Wine Tasting in Burgundy: Day Three

I spent most of last week as a guest of the Burgundy Wine Board visiting vineyards and wine makers in the region, dining at some of the area’s best restaurants and generally having a fantastic time learning about all things deliciously Bourgogne.

Needless to say, I had an absolute blast, and I truly learned a lot. I’m lining up specific content for the next few weeks (and maybe even months) based on my visit. But before all that, I thought it would be cool just to publish a few brief daily write ups about my experiences. Here’s a third piece in my short Wine Tasting in Burgundy series.

Highlights from Day Three (Thursday 10 May 2012)

Domaine de Bellene: Sampling wines from the barrel (wonderful) then from the bottle (splendid). I found these biodynamic wines to be very drinkable and refreshing – perfect for not so refined palates and super geek wine snobs alike.

Domaine Rapet: Heaven on earth with a cellar to die for. If I could only return to one domaine in Burgundy, it’d be this one. Keeping it in the family with a sun kissed and self satisfied (not smug!) smile, Jean-Francois makes killer wines with integrity and is proud to share earlier vintages produced by his father. Babbling brook, chirping birds, wild flowers and a view of the cliffs of Saint Romain … and marvellous, marvellous wines.

L’Ecusson: Another winning lunch! Most of the restaurants I visited in Beaune were down to earth with a tasteful focus on simple dishes made with quality ingredients and, of course, phenomenal wine lists to accompany the menus. L’Ecusson was no exception.

Maison Louis Jadot: Burgundy’s biggest producer, one of its most historic too. It was tres awesome to explore the massive cellars, to be there to witness a re-barrelling and to taste the range of varieties under the Louis Jadot label.

After our tour of Louis Jadot, Youri drove Mark, Rob and me to Chablis where we’d spend the night and the next day. Beautiful countryside/must go back. Checked into our hotel, we walked into town (quaint and bit more humble than Beaune) for a great, no fuss dinner at La Feuillette 132. My lamb was possibly the best dish of the whole trip.