated reds from Nuits. Though perhaps not the vintage to hold onto for your grandkids, 2013 is is far from the disaster it might have been. Winemakers have told us of their surprise at the quality of the vintage, and are enthusiastic about its future.
Our next tasting, a marathon in Ladoix, begins with 4 whites, followed by 10 reds. Here the wines are bright and full of red fruits — cherries, cranberries, etc. Lots of energy and impressive tension. The last three wines, all Corton Grand cru from 2006, 2002, and 1997, are all impressive, and the 06 is extraordinary. If we’re able to wheedle some from the vingeron’s cellar, it may appear in July Futures next month.
Lunch is in Nuits-St-Georges — French beer, and Croque Monsieur — then up to Morey-St-Denis for an afternoon tasting. Here the 2013s are more than just fine; these are concentrated, energetic, beautiful red Burgundies, and we struggle afterwards to pick our favorites.
A pause back at the apartment in Beaune, then dinner a block away at an outdoor table — it’s still light when we walk home at 10pm.
