What's a trip to Beaune without sharing some pics from the trip?

Starting friday night Beaune is warming up for the big festivities.  Lots of visitors are strolling the streets of the 14th century walled-in town.  A great place to stop for a drink either before dinner or for dinner is "Le Bistro Bourgignon"  A great spot for locals and visitors as well.  Very friendly and alive with people, not to mention a stellar wine-by-the-glass list.  Wines from small yet high quality producers at prices between 4-12 euro a glass (most around 6 euro).  It's an authentic place and in business since 1988.  Is it smoky, like all French bars?  Yes, but ALL that changes Jan 1 2008.  Hey, if the Italians can do it so can the French

Friday night I stopped in for pre dinner drink and tried a couple of whites.  (One, a 2005 Chablis 1er Cru from Brocard.) Saturday night I went back for dinner, and the food was delicious.  The Pave de Boeuf (filet mignon) melted in my mouth.   It was perfect with a glass of 2005 Savigny-les-Beaune (Dom. Tollot-Beaut).  One thing missing from the bar was a snack menu.  No sauccison, or cheese plates to be washed down by the good wine and that is a shame. 

For dinner Friday night I dined at another favorite "La Ciboulette"  .  For classic French cuisine and local color this small bistro fits the bill; but this bill won't leave your wallet empty. I had the 19 euro menu (believe it!) which included "Lentille presse au haddock" (an explosion of flavors!, I noted) and then the pork cheeks in a red burgundy sauce (happy comfort food).   A glass of 2001 Beaune 1er Cru "Clos du Roi" (Domaine Chanson) washed both down nicely.  

The thing with eating out on this festive weekend, is that you have the opportunity to bump into all types.  This night I sat next to a table of Irish restauranteurs that were in town to be wined and dined by a large negotiant.  Being Irish they couldn't help but share their bounty of wines overflowing from their table, and as a lover of fine Burgundy I was duty-bound to accept this gracious offer.    It's a part of the world of wine that attracts me so much; the convinviality and fraternity that eminate from a bottle of fine wine.

Friday before the hospices is typically a day of preparation before all the grand dinners and fetes of the weekend.  I scheduled my day between Chassagne-Montrachet, Rully, Givry, and Gevrey-Chambertin.  The theme?  To visit 5 of the finest youngest quality obsessed producers in Burgundy.  Each has a strong belief that to make great wines much work has to be done in the vineyard.  The vineyard must be healthy and herbicides are an anathema.  Plowing instead is a must to remove unwanted weeds even though it is time heavy activity that can be maddening.  They also believe that although they have many modern technical advances to choose from to assist in making the wine, it is better to let the wine make themselves.  They use technology only to understand why they do what they do, rather than to drive the process.  The final goal is to make a wine that has the pure expression of its unique terroir, not a manufactured one that tastes like any other wine. .  These winemakers are some of the best small independant producers in the world and it was a pleasure to listen to their passion as it was to taste their wines.

• Laurent Pillot (Domaine F. and L Pillot) of Chassagne-montrachet
  
• Pascale Clement (Domaine Belleville) of Rully
  
• Arnaud Chopin (Domaine A. Chopin) of Nuits St Georges
  
• Jerome Gaylerand (Domaine Jerome Galeyrand) Gevrey-Chambertin
  
• Nicolas Ragot (Domaine N. Ragot) of Givry

I made my way from home in Belgium to Beaune, France today. Hardly any traffic on the road in spite of the major transportation strike going on in France today. 130km/hr most of the way. My iPod kept me company with podcasts from Grape Radio, Business week , The Economist, TWIT, and Wait, Wait, Don't tell me. To liven things up I passed through a brief snow squal south of Nancy.

From Geel the route takes you SE through Belgium the Ardennes, then Luxumbourg.   But even though the rolling hills of the Ardennes are beautiful the sight of Metz cathedral is simply stunning. 

Anyway, the weather is sunny and brisk in Beaune as I commence my meetings with vignerons.

Second flight of our pinot noir blind tasting....

The first wine turned out to be the 1998 Kistler, Kistler vineyard, "Cuvee Catherine" pinot noir (sonoma coast). I could barely drink it. Unbalanced and off-putting in the mouth. Such a disappointment for a wine with such reputation. 1 star out of 4.

Next was the 1995 Littorai Hirsch vineyard pinot noir (sonoma coast). I guessed by the nose so my notes are not without bias. The tannins had faded and the color showed its 12 years of age. Cinnamon and orange peel, with leather on the nose. Gentle and delicious, yet fading. Only 12.5% alcohol!! 3 out of 4 stars.

Then came the 2002 Marcassin 3 Sisters pinot noir (sonoma coast). Prune, leather, orange on the nose. complete and complex. Spicy. Ripe and complex with a delicious candied finish. LONG. "Wow". reminded me of Cote de Nuits because of its power (and by this time of the night I even guessed it to come from near Clos Vougeot.) 10+ years old. 3.5 out of 4 stars. An amazing wine but hitting its mature phase at 5 years old.

the last wine was the 1999 Vincent Girardin Charmes-Chambertin. higher VA in the nose but a youthful color. Medium bodied with orange and ripe black fruits. I said it was 5-10 years old. 3 out of 4 stars.


Final note... the take away was how constant these wines were. With only the DuMol and Kistler odd balls, they all were extremely high in quality and delicious. Thanks again for our host and our cellar master. I had a great time!

Another recent dinner with friends, this one turned out to be a blind tasting of US pinot noirs. (Notes and scores were given before the names of the wines were revealed) The cellar master arrived and whetted our palates with a 1997 Domaine Leflaive Batard-Montrachet. A light gold hue with even some green trace, for a 10 year old not yet ready to give up its youth. Power and youthful in the mouth, like "crystalline gold," I said. A beauty with many years left.

The first flight started with (unknowingly) the 2002 DuMol Russian River valley "finn" pinot noir. I found it sappy, with orange peel and leather on the nose, but with a tad too much volatile acidity. Alcohol. the VA reasserted itself in the mouth and it was medium bodied. I thought it was 10+ years old. Overall it was not very complex and not very interesting. 2 out of 4 stars.

Next we had the 1999 Rex Hill Jacob Hart vineyard, pinot noir (Oregon). the color showed more age than the DuMol with more orange at the rim. In the nose it was leather and spice. Fatter/juicier than the DuMol, with a shorter finish but overall much more savory and enjoyable. . 3 out of 4 stars.

Then we had the 1997 Dehlinger Estate Reserve pinot noir. More youthful in color and in nose, but some browning at the rim. Leaps out of the glass with briar and orange peel. Alcohol. Really good stuff. 3 out of 4 stars. Surprisingly youthful for its age.

The next wine of the first flight was the 1999 Domaine Comte-Lafon Volnay-Santenots-Du-Milieu (1er cru). This had a ruby rim and a stunning and complex nose of game, menthol, red fruits, and orange peel. tannic and complex in the mouth. I thought it was new world for all of its power, but going back later the less ripe tannins stood out after all of the californian pinots. 3.5 out of 4 stars. The wine of the flight

The last wine turned out to be the 2004 Pisoni "estate" pinot noir. Purple in the glass. Barnyard nose with cranberry and Thanksgiving stuffing. Cinnamon. Definitely from California. Powerful, I guessed it was from Helen Turley. Only a bit more enjoyable than the DuMol. 2.5 out of 4 stars.

I was back home last week and had several occasions to drink some excellent wine. The first at a good friend's included a 2000 Littorai Hirsch vineyard and a 2000 Littorai Savoy vineyard, both pinot noirs. I'm a BIG fan of this winery but the Hirsch was beyond my expectations. Mature now, with that characteristic tannic punch that distinguishes it for me from many other US pinots. Super stuff. The Savoy was also mature and it stayed in it's more gentler, cote de Beaune style pinot. With softer tannins and lighter body. My favorite continues to be the Hirsch

The concept...

The Pearls and Treasures concept is that of mail order wine retail company. A "virtual caviste", or wine merchant, that will sell wine over the internet and mail wine orders directly to "adventurous wine lovers". The unique selling proposition of this store will be the wine selection and its focus on european wines from small artisanal producers. "Boutique" wines from Europe. I define "boutique" as wines made by from small farmers that are passionate about their land and that prize local charater over mass appeal. The farmers will use sustainable farming practices, some will be organically certified while others will also use "biodynmic" practices.

These wines will have a high quality to price ratio. the winemakers will beamong the up and coming stars of europe, the stars of small production, and the local stars for each region. This store will market its selection to what I call the "adventurous wine lover". The wine lover who has an attraction for constantly discovering new wines, new producers, and then sharing these experiences with their friends. I argue that for many wine lovers the "known" is often too boring and they prefer variety and adventure and actively search it out.

This concept wine merchant will be located in Mass, and due to State liquor laws, will only be able to ship wines to Mass residents.

Marketing and sales will be comprised of a quarterly printed newsletter in addition to direct email campaigns to "members" (our customers) who have signed up, via the form on the web site, to receive these notices. Web based marketing will include banner ads and Google ads.

Thus is the basic concept. I invite your questions and critiques.

I dream of a wine merchant......

A wine merchant that will give experienced wine lovers adventure and those new to wine an new tool to learn more about wine. The wineries I want to represent will be stewards to their land, treating their land in sustainable ways, expressing their terroirs. The wineries will be both the "up and coming" as well as the older, local tradition bearers. The merchant will reflect the growers passion of the earth by running as "green" as possible; email marketing instead of mailed brochures, recycling programs, low(er) emission delivery services, 100% recyclable shipping materials, low inventory (clearing the wine through the wholesaler), etc.

Most importantly, it will not have a brick and mortar store (no more than is required by law). It will promote its own exclusive brands AS WELL as those that are already available yet in limited supply. Sales would be promoted through email campaigns (but not ruling out regular print newsletters, a la Rare Wine Co). Orders will be processed one online, or over the phone, with wine being delivered the next day (in MA) by UPS (etc.)


The company will be made up of people passionate these ideals and these wines. Will have years of customer service experience as well as wine tasting experience (two WSET Advanced degree holders, frequent travelers to Europe). Ideally, the board of advisors will be made up of a wines sales expert, a online marketing expert, and an importer. Lastly, part of the management team will be based in Europe and will leverage this proximity to the producers to improve the overall "experience" for the customer. (Cellar notes, video reports from the domaines, etc.)