French Chateau's and Wine Vineyards

I have a good friend who is soon traveling to France to visit wine country and asked me for some information. I got a little over excited and ended up writing a small treatise so figured I should share it with all of my Blog readers as it has a lot of good recommendations.

Chateau Recommendations.

The Chateau's to visit are in the Loire Valley which is about a 1 to 2 hours train or car ride from Paris. In addition if you are visiting the Chateau's you are not that far from the D-Day beaches like Omaha Beach and you can visit those and a Chateau or two in a day. It's best to get a hotel in Tours to visit the beaches and Chateau's as it puts you really close to everything there and getting around by car is a breeze and roads are well marked. Chateau St. Michel is the most famous and photographed Chateau but it is further South and may take longer to get there,. You also have to walk us down a steep road and causeway at St. Michele as you may not be able to park close to get to it but it is spectacular. There are over 200 Chateaus in the Loire but if you have seen one or two you have seen most of them with a couple of exceptions which are must see and unique Chateaus with extensive architecture and history. The ones to visit are Chateau Chambord, Château de Chenonceau: The Fairy Tale Chateau of Dreams, and Chateau d'Amboise in the town of Amboise is where Leonardo Di Vince is buried. While out visiting Chateaus a great place to have lunch is La Cave Aux Moines on the Loire River(http://cave-aux-moines.com/fr/) near Amboise.

Visiting wine areas in France. Again you must make advance reservations sometimes months in advance. If you are in the alcohol business and have relationships with distributors they can make reservations for you. Southern for example, can make these for you but you will need to rent a car and drive around yourself. Driving in wine country is easy especially with GPS like Google Maps. You can download current maps of any area in France prior to going so you don't need the internet to travel around. You do need to be on-time. If you are 5 minutes late they will not see you most of the time. Clark and I however have hired agents over there who provide us with a one stop experience. They pick us up at the hotel in the morning, drive us around all day, introduce us to everyone, act as translators if needed as some of the owners speak no English, take us to a nice place for lunch(we buy their lunch) bring us home at night and then arrange for and make sure our wine is shipped with no problems back to the US. They used to charge a group of 4 to 6 1000 Euro per day, many have now gone to a per person charge, last time it was 300 Euro per day per person. Be aware under French law the agents cannot drive any vehicle over 9 passengers including the driver so you are restricted to 4 couples doing the wine tours. In addition many winemakers prefer no more than 2 couples. You can discuss these things with the agent. You may ask why don't we just do the tours with the companies there like Viator? The reason is they are going to take you to totally unknown un classified vineyards who make jug wine and not the well known or better reputation vineyards. You will never see the inside of Lafite with them. We on the other hand have been to most of the famous ones. That is the difference

Let's start with Bordeaux

It is easy to get to Bordeaux from Paris by a very fast train. Under 3 hours. The agent you need to use there is Frederic Borliachon.(email contact@rendezvousauchateau.com, phone(+33 6 28 35 00 95). I emailed with him 2 weeks ago sending him someone new. Tell him I referred you. He knows everyone in Bordeaux and gets you into any vineyard both left and right bank. I strongly recommend Chateau Montrose, Pichon Leland, Haut Brion, Pontet Canet, D'yquem, Giraud, Cheval Blanc, Gazin, Leoville Las Case and whatever Frederic recommends or you want. He could not get me into Petrus, not sure why. Avoid Chateau Chalet. They are ripoff artists and cheat on shipping. I also recommend he take you to the lesser known areas Blaye and Bourge which are right bank vineyards across the river from the left bank who have compelling outstanding red wines at 10% the cost of the left bank wines. On the right bank ask him to take you to the Castillion vineyards, especially Chateaux Madam Pitray whose wines are imported through K&L wines of San Francisco. Most people don't know this but they have prehistoric caves art you can visit on the right bank and Frederic knows where they are. Not as big as the famous ones but good enough to see what they are like and a quick stop while out touring. Bordeaux city is great. The main square is where the Opera is directly across from the Hotel International which is great to stay at and has a wonderful Gordon Ramsey 1 star Restaurant in the hotel. Be aware Bordeaux city is 60 Kilometers from the vineyards both north and east. It takes an hour drive to get to the vineyards from your hotel. The best place to buy and ship wine from a store in Bordeaux is Vineotechnique(also have a shop in Beaune in Bourgogne) 1 block north of the Opera and Cave Ulysses is in the main square of village Margaux again far north of town. There is also a very small mom and pop place for lunch close to Cave Ulysses which is great. The owner of Cave Ulysses is Dominique and he usually gives my referrals a small discount just mentioning my name unless he has forgotten.(I receive no kickbacks). So far Dominique has had the largest selections of Bordeaux wines I have seen anywhere. As a general statement over the years on average shipped to my front door including shipping my wine prices from France are about 30% less than here or NYC. Bottom line: I am cutting out Southern.

Bourgogne

The French hate "Burgundy" and insist on Bourgogne. Clark and my hearts are in Bourgogne. If we could, we would move there. There is just so much to see and do and we have been there for months and years now almost a dozen times and we have not scratched the surface. Our best agent and Personal friend who came to Amelia 3 years and provided a tasting of Bourgogne wines both for me as well as the Ocean Club is Stevie Bobes. An American expat married to a French woman with 3 young adult children like Frederic knows everyone within a 100 mile radius. Just an amazing individual and has done more for us in the wine world than anyone. Stevie's email is stevie@wineambassadeur.com and his phone number is +33 6 48 17 46 81. He is busier than Frederic so there are rare times where we had to change our trip to meet his demanding schedule but it was always worth it. Sometimes he has a helper to fill in. Train from Paris to Beaune is 2 hours and you can also get a direct train from the airport CDG straight to Beaune as well as Dijon. If you elect to use Stevie he prefers to pick you up at the Dijon train station and take you first to lunch in Dijon with the youngest Michelin Chef in France who is spectacular after you stop and buy Dijon mustard from the original store from 1750 something. Another idea that Stevie may help with is a side trip to Lyon which is the culinary capital of the world and where Daniel Boulard came from as well as Chef Bourse. The food and wine in Lyon is second to none. If you go to Lyon, look up in the old city my friend Georges Dos Santos, owner of Antic Wine with one of the largest wine collections in the world. Last time I was there he had Peter Michael and Kistler, go figure? There are three hotels to consider in Bourgogne. #1 5 Star in Puligny Montrachet about 10 KM north of the train station in Beaune is Hotel Le Montrachet. Extreme beauty as well as price. At a minimum, have lunch there. It is across from Cave Puligny-Montrachet owned by Julien Wallerand, a good friend, whose father was the first Master of wine in the world and wrote the seminal book on the Montrachet vineyards. We have known Julian for decades and he takes great care of me and my friends. He specializes in affordable local high quality wines and our usual wine price is around $50 US from him. In addition there is a similar set up called Cave Chassange Montrachet in that village we don't know the owner as well but it is the same set up with 100's of local high quality affordable wines, both cave’s are liker coops. We usually buy a lot of wine from both of them when there. You have to have a car to get to them. The second hotel is Hotel De France directly next to the train station in Beaune. It is a 3 star Logis hotel run by a family who we know well and wonderful to work with. The owner's name is Nicholas and he has a nice wife and daughter who we have watched grow up over 2 decades. You walk out of the train station, cross the road and the hotel is right there. It is a very comfortable and frankly cheap hotel but was remodeled and updated 3 years ago and is clean, comfortable and safe. You can reserve online but for unknown reasons half the time it will say not available but if you call Nicolas directly at +33 3 80 24 10 34 he or his wife will make the reservations. One reason we could not make reservations was when he was renovating and taking vacation the Hotel was closed but because of our relationship he allowed Clark and I to stay there by ourselves and leave a check at the front desk when we left. It is a 20 minute walk anywhere in town. Directly there at the train station and Hotel Der France is ADA Beaune car rental which to us is the best place to rent a car and very convenient and you can park it at the train station at no charge. We wrecked one of their cars years ago and they could not have been nicer or easier to work with. There is another car rental, the more famous Europa car rental but they are on the other side of town on the road to the vineyards south and you have to get a taxi to get to them but they are fine also easy to use. Our last rental with them we picked up the car in Beaune and dropped it in Geneva with no hassle. Be sure and check office times for car rentals they are weird and you may end up waiting for them to open or maybe Stevie can pick it up for you and have it ready. Another option is LeClerc which to us were the cheapest and Stevie helped. We rented an van for like $15 a day but again you need a taxi/uber to get there. The third place to stay is Hotel d'Bistro which was featured in Wine Spectator 3 weeks ago and is a Grand Award winner. It is right off Park Canot in the middle of town and is 4 or 5 stars. It is small, maybe 20 rooms. You have to have dinner at the restaurant as they are famous for table carved Blue Foot Roasted Chicken. Park Canot is the main area of Beaune in a circle around a park with lots of restaurants. Highly recommended is Cave De Arches in a basement cave right off Park Canot. It is Clark's and mine favorite place to eat dinner and we have gone there now for 20 years. Have the chicken in Epoisse cheese sauce. In terms of vineyards I always start and end with Bouchard Per et Fils right down the street 2 blocks from Hotel France. At least 30% of our wine purchases come from them. Their selection is extensive and maybe they are not as famous as some others but many of their wines are highly rated. I have a case of the 2017 Chevalier Montrachet that was rated by Wine Spectator #2 white wine in the world and they sold me one of the last cases and did not raise the price after the rating. They are super people and I got to know the cellar master. In Meursault visit Thierry & Pascale Matrot, a great family we know. Years ago we met the daughter, Elsa Matrot, who at the time was 23 and had just taken over as winemaker and cellar master from her father after graduating from University of California Davis in wine production. Great people right next to the church in the village Meursault. In Puligny Montrachet I recommend visiting the Carillon brothers, Paul Pernot, and Oliver Laflavie all worth a visit. They are all great folks, have great wines and Paul I am afraid is in his 90's so most likely the son is in charge now. Paul speaks no English. Up north is where the red wines are and we recommend Domaine Rapet Pere & Fils. We met the patriarch years ago, most likely now gone, and he was a famous member of Tastevin in Bourgogne. Makes great affordable reasonable wines. Domaine Rion Armelle et Bernard makes good wine in Vosne-Romanee and uses dogs to hunt black truffles. Our current love in Vosne-Romanee is Domaine LeMarche owned by Nicole Lamarche who in a sense jointly owns the DRC grand cru vineyards. DRC and Nicole each own ½ of the Le Tache vineyard and decades ago they traded sides God only knows why? Nicole’s portion is known as Grande Rue. We have now been to her home 3 times and despite years of getting to know her like DRC it is very difficult to buy her wines though we were fortunate to find some. For lunch in Vosne-Romanee we highly recommend La Toute Petite Auberge right off the main road through Vosne-Romanee. Look quick or you will miss it. Owned by Frank Boyer who we have known for close to 20 years, last year for the very first time he recognized me as a repeat customer and gave me my first 5% discount on my purchases. I was honored but don’t expect it. He speaks no English, but for some reason me and him have always seemed to communicate and hit it off well. Does not hurt that I have always purchased thousands of dollars of wine from him. To wit, in the restaurant he has a public wine shop in the back where he sells Vosne-Romanee wines including Nicole Lemarches wine so he has been a good source for me. Turns out he is Nicole Lemarche Godfather, a story for another time. If you really hit it off he might let you visit his own private cellar under the restaurant where he let me buy a couple more LeMarche wines. When in Beaune try Epoisse Cheese especially the older ones. There is a Cheese shop in Park Canot. Also both in Beaune and 20 Km south in Chagny are open public markets on Wednesday and Saturday or Sunday, you will have to look up when, where you can buy a ton of local stuff. If you want to stay in a rented home in Beaune Steve Powell email steve@locationburgundy.com has lots of nice places 1 to 3 bedroom. On the outskirts of town there is our equivalent of Super Walmart called LeClerc. It is massive and has everything you can think of to buy including food, gourmet food, clothes, appliances but most important wine. In France wine is sold in all Supermarkets. LeClerc's is the largest. You will find "Bargains" there. We purchased Bouchard Pere & Fils Chardonnay there for $15 US a bottle and Stevie shipped it home for us. LeClerc also has a cheap and not bad Italian restaurant inside the massive store, and again outside rents cars. 3 blocks from Hotel France is a supermarket called Casino where we get snacks, water, mustard's, etc from. They have a cheap wine section just not as big. A few years back I purchased Grand Cru Eschezeau from them for under $50 a bottle. For just Chateau visits we recommend Chateau Savigny De Beaune which houses an extensive collection of airplanes in an entire large building as well as vintage motorcycles and automobiles. In St. Aubin you can visit Chateau de Rochepot which features classic Bourgogne architecture.

If you need help in Paris we use Steeve Calvo The American in Paris. Helped us a lot with hotels, restaurants, and can book trips to Champagne, Versailles, etc. Steeve phone number is +33 6 82 87 60 60 and you can Google him online.

For more information please review my other Blogs on France

French Wine Discoveries and purchases and Recommendations

Following is a list of wines we felt were exceptional and worthy of purchase, understanding most of these wines are unavailable in the US and some may now be sold out. My review is listed with the wine when available and some are in earlier blogs from the trip. They are listed with their tax-free price, shipping and insurance are additional. If you might be interested in purchasing any please feel free to contact Stevie Bobes(email stevie@wineambassadeur.com) who can help you obtain them.

Domaine Marc Morey Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet Les Referts 2016 $103.55

2016 Domaine Marc Morey Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru Referts sits NE of the Montrachet vineyard between Les Combettes and Les Charmes. It is not a large vineyard and I rarely see the wines from here often. But I was able to taste two side by side that were 2 years apart. This one the 2016 clearly was the older one with a dark color and the aroma and taste had both mineral and fruit expected there was a slight bitterness to the wine. I tasted it twice and after a few days of opening.  I and others tasted buttery popcorn.  It did have good balance and soft alcohol presence.  It was complex with tastes of honey, honeysuckle, lemon, and pear.  I think it is peaked and should be drunk now.  A few of us tasted it and everyone preferred the next wine the:

2018 Olivier Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Referts. $130. This wine was younger and had a clear yellow color with no age. It was also more complex and balanced. It still had a little bitter finish that I seem to remember being a character of this vineyard but overall it was more ageable and easier to drink. Closest to Meursault 1er Cru "Charmes", separated from its neighbor by the famous "Chemin des Moines". The marly soil at the top is more ferruginous at the bottom and, as a result, produces a Puligny-Montrachet that is a little smoother and fatter than the others. Sensitive to over-ripening and the soil is both clay and limestone.

Domaine Bzikot Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet Les Folatieres 2015 $81.75

Somewhat of a darker yellow color due to age.  the 2nd nose was light and fresh but there was a hint of musky smell that blew away.  Great mouth feel.  A lot of concentrated young fruit despite age.  I tasted lemon and pear flavors.  There was a nice finish.  I still feel it is at it's peak and needs to be drunk now.

Domaine Bzikot Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet Les Folatieres 2017 $81.75

SCEA Potinet Ampeau Premier Cru Monthelie Champs Fuillots 2016 $35.88

Domaine Michel Mallard & Fils Grande Cru Corton Marechaudes 2015 $113.55

Auxey Duresses Blanc "Clos du Moulin aux Moines" 2020 $44.50

Auxey Duresses Rouge in Magnum "Clos du Moulin aux Moines" 2018 $68.13

Domaine Bachey-Legros Chassange-Montrachet(region) 2021 $44.50 

*****This was hands down the greatest wine we tasted during the entire trip. The initial smell and taste by 100% of the group of 5 of us was OMG! Where did this come from! A stunning well balanced complex wine that experts will mix up with Grand Cru's. I don't know how much is out there but my highest recommendation is to purchase it as well as the Domaine Bachey-Legros Santeny Blanc. Also, the best price we saw for this high quality.

Domaine Etienne Sauzet Bourgogne Chardonnay 2021 $29.07 a true bargain

Domaine Edouard Delaunay Beaune Premier Cru Les Greves 2020 $50.14

I also purchased a mixed case of Nicole LeMarche's wines from her Godfather Frank Boyer of Vosne Romanee. Domaine LeMarche owns portions of the DRC vineyards like Le Tache, Richbourg, and Echezeaux as examples. Both LeMarche and DRC vineyards severely limit visitors(frankly none).

Other notable wines drunk during our trip primarily at dinners

Bouchard Pere et Fils Montrachet 2011 $720

Happily, I was able to visit the sacred ground these grapes were grown on this trip. It is somewhat of a pilgrimage. The wine presents a pleasant nose and future taste of light oak and butter. There was a velvet mouthfeel and initial tastes of lemon, pear, honey, and butter with plenty of fruit. I emphasized the finesse of the balance but again picked up on strong tastes of lemon, lemon zest, and lots of honey. Overall I rated it 20/20 and it has continued to be a great wine for me. I once had a case but I am down now to a few bottles. The price point of Montrachet continues to rise and for me may one day outprice itself. There clearly are Premier Cru's just as good and sometimes better. Walking the lay of the land this year I continue to marvel at the fact that Montrachet is surrounded on all sides the width of a dirt road by multiple Premier Cru vines that I cannot believe are not close enough to be as great.

Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste Bordeaux $45

Another 2013 that has turned out to be a great value for Bordeaux. A trip or two ago I visited the vineyard and witnessed a professional team trying to make great wines as well as converting to biodynamic production which I still have doubts about. The day we were there they had an outbreak of mildew and I watched them treat it by spraying tea on the vines. This wine had a slight browning of color on the edges which I would expect from 2013. But it still was young with pucker-up tannins. The nose was oaky with cedar which came through prominently on the taste. The aroma and bouquet were both characteristic and distinguishable. There were a lot of complex tastes here including black pepper, licorice, blackberry, cassis, molasses, cedar, oak, and some alcohol though it's 13.5%. Overall it is a complex strongly tannic tart wine but at a good price and drinkable now.

Chateau Branaire-Ducru Bordeaux 2013 $45

2013 was not a great year for Bordeaux and may not age well. But plenty of vineyards made great wines as did Branaire-Ducru. I was introduced to this vineyard by Bruno Delmas(deceased) who grew up in the vineyards of Bordeaux and felt this wine was severely underestimated. They were in the middle of improvements and upgrades during my visit for barrel tastings and it was evident there was a commitment to quality. Frankly, they are one of the least expensive Bordeaux wines so the quality-price ratio is there. The 2013 is a complex, balanced soft wine with somewhat less body than others. Yet there are complex flavors of Blackberries, black pepper, cassis, hazelnut, cedar, and light oak. The finish lingered and overall the experience was exceptional. You simply cannot beat the quality of this wine for the price.

Veuve Cliquot Champage NV $49

The nose was very nutty and effervescent. The taste included honeysuckle, pineapple, melon, and honey, Balance and acid integration were excellent. At some point, I said it sort of tasted like a whiskey sour to me, and that surprised even me. If you are staying in Paris for a while it is fairly easy to do a day trip to Champagne and Veuve Cliquot has multiple themed tastings you can schedule. I was sick so could not go but plan to on my next trip.

Royal Tokaji Essencia 2008 $1400

One of the greatest wines ever made and the first time I have ever had it and only the 2nd bottle I have seen in 40 years. Given to Catherine the Great by Hungary in tribute to not be invaded the wine was otherwise famous as over centuries at times it was the preferred wine of the European Kings. Frankly, no one else could afford it. Frankly the richest and sweetest sweet wine ever. The nose and taste were complex, rich, and balanced. Plenty of floral characteristics but for me primarily tastes of honey and plum. The finish seems to linger on for hours. Everyone at the table who tasted it was somewhat overwhelmed by the experience. We did drink it over two nights as it is too rich to drink an entire bottle in a single seating. A good friend who has had multiple bottles over the years confirmed my evaluation and experience and like him, we look forward to the future to drink it again.

The Simple Life in Paris

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms...” Henry David Thoreau, Walden.

To paraphrase Thoreau, we came to Paris to live this summer to ignore the tourist stuff and learn and confront the essential daily life of the French with no preconceived ideas and see what their lifestyle could teach us. We did not want to die without having tried to have an authentic and immersive experience over here. On the one hand, we did not stay in 5-star hotels but at the same time, we were not Spartan-like either. Our apartment was compared to others very large and comfortable and it felt like home. We had hoped to explore one day and rest the next. Nature had other ideas and things to teach us. Instead, we were sick most of the time staying inside, watching TV, reading and researching the area, and getting take away. But I believe we met our objectives and learned many things. Yes, we were sick, but we were sick in Paris. Our needs were met. We could obtain medical and dental care when needed and it was easy to obtain medications. And every French person we met for the most part was happy, helpful, polite, and caring. The average American has over 300,000 items in their home. I spent decades accumulating and now cannot get rid of enough of it. Other than aristocracy, that didn't turn out well for most of them, and their opulent and grandiose mega-mansions, the average French person has much, much less. Their cars are smaller, and their homes are smaller, they have no walk-in closets. Twice a year during sales they buy the good stuff, designer clothes but where we buy 10 they buy 1 and keep it for 5 or 10 years. They have less to keep track of and less to worry about losing. After a month we immediately recognized we had brought 2X what we really needed. I hope we remember that lesson. I have read about it for a lifetime but now I have lived it for a month. Possessions don't make you happy and enrich your life as much as experiences, tastes, sunrises, and sharing those experiences with family and friends lingering over a coffee until the late hours of the evening at some cafe as opposed to watching some stupid reality show on TV.(apologies for the judgemental comment). Yes we were sick. But with friends and loved ones. It was still an experience, just not the one we had envisioned. So as best we could we embraced what we had recognizing that tomorrow brings a new day and a new chance. Tonight prior to dinner we went for a walk realizing the entire month we have been here we only walked down and around Boulevard Voltaire which is one block and intersects with Place Nation. For one month we had been exploring in only one direction. But there are at least a dozen streets that intersect with Place Nation and we could have spent an entire 2 weeks exploring a huge area and no telling what we might have found. We went in the opposite direction for the first time tonight and 2 blocks from our apartment we found an authentic family-operated Moroccan restaurant. We love Moroccan food and have not had it in decades. We totally missed it, but now have even more motivation to return to the same place in the future. We cannot control our age but we need to get home and deal with the health issues cropping up prior to returning. Paris like most of Europe is harder to walk around it, and now drive in, than the USA. Streets and paths are uneven and prone to falling. Metros have few to no elevators and you have to go up and down multiple flights of stairs. Most buildings and Hotels don't have elevators.  It can be hot one day and cold the next. So hopefully next trip we will be well and better prepared. We certainly hope so. I think our main lesson here is life really is and can be simple and even more joyful. But in the end, it is up to you to make it that way, and instead of complaining about what you don't have learn to adapt and use what you do have and have joy in doing it.

Day 3 in the Heart of Bourgogne

We started back at it on day 3 starting with a visit to Domaine LeMarche.  My first visit occurred during my last trip 4 years ago before Covid.  I have done the research and discovered that essentially LeMarche owns vineyards next to those owned by the DRC vineyards and continued to make their own label from the same named vineyards, just their own vineyard wines.  I had heard through the grapevine, most likely not true but understandable that decades ago the domain had decided to refuse Grand Cru status.  The story goes the Domaine felt it was a ruse in order to raise taxes and like many in the wine world some vintners flatly refuse to accept any kind of rating system at all feeling as long as they think they are making great wine that is the only rating needed.  There is a well-known vineyard in St. Emillion whose owner ran Robert Parker off his property as he does not believe in ratings.  If you have read Wine Spectator recently some of the first growth Bordeaux's are now not sending in wine to be rated.  Over many decades the vineyard was passed on and today Madam Nicole Lemarche is the sole owner and has renamed the vineyard Domaine Nicole LeMarche.  So four years ago I essentially harrassed Stevie to make an appointment which he could never do so on a lark we drove to the front door and knocked and met Nicole.  She was busy but I guess was impressed I was so persistent and welcomed me back that afternoon for barrel tastings.  So this time Stevie was able to make a follow-up appointment, understanding they initially gave him a hard time.  Ms. LeMarch had prepared a formal tasting for us this time in her home and dining room and we tasted about 10 of her wines including Grand Rue which is adjacent to the DRC La Tache vineyard and for me better than La Tache, except 1/2 the price.  There is another urban legend that sometime long ago Lemarche and  DRC and traded the right side of the vineyard for the left side of the vineyard so the old La Tache was now Grand Rue and vice versa.  I should mention that today these wines now have Grand Cru status.  These are great wines, better than DRC to me, and Nicole LeMarch is a valued friend and great winemaker.  Her wines, like DRC, are hard to find and purchase but are available online and you can purchase them through the usual distribution systems in the US.  Like all vineyards some years there are more available than others but you will not be disappointed in these wines.  They are spectacular.

The next stop was the old Chateau du Clos de Vougeot.  If you have visited Bourgogne you cannot miss it as it is a very old large Chateau sitting in the middle of a very large vineyard.  It has been there since the middle ages and renovated a few times, originally being an Abby, and now owned by the Brothers of Tastavin.  It is an inexpensive visit and worth the visit, if nothing else to see the monster large wine presses.  You have to wonder how they built these things.  Some of the wood beams are 36 inches by 36 inches and 20 or so feet long.  Just building them was an advanced engineering marvel.  But using them you have to wonder how did they do it?

Lunch was at one of my all-time favorites La Toute Petite Auberge owned by Frank Boyer, whom I have been told is Nicole LeMarch's godfather. My understanding is Frank has been close to the Lemarche family for years.  Frank has two wine cellars at the restaurant, one is a retail store and one is his own private cellar in the basement.  I have been in both and he has sold me LeMarch wine from his own private cellar.  He also has many of the top Cote de Nuit wines in the area that he sells in his retail store.  As usual, he sold me a mixed case including Nicole's wine.  If you visit he is a good source to purchase small amounts of LeMarche wine.  After about 10 years I think he is starting to recognize me.  He is probably like me and takes time to get to know you.  This year for the first time he gave me a special new discount.  I really appreciated it.

After lunch, we charged on to the Chateau and vineyards of Edouard Delaunay tasting over 10 wines, red and white including Grand Crus.  I thought I was going to die and hopefully go to heaven.  We tasted and drank way too many wines.  Between all of us we ended up buying 10 cases of wine to ship and ended up running a little late for dinner at:

Caveau Des Arches is our favorite Beaune restaurant.  Caveau des Arches(website https://www.caveau-des-arches.com/)

It's not Michelin, it doesn't show up on a lot of recommended sites, but it is one of my favorites in all of France.  Underground in an old cellar, the ambiance is great.  Most of the time I am there it is filled with locals, always a good sign.  And to this day the best-roasted chicken in an epoisse cheese sauce I have ever had.  I had the same dish in NYC at Daniel Boulards Pavillion at 10X the cost.  They have an extensive wine list at reasonable prices.  They even have the very first White Burgundy Clark and I ever drank Chateau Beauregard Pouilly Fussie, owned by a  cousin and across the street from Chateau Pouilly Fussie where Clark and I visited for a day on our last trip to France.  They have a variety of menu items and what are called formulas along with an extensive wine list with reasonable prices.  Someday I might get something different but as usual, I had their roast chicken cooked in an Epoisse cheese sauce.  Epoisse cheese comes from the village of Epoisse about 50 KM NW of Beaune and it is the only place in the world where the cheese is made.  Sometimes it is difficult to find it.  It has various ages you can buy, the oldest I recall seeing was 75 years old.  I highly recommend Caveau Des Arches.

Home to bed we were beyond exhausted.  Due to exhaustion I am fairly certain this is the day I got sick while over there, but we had another day before the train back to Paris.

Things They are A Changing In France and Paris

We leave Paris in 2 days after being here for a month.  Regrettably, we were sick most of the time and were not able to get out and about as much as we wanted but still, we lived in a nice neighborhood, lived the slower pace of life around here, and I hope came away with better insight on the French people and Nation.  We did have a great time at dinner three nights with our Amelia friends who have a permanent apartment here in Paris and come as much as they can.  The husband has family ties to France and was raised here for many years.  He and his wife both speak fluent French and have as good a handle on local culture and customs as anyone we have previously known.  I thank them for the deep and meaningful discussions we had over a week that has realigned my thoughts here.

The world is changing and it is much younger.  It was the same when we visited NYC, we saw mostly young people and few people our age.  It is a normal progression of Nature.  But like us old folks, the values and desires of young people today are different.  We, not them, are going to have to adjust.  COVID if anything accelerated this change.  For one thing, a majority of the people who died were us old sick ones definitely changing the old/young ratios.  For most of us, COVID changed our outlook on life and sort of forced us to rethink what was important and this was a major event for the young.  So how has this played out, especially in Paris?  For one thing, Bistot's are going away.  We asked our friends what was the difference in all the eating establishment names like cafe, bistro, brasserie, etc.  Their answer was Bistrots served "pheasant" food which for the most part is what all think is classic French cuisine.  Think snails, beef Bourgogne, Coq au Vin, etc.  The young folks don't want this anymore.  They want quick and hip, innovative, less expensive, etc.  We took a cab across the entirety of Paris after dinner last night and the entire way the streets were packed with young folks drinking, talking, and dancing at small establishments with small bites, think tapas.  In fact, we saw many new tapa places here.  Also, Paris more than any city is an international city.  Almost every country in the world is represented here and on every block is a multitude of cheap ethnic food.  Think kababs from Turkey, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Lebanese, and Russian tea houses, African.  Remember I had Madagascar Shrimp.  This is what the young folks buy so the market is trying to meet those demands meaning fewer Bistrots and much less emphasis on Michelin Stars not that to me was important to begin with.  A brief aside here I have mentioned when you come here you are a guest and you should make an honest effort to fit into the culture and language as best you can to show respect.  But while you are trying to fit in with your new French friend, you end up going next door to have dinner with someone from Dubai and you now have to be sensitive to Dubai culture.  I witnessed an American insult an Asian person, actually no different than the USA.

The young are dead serious regarding Climate Change and the Mayor of Paris has instituted a lot of changes to force the issue, primarily by increasing restrictions on automobile access to the inner city.  One thing that COVID did to accelerate this is the city allowed Cafes, Bistrots, etc. to expand table service to the sidewalks outside and overflow into the streets.  If you have been here the streets have always been narrow.  So now what used to be two lanes streets are now one-lane streets further causing traffic to slow to a crawl and encouraging the Mayor to institute more automobile-free zones.  I fully understand the allure of getting into your fancy luxury car or SUV and driving to your heart's content, but in Paris that attitude gets you sitting in traffic for hours going nowhere.  I've already mentioned we had to abandon plans to use Uber, and now G7 Taxis due to the horrific traffic.  The Metro is efficient easy to navigate once you learn it, and cheap.  Yes sometimes at rush hour you are shoulder-to-shoulder packed into a train car, and you have to be able to navigate stairs carrying bags, but most of the time you are not and you can get across Paris in less than 30 minutes.  The young folks take the Metro as well as bikes, scooters, motorcycles, etc.  In fact, something new again those 2 lane streets the Mayor shrunk by adding bicycle lanes everywhere so now when crossing the street you have to first watch for bikes, scooters, and the like and then worry about the cars.

No one likes paying taxes, even the French.  But the older ones who have benefited from programs paid by taxes, like paid parental leave for 6 months for both husband and wife, at least have some feeling of justification for paying the tax.  But young folks in their early 20s and 30s who have not benefited, like Americans, cannot see the future past their next Friday paycheck.  Now the government has told them instead of waiting 42 years to benefit from their taxes it is now you have to wait 44 years so they protest.  It is human nature to react when you hear that for as far as you are concerned there is no hope to ever receiving benefits and now it is even longer.  They assume the government will again raise the time next year and they can never win.  All humans are social animals but from what I have seen the young French are even more so.  Last night I saw hundreds of thousands out at the cafes and bars enjoying the social life.  They are not going to give that up.

Of course old or young at some point everyone needs to deal with these changes.  But it is obvious at least over here that a new revolution is happening in France and Paris with the young people taking over.  I am certain there are business gurus and marketers figuring all of this out to make the biggest buck.  But time will tell how it all will end.  In a gross over simplification expect more fast food and less French food.  Heck one of my best burgers and lunches was at 5 Guys Burgers.  Go figure.

Bastille Market Day and Eating Pizza in France

Today was Sunday one of the biggest market days in Paris. The outdoor market at the Bastille is considered the largest in the city and is open from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM on Sunday and Thursday so we made it there this morning. It is huge and is the length of two Metro stops starting at the Bastille. We walked the entire length and Clark got 3 stylish new shirts and we bought fresh food for lunch and dinner. We came home with a horn of plenty including a Mediterranean feast with fresh Greek Salad, Hummus, Taboli, and fresh fruits. We found prawns that were true U6 prawns from Madagascar that we will have for dinner. Going to the market in France is a true adventure and should not be missed. There are many of the not only in Paris but every small village around. Most are either Wednesday and Saturday or Thursday and Sunday. You can stock up your home with enough fresh food to last a week easily. You name it they seem to have it. Where I purchased the prawns they had about a dozen different ones from around the world and even had Florida Stone Crabs which surprised me. Going to the market is a great way to immerse yourself in French culture, people, and language. You are surrounded by all of it and frankly, I always feel welcomed and at home in the market. Everyone is smiling and nice to everyone. Last night we had pizza at a great place just 100 meters from our front door called Mat'uzza( https://matizza.fr/). We had to wait for a table and right after we were seated we were surrounded by patrons standing in the street waiting to be seated and they were still waiting when we left. I can assure you when locals are that loyal to a restaurant you well know that the food and service has to be spectacular. The pizzas were stunning. I had a meat lover's pizza that was loaded with all my favorites and the taste was just great. Another in our party ordered a truffle pizza to die for. An interesting cultural difference is the French eat pizza with a knife and fork. The pizza is served not cut and you do it yourself with a knife and fork and eat with a fork, something we are not used to doing. It seemed a little awkward at first but everyone was doing it so as in Rome we eventually got used to it.

Day 2 in the Heart of Bourgogne

Starting early on the 2nd day at Au Pied du Mont Chauve(website HTTPS://www.famillepicard.fr/ with English translation) we tasted multiple Chassange Montrachets as well as one Montrachet, priced at $850 per bottle.  Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised they would open that expensive bottle for us.  It was a well-balanced bottle and all of their wines were good, I just could not justify the price/quality ratio they offered and it being the very first tasting not knowing what to expect I at least passed on buying any wine there.  But I do recommend a visit to try for yourself.  

Next was lunch and OMG what a bucket list kind of place.  An elegant designed restaurant in the middle of a field with impeccable food and service complimented by a vast wine list and a great sommelier whose knowledge to produce a great bottle at a great price matching the food was unsurpassed.  Au Fil du Clos(website https://www.aufilduclos.fr/) I can highly recommend.  The food was stunning and the service was some of the best.

We went to Le Caveau d'Auxey(website: https://www.caveau-auxey.fr/) where we spent way too much on wine.  Le Caveau d'Auxey is a Co-op of multiple vintners in the Auxey Duresses area of the Cote de Beaune with primarily white Burgundy.  The vineyards are somewhat uphill from the valley and sit between Mersault and Monthelie just south of the Pommard vineyards.  I have always liked the wines and I also have enjoyed the Monthelie wines.  You occasionally see them in the USA but they are not a major area compared to others.  But you find great values which led us to buy way too much wine.  The price/quality ratio was great enticing us to buy.  In a future Blog, I will list all the wines I purchased that I can recommend.

The next stop was another Co-op that is privately owned by a long-time acquaintance in Puligny Montrachet Julian Wallerand, owner of Caveau Puligny-Montrachet.  I have known Julian for close to 20 years now and always buy wine from him when I am there.  He concentrates on smaller vineyards with high-quality wines that are affordable to most French people.  Hence I usually find some outstanding wines at fairly low prices.  When I have compared my purchases at Julian's to New York prices of the same or similar wine in general I pay 30% to 49% less delivered to my front door in Florida.  Outside his wine warehouse, he has a nice casual wine bar and when we were there the place was packed.  The place is a money machine.  Of interest, Julian's father, the original owner of the Caveau, was the first Master of Wine in the world and is known for writing the only definitive book on the Montrachet vineyard.  Pretty good pedigree if you ask me.  Our visit demonstrated something that can happen tasting wine that I have written about in the past.  Sooner or later you taste a wine and see God.  You obsessively spend the rest of your life hunting down that experience again and hopefully, the bottle costs $20 or less(used to be $10, inflation).  It is a spiritual experience and I have around 8 of them.  When we arrived the place was crowded and Julian was very busy but he graciously greeted us and cleared out an area to sit down and do a tasting.  He said to pick something out to taste.  His wines are displayed in racks as well as plain cases on the floor and he has a menu to select from.  I noticed a Domaine Bachey-Legros Chassange Montrachet 2021 for $44.50 per bottle, frankly a decent price for a high-quality White Burgundy.  The reason I picked it was at CIBO our first lunch in Dijon we had the same Domaine with vineyards in Santenay 2021 and loved it.  So I figured it would be just as good.  OMG, without exaggeration immediately on tasting the wine all 5 of us went into shock.  Our Eyes opened wide, what just happened!  After tasting close to 25 wines by that time we just hit the motherload and found the holy grail.  What a beautiful wine, with complex flavors on the nose and palate.  Velvet mouth feel.  No heavy oak, extremely well balanced, and a long long finish.  What a quality wine.  It is the first one I can recommend and tasting it made the entire trip worth it.  It has been decades since I have tasted a wine like that that appealed to everyone in the room.  What a joy.  So buy Domaine Bachey-Legros Chassange Montrachet 2021 for $44.50 per bottle from Julian(the latest NY price not including tax or shipping was $96 per bottle).  Also consider the Santenay, the last NY price not including tax or shipping was $60 per bottle.

Our last tasting of the day was at Laurent et Fernand Pilot(website: http://www.vinpillot.com/).  The tasting was scheduled for 6:15 PM in the evening as the winemaker was in the field working the vines and had to come in from work to showcase his wines for us.  He and his wife were very hospitable and he opened barrel samples of his current wines all of which are biodynamic wines.  All of them were good but just not my style so I did not purchase any but others in our group did.

I learned some hard lessons today.  First I am too old to do 4 intense tastings showcasing 12 or more wines per Domaine in a day.  All of us were just exhausted and worn out.  I am too old for this.  Not that it is not fun because it is and you are tasting the top 1% of high-quality Bourgogne wine in the world from producers the majority of the population never sees and the tastings are intimate and personal many times in the winemaker's home.  It sort of sets you up.  I mean you got this far and got an appointment and you are not buying today??  You sort of feel obligated to buy.  Interestingly even with that attitude sometimes you cannot buy.  They either don't sell direct or they sold out of what you just tasted.  You have to ask yourself why did they have me taste that wine when they don't have anymore?  But then it comes full circle.  Yes, there are no more but we do have 3 bottles left, would you like to buy those last 3.  Guess what happens.  In the future, one maybe two tastings in the morning, a formal sit-down lunch then back to the room to take a nap and dinner later.  It really is all I for one can handle today.  All of us decided we could not handle any more food and wine so we canceled our dinner reservations and got together at the Hotel lobby and had some of our leftover wine with a cheese and charcuterie plate that was more than enough.  What a day!

 

Terroirs by Adeline

I am pleased to highly recommend Terroirs by Adeline Bourgogne's cooking class in Beaune, France.  We have been coming to Beaune and the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits for over 20 years and we had heard many times how great the cooking schools are in the area learning the intricacies of great French cooking.  So on our last trip, we did one with one of Adeline's competitors and enjoyed it.  Then Covid hit ending our trips to France for close to 4 years.  In planning this year's trip we told our guy Stevie Bobes of Wineambasseur.com we wanted to do the cooking school this time also but now he recommended Terroirs by Adeline and we are so happy we chose her and her team.    Both schools we have attended follow a similar model.  You start your day with Adeline in the town market which on Saturday is fairly large and you walk around meeting vendors and selecting the fresh ingredients needed to prepare Adeline's recipes for lunch.  You select vegetables, cheese, sometimes fresh foie gras and the list goes on.  You then follow Adeline back to her "lab" as she calls it to start working for your supper so to speak.  Adeline's "lab" is an oxymoron.  It is a full scale fully equipped professional kitchen with all of the most modern appliances and cookware imaginable along with a large prep area and dining area.  Outside is an extensive herb and vegetable garden to use with your lunch.  Once you get started there is a team effort to make lunch and Adeline asks what everyone's skill set is and then assigns duties accordingly.  Having surgical experience I am a fairly decent slicer and dicer so I got to do that prep.  While doing all of this Adeline is passing around glass after glass of wine so frankly when it was time for lunch I needed a nap.  We had a wonderful freshly made gazpacho for a starter, a crispy skin fish with vegetables, and then dessert.  There were 7 of us in the class and we had to have had at least 7 or 8 bottles of wine, many of which were Premier Cru or better.   And then after lunch more wine while Adeline and her helper clean up.  There are many advantages to using Adeline, first of which her prices per person were 30% less than the last school we attended.  We like the group approach as opposed to standing by yourself essentially just preparing your own meal.  As we left Adeline provided us with all the recipes plus some we had not prepared so we left with plenty of information.  The only thing I would have improved as I for one would have liked to remain in the Saturday Market a little longer to see more things, shop more, and meet more locals.  As we age we had way too much wine and could have spent time in the Market instead of drinking so much wine and I recognize many disagree with that.   Overall it was an outstanding day and I cannot recommend Adeline higher to you.  

Terroirs By Adeline

9 Av. de L'Aigue 21200

Beaune, France

06 17 38 46 72 Use+33 first if calling on US Phone

Traveling and living in a Foreign Country with emphasis on France

Benjamin Franklin said all men are citizens of 2 countries and one of them is France and I agree with him.  But that does not mean the cultural and day-to-day activities in those 2 countries are the same and in order to thrive or survive it is up to you to learn the differences and adjust to them.   As they say, when in Rome do as the Romans do.  

Part of the allure of foreign travel is experiencing the differences in culture and day-to-day living that are different from your own.  You learn there are more ways to skin a cat, some of which might be better than your own.  If you are open to that you are enriched by the experience.  Sadly, if you are like a lot of Americans who believe the American way is always the best way(American exceptionalism) and hence the only way you will return home angry, upset, and exhausted at the "rude" foreigners.  It is critical that you read and study and watch YouTube extensively before you leave to visit the area of your choice.  It is simple, people overseas don't live like you do and the terrain, geography, and day-to-day living are totally different.  The quicker you get used to it the better for you.

Let's start with language.  Sitting for a nice dinner in the Marais at Benoit's next to us sat a Texan who immediately announced, "You know I don't speak your damn language".  Well, guess what, they live in France and there is no obligation to speak your damn language.  But unknown to most Americans they are trying.  Every child in France from kindergarten to high school graduation is required to take conversational English every year for 13 years.  Most, but not all citizens of Paris speak fairly fluent English.  In fact, when I try to speak to them in French they want to speak English as they don't use it that much.  But it is not something you can force and in every encounter, you should at least try the polite minimum.  I advise everyone to learn at a minimum Bonjour, Au Revoir, Merci, and Siv vous plait.  I witness a thousand times Americans saying "thank you" in English instead of Merci.  It is not that hard to change and means the world to the French that you tried that small amount.  Just using those 4 words has opened the world of France to us for 20 years.  If you return and try you will be surprised how much French you might pick up.  I am not fluent, but frequently the French think I am and take off with their rapid speech.

Next is transportation.  In America we are "free" so we buy as many cars guzzling gas that we want and as big as we want and can get in the car and drive to where we damn well please when we damn well please.  Not so overseas.  Most places we go overseas use public transportation including buses and trains extensively and getting around by car most time is more difficult, especially in the cities.  Plus when you take public transportation you have to follow their standards and rules, something Americans are loath to do.  I hear Americans complaining about the up and down stairs with no elevators and the rough uneven cobblestone streets demanding something be done about it.  There are few to no luxury limo services where you are joyfully picked up by your friendly driver who carries your items of luggage and you from point A to B.  They are there in small amounts but must be scheduled in advance and the cost is usually higher than you expect.  Especially in the cities you have to know how to buy tickets, how to read a map, be able to walk up and down multiple stairs, walk on uneven payment, and carry your luggage at the same time.  If you are frail and elderly or disabled it is almost impossible.  It is however one of the areas the French shine in politeness and helpfullness.  Every time we navigated the stairs Frenchmen always asked if they could help and carry our luggage on the stairs and no one ran off with it,  and on the subway, most younger people gave up their seats for us.  The key here is to understand the default position has to be you are responsible for taking care of your self so be prepared.  In the past, we were dependent on Uber but today traffic in Paris at least is at a standstill and it took 2X to 3X longer to get somewhere making the Metro the best option.  But you must have the ability to navigate the Metro.  One more thing, once you enter the Metro keep your ticket in your hand or immediately available.  Around every corner, there might be a policeman waiting to check your ticket and arrest you if you don't have it.  To us using the trains to travel to the countryside and other places, is great, but be sure you know what to do from buying your ticket, downloading it on the phone, the current preferred default, locating the train and track to use at the station, and how to get on and get off the train and know exactly where your seat is as even in coach seats are assigned.  We heard about one group of Americans who did not pay attention and on a 30-car train got on at one end when their seats were at the other end and had to walk the entire length of the train with their luggage bumping into every one to get to their seats at the extreme other ends of the train.

You may not believe in climate change or Global warming or environmental issues but they do in a big way and are your worst nightmare tree huggers.  They recycle everything and expect you to do the same.  They have minimal garbage.  Ever notice the very small waste bins in bathrooms that hold about two balls of tissue?  Anything organic is saved for compost.  Everything is smaller to have a lower impact on the environment.  You will immediately notice the emphasis on the transportation system being carbon neutral.  In our apartment, we had multiple garbage cans for plastic, glass, garbage, and organic material and it was up to us to learn what was what and use it correctly.  I did find one thing they seem to be hypocrites on.  When you go to a pastry shop they gift wrap it before you leave.  You can argue with them all you want but for some crazy reason, they believe they have to gift wrap pastries.  I just want to go outside and eat it, but not until I unwrap the gift wrapping.  You also need to be aware air conditioning is not common in France.  You have to be very careful when booking to clearly state you need air conditioning.  As Global warming increases Paris becomes hotter and hotter.  Our apartment was not air conditioned and I was not clear on that.  But with fans and closing windows and shades during the day it was cool enough to work out.  In the winter they have too much heat as the French are cold-natured.  We had separate heaters and controls in each and every room including bathrooms that had to be turned off by us in June.  Here is a picture of the extent and detail and minutia they go to protect the environment.  Pictured is the cap of a standard plastic water bottle that cannot be removed.  You can unscrew it but it stays on the bottle in an interesting engineering idea.  It flips open and closes and you can screw it back on and is recycled with the bottle.  Obviously prevents millions of plastic caps from littering the land and oceans.

There is a long learning curve as everything is different.  One example, for the first time we rented an apartment which was a long learning process in and of itself.  Our apartment was minimalist which was fine but we had few linens and no linens to change so we had to rely on our washer and dryer.  We went out and purchased more towels and pillows to leave behind.  But our washer and dryer were French with the operations manual in French and the first week we could not use them properly.  Yes, the rental agent spent a small amount of time showing us the place and how things worked but not to the level needed.  Again, the French expect you to take care of yourself.  After a week we looked up online the brand and model number and found a manual in English and were able to do OK.  We also had a French induction kitchen which took some time to figure out.   The electrical service is 240 Volt so make sure you are educated in that or you will blow the circuits.  We have done it.  In terms of housing, you need to recognize that especially in France smaller is better.  Apartments, hotel rooms, and restaurants are much smaller square footage-wise than you realize.  Also, the bathrooms are smaller, usually with a small shower and no tub.  You can get a large suite at the Ritz or a nice large apartment with 3 or 4 bedrooms but be prepared to spend $5000 a night or $25,000 to $40,000 a month.  If you can afford that go for it.  I cannot.  For the first time ever we rented an apartment for a month and it was one of the best decisions we have ever made.  We were tired of coming here and rush, rush, rush to see as much as humanly possible in the shortest time frame.  It simply does not work as there is no rush rush rush in France and you leave exhausted.  With the apartment, we had a home to come back to.  We spent 5 days in Beaune buying wine way too busy but came home to a peaceful apartment in a quiet neighborhood where we could rest a few days before returning to the tourist circuit.  We had twice the space of a hotel and much more private, we had a full kitchen so we did not have to eat out every meal.  We had a washer and dryer to do laundry once we figured out how to use it.  All the advantages outweighed any disadvantages and hopefully, if we return we come right back to the same place.  As I speak the broker Paris Attitude has been great so far and easy to deal with. An interesting aspect of France is despite a bloody revolution to overthrow the aristocracy they still seem to like having rich people around and a lot of things are arranged to cater to the rich.  They just expect if you act rich you will be more than willing to pay outrageous prices.  It is how they define rich.   The good news is there are millions of opportunities to eat and live like a king over here at more moderate prices, you just have to look for them.

There will always be glitches, mix-ups, mistakes, and language barriers, sometimes seeming to occur daily.  It is not uncommon to expect something only to have a French person tell you, No No, No that is not what is supposed to happen.  Then comes the fun of trying to straighten it out in a different language and culture.  Interestingly in Chinese culture, they will never tell you no for fear of losing face, they will say "That is not convenient" leaving you to figure out what it means.  Trust me it means no.  In France never get loud, raise your voice, scream, or be aggressive as they will shut down and leave.  That kind of American approach has never been their style.  Remember initially with Hitler their initial approach was to negotiate over fighting.  They are after all lovers and what great lovers they are.  Remain calm, find somewhere someone who speaks English and they will do their best to help you.  On a train ride, one of our party was very tall with very long legs and was seated across a table from another tall man with very long legs and it was not going to work.  Initially, he walked around the car trying to find an unoccupied seat of which none existed but once calmly explained a nice lady got up and said, in English, I have short legs please take my seat and I will sit across from the tall guy.  Win, win for all.  For me at least that kind of polite and nice accommodation has always happened in France when approached calmly.  Our greatest story is with my wife and two children we were at the Montparnasse train station trying to purchase tickets to Versaille and had not yet learned easily the way to purchase tickets at a machine.  A nice Frenchman, probably under 30 said let me help.  He took out his own cash, purchased 4 tickets at his expense, gave the tickets to us and said have a nice day in Versaille and walked off.  Does that happen in America??

And now to the feast de resistance, food, and wine.  To me, 50% of French culture and economy is food and wine, and is the best in the world and the French know it and are extremely proud of it.  In France, lunch is from 12 noon to 2 or now 3 PM and the entire nation shuts down.  Unless there is a cardiac arrest nothing is changing this.  And at dinner from around 7:30 PM onward everyone sits down for dinner.  Do not plan to try and upend this, You will only be disappointed.  One of the hardest things to get used to over here is sitting down for lunch and dinner and learning you are not going anywhere for at least 2 hours so just cool it and enjoy the experience.  Service is painfully slow.  Getting the check is painfully slow.  Over time, possibly years, you will learn to fully appreciate it.  Breakfast is another story.  They don't eat big breakfasts.  Coffee, a croissant, and maybe orange juice but no bacon and eggs.  They eat eggs for dinner.  Interestingly in Paris proper there are three places called "Breakfast in America" and they are always full of French people.  The food in France is wonderful and you will never have a bad meal anywhere.  If you do, the French will immediately stop going there and shut the place down. But you will quickly tire of it as it is extremely filling and rich.  Eventually, you will learn to go to the grocery store and purchase light fare for dinner every couple of days or go to McDonalds as they do exist in France.

I will finish with this.  All men are citizens of two countries, and one of them is France.  They are our blood brothers.  If not for them with their Naval blockade of Yorktown, which bankrupted their treasury, and us and the Russians taking care of Hitler for them, both of us would be speaking German.  I am tired of hearing how rude they are.  They are not.  They are the most polite, caring, and helpful people I have met.  I pray they do not lose it trying to be like us.  I do not know how they do it but to me, they also are the most productive people on the planet because they eat 6 hours a day leaving only 2 for work, yet they have some of the most massive and beautiful buildings in the world, some of the best art, some of the most efficient agriculture and medical care, and a great transportation system.  I have decided because of their laid-back culture which concentrates on time with family and meals, a joie de life, adequate time off, and health care they are so happy they are able to create miracles.  I have a bias I should mention.  My father was an aircrew member on a B24 and along with combat missions, including D-Day, he flew supplies to the Free French in the south of France and the French Resistance where he was at high risk of being captured and shot as a spy.  If he was willing to die for France then to honor him I will always support them myself as my brothers and sisters.

Three Days of the Bourgogne, Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuit, Day 1

We are back in Paris completely exhausted and overcome with rhinitis from some of the worst pollen counts in Bourgogne in history.  Without exaggeration, I went to the rental car and there was a measurable 1 inch of pollen on top of the car.  Even without allergies, it was miserable just from the irritation.   But like all good soldiers, we slugged it out and made it through an epic 3 days of tastings, food, wine, and cooking imaginable.  

Arriving on the first day at noon, our friend and agent Stevie Bobes of wineambasseur.com met us at the train, packed our luggage in the car, and then did a walking tour of Dijon stopping at the original store that made Dijon mustard famous,  Moutarde Maille founded 1747.  Satisfied with our selections to ship home we proceeded to 1-star Michelin CIBO presented by Angelo Ferrigno who is the youngest Chef in France to receive a Michelin star.  Chef Ferrigno presented a 4-course wine-paired luncheon that was spectacular, featuring Domaine Bachey Legros 2021 Santenay En Charron Chardonnay.  

Buying Dijon Mustard

Wine for Lunch

A Treat for Lunch

After lunch, it was off to the Vosne Tasting Club where we tasted the following exceptional wines purchasing numbers 2 and 3. 

1.  Domaine Jomain Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes 2015

2.  Domaine BxikotPuligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatieres 2015, vineyard is adjacent to the full Montrachet vineyard and one of the best.

3.  Domaine Marc Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts 2016, the best of the tasting by a highly regarded and famous winemaker.

4.  Domaine Michel Caillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 2010 fading

5.  Buisson-Charles Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Caillerets 2015

Then off to pick up the rental car and check in at the hotel in time for dinner at Le Bistro de L'Hotel just off the Parc Canot in the center of town where we had the famous blue foot chicken with a great red Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot from American Expat Alex Gambel.  Then we passed out sleeping until the next marathon day.  Basically stuffed.

Mad Dash to Paris

We had spent a lot of time arranging to get from Southhampton to Paris.  Originally not knowing what was available we used our travel agent for advice and in the end what happened was we had train tickets from the ship to the Southhampton train station to London where we had to get a taxi and change train stations to catch to Eurostar Chunnel train to Paris.  Turned out it was too complicated and we did not get all the information we needed.  For one thing, there were plenty of taxis and Ubers available willing to take you directly to the Eurostar station and the fee was reasonable and close enough to what we had already purchased.  It is what we eventually did because we had no choice as we were warned in advance on the ship there was going to be a train strike which in fact happened forcing us to order an Uber which worked out well and took us straight there, though it took 4 hours instead of the usual 2 as traffic was gridlocked.  Finding our driver was exciting as the crowd getting off the ship was massive and trying to pick someone out of a crowd is not easy but we matched up by phone and it was off to London.  On arrival again the same shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and a line a mile long to get on the train standing in a queue for about 30 minutes.  Then you went through security with all of your luggage, even the large ones, with no one to help even the elderly or disabled.  You had to pick up your own bags onto the conveyer belt while security personnel were screaming at you to hurry up, even the elderly and disabled.  Then it was through British immigration to leave Britain, and French immigration to enter France.  The waiting lounge was ok and did have a small food and drink vendor so you at least could buy some refreshments.  Once they announced the train departure track it was again a mad dash to the exits pushing and shoving to get on the train while carrying your luggage.  Finally, on the train, we could catch our breath.  On arrival in Paris we had ordered a car to take us to the apartment and other than spending 20 minutes searching for the driver in a sea of humanity we arrived safe and sound.  So what did we learn from this experience?  #1 Going to London or Paris order a car, taxi, or Uber to get you where you finally need to be.  There are also multiple private companies online that have availability at fair prices.  We used Blackberry Transfers and were very happy with them.  If you are going to Paris get a car to take you to the Eurostar Station.  Plan a minimum of 4 hours to transfer from Southhampton to London.  #2  Be prepared for lots of shoving, pushing, and lifting of luggage.  A good recommendation is to travel light.  #3  Unless you are young and strong and can manage carrying heavy luggage up and down stairs preorder a car, taxi, or Uber to get from any station to your final destination.  You will be glad you did.  #4  Carry some food and water.  You will be glad you did when you get stranded which is a decent probability of happening.  #5  Do NOT wait to arrange transportation on the ship.  They offer some at high prices but sold out the first day and then it was zero, nada, no help at all.  They actually turn you away from the desk and say go away we cannot help you rudely.  #6  If you insist on taking a train out of Southhampton obey all rules.  After the fiasco of the train strike, I was told I could obtain a refund for the struck train.  Oops, sadly no.  We were denied a refund because we did not go to the train station and throw ourselves at the mercy of the train company.  I was told the train company had a legal obligation to get us to London(but not the specific Chunnel station) and they would have provided a bus, or taxi, or something to get us there.  Of course unsaid here is no time frame was offered so no doubt we would have waited for hours and by the time they figured it out we would have missed the Chunnel train and been rebooked on a later train, possibly the next day.  Trust me, take some kind of car.

Chateau Pommard Wines

Kudos to Jeff & Cindy Coggin from Coggin Travel Agency, Atlanta, Georgia who put together an outstanding cruise along the Snake and Columbia Rivers following the Lewis & Clark trail where every evening at dinner we had a white and red Chateau Pommard wine.  Chateau Pommard has been around for centuries, originally founded in 1725,  but was purchased and upgraded a few years ago by Michael Baum who continues to make outstanding terroir driven wine from this vineyard.  I encourage you to take a trip to Burgundy to visit the vineyard.  You can't miss it it is one of the first vineyards you will see on the southern wine trail leaving Beaune.  They also have a direct to consumer program with reasonable shipping and ship to most states in the USA.  You can contact them here:

https://www.chateaudepommard.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5ZSWBhCVARIsALERCvyp5aX1C_62SadSDfdYzAfqjycoxwUQ1ll9Rtd4XI9rLzST1178ihYaAua1EALw_wcB

Chateau Pommard White Burgundy

Meursault 2015

This appellation has been around since the Middle Ages. One of my favorite families lives in the Village of Meursault in the shadow of the Church Bell tower, the Matrot’s who have been there for generations. As a rule, I do not favor Meursault finding them too much minerality, which some like better than me. I was in the minority on this one as many felt it was wimpy but I found that made it more approachable and pleasant. I called it “Meursault lite”. It was fairly complex on the nose and taste but understated. I tasted butter, a little smoke but subdued flint. There was good acidity making it a nice food-friendly wine. Yes, it lacked body but overall was a well-made basic entry-level Meursault and one that I could see buying.

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 2016

For many the greatest Chardonnay in the world is French Montrachet, a small vineyard worked by around 25 producers, some owning only 3 vines. The area itself goes back to Medieval times and over the years was divided into Puligny and Chassagne communes where today there are distinct villages present. As a rule, the Chassange’s are felt to be “softer” and more “feminine” but as usual, that may be a personal bias of some. In addition, as you will note later, Chassagne is one of the “white” areas that produce some “reds”. This particular “village” wine by Chateau Pommard is a basic simple Chassange-Montrachet with lots of fruit on the nose and flavor profile. A fairly classic Chassagne with primary flavors of vanilla and lemon and a hint of almond and hazelnut. There is a sense of minerality but to me, it is more in the background and not as pronounced as you find in a Puligny. It has an adequate acid skeleton which makes it food-friendly.

Santenay 1er Cru La Maladiere 2017

Fairly south in the Cote de Or this commune produces lighter whites with a continued mineral character due to fairly consistent clay/limestone soil which concentrates the terroir of the wine. Santenay is another southern Cote de Or area that makes red Burgundy but continues to make nice whites also. This particular wine could be described as having a balance of lime and vanilla in the nose and taste. For years California Chardonnay’s have been made at times attempting to have some lime and “green” color to the wine. It simply adds to the complexity which only adds to the allure of the wine. I clearly found pear, lemon, and apple here and some honeysuckle. It was a delightful wine with dinner and I highly recommend it, especially with buttery fish dishes.

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru “Morgeot” 2018

A single vineyard premier cru white Burgundy that frankly a few vintners make wine from. This particular wine has a hedonistic nose and a flavor profile emphasizing lemon and vanilla. The oak is there but restrained. It is well balanced and the acid is right making the wine food-friendly. There is plenty of minerality in the wine but the fruit is equal to the minerality. An above-average wine with a reasonable price profile worth purchasing.

Ladoix 1er Cru Les Grechons 2018

I have now had this wine multiple times and all tastings have been very consistent. It is a little higher in acid when compared to other wines in the region but that only makes it more food-friendly especially with spicy food as well as shellfish. It should be remembered that these grapes come from the higher plots on the hill of Corton so one way to think of this wine is it is similar to the Grand Cru Corton Charlemagne at a significantly lower price. There is a lot of fruit smell and tastes a little different featuring flowers like honeysuckle, pineapple, and grapefruit with a hint of tart apple. Some tasters found mango, I thought maybe. Noted to have a long finish demonstrating the power of the wine.

Chateau Pommard Red Burgundy

Chambolle-Musigny 2017

When you spend as much time as I have in Burgundy and listen to the actual people who live there and make the wine you learn a lot that you do not learn from the distributors. Many years ago winemakers from the region advised me as far as they were concerned Chambolle-Musigny Red Burgundy was the benchmark that all Red Burgundies should be judged against and that it was your basic Red Burgundy and the one that the French preferred. I must admit once I started drinking them I was convinced. They are driven by ripe fruit on a foundation of limestone and flint background that gives them a unique taste. This one did not fail. The nose had fruit and limestone in a balanced profile. There is a velvet mouth feel and everything was balanced including the tannins which were subdued and elegant against a balanced acidity. There was a good finish. I agree it is drinkable now with some aging potential though my experience with 2017 burgundies, which I love, may not be as long as others.

Volnay 1er Cru 2017

Volnay is a commune close to Pommard in the Cote de Beaune somewhat on the upslope and is noted for having more mineral in the red wines and can compare to Monthelie which is adjacent. To me, 2017 was a great year in Burgundy and I continue to enjoy a wide variety of 2017s. I enjoyed this one which demonstrated a good level of complexity with flavors in the nose and the taste of cherry, blackberry, and blackcurrant. There was an earthy component one would expect. Balanced with a good finish it should have some aging potential as tannins and acid were balanced and adequate to maintain a good body to the wine.

Maranges 1er Cru Clos des Loyeres 2018

A fairly new commune making wine since 1988 south of the Cote de Or and close to Chagny and north of Rully and Mercurey the reds tend to have a mineral character reflective of the terroir of clay and limestone soil in the area. 2018 was another good year produced in this wine a more concentrated Pinot with an adequate fruit profile with cherry flavors and hints of flowers. The tannins were to be smooth and both tannin and acid integration were balanced and the wine had a good finish. The wine had a lighter body than some but the balanced complexity made the wine a pleasant quaff with dinner.

Chassange-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 2016

Almost from the exact same vineyard but a premier cru red Burgundy from the southern Cote de Or. This wine has a good body and tannin structure and clearly presents both in the nose and flavor with characteristic cherry flavor along with a complexity including blackberry and currant and licorice is present with a hint of smoke. Balanced and velvety are words that come to mind. Well made worth aging.

Clos Marey-Monge Monopole 2008

Monopole means what you think it means. The vineyard completely owns and operates that vineyard without sharing it with anyone. This particular red Burgundy has been one of the main vineyards of Chateau Pommard going back 3 centuries. The winemaker Emmanuel Sala says this wine offers complexity along with subtlety and is like an Irish step dance, light but perpetual. I found it to have a little more body than that but clearly complex. The nose and flavor are classic red Burgundy with lots of cherry along with a spicy character. It comes from 7 single plots so with blending you might expect a somewhat flavor profile from year to year but it is a well-made wine with meticulous attention to detail. It was one of the best wines of the week and highly recommended.