Back in Burgundy
Day 2 // Burgundy
The 6am alarm came quickly. Hopped an Uber to Gare de Lyon & trained it to Dijon. The rental car process was smooth and we were off to our first tasting at Domaine Bachelet. Denis has been making some of my favorite wines in burgundy and they somehow still seem under the radar. Burgundy is never cheap but I find Bachelet is often worth the splurge. Located in Gevrey-Chambertin—the domaine is pretty small: only 3.5 hectares. I’ve always been a big fan of Gevrey and I think Bachelet makes some of the most consistent & transparent wines.
We skipped breakfast so lunch was needed. We hit up the Rotisserie du Chambertin; which looked like it had a hotel attached to the restaurant. Some snails, roast chicken, and some 2020 Gevrey from Bachelet & we were ready for our next stop: Duroche. Even Bachelet’s 2020 was silky and suave—something I can't say for a lot of 20s.
I worked at a La Paulee event with Pierre a couple years ago & ever since I’ve been buying all the Duroche I can get my hands on. The wines aren’t easy to find, but it’s burgundy within reach. Just like Bachelet’s—the 23s were singing.
Next, we tasted at Domaine Fourrier. Our crew was talking about the wines being great restaurant wines — ready to drink and easily enjoyable without much age. That's not saying Fourrier can’t age—it’s just nice when wines aren’t completely shut down in their youth. Fourrier has an impressive range of great sites: old vines in top vineyards. A fine tasting indeed.
Our final stop was Galeyrand—a domaine not as storied as the others; but one to watch out for. Corkhoarder has an eye for talent and Jérôme is certainly top of the watch list in burgundy. The garage-like operation might not look too serious; but try his Retraits or Gevrey & you’ll be a believer.
Fighting jetlag & perhaps a bit of a hangover —we rally for dinner at Levernois. The hotel is probably the fanciest in burgundy —feeling a bit more modern & updated but without losing its country charm. We had dinner in the bistro; which I thought was super solid. Some Raveneau, a pièce de boeuf, salad, fries, and a banging bottle of 21 mugneret-gibourg chambolle. Thought we’d skip dessert; but they we spotted an île Flottante; which we had to have.
Day 3 // Burgundy
We certainly didn’t give ourselves any time to sleep in —Ian packed the itinerary & today’s was probably the most intense: 6 visits. Yep, I was actually dreading it; but we were so well-behaved the night before that day 3 wasn’t as intense as I thought.
We started the morning with Charles at Ballot Millot. I’ve really been enjoying these wines —though I didn’t really discover them till recently. There’s a couple restaurants around town that still have these wines at a good price–i’m scared that will eventually shift. A heatwave in August left some 2023 whites a little tropical; but not these. The wines have intensity but were taut and had good acidity. This is a domaine I’m super pumped to see evolve.
Grabbed a pastry and coffee on the way to Dujac. Jeremy and Diana have been doing more of a class than individual tastings because (as you’d imagine) they get a lot of interest in visiting. This allows them to give proper time to each wine & visitor– makes total sense. Although the format doesn’t give you that one on one —I thought it was super helpful in trying to understand the 2023 vintage. So cool to taste through such a wide range of terroirs. Like a bunch of nerds—we sat in the front so it kinda felt like a private tasting.
A quick but delicious lunch at La Cabotte. Our group had been discussing the wines of Cècile Tremblay; so we popped a bottle of 19 Chambolle; but everyone was quiet when the food arrived. One course–in and out then we cruised to our next appointment. It was here it occurred to me the importance of limiting consumption: both food and booze. Sometimes on these wine trips—lunches last for hours with multiple bottles, followed by some tastings, followed by another long meal for dinner. Kills me not to order cheese with every meal; but this is a long game I’ve learned.
Margot d’Angerville welcomed us next at her family estate: domaine Marquis D’Angerville. Guillaume was in Italy; but Margot led us through a brilliant tasting of some of Volnay’s top sites. Very cool to taste the terroir shine through the vintage allowing some of those benchmark characteristics to really show.
Next, we went to taste with Thibaud from Domaine Yvon Clerget. The Clerget wines have been super popular at the restaurant; so it was fun to meet Thibaud & taste through the lineup. We tasted through his lineup of 2023 reds and then he blinded us on a wine from his cellar. We knew it was Italian–and I took a guess placing it in Barbaresco. I guessed the wrong producer; but wasn’t too upset to find out they both make Albesani: a vineyard in Barbaresco. The wine was Piero Busso’s 2020 Albesani. Fantastic!
Next we went to see Guillaume at Domaine Génot-Boulanger. The domaine is one of only a few family-owned Burgundian domaines to produce such a diverse range–they produce wine from over 30 appellations. I always gravitated towards the whites; but damn the reds were tasting real nice. Every year–they just keep getting better.
By now it's 630pm–its dark and we’re completely drained; but we have one more appointment. Luckily, its Domaine Leflaive and its super cool to have access to such an icon of a winery. Here we toured the domaine and tasted through the 22s with Brice.
With thirty minutes to kill–we pop into L’arche des Vins for a bottle. Unfortunately the 2012 Selosse wasn’t available; so we opted for Arnoux-Lachaux Les Chaumes 2019. Charles, winemaker at Arnoux-Lachaux, took over in 2012 and has brought more eyes on the domaine as he pushes the limits in both the vineyard & the cellar. From a lunch earlier this year at the Crown Club–he and producers like Theo Dancer look at themselves as disruptors. We ordered the Lachaux not only because the vineyard is just below Malconsorts and La Tache; but because the domaine commands high prices; which often leads to debates: is this wine worth it? A tough question that is not necessarily directed at JUST how much it costs; but compares it to other wines at multiple price points.
Perhaps we didn’t give ourselves enough time to drink the bottle and continue our spirited debate as we left half the bottle as we rushed out for our reservation at L’hotel. I think I have some nostalgia behind L’hotel which keeps me coming back; but each time I do ask myself why. That answer is easy–the chicken! Unfortunately, we had an overpriced and oxidized batard from pierre morey; but 2014 Clos du Chateau helped ease the pain. I didn’t have any crepes; but they come with some tableside flare.
This is where we usually get into some trouble with some calvados or chartreuse; but everyone feels like they just got beat up; so we head home & get some sleep. And by get some sleep–we all get on our phones and checked in on work.
Day 4 // Burgundy
The boys hit an early appointment at Comte Armand in Pommard; but I passed because I stayed up pretty late & I wanted to be fresh for our third day in burgundy. Robert, owner of Grand Cru Selections, met up with us at Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair for a tasting with Louis-Michel. Robert arranged the next two days of tastings and took the train down from Paris to join us. Tasting at Liger-Belair was a pretty epic experience–partly because Louis-Michel and also because I never get to taste all the wines together like that. If I'm lucky to drink Liger-Belair–its probably one bottle. Tasting Nuits-Saint-George plots next to Vosne plots was super cool because it's a true test of terroir. We even got to taste some of his grand cru plots. A pretty epic way to start the day.
Quick stop at La Goutte d’Or in Meursault for some pizza. karage, vegetable tempura, and some Hubert Lamy Les Tremblots. First time here and absolutely loved it. Awesome food, great wine list, and casual—sign me up. After lunch. We cruised over to Domaine des Comtes Lafon. Dominique retired at the end of 2021, handing over the reins to his daughter, Léa, and nephew, Pierre. We got to taste through with Pierre –everything from village Meursault to Montrachet.
Next we headed to Maranges where the Bachelet brothers are crushing it. Marc and Alex taste us through their line-up while discussing farming and winemaking philosophies. These wines just get better and better every year.
We head to Beaune for a beer at Pickwicks then back to Levernois for dinner. This time we’re at the fancy restaurant within the hotel. None of us were crazy about the food; but we drank well: Coche CC, Lafon Monty, and some RSV from DRC. It was fun to hear what the group thought of the wines considering these are wines I rarely get to taste/drink. The Coche outshined the vintage while the Lafon didn’t really please till the last sips. The DRC was delicious; but sparked a debate as many of these higher end wines do.
Day 5 // Burgundy
Our last day in Burgundy and it didn’t disappoint. First, Mugneret-Gibourg with Lucie as our guide. I got to visit this domaine back in 2021; but it was during a covid spike, so the experience was a bit different. This time, we toured the cellar and tasted through a beautiful range of 23s. Even in supple years–they don’t produce much wine, so its always special to get a chance to taste. On the way to see Christophe–we detoured through some of Burgundy’s most prized sites–”look there’s Musigny!”
Domaine Georges Roumier was created in 1924 but most of the production was sold to local merchants at that time. In 1945 they began domaine bottling and today, the Domaine covers 11.52 hectares showcasing the best in Chambolle-Musigny & Morey-Saint-Denis. Our lunch plans shifted, so we called an audible and went back to La Cabotte. I thought about ordering the pigeon again; but I switched it up for some veal. This paired quite nicely with the Selosse rosé & the 2014 Clos Saint Denis.
Our last tasting was at Domaine Roulot with Jean-Marc. This was another visit that I was supposed to do in 2021; but covid ruined our plans. We started with 23s; but the tasting evolved into popping a few older bottles. Jean-Marc pulled an 02 Tesson–damn, that's good! A really special visit. We had plans to hit the La Cuverie, but we caught a flat on the way. This totally fucked up our plans. We missed our train & also missed our res at Bistro Tournelles. Of course, we were super bummed; but this stuff happens. Trying to coordinate a tow was probably more challenging than it needed to be; but it didn’t matter: I was still riding the high of the day.
Next thing you know, I called an Uber from Beaune to Dijon so we can try to make a 9:15 train which still gives us some hope of eating in Paris. We got to Dijon with an hour to burn, so we hit up this bar called Eden outside the train station. A very local bar–with most of the crowd fixated on the soccer match. We get some beers and head over to the train. We head over to Pigalle to check into our spot: Hôtel Rochechouart. With no time to waste, we head over to Bouillon Pigalle, which is jamming! They close in two minutes according to google, so chances of us getting in is slim. But no–we are whisked away upstairs. Oh it's rowdy–a place for everybody; where people go to end (or begin) their night. It’s hot and loud–and I love it. The food is fine; but the scene is amazing. Growing up in NJ, I love a good diner and this kind of place plays to that nostalgia.
Day 6 // Paris
I woke up a bit later today–the week has caught up. I met the gents downstairs & we walked over to Kei near the Jardin du Palais Royal. Kei is a three-michelin starred restaurant from chef Kei Kobayashi. I’m not always a fan of the high-end, Michelin-starred Paris restaurants: I prefer bistros; but the menu here leans Japanese, so I was intrigued. The meal didn’t disappoint. I thought the food was quite lovely–more retrained in approach and style. The progression of flavors, pacing, and service was all on point. The wine list wasn’t great; but we found some 08 Comte du Champagne & a bottle of 2010 Bize. The service staff was technically proficient and friendly–a winning recipe; especially in France.
Next stop, Tour d’Argent. I wouldn’t say Tour has the best reputation when it comes to food; but its been a destination for wine lovers. The wine list is one of the best in the world–you might have seen a photo of this gigantic book on IG as it seems to be a right of passage for any wine nerd visiting Paris. This two-handed list has been picked over; especially in the last 5 years, but there’s still gems to be found. I was excited to check out their bar room–especially because food is not required. Here, you drink mature wine. If there’s anywhere to drink wines from the 70s or 80s–its here; but the menu and sommelier will let you know: all bottles are sold as is (no refunds).
We take our chances –diving in on some 90 Raveneau, 89 Chevy from Leflaive, and some older Clos des Mouches. We hit a 2013 Lafon Perrières speed bump before the reds: 1988 Chave and 2000 Clos de La Roche from Dujac. An underwhelming cheese plate; but some delicious wines for sure. Now it's dark and we don't have a dinner plan. Luckily, our sommelier sets us up with a res at La Poule au Pot. Boom–we finally hit it: our ideal version of a Paris bistro. Each dish hit from the tableside tartare to the quenelles. And there’s plenty to drink–for us a bottle of Lafon Charmes (2017) and some 2000 Jamet Cote Rotie. We ordered a bottle of 89 Rayas; but in true French fashion–the bottle appeared but they became unavailable lol. Not a big deal–we didn’t actually need another bottle. Definitely my favorite meal of the trip–bien joué, Jean-François Piège.
We tried a few spots; but Harry's Bar was the only one open. We headed back to Pigalle; but the boys wanted to call it. We’re getting old, I suppose.
I woke up early and wandered around Montmartre. I felt Paris slipping away. I searched for a jambon beurre; but settled for a croissant & coffee. Sad to leave; but already planning my next trip. I love this city.