Jura, Burgundy and Beaujolais
4 Wine Regions
Beautiful countryside, great meals and wonderful wines
BOURGOGNE
There are speculations that the Celts may have been growing vines in Burgundy before the Romans conquered Gaul in -51. The earliest recorded praise of Burgundy wine was written in 591 by Gregoire de Tours. Monks and monasteries of the Roman Catholic Church had an important influence on the history of Burgundy wine. The Abbey of Cluny founded in 910, became the first truly big Burgundy vineyard owner. Another order which exerted influence was the Cistercians, (abbey of Citeaux) founded in 1098 it created Burgundy’s largest wall-surrounded vineyard, the Clos de Vougeot, in 1336. More importantly, the Cistercians, extensive vineyard owners, were the first to notice that different vineyard plots gave consistently different wines. They therefore laid the earliest foundation for the naming of Burgundy crus and the region’s terroir thinking.
Chardonnay is the most common white grape in the region. The second one, Aligoté tends to produce wines higher in acidity. The Mâcon and the Côte d’Or whites are all produced from 100% Chardonnay grapes.
For the red grapes, all production in the Côte d’Or is focused on the Pinot noir while the Gamay is grown in Beaujolais.
The main levels in the Burgundy classifications, in descending order of quality, are: Grand crus, Premier crus, village appellations, and finally regional appellations
MACON
The Mâconnais district lies in the south of the Burgundy wine region. Best known for Chardonnay grapes, there is even a village of that name in the far north of the region. A little Pinot Noir is made into red Mâcon but almost only for local consumption. Fuissé and Pouilly Fuissé are the best known appellations.
BEAUJOLAIS
The region of Beaujolais was first cultivated by the Romans who planted it along the trading route up the Saone valley. The most notable vineyard was Brulliacus, now the hills of Brouilly and Morgon.
Gamay noir is now known to be a cross of Pinot noir and the ancient white variety Gouais a Central European variety. In contrast to the Pinot Noir variety, Gamay ripened two weeks earlier and was less difficult to cultivate. It also produced a strong, fruitier wine in a much larger abundance. In July 1395, the Duke of Burgundy Philippe the Bold outlawed the cultivation of Gamay as being “a very bad and disloyal plant”. Sixty years later, Philippe the Good, issued another edict against Gamay in which he stated the reasoning for the ban as “The Dukes of Burgundy are known as the lords of the best wines in Christendom. We will maintain our reputation”. The edicts had the effect of pushing Gamay plantings southward, out of the main region of Burgundy and into the granite based soils of Beaujolais where the grape thrived
JURA
Everything in the “Vin Jaune” (literally: yellow wine) is out of the ordinary.
A single grape variety: Savagnin (not Sauvignon), a very unorthodox wine making rules and an ancient bottle of unusual size.
Wines from Jura were known and appreciated by the Romans (mentioned by Pline the Young and Martial). In 280, the Emperor Probus requested that more vines should be planted on the hills of Sequanie (now Franche-Comté)
Harvested in October, often after the first snow and aged in 228 liters oak barrels without “ouillage” for a minimum of 6 years and 3 months in dry caves with wide temperature variations, it is bottled in the characteristic “Clavelin” of 62cl, the equivalent of one liter, six years earlier.
Aging? 100 years and more. It should be decanted and be drunk after only 2 or 3 days! Did you say odd? Unusual?
Day 1–Sunday
After landing in Geneva Switzerland early morning, a two hour drive will bring us to the Jura region.
First, you will participate in the making of Conte cheese at the farm, the most known cheese of Jura and one of the best among the 360+ French cheeses. Tasting will follow of course.
After lunch, we will pay tribute to Louis Pasteur with a visit to his house in the small town of Arbois. Inventor of the pasteurization process and of many vaccines, Pasteur worked also on fermentation, helping us to better understand wine making. “Wine is the healthiest and most hygienic of all beverages”, is one of his most famous quote. Full disclosure, Pasteur owned vineyards in Arbois!
Just after this visit, we will check in at the Hotel Les Caudalies*** in the little town of Arbois, leaving you time for a quick nap if you wish before dinner at the excellent table of this hotel.
OPTION: If you feel like this could be too much for a first day with unavoidable jet lag, you could land on Saturday, spend a day in Geneva and meet the group at the airport Sunday morning.
Day 2–Monday
Besides the Vin Jaune, (see introduction page) Jura produces also some red (Poulsard or Ploussard, Trousseau and Pinot noir), rosés and whites with Savignin (not Sauvignon) and Chardonnay as well as a superb natural sweet wine: the Vin de Paille.
The yield for this wine is limited to 20 hectoliters per hectare; grapes must then dry on hay (paille) for at least 6 weeks to obtain a high natural concentration of sugar. The drying rooms are ventilated but not heated.
Between Christmas and February the dehydrated grapes are pressed to produce only 15 to 18 liters of must for 100 kg of grapes. A slow fermentation, ending naturally will give a 14-15 degrees wine, aging in small barrels for 3 years.
Let’s start this morning in Chateau Chalon (the most famous village for the very special and wonderful vin jaune). Berthet Bondet, one of the oldest winery of the Jura will help you to discover the secrets of Chateau Chalon.
Lunch in a village at the inn La Mere Simone.
If you want to know more, we will stop by the Domaine Grand, a remarkable wine maker before a third winery or a simple walk in the village -your choice – in the charming village of L’Etoile.
Dinner on your own in Arbois.
Second and last night at Les Caudalies.
Day 3–Tuesday
After breakfast, a one hour drive will bring us to Burgundy.
Welcome to a kingdom with two crowns: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay!
Let’s start with the “Cote de Nuits” and a monument of wine history: Clos de Vougeot castle and its cellars.
Parcels are very small in this region; the Clos de Vougeot is divided among 70 (!) wineries sharing the 50 hectares of this land delimited by the abbey’s monks in the XII century.
If weather permits, we will enjoy a picnic on the hills, in the vineyards.
Due to centuries of successive divisions of land, it is not unusual to taste at the same winery an Aloxe Corton bottle coming from 3 acres then a Volnay and a Pommard appellations where the wine maker could own as little as 1 acre.
An example of wine making on these little morsels of land is Jean Claude Boisset in Chambolle Musigny: on 0.7 acre, he demonstrates why this wine was described by Gaston Roupnel as “of silk and lace” and why Alfred Hitchcock was piling up these bottles in his Bel Air cellar.
Our home for two nights is in the town of Beaune at Hotel le Cep**** a charming and very comfortable property.
Dinner at our hotel’s excellent restaurant “Loiseau des Vignes”. To sample burgundy wines, a different one will be served with each dish.
Day 4–Wednesday
Our first visit is next to our hotel, at les Hospices de Beaune.
The Hospices or “Hospitals for the poor” are open without interruption since their foundation in 1443. A uniquely original institution, it is part of France’s national heritage.
We will drive the Cote de Beaune, along the vineyards via the famous villages of Pernand-Vergeless, Aloxe-Corton, Savigny-les-Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Auxey-Duresses, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet.
A visit of the Chateau de Meursault will allow you to taste many different wines, including the famous white.
Dinner on your own.
Last night at Le Cep.
Day 5–Thursday
Whites and the Cluny Abbey are on the menu for today.
The Maconnais region, the southernmost part of Burgundy, produces almost exclusively chardonnay and very little reds for local consumption.
We will stop by the Domaine Chataigneraie-Laborier for their Pouilly-Fuissé and at Cooperative d’Azé in Azé offering a large and complete palette of Macon, most of them really remarkable (or in Macon at Cordier Père et Fils).
After lunch we will spend the afternoon at the Cluny Abbey.
Today, there remain only the buildings built under the Old Mode as well as a small portion of Cluny III, only the southern transept and its bell-tower still exist. The remaining structure represents less than 10% of the floor area of Cluny III, which was the largest church of Christendom, until the construction of Saint Peter Basilica, five centuries later. In 1793 after the revolution and until 1813, the abbey was used as a stone quarry.
A historian guide will help us discover this site.
Dinner and night at the Chateau d’Igé****.
Day 6–Friday
Beaujolais region, going through the different appellations of Beaujolais, Morgon, Broully, Saint Amour and Julienas.
Lunch in a village.
Lugdunum (Lyon) was capital of Gaule 2,000 years ago. The Renaissance district, recognized as a part of the “World Heritage” is especially interesting.
It is said that Lyon is watered by three rivers: the Rhone, the Saone and the Beaujolais. This wine is served in the “bouchons” -name given to Lyon’s bistros- in the traditional 46cl “pot” with a very thick bottom.
Froggytravel services end at the drop off to the N&H Hotel **** airport.
NOTE: If you would like to know more about Lyon and stay longer, we will stop by the Mercure Lyon Plaza Republique*** perfectly located downtown.
Day 7–Saturday
You only have to cross a road for a stress free morning flight departure, arriving home same day in the afternoon
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