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| Romanee-Conti |
On
my last blog, we had just finished the second segment of our trip to France,
and had us disembarking the river cruise in Lyon. We were allowed to stay on
the ship for lunch, and the crew arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 1:00 and
take us to our hotel in Lyon. Since our room wasn’t ready, we decided to walk
along the Rhone, and down to the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. Unfortunately, on
Sunday, most of the market stalls were closed. Stopped at Beillevaire Cheese
shop and Bellota Bellota Charcuterie. We did buy some macrons at Seve. The
raspberry was a favorite. We weaved our way through the town, and made our way
to the largest urban park in France, Parc de la Tête d'Or. The weather was very warm, and there were lots of
people picnicking on the grass, or paddling in the large lake. Our hotel was
located just off the park.
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| Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse |
After checking in, we
bought a 48 hour bus pass at the front desk. Walking in the heat was a
challenge. The bus pick up and drop off was right behind our hotel, and would
take us to the Hard Rock Café right at the end of the line in Cordeliers. This
made for an easy walk from the Peninsula to Vieux Lyon (the old part of town).
We crossed the pedestrian bridge called Passerelle du Palais de Justice, which
crosses the Saone River, and lets out at the Palais de justice historique de
Lyon. We wandered around the small cobblestone streets that we had previously
visited a couple days before. After checking out Yelp for reviews of authentic
Lyonnaise cuisine, we stopped for dinner at Fiston Bouchon, more on this, check the food blog post.
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| Notre Dame de Fourviere |
The next morning, we took the bus
to our normal drop off point, then walked to the old part of town to take the
funicular to Notre Dame de Fourviere Cathedral. The train runs up through a
tunnel directly underneath the Cathedral. We then walked down the road to the
Fourviere Ancient Roman Theater. Unfortunately, the only day the museum is
closed is on Mondays, so we walked around the ancient ruins. The theater was
built in 15 BC and is still in use today. The weather was getting progressively
hotter, so we walked back up to the Cathedral, to sit inside and cool down a
bit. We ventured down in the crypts, below the cathedral.
Had lunch at an outdoor café, on
the peninsula. Hamburgers, Fries and Cokes. Headed back to the hotel to cool
down for a bit.
Dinner was at Le Gourmand de
Saint Jean. Similar to the night before, I had the Menu Lyonnaise. I will get
into the foods of France in a follow up blog.
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| The owl |
The
next morning we took a taxi to the Lyon train station. We got there very early,
and had to wait awhile before our train was announced (they only announce the
gate about 30 minutes before boarding). Our bags were never checked when we
boarded, and they never even checked our ticket. Security is a bit different in
France! The trip was fairly short, and we arrived in Dijon and picked up a taxi
to our hotel.
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| Burgundian Tile Roofs |
The
Hotel Wilson is located on the corner of a roundabout, and is a very old
building. The hotel was originally a coach house, built in the 1600’s. The
walls are very thick. Only the bathroom had been updated. No air conditioning,
but they did have a standup fan. The temperature was well over 100 degrees. The
front desk had the Owl Trail Maps, so we ventured out, to find the trail. We
found the Palace Du Theatre, and started walking the trail backwards. First
stop was at the Square Des Ducs, where dogs were playing in the pond of the
small park. Next was L’Hotel De Vogue with its’ Burgundian tile roof. Next door
was the Maison Milliere, with the black cat on the roof. The bottom floor is a
shop and opens into a pub. The house was built in 1483. Further down the alley
was the owl. It is considered to be a good luck charm for those who rub it with
their left hand. It is built into the wall that surrounds the Notre Dame
Cathedral of Dijon. The Notre Dame has rows of gargoyles around the outside,
and beautiful stain glass. It was built in the 13th century.
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| Place Francois Rude |
Further
down the road, the streets open up into the Place Francois Rude square, where a
large carousel is located as well as a fountain with a statue of a grape
harvester, stopping grapes.
Next
we stopped at the Edmund Fallot mustard
shop, for some mustard tasting. Then walked to Place de la Liberation. The
square faces the Palais Des Ducs, and is surrounded by shops and cafes. In the center
are a series of fountains, that kept the young children entertained, and cool
on the hot evening.
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| Place de la Liberation |
Ate
dinner at Temps Des Ducs. And after dinner, we walked around the square, and
made notes for where we wanted to go the last day, then headed back to the hot
hotel, and tried to sleep in the heat.
At 9:30 the next morning, we met with Jérémie Durand, from
Authentica Tours. Thank goodness his black Mercedes had powerful air
conditioning, as it was already hot in the morning. I had hired Jérémie, as an
expert on Burgundy Vineyards, to take us around all the major vineyards, meet
locals, and learn more about Burgundy. I will say that one day in Burgundy is
not enough. It can take months to understand the complexity of all the vineyard
characteristics, but this day was a good education. The temperature reached 107
degrees (the hottest recorded temperature in Burgundy).
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| Clos de la Perriere |
We headed south from Dijon through Marsannay along the Route
de Grand Cru. Then up into the gentle sloping hills of the northern Cote de Nuit.
The slopes are not as steep as I had anticipated. Along the hillsides are
outcroppings of limestone. Each appellation has a slightly different exposure
with valleys leading out of the north west. This allows cooler air to flow
through to the hillside vineyards.
First stop was in Fixin, at Clos de la Perriere. This south
east facing slope of calcareous soil is located right at the border of
Chambertin.
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| Clos de Beze |
Second stop at the Grand Cru vineyard of Clos de Beze in
Gevrey-Chambertin
Third Les Bonnes Mares which is located in both Morey-Saint
Denis and Chambolle-Musigny. In a bowl with outcroppings of limestone.
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| Clos Vouguet |
Next stop was above Clos Vougeot. Parked at Les Musigny and
looked down on the large vineyard.
Continued down the road, and stopped at La Romanee-Conti.
While there, an old vigneron stopped to speak with us. He previously owned the
vines right next to La Romanee-Conti at Le Richebourg. He is now retired, and
was commenting on the stressed vines in Romanee Saint-Vivant. He felt the young
owners of those vines had sprayed sulfur at the wrong time, and it was causing
the grapes to discolor in the sun.
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| Tasting at La Cave Privee |
Our first tasting stop was at La Cave Privee in Fixin. www.burgundy-wine-club.com. Entered
a non-descript building, and met Gabriel Angermaier. There was a small office,
then you walked down a stairway to an underground cave, stocked with wines. The
wine club blind tastes wines from smaller wineries, then stocks them in the
cellar to club members, and those that know about them. Tasted about ten wines
in the cellar. All were pretty stellar and great values. They do ship to the
US.
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| Trapet Pere et Fils |
Lunch and wine tasting at Trapet Pere et Fils, in
Gevrey-Chambertin. This is a nice hidden spot, that only locals know about.
This day, we were the only ones there. This was an expensive lunch and tasting
(140 euros). The five-course lunch included five wines from Domaine Trapet Pere
et Fils.
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| Aloxe-Corton |
After lunch we drove to Aloxe-Corton and viewed the
surrounding vineyards, then to our final tasting at Pierre Mayeul in Beaune.
Tasting in the cellar with Matthieu Bouchard. Tasted 10 wines. Bought a case of
wine at Cotes et Climats, which was held in a cellar in Beaune, until the
weather cooled enough to ship. They held my wine for three months.
We drove around the exterior of the Hospice du Beaune, then
headed back to Dijon.
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| Jardin Darcy |
It
was a rough night sleeping in the heat, but got up in the morning, and had
breakfast at the hotel. We packed up our luggage, and the hotel allowed us to
keep the bags there, until we were ready to get a taxi to the train station,
later in the day. We walked back to the old part of town, to continue walking
the Owl Trail. First stop, before hitting the Owl Trail, was at the Maille
Mustard shop. The air-conditioning was wonderful. At the end of the Rue de la
Liberte, we started at the beginning of the Owl Trail, at the Jardin Darcy,
with the large sculpture of a polar bear, and a fountain that was being used by
dogs and pigeons.
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| Marketplace in Dijon |
We
retraced some of our steps from the previous visit to town, and made out way to
the large covered market. The market was full of fruit stands, cheese and meat
stands, as well as stands with prepared foods. Next, we walked down to the
Saint Jean Church, then around the corner to the Saint-Philibert Church. It was
the parish of the wine-growers, and was built in the 12th century.
Across the street was the Cathedrale Saint-Benigne. We sat in the church for a
bit, to cool down, then entered the crypts that are located under the church.
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| Downtown Dijon |
Up
the road, we stopped for lunch at the first place we could find with
air-conditioning. Ordered drinks and burgers at Restaurant L'Edito. Took our
time in the restaurant, and watched the Tour De France on the big screen
televisions located throughout the restaurant. The Tour was going through the
Alps. To our surprise, one of our closest friends showed up on the television
screen, as an observer of the race. He was in France at the same time as us,
following the tour on his bike.
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| Tombs in the Palais Des Ducs |
After
a late lunch, we walked back to the Palais Des Ducs, which now houses the Musee
des Beaux Arts (Museum of Fine Arts). They had an exhibition of works by Yan
Pei-Ming. The main art gallery was four stories with a focus on Burgundy and the history of the Duchy of Burgundy. Numerous Renaissance paintings, armory, weapons and the ornate tombs of Philip the Bold and his son John the
Fearless and his wife Margaret of Bavaria.
We
returned to the hotel and picked up our taxi to the train station. We arrived early,
and the station didn’t have any air-conditioning, however they were handing out
free bottles of water due to the high temperatures.
The
train ride back to Paris went through rolling hills covered with sunflowers,
and the occasional vineyard. Small villages dotted the countryside, and we
could often see the small canals that connected the rural areas with the rest
of France. As we approached Paris, the graffiti grew more prevalent. We arrived
at the station in the evening, and it was drizzling and 109 degrees. Our hotel was
located just outside the station. We checked into the room, with a view
over-looking the city. The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Sacré-Cœur were all
visible from our window.
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| Waiting on the train platform in Dijon |
After a breakfast, we took a taxi back to the Charles de Gaulle
airport. Left the hotel at 11:30 and got to the gate at 1:25. Traffic was
terrible, and took us about an hour to get there. But, we had plenty of time to
check in. Global Entry passes fast tracked us through the lines. Got to the
gate very early, so had lunch at one of the restaurants in the terminal.
Arrived back in Los Angeles on time, and once again,
whisked through custom with the Global Entry. Got home at 9:38pm. 19 hours from
hotel to home.
What a trip, and what an adventure. The River Cruise added
a lot of additional expense to the trip, so I know we can do it again, at a
lower price. My hope is that this three-week adventure will encourage you to
travel, and explore. I certainly have “caught the bug”. Check back for more
blogs about Food, Wine, and individual Wine Regions.
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