You're still the Vin - Beaune

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A Shania Twain song. (Who was, I infer from various press reports, a former client of Michael Parker's.)

We are staying a bit to the north of Beaune, and a little south of Nuits-St-George, in a converted farmhouse which is fabulously set up for slacking about. If you're interested in visiting, here's the link to Maison des deux Clochers. I give it a big thumbs up.

Dad tells me that on his recent guided tour of Europe he had to be up at 5.30 and on the road by 6.30. Bollocks to that. Today we woke about 9.30, and engaged in a gentle debate about whose turn it was to make coffee and heat the croissants. After brekkie au lit, I had a long bath, Helen went for a run, and we left to pop down the road (5km) to Beaune at about noon, or maybe half-past twelve.

Beaune is pretty much at the heart of Burgundy. It's a prosperous wee place: walled and cobbled, and set about with fine buildings. Obv, wine is to the fore.

Helen was in abstemious mood, so we decided not to do the tasting at the Marche de Vins (15 wines, 10 Euros, including a takeaway tastevin) immediately.

We will tackle the tasting tomorrow - a daunting list.

Whites
Monthelie
Marsannay du Château de Marsannay
Meursault

Reds
Chorey Les Beaune
Fixin
Hospices De Dijon, Beaune Cuvée M. Sophie Grangier
Pernand Vergelesses
Savigny
Aloxe Corton
Morey St Denis
Pommard
Nuits St Georges
Chambolle Musigny
Beaune 1er cru
Charmes Chambertin

We will have to take notes!
And, if all goes well, we may try it a second or third time!

You are thinking- what about le drinking and le driving? Pas de problem. An excellent restautant we went to in Avignon recommended we go to a friendly place in Beaune, so the plan is drink, then a nice lunch. Sound good?

As a warm up pour demain, we popped into the marvellous Atheneum across the street, where they have a decent selection of wines and books. Like this 1915 effort.

The have a wee bar also, and while Helen was au wagon, I had a wee glass of Corton Les Perrières 2003 - the only Grand Cru on offer. I can only say that they do make beautiful wine in Burgundy. Perfumed on the nose, rich fruit, soft tannins, long finish. Everything you'd want pinot noir to be, really.

Not a large glass at 10cl, but I was only after a taste. Still, the nice lady behind the bar was a bit bored, and probably fancied someone to talk to, and said she'd short changed me a bit on the vin front, so she very kindly refilled my glass.

Poor Helen was very restrained, as I sniffed, and swirled and generally got stuck into my second glass. If the tasting doesn't throw up some nicer wine (a perfectly possible if) then we will be back for a bouteille or deux.

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