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lagilmanIt's rare that you are given a perfect day. It's even more rare that you are aware in that moment that it is indeed a perfect day. Not in the terms of fireworks and big magic, but simply the universe giving you an endless fountain of small gifts.
That was Tuesday, when I took the train to Beaune and found myself wandering unplanned from one marvelous encounter to the next. From the woman in the information center at the Gare Dijon who was so wonderfully helpful (and got to hear me say, in near-perfect French, "I missed the damn train by that much!") to the lovely Scott family from Dover, MA who invited me to join them for lunch, to Stephanie Bouhin at La P'tite Cave and Henri Emmanuel at Cave du Cabet des Cordeliers, who gave me the respect of a fellow wine professional, to the Italian couple at the Marche aux Vins who mocked the British foursome near us until I was close to spilling my wine with laughter (alas, the foursome deserved it. Some people should not be let out of their home towns, much less their native countries). My only regret was not staying longer, but I was very tired, and Beaune will still be there at the end of the week, if I decide to return.
And yes, it being Beaune, I not only visited the Musee de Vin, but tasted as well. I had been pointed to Vin Sensation as a good place to do tastings, but was not impressed by the personnel, and decided that I really didn't need their 19 euro "introduction to Burgundian wines," complete with power point display. *eyeroll* My next stop was Marche Aux Vines. For 10 euros, I got to taste 16 vintages, and tour their cellar. The money was well spent for the tour alone, for me: the church was built in the 15th century, and has literally acres of cellar underneath, tunnels and alcoves filled with thousands of vintages from throughout Burgundy, back almost a hundred years.
It was also the first time I've ever used a tastevin, and while it was extremely useful in judging the clarity and color of a wine, I suspect the taste might have been slightly off from the metal (Stephanie had warmed me of that). Still, it was a fun experience, and now I have my very own tastevin! Plus, you taste each wine on your own as you walk through the cellar, the sommelier only coming forward when you have a question, which gives you the feeling of the cellar being your very own (I might wish for better lighting, but they're selling the atmosphere, too).
I'm not going to run through all 15 wines I tasted, just the highlights:
- Meursault 1999 Golden yellow color, grassy almost acrid nose. Thick, herbal taste that's surprisingly refreshing. 23 euros.
-Ladoix Cote de Beaune 2005. Gorgeous garnet color -- clear and bright. Faint jam nose, with the tanins and fruit evenly balanced on the tongue. Like a delicate zinfandel 16 euros
-Sauvigny-Les-Beaune 1999 Ruby-clear color, with a bouquet of red fruits, and strawberry all the way, supported by still-noticeable tannins -- classic pinot noir. 18 euros
-Nuit-St-Georges 2005 A to-die-for ruby color, and a faint nose of red fruit and warm spice. Black fruit, heavier spice and tannins on the tongue. Needs to age a bit, and NEEDS FOOD to go with it. 39 euros.
-Pommard 2000 A burgundy-brown color that showed the aging, with faint hints of decay and straw on the nose. Smooth dark fruit and leather on the tongue, the tannins still perfectly supporting the fruit, Very nice, but I'd probably drink it soon. 27 euros,
-Beaune-Greves premier cru 2000 Lovely ruby, clear and bright. Dark berry and looooong finish. Bella! (you can tell I had started hanging out with the Italian couple by this point) 24 euros.
Cabes du Cordeliers is in a former Cordelier convent, most of which was destroyed in the 1700's for what is now the Hotel Dieu. The remaining building is pretty,and their 13th century cellar is excellent, but where C du C really rock is in their staff. I can't say enough nice things about Henri (and not just because he let me taste a premier cru that wasn't on the degustation menu). If you're in Beaune, go.
-Saavigny-Les-Beaune 1999 Nose of straw, ripe tree-fruit. Lemon and banana creme on the palate, finishes with a hint of pear. Soft and rounded, but no vanilla/oak, yay! 18 euros
-Meursault 2004 Straw and cider on the nose, creamy and yet crisp on the tongue, like applesauce. Long, soft finish, but with enough oomph to wait a few years before peak. I see that I like the Meursault 1999 previous -- okay, I'm making note of the name 24 euros.
- Aloxe-Carton Les Valozieres This is the one Henri pulled out from under the counter for me to try. I didn't catch the specific name year, but my notes read "eye-opening fruit, not jammy but essence-of. Tannins are still thick." Aloxe-Carton is another AOC name to remember.
-Gevrey-Chambertin 2005 Red berry and spice, a hint of vanilla bean. Nose and tongue match almost perfectly -- could probably hold for a few years, based on the tannins. I note after that I tried the 2004 previous and felt it was at perfect drinking age. Henri taught me a very neat trick on how to get the true bouquet of a wine after the glass is empty, and I tried to dab it behind my ears. 26 euros.
-Pommard Clos de Verger 1er Cru 2002 "Ooof." Long and gorgeous, mushroom and dark fruit (cassis) in the mouth, more fruit and a hint of earth and mushroom underneath on the tongue. 32 euros.
- Corton Grand Cru Clos Du Roi 1998 Une bebe. Seriously, it was still tight, but the scent of truffles and wet earth was delicious, and you could tell that when the wine opens a bit, it should be all-over cassis and blackberry. 49 euros
(point to me for figuring out that Cote de Beaune tends toward traditional pinot noir strawberry, and Cote de Nuit is more cassis and blackberry.)
And no, I did not get out of there unscathed. Well see if all the bottles make it home with me....
And then I came home, used the washing machine [but not the dryer because Life's Too Short], made myself a reasonably healthy dinner, put my feet up and dug into three days' worth of notes, pressing it into comprehensive chunks of world-building and character development. My head, it hurts....
Oh, and a thing that amuses me: the coffee pot has two different sets of marking on the side; one set for how much water to use for large mugs, and the other for how much water to use for normal-sized mugs. Brilliant!
And thanks to the Internet I've been able to catch some of the Democratic Convention highlights, which is about all I'd be able to stand if I were home, too. Had to explain to someone this week that no, actually, Biden's a pretty popular Veep pick, and why. The 'news' over here seems to be that he's universally hated, which made me laugh -- and opened a discussion about how very little we ever actually lean about each other, if we rely on the media or Party-Approved Doctrine. ("all it takes for senseless hatred to end is to learn to know your neighbor...so you can hate him/her for a specific reason!")
Oh, and here's a photo for Terri...
That was Tuesday, when I took the train to Beaune and found myself wandering unplanned from one marvelous encounter to the next. From the woman in the information center at the Gare Dijon who was so wonderfully helpful (and got to hear me say, in near-perfect French, "I missed the damn train by that much!") to the lovely Scott family from Dover, MA who invited me to join them for lunch, to Stephanie Bouhin at La P'tite Cave and Henri Emmanuel at Cave du Cabet des Cordeliers, who gave me the respect of a fellow wine professional, to the Italian couple at the Marche aux Vins who mocked the British foursome near us until I was close to spilling my wine with laughter (alas, the foursome deserved it. Some people should not be let out of their home towns, much less their native countries). My only regret was not staying longer, but I was very tired, and Beaune will still be there at the end of the week, if I decide to return.
And yes, it being Beaune, I not only visited the Musee de Vin, but tasted as well. I had been pointed to Vin Sensation as a good place to do tastings, but was not impressed by the personnel, and decided that I really didn't need their 19 euro "introduction to Burgundian wines," complete with power point display. *eyeroll* My next stop was Marche Aux Vines. For 10 euros, I got to taste 16 vintages, and tour their cellar. The money was well spent for the tour alone, for me: the church was built in the 15th century, and has literally acres of cellar underneath, tunnels and alcoves filled with thousands of vintages from throughout Burgundy, back almost a hundred years.
It was also the first time I've ever used a tastevin, and while it was extremely useful in judging the clarity and color of a wine, I suspect the taste might have been slightly off from the metal (Stephanie had warmed me of that). Still, it was a fun experience, and now I have my very own tastevin! Plus, you taste each wine on your own as you walk through the cellar, the sommelier only coming forward when you have a question, which gives you the feeling of the cellar being your very own (I might wish for better lighting, but they're selling the atmosphere, too).
I'm not going to run through all 15 wines I tasted, just the highlights:
- Meursault 1999 Golden yellow color, grassy almost acrid nose. Thick, herbal taste that's surprisingly refreshing. 23 euros.
-Ladoix Cote de Beaune 2005. Gorgeous garnet color -- clear and bright. Faint jam nose, with the tanins and fruit evenly balanced on the tongue. Like a delicate zinfandel 16 euros
-Sauvigny-Les-Beaune 1999 Ruby-clear color, with a bouquet of red fruits, and strawberry all the way, supported by still-noticeable tannins -- classic pinot noir. 18 euros
-Nuit-St-Georges 2005 A to-die-for ruby color, and a faint nose of red fruit and warm spice. Black fruit, heavier spice and tannins on the tongue. Needs to age a bit, and NEEDS FOOD to go with it. 39 euros.
-Pommard 2000 A burgundy-brown color that showed the aging, with faint hints of decay and straw on the nose. Smooth dark fruit and leather on the tongue, the tannins still perfectly supporting the fruit, Very nice, but I'd probably drink it soon. 27 euros,
-Beaune-Greves premier cru 2000 Lovely ruby, clear and bright. Dark berry and looooong finish. Bella! (you can tell I had started hanging out with the Italian couple by this point) 24 euros.
Cabes du Cordeliers is in a former Cordelier convent, most of which was destroyed in the 1700's for what is now the Hotel Dieu. The remaining building is pretty,and their 13th century cellar is excellent, but where C du C really rock is in their staff. I can't say enough nice things about Henri (and not just because he let me taste a premier cru that wasn't on the degustation menu). If you're in Beaune, go.
-Saavigny-Les-Beaune 1999 Nose of straw, ripe tree-fruit. Lemon and banana creme on the palate, finishes with a hint of pear. Soft and rounded, but no vanilla/oak, yay! 18 euros
-Meursault 2004 Straw and cider on the nose, creamy and yet crisp on the tongue, like applesauce. Long, soft finish, but with enough oomph to wait a few years before peak. I see that I like the Meursault 1999 previous -- okay, I'm making note of the name 24 euros.
- Aloxe-Carton Les Valozieres This is the one Henri pulled out from under the counter for me to try. I didn't catch the specific name year, but my notes read "eye-opening fruit, not jammy but essence-of. Tannins are still thick." Aloxe-Carton is another AOC name to remember.
-Gevrey-Chambertin 2005 Red berry and spice, a hint of vanilla bean. Nose and tongue match almost perfectly -- could probably hold for a few years, based on the tannins. I note after that I tried the 2004 previous and felt it was at perfect drinking age. Henri taught me a very neat trick on how to get the true bouquet of a wine after the glass is empty, and I tried to dab it behind my ears. 26 euros.
-Pommard Clos de Verger 1er Cru 2002 "Ooof." Long and gorgeous, mushroom and dark fruit (cassis) in the mouth, more fruit and a hint of earth and mushroom underneath on the tongue. 32 euros.
- Corton Grand Cru Clos Du Roi 1998 Une bebe. Seriously, it was still tight, but the scent of truffles and wet earth was delicious, and you could tell that when the wine opens a bit, it should be all-over cassis and blackberry. 49 euros
(point to me for figuring out that Cote de Beaune tends toward traditional pinot noir strawberry, and Cote de Nuit is more cassis and blackberry.)
And no, I did not get out of there unscathed. Well see if all the bottles make it home with me....
And then I came home, used the washing machine [but not the dryer because Life's Too Short], made myself a reasonably healthy dinner, put my feet up and dug into three days' worth of notes, pressing it into comprehensive chunks of world-building and character development. My head, it hurts....
Oh, and a thing that amuses me: the coffee pot has two different sets of marking on the side; one set for how much water to use for large mugs, and the other for how much water to use for normal-sized mugs. Brilliant!
And thanks to the Internet I've been able to catch some of the Democratic Convention highlights, which is about all I'd be able to stand if I were home, too. Had to explain to someone this week that no, actually, Biden's a pretty popular Veep pick, and why. The 'news' over here seems to be that he's universally hated, which made me laugh -- and opened a discussion about how very little we ever actually lean about each other, if we rely on the media or Party-Approved Doctrine. ("all it takes for senseless hatred to end is to learn to know your neighbor...so you can hate him/her for a specific reason!")
Oh, and here's a photo for Terri...
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 08:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 06:02 pm (UTC)Other than a tendency to foot-in-mouth, Biden seems like the best choice of the available players (don't let's even get started on Hillary I admire her greatly, but she misplayed her run badly, and would be a crap VP candidate for this ticket, IMNSGHO.).
[edited, as usual, for typos]
no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 10:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 12:35 pm (UTC)The genius of a simple idea. WANT!!!!!!!!!!!!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 12:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 01:41 pm (UTC)Still, I'd be living there for grub, but that's just my nature. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 02:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 02:45 pm (UTC)(
no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 06:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 05:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 05:13 pm (UTC)Hope you get to hear Hilary's speech. It was a corker.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-27 07:53 pm (UTC)Also, here's a transcript (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080827/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_clinton_text_1;_ylt=AqMpTfmC7vXdaOGev7N_apRh24cA) of Hillary's speech Tuesday night.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-30 12:24 am (UTC)