JC is back in France! Beaune - Burgundy
After a 2 and a half year hiatus I have now been able to return to France. I am lucky that Di is joining me for the next 4 weeks. We are starting in an area very close to my heart - Burgundy!
A gorgeously sunny (but cool) morning we head to the village of Volnay and meet Chantal and Frederic from Domaine Lafarge. What a pleasure to see them again and try their outstanding 2020 vintage. Like all in this region, a devastatingly late frost decimated large swathes of vineyards, so expect this vintage to be small in volume. We will be catching up with the Lafarge family for a dinner later on in the week.
Our next stop was in the tiny village of Cheilly les Maranges down the bottom of the Cote de Beaune to meet a new producer of ours – The young, passionate and dedicated – Elodie Roy. We have been hugely impressed by the quality of her wines from day one (her first vintage was in 2018). We liked what we saw, and tasted (her 2021s) out of the barrels – they are on the bright, transparent sphere and deliciously approachable. We sold out of her 2020 very quickly and her 2021 will be available from mid-next year – you will have to be very quick as there are very little of it.
We had to have our lunch on the run as we were expected early PM on the other side of the Cote d’Or in the most famous village of the Cote de Nuits – Vosne Romanee. Mugneret-Gibourg is one of those classic and sought after Domaines – they are in the middle of huge renovations on their beautiful 18th Century buildings – creating several chambre d’hotes upstair. We had a sneak preview – they look amazing, and have kept décor etc in the classical style. We did the tasting of their 2020s down in their magnificent underground cellars – the wines reflect the ripeness, juiciness of the vintage, yet with stunning minerality and freshness on the finish. There is no doubt that this is a top notch estate where the young generation is slowly participating.
Of course we were late to our next appointment – back in Beaune to meet the most generous and charming David Croix at Domine des Croix. We were with him the cellar for over two hours after a tasting of at least a dozen wines – finishing with several bottles of his very first vintage - 2005! Davis has become one of the very best producers on the appelation of Beaune, which unlike the medieval town of Beaune is less famous – but gosh what great wines!! His 2020 will be in NZ mid next year. We arrived back in our little apartment completely exhuasted but feeling better and more confident being back on this side of the world.
1.Beaune - Do you recognise this place? 2.Our home for the week. 13th century building in the medieval town of Beaune 3.The famous Hospices de Beaune
4. Breakfast time in Burgundy 5.Volnay 6.Volnay
7. Di and Chantal at Lafarge in their monopole Clos du Chateau des Ducs 8.Barrel tasting at Élodie Roy 9.Cellars of Mugneret - Gibourg. Another world
10. Plenty of these on the road. “Le tracteur enjambeur“ 11.The master himself - David Croix of the Domaine des Croix. You will learn more about Burgundy than anywhere else! 12.Over two hours tasting - It is really hard work!!!
