black and white spiral staircase burgundy region of france

BLACK AND WHITE SPIRAL STAIRCASE BURGUNDY REGION OF FRANCE FREE

But that evening he seemed tired, for reasons that he would get into later. When he’s not applying his inexhaustible energy to vinification and farming, he does the same to eating and drinking and partying-to having as much fun as possible the stories of his all-night hijinks are legendary. In recent years Romain has taken the reigns from his father, and is continuing to make some of the finest wines in the region-with a little help from his family’s large holdings of Grand and Premier Cru parcels. Another vigneron Ted frequently refers to as one of his favorite guys in France, Collet is the son of Gilles Collet, a quietly preeminent Chablis producer over the last few decades. Then the notorious Romain Collet finally made an appearance. Our table wasn’t ready, which was fine, because our dinner companions were even later than we were.

It being a Tuesday, Zinc was closed, so Bourgeons picked up the slack. The restaurant for the night was a new place called Les Trois Bourgeons, run by the same group who owns the famous Au Fil du Zinc, a few blocks away. We were running a little late and finding a spot on the street took longer than anticipated, and when we stepped out of the car, the air was a shock of freezing cold in the gray-blue dusk. Then you see slick, modern glass-front wine shops here and there, jarring in their shiny newness. Little storefronts for boulangeries and cafés along the main drag look like they haven’t changed for hundreds of years. Probably because all of the money and architectural efforts throughout the ages went into them instead of the peasants’ mouths, which of course makes me feel more than a little conflicted on the topic and sure that they’re all haunted. It’s just one of many ancient churches in the town and surrounding areas, and though I’m not religious, these buildings always hold a certain fascination for me. On entering the tiny medieval town of Chablis, we passed the Saint Pierre church, a simple Gothic structure surrounded by a crumbling graveyard and dated to the twelfth century. As we got closer to Chablis, the temperature dropped to seven degrees Celsius, down from twenty-eight back in Provence (or eighty-two to forty-four, Fahrenheit.) We were in a rich dairy land, the home of Époisses, a very soft, gooey cheese with a washed rind that I love. The two main hills are completely different, one is north to east and the other east to direct south.” These features lead to wines with widely varying attributes, so it’s hard to define them with an easily accessible label, which is unfortunately what most consumers need.įlying down the Autoroute du Soleil, the sky opened wide over rolling hills filled with beige cows on bright green grasses in every direction. There are a lot of different aspects, that is, the way the slopes face-in many direction.

“Savigny-lès-Beaune producers don’t get the respect they deserve compared to other appellations in Burgundy the region is extremely diverse, so I think it confuses some people.

BLACK AND WHITE SPIRAL STAIRCASE BURGUNDY REGION OF FRANCE FREE

When we finally broke free into the countryside, we passed through Beaune again on our left and Ted pointed out Savigny-lès-Beaune on our right, an underrated AOC with great pricing (for Burgundy). After some quick goodbyes, Ted was again at the mercy of the white wagon’s fickle navigation system, so we got lost in a maze of tight roads on the way out of Beaujolais while he looked around the car for a hammer to smash the dashboard screen. As the meeting with the Chardigny brothers came to an end, Ted and Andrea were talking softly about needing to get back on the road for the hundred and fifty mile ride to Chablis.

Black and white spiral staircase burgundy region of france