Pommard: Cassis and Silk

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.

[TravelBlog] Post Fourteen: l’Abbaye

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.

Underrated, Silky Châteauneuf-du-Pape

We arrived in Rhône on Sunday evening. The weather here is warm, the air smells of lavender, and the sun sets after 9pm. The Southern Rhône boasts an impressive collection of winemaking towns, but the jewel of the crown is Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Made famous by French popes in the 14th century, and then again by Robert Parker in the 1980s, the area is rich with winemaking history.

[TravelBlog] Post Nine: Mer de Glace

For our last day in the Alps we board a cog railway up the south wall of the Mont Blanc Valley. The 20 minute ride brings us from the valley floor up to the base of the Mer de Glace glacier at 6100 feet. The giant “sea of ice” is 220 feet deep and over 4 miles long, snaking between towering jagged peaks. After a nerve racking gondola ride down the steep side of the gorge, we begin the 430 step clime down to the surface.