Prior to my visit to La Chapelle I also paid a visit to Burgundy, staying in Beane for 4 nights. This was my first time in the area. So I had plenty of Bucket List stuff to tick off. (Romanee Conti vineyards and Cross, Clos de Beze hut, Montrachet, Clos Vougeot et al.) Since I was train-ing it everywhere I thought it best to do an organised tour, so I started the usual Tripadvisor trawl, since I wanted to do something with a bit more flexibility I figure a smaller, private type tour would be the best option albeit a bit more expensive.
After reading all the great reviews it seemed Burgundy Discovery Tours (http://www.burgundydiscovery.com/) ticked most boxes. They also offered better eating and tasting options if you wanted to get them as extras.
The tour started at 9am and I was dropped off back at my hotel at 7pm.
I was greeted by ex-pat Englishman, Robert at 9am in a late model Range Rover. We got chatting straight away, getting an understanding of my wine experience and expectations while he picked up the other couple who were on the tour, a lovely American couple from San Fran who were keen to learn more about wine.
After handing out our personalised information kits and cold water we set off for the hill of Corton. Robert was good in that he could switch from specific questions from me to more general questions from the others.
The first thing that struck me was how small the region was, you see maps of the Cote de Beaune, Cote de Nuits and think these are vast expanses of regions. (bear in mind this is coming from the perspective of an Aussie, where we drive 100km to get from one town to the next 
). One minute we are in the heart of CdB and 10mins later we are in CdN. The maps don’t give you scale of just how compact it all is yet it contains so many different soil profiles and aspects it’s like a geological bomb was let off a million years ago and Burgundy is the detritus-strewn fallout of it.
Also the size of the towns that bear the famous names (Puligny-Montrachet, Volnay etc) some have only 150 occupants, all made of that yellow/brown brick and mortar that is so prevalent throughout the region. Apparently they have strict covenants on repairs and renders done to houses, now that the brickyards/quarries are no longer available to supply materials which keeps the whole look and feel of the towns.
First stop was Domaine d’Ardhuy which is owned by 7 sisters (no idea what will happen when the Napoleonic inheritance laws take effect as they pass away). The girl that took us through had me smitten with her French accent, they could read the Telephone Directory and I’d still love it. We visited the barrel rooms - walls and ceilings coated thickly in mould, being guided on how they do everything and answering any questions we had. Then back up for a tasting.
2015 Domaine d’Ardhuy Savigny des Beaune ‘Clos des Gadeaux’ – Spicy, grapefruit, lemon and citrus notes with a real freshness, some buttery elements rounding it out with a good acid line and drive through the palate.
2015 Domaine d’Ardhuy Ladoix ‘Le Rognet’ 1er – Fuller on the nose, more depth, lemon sherbet, good length, more power and balance, the fruit drives it not the acid.
2014 Domaine d’Ardhuy Clos de Langres Monopole – White pepper, strawberry, raspberry, good structure and dusty tannins. Will go a few years.
2011 Domaine d’Ardhuy Corton ‘Les Renardes’ – Good fruit here, plums, earthiness, bit of stalk, nice structure, this is a big wine with lots of power and length lots of meat on the bones here.
2015 Domaine d’Ardhuy Ladoix ‘Clos des Chagnots’ 1er – Blackberry, cherry, blackcurrant, bit more oak on the nose, more structure, very soft and supple on the palate, grippy tannins.
Second tasting stop was a VIP Tasting with Domaine JC Boisset, now I know they bandy the whole ‘VIP Tasting’ thing about. For me this was truly a VIP experience, it was only the four of us and Ben from Boisset who was a fountain of knowledge. We had access to all those gated off areas you see in the cellars where they keep their really old stuff, to be up close and personal to all their wine libraries going back to the 1800’s was a privilege. To feel a bottle of 1880 Richebourg, how it was handmade and the seams on the sides of it. To see the colour from a 1935 Richebourg he grabbed and held to the candle-light was amazing. (just need to remember to take a bit of chalk and a blackboard eraser next time… )
We then went to a beautiful tasting room and had a Grand Cru tasting, of Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche, Clos de Vougeot and the mightly Musigny all from Coravin-ed bottles, we sat and discussed each of the wines, Ben was encouraging us to speak on the wines, positive and negative. You keep on pinching yourself thinking where you are, what you are doing, what you are drinking, in such an intimate setting. A truly humbling experience for me and one that I came out thinking this is what it is all about, wine, history, place, sharing.
2009 J. Moreau & Fils Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir - Lemon tart, strong fruit on the nose, lemon curd, minerally, racy yet very supple, great balance of acid and fruit with lots of power.
2014 Ropiteau Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru – Bit of oak on the nose, butterscotch, very broad, needs a touch more acid, bit unbalanced, good length and persistence.
2013 Jean-Claude Boisset Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru – Sweet fruit and spices on the nose, blackcurrant/raspberry, mouth-watering aromatics, dark fruits, lots of acid and structure, attacks all the parts of the mouth, chewy tannins with lip sucking acidity.
2014 Jean-Claude Boisset Clos de la Roche Grand Cru – Darker fruits, blackberry, black cherry, greater depth, envelops the mouth, real purity of fruit, silky on the palate. Tannins have you sucking them from all parts of your mouth. Built for the long haul.
2010 Jean-Claude Boisset Clos Vougeot Grand Cru – Earthy, animal, very tannic and chewy, touch bit hot at the moment, acid is dialled down, softens further in the glass. I loved the rawness of this.
1998 Jean-Claude Boisset Musigny Grand Cru – Black fruits, still very young at 19 years old, softened with time, ethereal aromas, great balance, tannins all over the mouth especially below the teeth lots of fun digging all out with the tongue . Great wine and mind boggling that it is still a baby.
Next up was lunch at the beautiful Hotel Levernois (→ Hostellerie de Levernois · 5 Star Hotel Resort Burgundy) at their Bistrot du Bord de l’Eau. Robert said he probably wouldn’t stay here the first time visiting Beaune, but any further visits, definitely stay here - this is due to it being a bit out of town (about 2-3Kms). The grounds and lunch were beautiful. We even had our own customised menus on the tables, Robert knew all the staff and the owner of the Hotel (one of several hotels he owns I believe) who described himself as a ‘simple innkeeper’ (with that gallic shrug) welcomed us as he visited all the tables in the bistro. Only in France do you get a Terrine of Foie Gras, tasted sensational, the restaurant also served us a white and a red and both were nice wines. (Mercurey VV, and a St Romain which went well with the dishes)
We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting iconic towns/vineyards, Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet etc (all the while Robert is giving us the history, and all the tidbits of information, producers, styles of wines it produces compared to other appellations in the area). Jumping on the motorways as required to maximise the times spent at the important areas.
Our last tasting was at Domaine Henri de Villamont, which has some smart wines, I grabbed the 2011 NSG for back in the hotel that night. We did a tour of the facilities and it is only until you come back above ground that you realise most of the site’s Tasting Room/Car Park/Upper level Warehouse facilities all sit on top of the cellars/barrel rooms which are huge. There was even a lower level that was gated off that spiralled down another level into the darkness, but we couldn’t go there (classic picture of a Safe someone posts they found in a basement of the house they just bought – what’s inside it!!)
I must admit after the big lunch and all the walking/driving in the beautiful weather we were all in dire need of a nanna nap.
I said to Robert, I’ve always wanted to see the Clos de Beze hut, ‘no problems’ 10mins later we pull up beside it and I am out taking photos, walking around it like a kid in the candy shop. I’d seen so many photos of it and here I was, so surreal.
Then on to Clos Vougeot, and then Clos de la Roche, it was really interesting seeing Leroy’s CdlR vines compared to another producers, she really is non-interventionist, and after having one of her CdlR wines which was a sublime experience you cannot really argue against her methods.
And finally onto the Holy Grail of wine, Romanee Conti and the famous cross. The respect people show this vineyard is awe inspiring, people are almost speaking in hushed tones, you are barely 6ft from the vines. We had one small group there when arrived but they moved on and we had it to ourselves for about 15mins. I was trying to do the maths on the theory that 2 vines = 1 bottle, each vine had about 5-6 clusters on it, now at about $15K a bottle in retail shops, each bunch of grapes is worth about $1500!! Yet no-one dreams to nick one for the sake of, such is the respect the wine is held in.
It’s like being in the Louvre, you see one of the Masters paintings and stand there to admire it without speaking, in wonderment. Ironically once you get home and go through the photos, you do realise it looks very much like every other vineyard in the region, there is something intangible and mystique-like that is only experienced when physically there.
In all this was a jam packed, well thought out day with endless options. Robert would rattle of a bunch of things we could do and see, and at the end of all the options I’d just say ‘Umm D. All of the Above’ He did his best and probably went a bit into his ‘overtime’ trying to look after us. A true gentleman and scholar.
A truly memorable life experience for me as a wine tragic.
