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Great
Burgundy wines:
The
grand crus are the exceptional wines and account for only about 1% of
the regions output. Consequently prices are sky high. Even
though the premier crus come second in quality they are still fine wines
and also more affordable.
Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Clos
de Vougeot, Nuit St Geroges, Corton,
Echezeaux, Clos de la Roche, Beaune, Santenay are all famous Burgundy
reds.
Mersault is one of the most
highly prized Côte de Beaune wines.
Chablis
– a small white wine producing area about 150km north east of Dijon.
Pouilly-Fuisse – surprising for a region so steeped
in tradition of red wines, this is a well respected white!
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Visits to Vineyards, museums etc:
Cellars
of the Hôtel Dieu de Beaune. The Hospice de Beaune has
an incredible history. Charitable donations of land to the Hospice
through more than five centuries have resulted in the Hôtel Dieu owning
around 150 acres of the most prestigious vineyards in France. The
Hôtel Dieu holds an annual wine auction on the third Sunday of November
each year, the proceeds of which are still given to the poor and needy
in line with the original vision. There is an excellent wine
tasting opportunity in the cellars (sited over the road from the Hôtel Dieu). It’s not cheap and not really ideal for children as it is
a serious affair. But for wine lovers it is un-missable!
In
common with the more exclusive wine producing regions of France
you won’t find so many vineyards open for “dégustation” in
Burgundy. However we found the following producer very welcoming
with interesting cellars:
Domaine
G Roblot Marchand, Chambolle-Musigny. Tel: 03 80 62 86 36.
No English spoken
We
recommend a visit to the Château de Mersault. This château offers
tasting of excellent red wines in its cellars. In fact there are
several vineyards and châteaux in the Mersault area offering tasting and
tours, both guided and unaccompanied. Ask for recommendations in the
tourist office in Beaune.
A
warning: In these exclusive wine areas you will often find wine
shops set up especially for the tourists. Be wary, you’re unlikely to get the best wines or best value
here. That’s not to say that they are all bad. Our advice is to only use those that would appear to be oriented
for the locals. If they have signs outside in english declaring “bargains”,
“wine tasting” etc. then they are probably better missed.
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Favourite
Burgundy wines:
The
best wines we’ve bought from this region came from the cellars of
Domaine G Roblot Marchand. Both the Gevrey-Chambertin 1999 (£9.60
each) and Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru 1998 (£13 each) were
outstanding although we couldn’t wait to drink them! They should
have been laid down for up to 15 years!
This is an excellent demonstration of the value you
achieve by purchasing direct from the vineyard. The Chambolle-Musigny would be many times this price if purchased
in the UK.
We also
like the crisp and fragrant white Aligoté which can be found from
producers in the area between Beaune and Mâcon. |
