Author: Thomas Wilcox

10:55PM  |  Pouilly-Sur-Loire  |  Loire Valley

We spend our day off with a bit of sightseeing, and some catching up on email. A short trip north to the Reims Cathedral is well worth the drive. The massive gothic masterpiece, built in stages over thousands of years and carefully restored (with, of all things, Rockefeller funding) post WWI, is magnificent; as the French say, impressionant. The stained glass not destroyed during the world wars has been replaced by 20th century artists including Marc Chagal, but the old stuff impresses the most.

This morning (Monday) we taste at two Champagne houses working in the Vallée de la Marne, one in downtown Épernay (now 5th generation), and one just outside. Both make fine, pretty wines in quantities to make Burgundy look like drops in a bucket. After lunch, we drive north into the Montagne de Reims region of Champagne, for a third tasting. This producer, more a philosopher-vigneron, opines at length on the types of berries and small hints of other fruit found in his cuvées. His thoughts are fascinating and his palate incredibly precise.

In the late afternoon we drive west from Reims towards Paris, through rolling fields marked with foreign cemeteries. The flags of England and Italy dot the countryside, a reminder of the terrible events that took place a century ago in this now peaceful landscape.

We reach the Loire Valley by dusk, and drive to Sancerre for an excellent meal with foie gras and a dish of beautifully sauced fish and lobster claws. Between courses we browse a 1952 Michelin Guide, which suggests we ask about the 1929 vintage in Burgundy — maybe next visit.

10:42PM  |  Épernay  |  Champagne

We leave Beaune this morning under cloudy skies. As the fog lifts and the drizzle clears, we drive northwest to Chablis, Burgundy’s satellite region. Our first appointment is en centre ville — a family producer of classic, mineral Chablis. The 2013s are perhaps the best they’ve made in recent memory, full of life and energy, and in perfect balance.

Our second visit is just outside town, where we taste from bottle and cuve; a softer, riper style that nonetheless retains the classic chablisienne minerality. Both domaines feature Chablis’s extraordinarily good pricing, and we look forward to stocking up from both. After a quick lunch in Chablis, we drive further north towards the Côte de Bar, Champagne’s southern region.

Our 2pm is one of four new Champagne producers we’re visiting on this trip, an effort to expand our lineup to include this most famous source for bubbles. The feeling of the business here — scale, dress, culture — is entirely different from Burgundy, and takes some adjusting. We tour amphitheaters of vines, full of chalky white soil and steep slopes, and cool dark warehouses of wines on their lees — the visit is an extensive and helpful crash course in the region, and the wines are delicious as well.

Dinner in Épernay; a day off and visit to Reims tomorrow.

10:42PM  |  Beaune  |  Burgundy

Last day in Burgundy. We head south on the highway towards Macon, back to the region where we once spent a year living. The softly rolling hills are covered in wheat, forests, and vines, and our car dips gently as we rise and fall with the rhythm of the countryside.

Our first tasting is in Verzé, for pure Chardonnay whites of exceptional clarity: bright lemon fruit, honey, almonds — all from a young organic winemaker who shows a remarkable passion for his craft. He takes us into his vines to show us the slope and quality of the soil. “Why make wine in Puligny Montrachet, where it’s flat?” he asks, giving us a quick smile. “Much better to make it here…” We taste his 2014s en cuve which are full and rich and bursting with life — a third exciting vintage in a row from our latest producer in the Maconnais.

In the late morning we drive north to Givry, to revisit a producer we knew during our time here in the 90s. The son has taken the reigns and shows a real knack for winemaking — rustic, hearty pinot noir with tons of character and impressive concentration.

After lunch we visit our producer for Crémant de Bourgogne, and taste through an exceptionally fine vintage 2012. Sparkling wines made of pinot noir, chardonnay, aligoté, and gamay — all well-made wines in their own right, with or without the bubbles. In the afternoon we pick up our final Burgundian provisions, and prepare to depart demain.

Dinner is at the Petit Paradis, a local favorite — fresh tuna tartare, local Charolais beef with époisses sauce, and salted caramel cream. Chablis et puis Champagne tomorrow.

10:55PM  |  Beaune  |  Burgundy

With a morning off from tastings, I take the car for a stretch up the Côte d’Or for photo collection. The soft morning sun quickly rises past the haze and clouds to paint a picture perfect blue sky above the shimmering green rows of vines. Many vignerons are in the fields this week — treating with insect deterrents, pruning the top canopies of the vines, and checking on the floraison.

In Chambolle, I walk out into the Musigny vineyard, quiet save for a gentle wind rustling the leaves. Standing among the gnarled vines emerging from rich brown dirt, I am struck by the elements — air, earth, sun, life — that conspire perfectly to form an impossibly complex and treasured drink. At my feet are vines planted before World War II, whose fruit will be consumed thirty years from now — time stretches dizzyingly forward and back from the point on the ground where I stand.

Lunch back in the Place Carnot, then a jet up to Vosne Romanée for a tasting with a new producer — delicate, fine-grained wines with excellent precision. We work our way through the fields to Marsannay for our second tasting, where we’re treated to an impressive range of wines: red, white, rosé and sparkling, all from the town and all well made.

Back at the apartment, we sit outside as the sun bakes the late evening air, calculating we’re nearly at the same latitude as Fort Kent at the northern tip of Maine. Dinner is a few blocks away — chorizo and peas, roasted veal, and strawberries with balsamic-anise ice cream to finish. Tomorrow the Côte Chalonnaise.

11:53PM  |  Beaune  |  Burgundy

A quick coffee before heading south today — again a clear blue sky with warm sun and a mild breeze. The floraison (flowering) happened last week, and the weather was perfect; the vignerons are trés content with the the flowering of their vines, and have begun their 100 day countdown to the maturation of the fruit. 

Our first appointment is in Chassagne. Beautiful, opulent, golden Chassagne-Montrachets, with long tense cores and excellent acidity. The 2013 burst of freshness is evident here, but well supported by bodies that are rich and gras.

Our second appointment is further south in Santenay. Here we taste 2014s en cuve and 2013s from the barrel — both white’s and reds are better than we remembered. The whites show very dense, concentrated cores with good acidity over top, and the reds are juicy, young, full, and even silky. An embarrassment of riches so far with the 2013s on this trip.

We grab lunch in Santenay at an ourdoor café — salad aux époisses — and organize our thoughts on the morning’s tastings. We drink our coffee and return to the car, where we use crusty bread and sparkling water in an attempt to neutralize our palates.

Final tasting of the day is in Auxey-Duresses — whites with great energy and tension, and reds with beautiful juicy cores and rustic mouthfeels. Excellent, well made wines at very reasonable prices. We head back to Beaune to catch up on some work and email.

Dinner tonight is at a new restaurant in a 12th century abbaye with carefully-lit vaulted ceilings, white tablecloths and candelabras. The food is outstanding: smoked cod with escargots, roasted duck breast done perfectly, and a host of cheeses from the plate. The wine steals the show: a bottle each of 2002 and 2003 Vosne-Romanée 1er cru Monopole Clos des Réas. Twelve and thirteen years has done these wines nicely.

10:31PM  |  Beaune  |  Burgundy

Coffee in the apartment and a warm baguette from the boulangerie next door. Our first tasting is a new producer in Gevrey, in a beautiful 18th century house with a welcoming courtyard. The domaine is a very exciting new find, with excellent Gevrey-Chambertins at the villages, premier cru, and grand cru levels.

Our second tasting is also in the Gevrey, with an old school negociant making classic and very singular wines. Using whole clusters and open barrel fermentation, the domaine makes cuvées full of traditional structure and character: ten wines covering fifteen vintages.

After a quick charcuterie lunch we head south to Vosne-Romanée. Our tasting here begins with a dozen 2013s from barrel — all beautiful and ripe, with excellent freshness and plenty of matière. We’re joined by friends from the States, and we descend into the cave for a tasting of some already-bottled cuvées. The Vosne Romanées — both village and 1er cru — are from 2012, and are open, silky, dense, and delicious.

Final tasting of the day is in Meursault. The wines here are extraordinary — well balanced, long and complex, and full of freshness to carry them into old age. Even in a difficult vintage, these wines show a golden roundness that is surprising and impressive.

Dinner is at Ma Cuisine: tartare de boeuf, terrine de la maison, and roasted lamb shank, with 97 Corton, 09 Beaune, and 00 Gevrey as wine highlights. Gooey, runny, nearly liquid Époisses for dessert; Santenay in the morning.

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.

11:36PM  |  Paris  |  France

Sunday coffee in Châtelet on the way to Porte de Clingancourt. We meet a local friend for a morning tour of the Les Puces market, which is sprawling and full of amazing antiques: copper pots, Victorian dresses, Louis XIV furniture, and everything in between.

Brunch in an abandoned rail station converted to an eclectic restaurant. Afternoon drinks in an outdoor café near Montmartre, then a stroll back to the Marais. The French Open plays in the background as we pack our bags.

At 7:45 we stroll through the Place des Vosges, which is packed with people sunning themselves on the grass. Dinner is in a winter garden, lit by natural light even when we leave at 10:30. One last digestif in a café, then back to the apartment.

Back to Beaune and Boston tomorrow for work. A magical two weeks, and a trip that will be hard to top.

Yin and Yang. Spend even a few days tasting Burgundy, and the power of terroir is hard to miss. During a brief visit last week, we sampled Volnay, Savigny, Givry, Mercurey, and Pommard — five wines made from the same grape and the same region. But the characters of these wines could not be more disparate.

Volnay and Pommard are a particularly good study in terroir. These neighboring towns feature opposing takes on Pinot Noir: Volnay is known for wines of elegance, Pommard for wines of power. Some Burgundy enthusiasts prefer one over the other, but for those who’d rather not choose, we suggest this Pommard dressed in Volnay robes.

Continuum.  And as you approach the border, the differences between the towns blur a bit, and it’s from there that today’s wine hails. Grown from three plots in the appellation of Pommard, it’s the vines from near Volnay border that dominate this wine. The nose is very pretty, showing raspberry, cassis, and a touch of menthol. The mouth shows dry blackberries, with elegant, delicate mouthfeel.

We’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well this wine drinks today. Though it will certainly benefit from another 3-5 years of cellaring, an hour or more in a carafe dramatically softens the tannins and opens the palate. Paired with a simply prepared steak, this is a delightful glass of classic Burgundy. Try a bottle every six months for the next few years — it might even age better than you do.

_
________________________

MEGARD Pommard 2011
Ansonia Retail: $52
case, half-case: $44/bot

_
AVAILABLE IN 6-  AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

_

Email Tom to place an order.

_

_

_____________________________

11:49PM  |  Paris  |  France

A quick early breakfast at the Abbey, then heading north to Paris. We drop the car at the Gare de Lyon, take the metro to the Marais, and find a crêperie for lunch. Chèvre and salad, then butter and sugar, with dry sparkling cidre to match. It’s cooler here, with a blue cloudless sky.

We drop our bags at our quaint rented apartment on the Rue Francois Miron, and head west for a stroll through the Tuileries. The park is bustling with people on this perfectly clear day, and the sunlight dances brightly off the fountains. We cross the Seine and make our way to the Musée Rodin, and take a brief tour of the gardens.

We walk slowly back east to St-Germain, ducking into shops and admiring window displays. Crossing back over the river, we pass Notre-Dame, lit brilliantly against the afternoon sky. In the evening we find a cocktail bar and sip for a few hours; when we leave the bar at 9:15 the sun is still visible above buildings on the Rue du Rivoli. Dinner in a tiny restaurant on a Marais side street. The city is charming as ever.

12:31PM  |  Bussière-sur-Ouche  |  France

Breakfast is in the light-filled winter dining room — soft boiled eggs, croissants, local yogurt, chèvre and locally smoked salmon. We borrow a pair of bikes from the Abbey, and set out on a 25k loop around the surrounding countryside.

The first leg takes us along the Burgundy Canal, a beautiful stretch of water dating from 1775 that connects the Atlantic and Mediterranean. We bike on the tow-path, once used by horses or cows for pulling barges. We pass beautiful wooden barges with smiling pilots, and watch them maneuver into locks and descend levels. The day is hot and the breeze is refreshing; a heron follows us along the water for a time.

We turn off the canal and head north to the town of Châteauneuf (no Pâpes here), a storybook castle and town perched on a steep hill. The climb on bikes is grueling and intense, and the ancient defensibility of the castle’s location seems more obvious with each pump of our legs. Once in the town, we break for water, picon bière, and crêpes salés — with cheese, bacon, potatoes, and spinach.

Our constitution restored, we hop back on the bikes and follow the route south back towards the abbey. We cross rolling hills of wheat and grains, and pass ubiquitous herds of white Charolais cattle. Back at the hotel we sit on the veranda, enjoying kir royales and trying to find room for dinner.

A second extensive and impressive tasting menu, dishes include morel mushrooms, crayfish, rabbit confit, escargots, and mackerel. An expansive selection from the cheese tray: melted époisses, Brillat Savarin, fresh local goat, Cîteaux, and others. Calvados and armagnac on the terrace. Paris tomorrow.

11:27PM  |  Bussière-sur-Ouche  |  France

Croissants and coffee this morning on the Place Carnot, Beaune’s central square. We head south mid morning through the Côte d’Or and out the St. Aubin valley to the Chateau de la Rochepot. The castle dates from the 13th century, and was carefully and lovingly restored in the 19th century by a local family. Rochepot boasts classic Burgundian tiled roofs, a bright and sunny courtyard, and a 230 foot well through solid rock dug entirely by hand in 1228.

Lunch back in Beaune — escargots, aligoté — then a stroll through the streets and an exquisite raspberry tart. Back in the car, we head west through beautiful rolling hills full of poppies and white Charolais cattle. The road leads us through dark forests, past tiny stone towns, and a stretch along the picturesque Burgundy canal.

The Abbaye de la Bussière, our home for the next two nights, is a magnificent property, with beautiful gothic buildings and impeccably tended grounds. Once a summer retreat for the wealthy bishops of nearby Dijon, the main buildings have been converted from an Abbey dating to 1131, and the inside of the building is extraordinary. Stained glass and stone staircases adorn the reception hall, and the one-star dining room is in an open two-story atrium with stone columns and a blacony.

We check in and take a walk around the grounds, which include an old mill wheel, stables, bee hives, a functioning winery and cave, a 12th century underground chapel, and a lake swimming with beavers and geese. We find a boat and take a quick spin around the lake, before returning to the main property for an afternoon on the lawn.

Dinner is an exceptional eight course tasting menu, with too many details to name. Highlights include a creamy and whipped Abbaye de Citeaux cheese dish, roasted pigeon on a bed of puréed peas,  and a sous-vide unnamed saltwater fish with kale juice as a garnish. Macon from Louis Michel, unusually dense Savigny 1er cru from an unknown vigneron, and a rosé Champagne from Leroy Duval are among the several memorable wines.