Notice the crest above the door with the construction date, 1683, nearly 100 years before the signing of the American Declaration of Independence. A visit to France immediately reminds an American of how young our country really is.
Here are a couple more photos we snapped as we walked around Savigny-les-Beaune. Blooming stock is very common as you can see in this window flower box. It produces an aroma that I associate with Burgundy. The alleyway looks through an arch to l'eglise.
At the domaine, we were
greeted by a man who was expecting us. I
inquired of his name and he replied simply, “Philippe Girard.” We had a little chuckle from that. From experience I know that many domaines in
Burgundy are multi-generational and the name of the domaine may be that of an
ancestor. It is also true that the name
may change slightly with each generation.
The common denominator in this case is “Domaine Girard,” with the first
name changing generationally. It is a small
domaine, producing about 15,000 bottles annually, about 1,250 12-bottle cases.
Philippe Girard is a good
example of a typical Burgundy domaine.
Because of French inheritance laws, most domains are quite small,
averaging about 6.5 hectares, roughly the equivalent of 16 acres, often divided
among several parcels in different locations.
From this, they must pay all their expenses and make a living for their
families, often three generations living together. In contrast to the famous grand estates of Bordeaux
first growths and a few famous producers, most Burgundy producers are what
could reasonably be described as farming families who follow a tradition of
excellence without great wealth. That’s
why it’s not unusual to be treated to a tasting experience by the owner of the
domaine or a member of the family. What
great fun!
Philippe’s family has
owned the domaine for an astonishing 500 years, passing from one generation to
the next. It is amazing to us that
they’ve been able to maintain the continuity.
Philippe has a brother and sister, neither of whom is involved in the
business. His only child, a son, now
about age 26, is following him into the business.
We first entered a cellar
which is original to the estate, probably a kitchen, with two wood burning
ovens.
The masonry around one of the
ovens has a fleur-de-lis, as you can
see in this photo. Philippe didn’t say
how old the masonry is, but the fleur-de-lis is known to symbolize the Frankish
kings, especially Charlemagne, who owned vineyards in Burgundy. Charlemagne lived in the 8th and 9th
centuries, but when the symbol was placed is speculative. Regardless, it is undoubtedly very old.
Philippe’s English was
very limited, like my French, so small talk was a little difficult. We descended to his barrel cellar, which he
said is “only” 200 years old," as if it is the spiffy new addition to the
operation.
Like most vignerons, he produces a range of
wines. In his case, we started with
village level wines, meaning the grapes can come from anywhere in the village,
moving through several premier cru selections, and finishing with a Corton
grand cru, the grandest of all. While
tasting the various wines, it is easy to appreciate how the Cistercian monks
delineated the vineyards by differences in aromas, flavors, complexity, and
their expression of the place, a concept termed terroir.
Later, back at the gite, while Mary napped, I decided I would take a stroll dans la ville, in the town. The weather is very cool and wet in Burgundy. I would go so far as to say it is just plain cold. Too cold to go running in shorts and tee shirt, at least that’s my excuse. But I can at least put on my jacket and go for a walk.
Signs point the way to nearby towns and
villages.
Dinner was at La
Ciboulette in Beaune, one of our favorite Burgundy restaurants. It’s a hot ticket, absolutely requiring
reservations. Lots of people wander in
and ask for a table, only to be disappointed by Mme. Isabelle, the gracious hostess. Je suis désolé. Nous sommes
complets. I’m sorry. We’re sold out. I called from home almost a
month ago to reserve our table. This is
our third year to dine at La Ciboulette.
It is a wonderful experience. At
just past 7:00, our reservation time, we were the first to arrive. The French generally arrive for dinner at 7:30
or 8:00.
Isabelle remembered us
from our previous visits. We even sat at
the same table as last year. Like last
year, we began with an aperitif of Crémant
de Bourgogne, a sparkling white wine.
Here’s my cute wife again.
Bread
and munchies of radishes, olives, and pate
de thon, crisps with tuna spread were served first.
We shared a plat du fromage, a plate of cheeses, as
a next course. In this photo from left
to right, we enjoyed Abbaye de Cîteaux (I think), Camembert, Chèvre, and
Époisses.
Mary was tempted by the
dessert menu and indulged in an assiette
du chocolat, assorted chocolate…a mousse, ice cream, pudding, and
brownie. We both had coffee, of course.
The wine was an Aloxe
Corton village level wine by Domaine Tollot-Beaut. Like most French wines, it is the place where the grapes are grown that gets top billing on the label, not the producer. As you see on this bottle, the village of Aloxe-Corton (by the way, Aloxe is correctly pronounced "Alose," with an "s" sound instead of an "x" sound, and Corton with the accent on the second syllable, like "Cor-tone") is indicated in much larger font than the name of the domaine, which is along the very bottom of the label. That's because the French believe that wine is an expression of the place where it is grown, the soil, the slope, the climate, the aspect, all the elements that make up what is known as terroir. Pinot Noir is famous for its transparency of expression, meaning that it can taste quite different from place to place, even while easily recognizable as Pinot Noir.
We visited the domaine two years ago and have
affection for the Tollot family, Nathalie and her two brothers who run the
estate. Their wines are consistently
delicious and this one did not disappoint.
It was from the 2006 vintage and, although it was not a premier or grand
cru, it had the perfume, elegance, complexity, and balance of a great
Burgundy. When we put our noses in the
glass, we both sighed and smiled at each other.
The aromas were simply Burgundy, a combination of earth, flowers, and
fruit, like the countryside around us.
You can almost see the
elegance of the wine in this photo. It
isn’t dark and inky, it is a pale ruby, light in appearance. The palate is silky smooth, medium in body
and acidity, seamless as it goes down, enhancing the food, cleansing the palate,
and inviting us to take another sip.
I’ve come to the conclusion that, for me, at least, the best thing about a wonderful red Burgundy is its
texture, a mouthcoating velvetiness that gives the wine a length, a feminine,
ethereal quality that few other wines possess.
The Tollot-Beaut has that texture.
Flavors of red and dark fruit and herbs were all there, but it is the
texture, elegance, and balance that most characterizes this wine. I will say simply that it was exquisite. We were sorry to see the bottle empty.
By the end of the evening
at La Ciboulette, in this place, with this ambience, this food, this wine, and
this woman (Mary, not Isabelle), I felt at peace, relaxed, blissful. No thoughts of stress or what comes next,
just in the moment. This is the
experience that draws us to France and especially to Burgundy. Isabelle was so pleased that we had such a
nice time.
Tomorrow is market day,
always a fun event in Beaune, so I hope you will check back at Cépage et Cuisine for
more of our France adventure. Thanks for
reading us. In the meantime,
Cheers,
Mary♥Brian
Wow!Enjoying all the sensual food photos. (And the cute wife pix.) :)
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