Being in Europe for a number of weeks, I couldn’t resist ducking up to Burgundy for a couple of days.
I flew into Lyon and met a good friend there, where we shared a bottle of Chateau de Fonsalette 2011 over dinner at 5inq Mains.
The next day we were on the road with an appointment in Chambolle Musigny. The producer asked for their name and photos to be kept offline, so of course I will oblige. But it was a remarkable visit tasting the 2023s from barrel, moving from Bourgogne, to village and then through six 1er cru wines. This visit quickly reasserted why Chambolle is perhaps my favourite village to drink from in Burgundy…
Lunch followed, so we made our way to Le Soufflot in Meursault. Known for its impressive wine list, we picked off a Raveneau Valmur 2014 which looked incredibly good yet still quite young. A wine to revisit in a decade if ever given the opportunity! We were soon exchanging glasses with Australian winemaker Michael Corbet who walked in 30 minutes after us and swiftly ordered a bottle of Mikulski Meursault Poruzots 2019 which showed energy, gun power and flint.
After lunch we only had a short distance to travel to visit sisters Adele and Elsa of Domaine Matrot. Their wines impressed, particularly at the Premier Cru level, from both Meursault and neighbouring Blagny.
Luck came our way that afternoon, when an acquaintance invited us along to a special tasting featuring (in his words) “some big names”. We didn’t have to think too long and hard about the offer, and next thing we know we’re standing in front of overturned barrels displaying bottles of Rousseau, Roumier, Meo Camuzet, Mugneret Gibourg, Denis Mortet, Taupenot Merme and Domaine de Montille. For me this was a first ever look at the Mugneret Gibourg wines which impressed for their completeness and elegance, while the Roumier wines showed a bit more muscle and meatiness. But it was the Mortet and Rousseau wines that shone above all others, really appealing to my love of red berry fruit and electric energy.
A palate-cleansing beer in the town of Beaune was required and soon after that we were off to dinner. La Lune had been chosen (again) for the strength of its list and for the freshness of the Japanese-French fusion. Indeed the food was fantastic, and a pleasant change from the typically heavy French food eaten elsewhere. Dinner was accompanied by a bottle of Hubert Lamy 1er Cru Chatenniere 2021 followed by a Frederic Mugnier Chambolle 2021.
There was room in the schedule for one last drink, so a bottle of Dhondt-Grellet Champagne was ordered at L'Arche Des Vins which seemed to be a meeting point of winemakers, as a few familiar faces jumped out at us. Again, I can highly recommend this place for its biblical wine list and fair pricing.
That basically concluded a short trip to Burgundy, minus a bad hangover and a two hour drive back to Lyon the next day. I’m already plotting my return.