Today we are organized for Burgundy (Bourgogne). This is one of the most famous wine regions in France and some of their red wine production is the most expensive (and arguably the best tasting?) in the world. Burgundy or Bourgogne is located just south of Champagne and in fact grows the same grapes; Pinot Noir (red) and Chardonnay (white). Quite simply, if you order a red Burgundy that means you will be receiving a Pinot Noir and if you order a white Burgundy your grape will be Chardonnay. Given we are staying in the very southern section of Champagne it made sense to spend a day tasting Burgundy wines.
Fortunately, I had made contact with a French lady (Véronique Gaboreau) working for Clos du Chateau de Vougeot and she provided contact information and addresses of some recommended places to try. The vast majority of the vignerons or domaines require an appointment for a tasting and/or tour. There are some you can drop in to, but we were more keen on attending places recommended by a local.
The map below identifies the Burgundy wine region, although not all the region. For example, Chablis is part of Burgundy and not on the map. We were going to Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune which are part of the larger area titled Côte d'Or (Gold). Grand Cru vineyards are the very best producers of fine grapes due to terroir, weather and other factors determined decades ago. Premier (1er Cru) is one step below. Village or commune appellations are the lowest tier of vineyards. If your domaine/winery produces wine from Grand Cru and/or Premier Cru vineyards it will be identified on the bottle and you will charge based on this level. It doesn't mean the Village appellation is not good wine, it just won't be sold for high prices. You can apply to the Government to move your vineyard to a higher level, but it might take many years to occur and then it might not pass. Of course, the higher the Cru, then the better for everyone.
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Our first destination is Clos du Chateau de Vougeot. Started by Cisterian monks, it is now the largest walled Grand Cru vineyard in the Cote de Nuits. It is open year round and they have a movie and self-guided tours for english speakers. We learned a lot about their winemaking from the days of the monks.
Old wine press. Just imagine the scale of this operation and the amount of wine produced by these monks who became very wealthy.
Lana beside one of their giant casks for holding the wine. Behind her is the screw used in turning the giant wine press.
The courtyard.
Entrance to the Chateau from the inside looking out.
The movie that didn't play during our time at the Chateau. "Wine is not always in vain"
Part of the wall that surrounds the Chateau and demarcates their Grand Cru vineyard from the surrounding vineyards.
Next stop is Domaine Bertagna. We have an appointment for 12 noon. This winery (vigneron) has Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines. Marie-Paule Mathy greets us and locks the doors. We are to get a tour of the cellar and then a wine tasting of four different red Burgundy. After the fantastic tour of their cellar, we taste one Grand Cru, two Premier Crus and one Village Appelation wine. She confirmed that the best vineyards (Grand Cru) are located on the hillsides. Domaine Bertagna has plots of vineyards in various places in the Côte de Nuits. Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines can be cellared for many years.
Marie-Paule proudly showing her French Oak barrels in their cellar. All Grand Cru wines are in brand new French Oak. These oak barrels are produced in a special forest. They are purchased for 500Euro and sold about 4-5 years later for about 30 Euros. Why? The tannins in the oak barrel lose 50% of their potency in the first year and the remaining 50% in the next two years. The Grand Cru wines are best suited for the best tannins, therefore, new oak barrels only. The plug on top of each barrel is silicone and does not touch the wine. The silicone can be easily cleaned. The barrels lose about 5% through evaporation so are constantly checked as evaporation can result in oxidation. They top up when necessary. Another interesting note was a bug zapper on the wall.
Oak barrel identifying plot of land that produced the wine. Vougeot is the commune/village and Les Petits Vougeot is the plot of land.
Oak barrel that identifies the plot of land that produced the wine. Can you figure it out?
Machine used in the vineyards to spray chemicals on the vines to combat disease/bugs.
Our wine tasting comes from a machine that preserves the wine by removing any oxygen after each bottle is opened.
Domaine Bertagna Grand Cru vineyard adjacent to their buildings.
Next visit is to Domaine Vincent Latour located in Côte de Beaune south of Côte de Nuit. Basically, about a 40 minute drive from the Chateau. Cécile was there to greet us. Difficult though as the door was locked and we finally figured out we should buzz her. She knew we were coming and took us down below to their cellar. Cécile was very gracious and didn't speak very much English, but we all made it work. As you can see, it was a pretty interesting space to do some tastings. We tasted both white and red Burgundy. All their wines were very good and we bought one bottle of red Burgundy.
Our last stop was in Nuit-Saint-Georges at Philippe Gavignet. His daughter was available and she spoke pretty good English. Lana had fallen asleep in the car and I didn't want to wake her so I did this tasting on my own. As you can see from the photo, the fronts of all the Vignerons/Wineries are very nondescript. This is nothing like visiting wineries in the Okanagan. I learned more interesting tidbits about this region. As well, she indicated you could hold their 2012 vintage wines to about 2017 no problem. If Premier Cru longer and if the village appellation wine then a few years as they need to be drank young. One thing we noticed while driving in this area is that they even have vineyards located right on the main drag and between buildings.
Quite an informative day for the both of us in regards to Burgundy and their wines. The major reason why their wines are so expensive is that demand outstrips supply. We did pay a fairly good price for some of our four purchases, but we could not buy these wines in Canada and they are so much cheaper! In addition, it seems their Pinot Noir pack a little more punch. We highly recommend getting a car and giving this at least a day, but organize in advance.
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