Driving down the Route de Grand Crus

After our amazing meal at "Le Petit Paradis" which I posted pics of, Nessie and I made our way back to the Maison and crashed for ten straight hours. We woke up to a breakfast at the long formal table in the dining room of the Chateau. We were served fresh baguettes, fig and raspberry jams, coffee, yogurt, croissants, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

From our table, we overlooked the Hospice of Beaune - a medieval hospital for the poor. During the end of the Dukes of Burgundy's reign, one of the kings wanted to end his life on a philanthropic note, so he built this place. Unfortunately, it was just for PR, and the truly poor were served in a separate room where rotten limbs were sawed off and their blood streamed into the river below the hospital. While they laid there getting "taken care of" they viewed artwork of hell-bound pagans at Judgement day.

But the funnest part of the day began when we rented a car and headed south on the Route de Grands Crus. French wine is divided into four categories. Appellation Controlee is the cheapest but still a nice table wine in most cases. Next is Village, which is very nice and still affordable for an everyday wine. Then comes the Premiere Cru, which begins to transforms your understanding of taste. And finally come the Grand Crus, which I haven't even touched. The Route de Grand Crus runs north-south and straight through our home base of Beaune. We headed south and stopped first in the very small Romanesque town of Pommard. We parked at the first sign of "Degustation Gratuit" or free wine tasting. We entered a 300+ year old Cheateau and asked in our best French if we could taste any wine. We were told they were all out for the day. So I asked if there were any vintners they would recommend in town. They suggested one down the road and off we went.

As we walked through the courtyard at around 12:30pm, we heard the sound of forks and knives and smelled good food. A man poked his head out from the top floor balcony and asked if we could return in 30 min to an hour. We said "Pas de problem" and we went out to assemble a picnic. We first stopped at the Charcuterie (Butcher) where we explained our plan. The lady said we should run to the Boulangerie (bakery) first because they close in 10 min. So off we went and found a crunchy baguette, a tarte au citron (lemon tart with meringue) and a Tarte au Framboise (raspberry tart.) Then back to the Charcuterie for some Jambon Cru, Comte cheese and some Dijonaise sauce of mustard, mayo and more.

We ate on the steps of a very old church with the sound of birds and the sun shining overhead. About 45 min later, we stopped back at the Chateau where our friend the vintner was cleaning up from lunch. It turns out that his family has been making wine since 1860. He gave us a private tour of his estate, including the moldy cellar where the wine ages. He also showed us a presentation his son made on a poster for a school assignment. It showed the entire wine-making process in about eight steps. The last one was "Le vin c'est pour les adults." Whenever I asked a clarifying question, the host replied, "that's alright." He showed us the tractor used to till the soil and explained the "ploo - is that how you say it?" Vanessa politely said it is pronounced "plow."

Two college aged girls arrived soon after and told us they were about to meet with a professor on their knowledge of white wine. The professor showed up and asked if we were Ukranian visitors. We all had a laugh, then our vintner asked if Vanessa was Swedish and guessed I was Italian. It was a very fun time and resulted in a purchase of a Red Premiere Cru for one-fourth the cost in the States and a white table wine.

I can't describe the feeling of driving on a 70 degree day down a narrow windy road and only vineyards and old villages for as far as the eye can see. The movie Chocolat was filed in a small village in this area. More than once we had to halt for a tractor pulling out in front.

Our next stop was the Cheateau de la Rochepot. This castle was home to several important kings during the Dukes period in Burgundian history. It features the quintessential Tiles from the area and a beautiful inner courtyard. The tour guide was a towering twin of Cruella Devil and her laugh seemed to get louder and scarier as the tour went on. Especially in the weapons room. When she soon realized that Vanessa was shivering from the cold inside the Chateau, she promptly took off her full length fur coat and put in on Vanessa. Had I been able to take pictures inside, I would have sat her at the queens thrown and put a wine carafe in her hand.

We later passed by the barrel makers and stopped for one more tasting with just a little old lady who seemed grumpy enough, but happy when I bought her favorite red wine.

We eventually made our way back to Beaune, but only grudgingly because we felt like we were leaving a secret world of enchanting people, churches and of course, wines.

Beaune!

We have just arrived in Paris after the most incredible time in the tiny town of Beaune. It is the wine capital of the Burgundy region of France, which is Southeast of Paris towards the Swiss Alps. We spent two nights at a Chateau where the owner is also a vintner (wine maker.) We spent the first day touring the medieval hospital for the poor and stumbled on the absolutely best meal in our entire lives. The owner of the Chateau suggested we cancel our Michelin * lunch at Jardin de Remparts and instead have dinner at L'Petite Paradis. It was down a tiny cobble stone street right across from the hospital in the downtown area of Beaune. I will post some pics of the meal, but I can't tell you enough how amazing it was. I can honestly say I was on the verge of tears and Nessie wasn't far behind.