Burgundy

[sharon001]

OK, will oblige! I have tons and tons to say, so I'll try to be concise... It is a spectacular trip; I completely recommend it.

Took the TGV from Paris to Dijon, which takes just an hour and a half. After that, had a nice big preparatory dinner at a friend's parents' farm out near Dole.

In the morning, we drove to Vosne-Romanée.

The distances between these places are all around twenty or thirty minutes by car (it's crazy - the names are so big, I never realized the distances were so small; fifteen minutes and you're leaving the Côte de Beaune for the Côte Châlonnaise. Pommard is a mile and a half away from Volnay, and you can see Meursault from there, etc.)

Before I go on about the Vosne-Romanée, I'll mention a vintner we didn't get to stop by this time: Philippe Amiot, who makes one of the best Chambolle-Musignys I've tasted (the simple appelation village 2000 impressed me more than a much more prestigious Nicolas Potel 1er cru I served afterward a few months ago), and whose prices are very reasonable.

So: in Vosne-Romanée, regretfully passed by the bunkered fortress of the Domaine Anne Gros, but my friends knew a small producer in a little street behind the church - Denis Thomas, a young and interesting vintner. Mme Thomas mère took us to the cellar to taste.

* Bourgogne 2002 - simple, but not the best bourgogne pinot noir around.
* Vosne-Romanée 1999 - complex; dark, somewhat spicy, the notes were well blended; violets, dark cherries
* Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru "Malconsorts" 2001 - still a little closed, intense, with some barky bitterness and red fruit
* Echezeaux Grand Cru 2002 - already very round, promising, with raspberry and gooseberry, but rustic and still closed (tannins, dried leaves)

Mme Thomas told us how the Domaine du Romanée-Conti is entirely "biodynamique," and that they use horses rather than tractors and do everything by hand. Her own grapes are four meters from theirs.

Afterward, we walked up a little stone-wall bordered street to the vineyards. Light green everywhere under a light blue sky. There was not a soul around, and this on a Saturday in July. We walked a little, and a little stone plaque set in a low wall stated in small letters: Romanée-Conti. We walked for a while and decided to head over to the Clos de Vougeot, which is about a ten minute walk. The castle was charming, and we were amused by plaques on every door asking not to tip the personnel.

Afterward, we went to lunch at a very good restaurant at the edge of town, La Toute Petite Auberge (prix-fixe at 27 euros, first course, main, cheese, and dessert; excellent cheese cart, and the dishes were a mix of classic and inventive). We drank a tasty, gourmand Chorey-lès-Beaune from the Domaine Arnoux, smooth and velvety and which opened up over the course of our two-hour lunch.

Next stop, Beaune... (Stay tuned.)

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[This message has been edited by sharon001 (edited 07-26-2005).]