Guest Blog: FOV WINE RAMBLINGS XXII

My Extended French Wine Vacation

Goretti and I just returned from France after a three-week vacation. Two of those weeks were with the Vinfluence Group for a wine tour of Burgundy and Rhone. Then we spent an extra four days in Provence on our own in a small historical town named Arles. We finished off in Paris for another two days before coming home.

My regular readers would have noticed that this is my fourth tour with the Vinfluence Group. In fact, this is my second wine tour through Burgundy. I did the first visit to Burgundy almost ten years ago with the Willow Park wine tours. This re-visit was every bit just as enjoyable and impressive as the first one. And let me tell you, the food in Burgundy still impressed and the wines!! This tour was actually two tours linked together, with the Burgundy part taking up the first 5 days, then a two-day break on our own in Beaune, followed by the second five days in Rhone. And thanks to Brien and Peggy, we were very well taken care of during this trip.

800-years old cellar at Tattinger dating back to the Benedictine monks

Tasting Chablis at the top of a vineyard overlooking Chablis Grand Crus

The Maison we were staying while in Beaune. Looking from the top of the old city wall.

We visited the famous Hospice de Beaune on the weekend during the two-day break

We started in Reims, a city in the heart of Champagne. Then traveled southwards through Chablis, then stayed in Beaune as our base for the time in Burgundy. We averaged two tastings a day. In Beaune, we stayed in an AirBnB, we called the Maison. All the other hotels were all four- or five-star level hotels and majority of the lunches and dinners were at Michelin recommended or 1-star level restaurants.

During the two-day break on the weekend in Beaune, we had the chance to visit the famous Hospice de Beaune where it was a working hospital from the mid-1400’s until 1971. It also is the location for the famous Hospice de Beaune wine auction every year in mid-November. The Hospice is the largest vineyard owner in Burgundy. Its land holdings are the results of donations by vineyard owners over the years.

We left Beaune the following Monday and traveled by bus to Beaujolais and stopped at the famous Moulin-A-Vent and had lunch in a restaurant in the village.

While in Beaujolais, we visited Domaine Anita which owned vineyards in Moulin-A-Vent, Fleure, Chenas, and Morgon. And tasted some 2023 and 2024 vintages.

After lunch in Moulin-A-Vent, we continued by bus to Tournon-sur-Rhone, which would be our base in Hermitage, Rhone. The following two days we visited Chapoutier, Guigal and Paul Jaboulet Aine. 

After Hermitage, we departed for our last destination, Chateauneuf-du-Pape. In Chateauneuf, we visited Gonnet and Chateau La Nerthe.

Hermitage, looking from Croze-Hermitage. Cote-Rotie is to the right of the slope, beyond the view.

Roman colosseum in Arles

Group picture at the Moulin-A-Vent

The ruins of the Pope’s castle at Chateauneuf-du-Pape

After the wine tour, we traveled on our own by train to Arles, an historical town in Provence with many Roman ruins, many declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including a colosseum and an amphitheatre. It also is an historical artists’ town where the famous Van Gogh had lived a couple of years. Finally, we traveled back to Paris and visited the repaired and renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral before coming home.

I recorded 15 formal tastings/winery visits during these 10 days and tasted 86 wines according to my notebook. Moreover, all the lunches and dinners were accompanied by wines from the region and local area. I can report that almost all the wines tasted were good to excellent. In order not to bore most of my readers with my tasting notes, I decided to only show the more outstanding wines tasted, and put those tasting notes in the appendix for the benefits of the curious and more serious wine lovers.

I also have a couple of discoveries which I would like to share with my readers.

1. Saint Romain, a village in Beaune which makes some excellent and not very expensive white Bourgogne. This name was not in my vocabulary for fine white Burgundy until this trip.  Geographically, Saint Romain is neighbour to Mersault to the East and Montrachet to the North, but it sits in a valley and a higher altitude. Apparently, grapes grown in this village used to have a hard time ripening properly in the past. As a result, it has no 1 Cru nor Grand Cru and was not well known. But global warming has helped the grapes grown here to have a chance to ripe properly in the last few years. With improved wine making technique, it is now producing wines as interesting and drinking like those coming from Mersault, but at a fraction of the price.  Look for them before too many people find out and prices start to rise.

2. Of the three famous producers in Northern Rhone: Guigal, Chapoutier and Paul Jaboulet Aine, I have bought and cellared wines from Guigal, and Chapoutier but have never bought from Paul Jaboulet. This trip showed me how much I have been missing out.  At the winery they presented 6 wines for tasting and I love them all. I hate to say this: I find their wines every bit as good, if not better than Guigal and Chapoutier. I now have to start buying their wines!

3. Before this trip, I was not a fan of the white wines from Rhone, made with the Marsanne and/or Roussanne grapes. But some of the whites we tasted in both Hermitage and Chateauneuf during this trip impressed me quite a bit. I found out if they were carefully made and care was taken not to over extract from the grapes, and with judicial use of oak, very fresh and delicate wines can be made. I am planning to buy more of these whites from Rhone in the future.

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APPENDIX

My tasting notes on the wines which impressed me the most during this trip.

In Champagne

At Tattinger

• 2014 Comtes de Champagne Grands Crus – Blanc de BlancsGolden colour. Very fine fizz. Nice complex and attractive nose of honey, toast, yeast, citrus and stewed fruit. Surprisingly youthful for its age. Still opening up. Nice long finish. However, this is a quite expansive wine at 250 Euro.

At Tienot

• 2015 Cuvee Origine Pale straw colour. Nice fine fizz. Complex nose of apple, honey, almond, toast with a hint of vanilla. Nicely balanced acidity and mouthfeel. Nice long finish.

  
  

In Burgundy

At Chablis

• 2022 Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru VaudesirPale golden yellow colour. Nose of minerals, seashell, slightly nutty with hints of vanilla. Nice acidity balanced with a nice round saline mouthfeel. Very complex in the nose and on the palate. Very nice long finish.

At Joseph Drouhin

• 2022 Saint-RomainThis is the biggest discovery for me on this trip. This wine drinks like a Mersault but at less than half the price. Avery fine village wine. I will have more to say on this village a bit later in this piece.

• 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Clos del La Garenne 1 CruGolden straw colour. Nose of citrus, nuts, minerals, and fine salinity on the palate. Nice round mouthfeel balanced with good acidity. Long finish, a very impressive wine.

• 2022 Beaune Clos les MouchesThis is one of Drouhin’s well known calling card wine. Deep red garnet colour. Nose of red and black fruit. Finely integrated tannins, slightly dusty. Mushrooms, herbs, forest floor. Long finish.

• 2019 Chambolle-MusignyRed garnet colour. Nose of black fruit, herbs, clove, plums, cocoa and coffee. Medium body with well integrated tannins. Nice long finish. Beautiful wine with lunch.

At Olivier Leflaive

• 2020 Santenay.This is a simple village wine which drinks like a 1Cru. Very nice with lunch.

  
  

At Chateau de Mersault

• 2022 Bourgogne Clos du ChateauThis is a simple Bourgogne but drinks like a declassified Mersault. Golden colour. Nose of citrus, green apple, with hints of pineapple, lychees, pears and peaches. Very seductive nose. Medium finish.

• 2022 Les Charmes Dessus, Mersault 1 CruSlightly pale gold colour. Very attractive nose of green apple, citrus, peaches pears with a hint of honey. Sweet nectar on the palate. Nice acidity. Long finish and slowly opens up to opulence.

• 2020 Pomard 1 Cru Clos des EpenotsDark garnet colour. Nose of red and black fruit, mushrooms, coffee, cigar and wet earth. Nice sweet mouthfeel. Nice soft silky tannins on the palate. A very long finish which lasted for a good 30 seconds.

At the mansion we were staying, Peggy and her friend Alain hosted a tasting of various small producers.

• 2023 Domaine Chevrot Santenay 1 Cru Clos RousseauRed garnet colour. Nose of red and black fruit, herbs and spices. Soft round tannins on the palate. Long finish. The wine was still tight at the beginning but opened up to a very enjoyable and elegant finish.

• 2023 Saint-Romain La Combe Bazin by Pascal Prunier-BonheurThis is the second Saint-Romain I came across on this trip and another wonderful find. Pale straw colour. Nose of minerals, flint, almond, green apple, and citrus. Very complex nose. Mouth watering acidity and a very round mouthfeel. Very nice long finish.

• 2022 Les Crais Auxey-Duresses by Pascal Prunier-BonheurGolden straw colour. Nose of apple, pears and peaches, almond and minerals. Nice mouthfeel. Medium finish. Quite complex. Drinks like a 1 Cru.

• 2023 Saint-Aubin Les Frionnes 1 Cru by Vincent LatourGolden straw colour. Nose of citrus, green apple, pears, peaches, minerals with hints of herbs and spices. Nice acidity and mouthfeel. Nice long finish. Quite complex.

  
  

At Domaine Chevillon-Chezeaux

• 2022 Nuits-Saint-Georges Vieilles VignesDark garnet colour. Very attractive and complex nose of red and black cherries, mushrooms, wet leaves, earth. On the palate black currants with silky tannins. Nice round sweet mouthfeel. Long finish. A very long life ahead.

• 2023 Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Saint JuliensRed cherry garnet colour. Nose of dark cherries, mushrooms, earth with a hint barnyard. Round silky tannins on the palate, well integrated with some black fruit. Nice long finish. Love this wine.

• 2023 Aux Champs Perdrix 1 CruBeautiful nose of black cherry, coffee, mushrooms, cigar, earth and a hint of barnyard. Nice burgundy colour. Very nice long finish.

• 2023 Les Saint-Georges 1 CruDeep garnet colour. Beautiful nose of mushrooms, coffee, chocolate, black fruit with a hint of barnyard. Nice soft tannins. Very long finish. Very complex. This wines drinks like a Grand Cru.

At Jean-Claude Boisset

• 2023 Clos de Vougot Grand CruDark garnet colour. Very attractive nose of cherries, mushrooms, black fruit, plums with hint of wet earth in the back. On the palate sweet tannins with a long, long finish. A powerful wine with a great aging potential. Unfortunately, at 250 euros, it is a bit out of reach.

  
  

At Domaine Anita

• 2023 Molin-A-VentFor a Beaujolais, this is quite big and complex. Deep purple red colour. Nose of black fruit, chocolate, and coffee. Soft tannins and nice mouthfeel. Nice long finish.

In Rhone

At Guigal

• 2023 Condrien  Les Doriane Golden colour. Nose of minerals, white peaches, stone fruit. Round mouthfeel with nice acidity. Long finish. This wine reminds me of a white Bourgogne.

• 2022 Saint-Joseph Vignes de L’Hospice100% Syrah. Dark garnet colour. Nose of dark fruit, dark cherry, blackberry, blue berry, mushrooms, vanilla, chocolate, coffee and black currant. Slightly dusty tannins and a long finish.

• 2021 Chateau d’Ampuis Cote-RotiePurplish garnet colour. Very attractive nose of mushrooms, earth, black currant with hints of red fruits, guava, and apricots. Well integrated tannins and a round mouthfeel. Nice long finish.

• 2021 La LandonneThis is one of the three Guigal signature Lala wines. Red garnet colour. Nose of black pepper, cassis, currant, other black fruit, chocolate, coffee and Christmas fruit cake. Firm but well integrated tannins. Nice mouthfeel and a 40-seconds long finish. This wine is still young and needs time. It is also quite expensive at 325 Euros.

At Chapoutier

• 2021 Chante-Alouette, Hermitage100% Marsanne. Golden colour. Floral nose, with tropical fruit, apricot, honey, peaches, pears and hints of minerals. Fresh yet complex. Nice round mouthfeel. Long finish.

• 2014 De Loree, Hermitage100% Marsanne. Bright gold colour. Nose of stone fruit, rock, mellon, honey. Heavier feel than the last one on the palate. Buttery mouthfeel. Long, long finish.

• 2020 Sizeranne, HermitagePurple red colour. Black fruit attack on the nose. Blackberry, blueberry, black currant, red and dark cherries, mushrooms, chocolate, coffee which opened to leather. Nice round mouthfeel. Soft silky tannins nicely integrated and balanced. Long 40 seconds+ finish. Beautiful wine with lots of aging potential.

• 2012 L’ErmiteGarnet colour with a hint of maturity on the rim. Seductive nose of red and black cherries, leather, coffee, and chocolate. Well integrated tannins and nicely balanced. Nice round mouthfeel which felt like a hint of sweetness. Long finish. Surprise for a wine which is 13 years old.

• 2012 Le PavilonGarnet colour. Nose of fruit cake, black fruit, dark cherry, cassis and stewed fruit and opened up to leather, wood, mushrooms and a hint of eucalyptus. Yet still very fresh. Soft tannins, well integrated and well balanced. A long 40-seconds finish.

At Paul Jaboulet Aine

• 2024 Croze Hermitage, Thelabert, Milo Blanche (meaning white mule)50% Marsanne, 50% Roussanne. Pale straw colour. Nose citrus, green apple, and peaches. Very fresh on the palate with apricot, and a nice sweet, almond finish. 

• 2022 Condrieu Les Cassines100% Viognier. Gold colour with a slight green tint. Floral yet fruit nose. Violet and other white flowers. On the palate, citrus, and green apple in front and floral in the back. Opened up to more flowers.

• 2020 Saint Joseph, La Croix de Vignes100% Syrah. Dark garnet colour. Nose of plums, black fruit, olives, black pepper, mushrooms and earth. Fine soft, slightly dusty tannins. Round mouthfeel.  Longish finish.

• 2020 Cornas, Domaine de St. PierreRed dark garnet colour with tint of purple. Nose of black pepper, black fruit, fruit cake, and a hint of games and stewed fruit. Black fruit attack on the palate. Very complex and balanced. Tannins is still firm but well integrated. Long, long finish. A huge wine.

• 2020 Hermitage, La Maison BleueDark garnet colour. Attractive nose of black pepper, blueberry, blackberry, and plums. Silky tannins yet still not quite integrated. Powerful mouthfeel. Slight hot on the palate.  Long, long finish at 40+ seconds. 

• 2011 Hermitage, La ChapelleDark garnet colour with a slight purple rim. Well balanced and matured. Nose of black pepper, blackberry, blueberry, plums, chocolate, coffee, mushrooms, and spices. Silky tannins and well integrated. Nice round mouthfeel with spices. Long finish of 40 seconds and more.

  
  

At Gonnet

• 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape, Homage a Marylione70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 8% Marsanne, 2% Counoise. Red garnet colour. Nose of red currant, red and black fruit. Silky tannins. Fruity mouthfeel. Longish finish.

• 2024 White Chateauneuf du Pape50% Roussanne, 50% Clielirette. Pale yellow, almost white colour. Nose of honey, pineapple, peaches, honeysuckle. No wood detected. Nice acidity, nice mouthfeel. Medium finish. Very refreshing. A rare find.

  
  

At Chateau La Nerthe

• 2022 Cuvee des CadettesDark red ruby colour. Nose of red and black fruit, mushrooms. On the palate, more black fruit. Nice silky soft tannins. Complex on the palate with black currant, blackberry and minerals. Long, long finish. You need to pay attention to this wine.

• 2005 Cuvee des Cadettes from a magnumDark purple garnet colour. Nose of mushrooms, chocolate, blackberry, leather, cigar, tobacco, and a hint of wet earth. Soft silky tannins, well integrated and balanced. Nice round mouthfeel. Very complex. Long 30 seconds plus finish. Beautiful wine despite its age. Still quite youthful with lots of fruit.