Hi all,
Tuesday was our last taste day in Bourgogne. We wanted to start at Vougeot as we didn't see any other wineries in Vougeot.
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Tuesday
Grandes Caves de Laforet - Vougeot
Well, this was quite interesting. I wander if the clerk was high : after making a rendezvous and after putting the alarm clock to wake up in time, when we arrived and we asked as usual that we would like to do a wine tasting (degustation de vins) like we did every other place, the clerk said that they do not do a wine-bar and that they only do degustation for people who want to buy wine. I have no doubt on my French , as I 100% sure it is native, so I explained again that yes, we usually do buy wine but before we buy any we would like to taste it to see what we are buying. He then repeated himself again that they are not a wine bar, that they do not serve by the glass and we should go see a bar. So I have no idea what was going through his little brain but we left as even if I managed to clarify on the 3rd attempt I have no reason to give them (which looked like a perfectly ordinary wine merchant in fact !) my business. So that was that.
So instead we came back to Beaunes where I spend a nice time tasting wine.
Atheneum - Beaunes
So I went back , the 2nd time during the visit, to the Atheneum, where thanks to the Coravin system I was able to taste all kind of wines that no other wine shop will let us. I really like that places , their sales people were always very nice and they really have a diverse extensive wine tasting collection and they are very willing to work with you. My objective was of course to try wines from regions where I couldn't otherwise and I did end up with 2 bottles of Gevry-Chambertin.
Maison Maurice - Beaunes
And then on the way back to the hotel I stopped by Maison Maurice. Also a very sympathetic owner who had nothing opened for a degustation so instead he let me pick what I wanted to try and we worked out a nice tasting menu of 4 wines, 2 whites and 2 reds. Also left with 8 bottles :) I did find the Pommard 1er Cru to be a little expensive and I was a little surprised by the 87 euro price on it but I hope it will be good. I may have 2nd thoughts on that one.
Bourre in Gevrey-Chambertin
And last but not least I wanted to make sure I try some wines from Gevrey , Chambertin and that most northern region of "la Cote d'Or" which I hadn't had the occasion yet. I had left Tuesday afternoon free so that I could , upon seeing the how the previous days go, adapt and schedule what I needed to complete my tour. And using the online Hachette Wine Guide website, I selected the mauson Bourre, where I got a hold of the owner on the phone at the 1st attempt and he was available for a degustation. The owner, Bernard, reminded me of Blair from the Dublere winery. He is the 5th generation running the Bourre winery. His oncle-aunt were the Bourre and they had no kids so he took over and his boys will take over from him. They do not grow much, they buy grapes, but they make a lot of different wines. They have a list of about 25 reds and maybe 20 whites they make or maybe even more. They have wines from everywhere.
We first spent about 30 minutes talking about us to get to know each other more which I though was a great approach. Then we proceeded to the cellar to try wines from the barrel , the 2013 vintage. This was only the 2nd place where we tried from the barrel instead of from the bottle and I asked if this is because he has no more bottles to sell like Dublere, and he said no, that's not the case. I wasn't going to complain of course, as this is the real wine professional tasting : taste from the barrel , spit on the grownd in the cellar and pour the last few drops back in the barrel to make sure we don't lose any !
So here we tried some village, some 1er Cru and 1 Grand Cru, the Chambertin. Bernard explained that after the Romanee-Conti wines the Chambertin Grand Cru , on average, is considered the next level.
I did leave from here with 10 bottles among which some really interesting ones . 2 Chassagne-Montrachet I liked a lot, 2 whites that are just village for 23 euros but are next door to the famous Corton-Charlemagne white Grand Cru, and of course 2 Chambertin Grand Cru which at 120 Euros a bottle I found worth the deeper investigation. I tried the Chambertin Grand Cru 2013 from the barrel so I am now very curious to try the 2007 and such of all these wines.
Atheneum-Beaunes
Again ! Yes, well we wanted to visit the Marche aux Vins. When we went to Napa we ran into a shop where only the accountant, pregnant, was present. And guess what ? She opened the shop for us and she had us try the wines and she opened a good 10 bottles for us. Here ? Well even if the shop closes at 7pm, the last tasting is at 5:30 pm, and yes, they do not care that we leave tomorrow and can not come back. Yes, the acknowledged that they have the glasses and bottles in front of them. It was also true that it was 6:15 so we had a god 45 minutes to try their 10 wines , and that would be enough time but ... you know, why be nice when one can follow a stupid rule that gives you less work? I mean I don't think they care much. So we got also sorry for their asses and went back to the Atheneum. Here we tried a very nice 2011 which wasn't cheap around 60 euros but really nice. But most importantly our friends were able to taste and buy the wines they wanted despite the Marche aux Vins embargo ! The Marché au Vins missed on about 350 euros of business there...
And thus finished our trip in Bourgogne. I have to say that by the end I felt like my taste buds were sticking out and are burned and during dinner the only thing I wanted was not a Pinot-Noir but more a Cab Sauv. Luckily enough the Gourmandin served us a beautiful Chianti which I loved.
Tuesday was our last taste day in Bourgogne. We wanted to start at Vougeot as we didn't see any other wineries in Vougeot.
-----------------------
Tuesday
Grandes Caves de Laforet - Vougeot
Well, this was quite interesting. I wander if the clerk was high : after making a rendezvous and after putting the alarm clock to wake up in time, when we arrived and we asked as usual that we would like to do a wine tasting (degustation de vins) like we did every other place, the clerk said that they do not do a wine-bar and that they only do degustation for people who want to buy wine. I have no doubt on my French , as I 100% sure it is native, so I explained again that yes, we usually do buy wine but before we buy any we would like to taste it to see what we are buying. He then repeated himself again that they are not a wine bar, that they do not serve by the glass and we should go see a bar. So I have no idea what was going through his little brain but we left as even if I managed to clarify on the 3rd attempt I have no reason to give them (which looked like a perfectly ordinary wine merchant in fact !) my business. So that was that.
So instead we came back to Beaunes where I spend a nice time tasting wine.
Atheneum - Beaunes
So I went back , the 2nd time during the visit, to the Atheneum, where thanks to the Coravin system I was able to taste all kind of wines that no other wine shop will let us. I really like that places , their sales people were always very nice and they really have a diverse extensive wine tasting collection and they are very willing to work with you. My objective was of course to try wines from regions where I couldn't otherwise and I did end up with 2 bottles of Gevry-Chambertin.
Maison Maurice - Beaunes
And then on the way back to the hotel I stopped by Maison Maurice. Also a very sympathetic owner who had nothing opened for a degustation so instead he let me pick what I wanted to try and we worked out a nice tasting menu of 4 wines, 2 whites and 2 reds. Also left with 8 bottles :) I did find the Pommard 1er Cru to be a little expensive and I was a little surprised by the 87 euro price on it but I hope it will be good. I may have 2nd thoughts on that one.
Bourre in Gevrey-Chambertin
And last but not least I wanted to make sure I try some wines from Gevrey , Chambertin and that most northern region of "la Cote d'Or" which I hadn't had the occasion yet. I had left Tuesday afternoon free so that I could , upon seeing the how the previous days go, adapt and schedule what I needed to complete my tour. And using the online Hachette Wine Guide website, I selected the mauson Bourre, where I got a hold of the owner on the phone at the 1st attempt and he was available for a degustation. The owner, Bernard, reminded me of Blair from the Dublere winery. He is the 5th generation running the Bourre winery. His oncle-aunt were the Bourre and they had no kids so he took over and his boys will take over from him. They do not grow much, they buy grapes, but they make a lot of different wines. They have a list of about 25 reds and maybe 20 whites they make or maybe even more. They have wines from everywhere.
We first spent about 30 minutes talking about us to get to know each other more which I though was a great approach. Then we proceeded to the cellar to try wines from the barrel , the 2013 vintage. This was only the 2nd place where we tried from the barrel instead of from the bottle and I asked if this is because he has no more bottles to sell like Dublere, and he said no, that's not the case. I wasn't going to complain of course, as this is the real wine professional tasting : taste from the barrel , spit on the grownd in the cellar and pour the last few drops back in the barrel to make sure we don't lose any !
So here we tried some village, some 1er Cru and 1 Grand Cru, the Chambertin. Bernard explained that after the Romanee-Conti wines the Chambertin Grand Cru , on average, is considered the next level.
I did leave from here with 10 bottles among which some really interesting ones . 2 Chassagne-Montrachet I liked a lot, 2 whites that are just village for 23 euros but are next door to the famous Corton-Charlemagne white Grand Cru, and of course 2 Chambertin Grand Cru which at 120 Euros a bottle I found worth the deeper investigation. I tried the Chambertin Grand Cru 2013 from the barrel so I am now very curious to try the 2007 and such of all these wines.
Atheneum-Beaunes
Again ! Yes, well we wanted to visit the Marche aux Vins. When we went to Napa we ran into a shop where only the accountant, pregnant, was present. And guess what ? She opened the shop for us and she had us try the wines and she opened a good 10 bottles for us. Here ? Well even if the shop closes at 7pm, the last tasting is at 5:30 pm, and yes, they do not care that we leave tomorrow and can not come back. Yes, the acknowledged that they have the glasses and bottles in front of them. It was also true that it was 6:15 so we had a god 45 minutes to try their 10 wines , and that would be enough time but ... you know, why be nice when one can follow a stupid rule that gives you less work? I mean I don't think they care much. So we got also sorry for their asses and went back to the Atheneum. Here we tried a very nice 2011 which wasn't cheap around 60 euros but really nice. But most importantly our friends were able to taste and buy the wines they wanted despite the Marche aux Vins embargo ! The Marché au Vins missed on about 350 euros of business there...
And thus finished our trip in Bourgogne. I have to say that by the end I felt like my taste buds were sticking out and are burned and during dinner the only thing I wanted was not a Pinot-Noir but more a Cab Sauv. Luckily enough the Gourmandin served us a beautiful Chianti which I loved.
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