IWFS Kuala Lumpur Visit to Champagne, Burgundy and Alsace September 2016 - Day Five

Wednesday, 28th September 2016

1. Drive to Alsace
2. Lunch at Taverne Alsacienne
3. Tasting at Domaine Weinbach
4. Dinner at L'Auberge De L'Ill

Woke up to a beautiful bright and blazing morning in Beaune. Little bit of a restless one, but at least the orchestra had become more pastoral than the 1812 overture-like cannons of the previous nights. Lazed about in the bed dozing and catching up on lost sleep time. Very pleasant. Someone once said that the key to longer life is to sleep in and let the body recharge. Definitely got a believer in that one here.

Seems the original plan was to leave early for a leisurely drive to get to our lunch date in Colmar around 1pm. In this, Dear Leader presumably got persuaded by the earnest entreaties of those needing to indulge the shopping instinct to delay so as to give some time in town to sate the cravings. So it was that we lounged and lazed in the room with our instant coffee and gently packed before heading down to the usual breakfast. At this time in the trip I had not yet learned to refuse the orange juice and wolfed down two of the deliciously refreshing and freshly squeezed ahead of the cappuccino and cheese and ham baguette. The Ibis Styles breakfast is solid and filling - bit basic in offerings, but no complaints in quality terms.  And OJ is so good for kick-sparking the system into some level of alertness. It even occasionally allows me to engage in some semblance of breakfast conversation which is generally quite abnormal for me - the neurons don't quite fire as well when the brain is muzzy and bleuggh after a previous evening's skinful (which seems to be pretty much most of the time).

There was lots of excited chatter as we got on to the bus, with people comparing their purchases and prices and the winners in bargaining terms being loudly lauded. Very fast check out (though we had to fill out some residence form for the local gendarmerie which consumed an observedly five pointless minutes) and roll the cases across the road to a pretty sullen Napoleon for loading on the bus. I guess some people just can't see the sunshine and celebrate another day of life. It truly was a glorious morning. 10.30 saw us saying farewell to Ibis, though not before (I think) Bachan had to run back into the hotel to retrieve some booty. Or go for a pee. A three hour drive lay ahead of us, so we settled into the seats and dozed or whatsapped. Lenglui slept most of the way as normal - amazing that she can just zap out on anything that moves. I stare out of the window at the passing landscape, which also can be quite relaxing. But sleep on a bus or train totally eludes me.

Side note - Dear Leader had splurged for a mobile Broadband package whereby we all could log on to his mini Hub thingy and remain in contact with the world to check and see whether it still loved us. Only problem seemed to be that it could not handle all the love at any one time and was a bit slow in connecting a lot of the time. Not to worry - the world would hopefully still be there when it did. 

An hour into the ride I began wishing I had followed Bachan to the Ibis toilet for that last go before the off. That freaking OJ. My entire second hour on the bus was focused on restraining the need for relief. Which thankfully came sooner as a result (I guess) of OJ's effect on everyone else. Napoleon pulled into a large-ish petrol station cum restaurant shop and everyone ran to the restrooms. Ahhh....   Total exquisite bliss. Lesson - no more OJ ahead of a bus ride.

I picked up some extra bottled water at the station and a few of the pilgrims bought snacks to share on the bus for the last hop into Alsace. The landscape had been slowly changing from pretty flat to slightly rolling and the sight of vines always heralds that we are getting close to where we need to be. 

The Alsace region is pretty, not unlike Beaune but a bit more lush green and higher slopes and peaks dotted with the occasional fortress. We were coming to it in blazing sunshine and blue cloudless skies - about as picture perfect as you could get. The Autoroute gave way to smaller roads, one of which brought us through impossibly pretty flower festooned houses and restaurants to the town of Ingersheim and our lunch at La Taverne Alsacienne. Dear Leader had billed it as "leaning towards seafood dishes (and) with an immaculate wine list" thanks to the owner being a judge at Decanter World awards. 

Something to study whilst, er....   

Notwithstanding our arriving a shade past the lunch hour closing time, we got sat at two tables with a separate one on which to park the bottles and glasses. The Tavern is a very pretty place, lots of paintings, and quite cool in the shade - most pleasant indeed. The bathroom was downstairs and the ledge going down was decorated with high-end bottles of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Alsace. As was the boy's room itself. All empty. Of course. 

I did not make any notes on lunch, though I remember it as bright and easy breezy and some lovely wines to pair with the food. The aim was for a light lunch ahead of our upcoming 3 star dinner that evening. But I have learnt that "light" is a term of degree and relativity, and that my concept of light does not seem to align with that of either the Alsace or the IWFS. There is nothing "light" about IWFS lunches.  The photos show an egg custard soup with bread to start, followed by a large salmon terrine salad and a huge helping of some fish in white sauce with potato and asparagus. I seem to remember big hunks of bread and lovely butter. There may have been dessert but I have no memory or record. As said, so much for light. I had to get up and take a walk outside to ease the bloat and take some snaps of the Taverne. Phooo…..   Wines were 2012 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Rotenberg Pinot Gris, 2013 Albert Boxler Grand Cru Sommerberg Riesling, and a 2013 Albert Mann Les Saintes Claires Pinot Noir. All wonderfully textured and full of character and perfect foils for the hearty Alsacienne food on the table. I seem to remember enjoying the Pinot Gris very much - light crisp honey, bit of smoke and a hit of longan fruit. I was also keen to try the Albert Mann since my mate Julian in Singapore is due to bring it in there. It didn't seem to stun - pleasant enough, but couldn't quite find the heart of the thing on this occasion. Will try to blag a bottle when next I see him. He is my good friend. Yes.

Interior of Restaurant Taverne Alsacienne

Salmon Terrine

Cod, potato, asparagus, parsley sauce. This is a light lunch. Yes. 

Lunchtime wines

Restaurant Taverne Alsacienne

Restaurant Taverne Alsacienne

99, rue de la République

68040 Ingersheim, France

Tel +3 (03) 89 27 08 41

tavernealsacienne68@orange.fr

www.tavernealsacienne-familleguggenbuhl.com

Closed Sunday to Thursday evenings, closed all day Monday

Domaine Weinbach frontage against the Schlossberg Hill

Lunch ended about 3.30pm, and notwithstanding our lateness we decided to follow the plan and make a visit to Domaine Weinbach. Following a few more squeezingly tight left and right turns, we came to the gate and driveway into the place. It was very narrow, so Napoleon dropped us just outside the gate rather than going in. No explanation forthcoming, though clearly he could not have got out "wizzout beeg scratching of my boos, madame." At least that is what he might have said had he opened his mouth. I guess he would sit and wait and talk to his handphone to his heart's content. At least his phone spoke French.

Pliss, do not eat ze grapes madame... zey maight
maike you make ze noize laike ze trombone...

The Domaine Weinbach is a large property lying in the shadow of the Schlossberg Mountain. It was founded by the Capucin monks in 1612 and so named because of the small stream (wine brook) running through the estate. Located just outside Kayserberg, the main property is situated within the walls of the original 9th Century monastic vineyard (the 5 hectare Clos du Capucins) with which title all the wines of the estate are named. In total Domaine Weinbach owns 26 hectares of vineyards in the Kaysersberg valley in the Haut-Rhin of Alsace at between 200 to 400 metres above sea level.  Our guide pointed pretty much all around and said these were his grapes. Wow. One of the Pilgrims wondered to me whether the place was for sale. I said "Of course M'sieur - ten million Euro, but seeing as you are Malaysian... I sell to you for fifteen."
"Deal." he said. "Will you accept 1MDB Bonds?" I said I would check with the owner. Smartass.

Some of these hectares are on the slopes of the Schlossberg hill (one of the oldest recorded vineyard sites in Alsace) whose granite and sand soils make it perfect for Riesling. Grapes from the upper slopes go to make the Cuvée Sainte-Catherine while the middle slope goes to make Grand Cru (which is also called Sainte-Catherine - bloody French). Gewurtztraminer comes from a small plot on the Mambourg of Sigolsheim whilst their pinot gris comes from somewhere called the Altenbourg site. 

Domaine Weinbach

Domaine Weinbach wines are "heady, exuberant and full-bodied yet also racy, whistle-clean and always achingly beautiful and refined. Traditionally the style has often veered towards the sweet but under Laurence's guidance rieslings tended more to dryness. Her uncanny precision is also felt in the estate's ethereal muscat, sumptuous pinot gris and luscious, sensuous gewurztraminers." http://www.thewinesociety.com/grower-profile-domaine-weinbach

The winery came to the Faller family in 1898 (Theo and Colette) and after Theo passed in 1979 it was run by Mme Colette and daughters Catherine and Laurence. Sadly, Laurence suddenly passed in 2014 at age 47 and Mme Colette in 2015 aged 85. It is now run by Catherine with sons Theo and Eddy with wines made by Ghislain Berthiot. The estate is certified biodynamic and grapes are grown organically and hand picked for passive ageing in oak.  

Additional note from Julian at Julian's Eating who left a very useful comment - "the Cuvee Ste Catherine from the upper slopes of the Schlossberg has now been renamed Cuvee Colette, so you have GC Schlossberg from the lower, Colette from the higher, and Schlossberg GC Ste Catherine from the middle. But they are all superb without exception, regardless of name." 

The new owners of the Domaine after I had sold it to them. They are very happy.

We got taken on a very brief tour and got taken straight to the booze. Dear Leader has a great gift in communicating our time constraints without incurring the disdain of the owners. We started with the ordinary and quickly moved on to the extraordinary. Some wonderful expressions of Riesling and Pinot Gris (which we bought) and the sweeties were delightful. Lots of spitting but lots of swallow too - sometimes the wine is just too good to spit. Actually, better make that most times…  More so on this occasion, the wines were stellar. We fell for the Pinot Gris and bought two for home. We learned that Alsace is blessed with magnificent climat and drainage. It sits in the rainshadow of the Vosges Mountains and tracks the Rhine for its eastern waterway. The land was truly beautiful, easy meandering slopes leading up a mountainside covered with vines and dotted with properties. Very Sound Of Music. someone should make a film - The Sound of Boozing. Yes. 

Tasting the Weinbach wines

Round One...

...and Round Two. Total yum wines.

Ze waine maike me want to dance wiz ze flowers. Oui.

Domaine Weinbach

Colette, Catherine et Laurence Faller

Clos des Capucins

F 68240 Kayserberg

Tel 33 (0)3 89 47 13 21

contact@domaineweinbach.com

With our purchases duly made and bubble wrapped we were all back on the bus to go to our hotel in Colmar for a quick check in, shower and change and then back on the bus to dinner. Well, that was the plan. However, when we got to the hotel the nice lady at the desk informed Dear Leader that we were not due at the Columbier Hotel until the following night. Bugger. But they also said that they would help in locating us somewhere to stay though naturally this would take some time. Which was nice of them. We had a dilemma - wait for the hotel or go straight to dinner? It was quickly and communally seen that to wait would mean a large delay in getting to our highlight dinner, so without anyone arguing we got Napoleon to help reload all the bags back on the bus and went straight to the Auberge de L'Ill for our 3 star dinner. Again, not a word from Napoleon, though I think I might have got a grunt from him as I said a "Merci" for his help. Then again, it might have been his phone. Or something else. Oui.

What was actually a standout memory was that everyone just took this blip in their stride - not one voice of whinge did I hear from anyone. It was as if everyone just gave a Gallic shrug and said "C'est la guerre" - one of those things that happens, you just had to roll with it. Something would get done and all would be well so best to just keep drinking the champagne and let whatever happen happen. Que Sera Sera. Absolutely. Top quality character shown by all.

Auberge de L'Ill

So it was that, somewhat scaggy and unwashed and way way underdressed, we pitched up at the Michelin 3 Star Auberge De L'Ill. The staff welcomed us graciously and moved us through to the verandahs and the cold booze that was waiting for us. Here we spent 30 wonderful minutes chilling out in the Auberge gardens with glasses of well cooled Muscat in the nippy evening sunset air. The gardens and property were absolutely idyllic, all trees and bushes and river and sun setting over it all. Table and seating areas were dotted all around and other guests of the Inn were equally enjoying the vibe. Completely wiped away the stress of the loading/unloading. I figured the worst that could happen was we could camp out in the Auberge gardens. Or all of us book a room at the Auberge and crash for the night. Totally relaxing in the autumn evening air. Memory for a lifetime. 

Auberge de L'Ill gardens

I had circulated foodie friend Julian's report (http://julianteoh.blogspot.my/2016/06/review-of-auberge-de-lill-illhauesern.html) on the Auberge in advance to the pilgrims, and I think some of them had indeed read it. They seemed quite knowledgeable about the restaurant and the food and stars. The brochure tells that the Haeberlin family have been operating an eaterie in Illhaeusern for 150 years - "they work the land, cook with artistry and serve with their heart" and this is the Haeberlin spirit now being perpetuated by the present generation of Marc and Danielle. It has held its 3 Michelin stars since 1976, which Dear Leader advised is only bettered by the Paul Bocuse in Lyon. 

As good as it gets - chilling at Auberge de L'Ill

We got scuttled into our room (two tables, twelve and ten seats) and relaxed in to finish off the remains of the light and charmingly more-ish Muscat. Despite its heritage, the place felt quite modern, with new artistic touches around the walls. Lots of earth tones (burgundy and beige) with modern touches of lighting and soft furnishing. And lots of wood panel and branches as decorations, which gave a cosy log cabin in the forest feel. We sat and perused the menu, which had been printed on a charming Haeberlin watercolour card - and all in French. Mais naturellement madame. Where's that Google Translate again?

Sunset in the gardens of Auberge de L'Ill

One of the first things noticed was the wonderful standard and choreography of the service. Waters and wines got served in timely and decanted fashion, yet still with enough time and attention by staff to give answers to the occasional questions raised. Most excellent. Also got a fresh serviette served on a warm plate on return from the bathroom which was a most pleasant touch.

Wine One was a 2010 Grand Cru Alsatian Riesling by Rene Mure in Vorbourg which was all crisp, fresh and crunchy apple and racy acidity which got a nice salt hit from the bread. Full in body, bit of a tartish finish, but enough sweet in the wine to give balance. Nicely elegant, though not so that it demanded too much of the attention. Hint of oil with a medium to firm body.

Auberge de L'Ill table setting and menu

The bread is superb, as is the butter. Got fresh, got gluten, got creamy salt. Yum. Always a good sign.

Our amuse bouche was a combo of fish and what felt like a fried onion ring, all in a brilliant smooth and creamy mushroom broth which deftly checked the acidity in the Mure. Very nice mouthfeel on this wine. 

Amuse Bouche

Dish one was Spice Crusted Red Tuna Tartare (I think) from which I seemed to get a lot of immediate salt. I liked the low impact wasabi which contrasted well with the yuzu style salty lemon. Hit of mustard cress gave a lively jolt on the tongue. Also some (what felt like) crunchy pig fat croutons gave a good meaty taste and useful texture, and making for a good tuna melt in the mouthful chew. It seemed to bring out a pear note in the wine, which was pleasant.

Spice Crusted Red Tuna

Wine Two was also a Riesling, and from the same producer as one that we'd had earlier at lunch though one year earlier in vintage. It was brilliant with the bread and butter which disintegrated the wine's light acidity and let some sleek acacia honey of this cheeky cheek pincher to burst through. Though there seemed to be a tending toward the sucky side of things as it slid across the back of the tongue to a medium large finish.

Non, M'sieur, yooo cannot do ze Mossie in mai place.
Ai weel spank you bigtime. Oui.

It was being paired with the Saint Pierre fish, which apparently is the French equivalent of a John Dory. A fillet of St Peter's best had been laid across an island of beans and chopped vegetables in a light bistro style broth and topped with what reminded of a curry puff we can get from the little Malay lady in next door's hawker stall in KL but filled with (I think) Ricotta mushroom rather than sardine. Okay. The fish was lightly seared and made for an excellent match with the beans and celeriac, all of which got eased along nicely by the brown umami-ish broth. Which got me thinking that Brown for me is not only a colour - it is also a taste, reminiscent of Bistro style salt and fat gravy. And this broth tasted brown. Ish. Well, light brown. Kind of. Hmmm....  finding the right word can be a pain.

It made for a brilliant contrast of heat and sweet when paired with the wine. This was a great tumble of textures - soft ricotta, crunchy celeriac, sweet but sour ginger sauce. And all of these cutting the Riesling's acidity to release honey and toffee notes. I think I got a hit of garlic acetic somewhere in the broth which got a tad in the way of the wine. Best match was the Ricotta mushroom curry puff - again the mushroom eased the slight tartness to give the wine some good width and roundness. Delightful drinking. 

Fish with Mushroom Risotto, er, Curry Puff

Dish Three was an amazing lobster, all fresh and sweet and tender. Addition of (I think) barley gave the bisque a light bite texture, whilst the bisque itself was amazing. Chef had also added some lightly fried sage (I think) which was genius - fantastic taste and texture.

The Lobster in creamy bisque

Wine Three was the Pinot Gris which initially came out a bit cat pee on the nose and Turkish Delight in the mouth. Worked well with the food, though, with the Turkish giving way to deep rich raisins. I seemed to get an almost sherry wood barrel note, like the raisins had been infused with oak soaked in sherry. Odd, but nice. I think perhaps there was some milk or light cream in the sauce which helped to tame the wine's mildly frisky acidity and let its deep rich and wonderfully lovely raisins to come through. Naturally, the bisque was amazing with the bread and butter. Oily, sweet, salt and a mild spicy fire getting soaked up by the crusty gluten. Suck this all night. Belter.

Decanting the reds

Our wine servers were uncorking the reds and decanting the bottles over a candle so as to check when the sediment was due to come out and stop the pour. This is where the Mossie alert kicks in, as there can often be at least a decent glassful left in the bottle. Prudence normally demands such holy water should not suffer the fate of the sink hole without first checking it in a nearby glass. Yes indeed - The Moss would be gravely miffed by such a dereliction and I would incur the righteous wrath of the enraged. A later inspection showed indeed at least half a measure in the bottles. However, an abnormal discretion kicked in and I chickened out of chugging the remains. I think it was the gravitas of the occasion, the imposing history of the Auberge and the stern gaze of the Sommelier fazed me into meek submission and deference. One had to ask - what would the Governor do, sat there as he was at the table? Not sure, but he would definitely not grab the bottle and swig from it. Better to incur the mild admonition of the Moss rather than the intimidating  silence of the Governor or the incandescant rage of an almighty French Maitre D' on his own turf. 

The Pinot decanters were delightful, shaped like ducks with pewter style beaks and belts and other ornamentation. The staff were all generous in their pours and again we all felt well wine sated by the end of the night. 

The Duck Decanter. Hugely tempted to souvenir one. Took the photo instead.

The lamb was a well tasty piece of meat, full of tender feel and texture with just enough fibre to work the salivatory glands. Two full chops in the rack and done to perfection. The jus was very bistro, leaning toward the sweet in its reduction, whilst the potato and fennel was amazing - tending texturally toward the vegetal but not to any extent underdone.

The most excellent Lamb and crunchy Potato and Fennel

On first glug, the Faiveley was massively tannic and felt way too young. We had to be reminded that this was a 2002 - amazing power in this boy. 

Whilst lamb's traditional wine match is a Cabernet, it worked wonderfully well with the Faiveley, slashing the tannins into something less fierce and giving it a classy New Zealand kind of Pinot feel, all frisk and clean power. Though the terroir maintained its pedigree as a Burg (cue for discussion as to why a NZ Pinot will never be Burgundian…). Big wine. 

I guess we had the Montus as a palate cleanser and match with the cheeses though I have no note or photo of either.  

La "Peche Haeberlin"

There were to be four servings of dessert style dishes. First out were a selection of macaroon and biscuit style sugary carbo bites which charmed the tongue but killed the wine. Standout was what my notes called an "Excellent French biscuit wafer thingy" which in hindsight was the toffee tuile. Was like the Brandy Snap we get at Christmas. As ever, my notes on dessert are pretty non existent, though there is one noting a "sour sweet cold shock with ice cream and apricots and other sharp fruits" (presumably the "Peche Haeberlin"). Equally for the Tart where the combination of peach, caramel, crispy crunchy wafer plus apricot mousse made for a great belly busting finale. Julian was right - the Alsaciennes clearly love to end with a big bellybusting dessert bang. Phooo….

Peach Tart

Dear Leader had gone with a 1989 Hugel VT Gewurtz to finish the evening ahead of our scheduled visit there the following day. O delightful - lots of sweet honey, caramel and toffee apples in the mouth. I found it a bit unctuous and syrupy, and leaving a bit of clag on the throat, but in the presence of greatness we should just shut up and sip. Yes. Om.

Lots of chocolate in the Minardises. So good. Kills the wine, though... did we have coffee? Can't remember...

President David gave a speech and said it had been a perfect night. Well and yes for the wines, service and ambience. And the aperitifs in the garden with the setting sun was truly magical and sublime. But the food…   overall, I was not as stunned as I thought I might be; nor as I have been at other places. Without the notes and photos I would not really remember much about the dishes. But the service and room were excellent, and the wine and the duck like decanters were delightful. To be frank, it all felt like a blur, and as my notes got increasingly scrawly to the point of massive unintelligible much of the evening is now fading into the mists. Maybe focusing too much on the 3 Star "event" and the felt need to record it rather than just enjoying the food and company and the place? Perhaps. Also maybe a bit tired from all the bus riding and the ongoing marathon of eating and drinking. I recall one of the Pilgrims asking why did I not dictate my thoughts into the phone and my response was that I felt to do so was a bit rude. To which the rejoinder was "well, isn't making notes at the table also rude?" To which my response was "well, not as…" But also the Pilgrim was not wrong - rude is rude, though sometimes maybe a matter of degree and needs must when posterity is at the stake. The readable notes do bring back some of the magic of the night that I am happy to translate for me and the world. But I do feel that I did miss something somewhere along the Auberge de L'Ill way…

Wines for the night. Wheeeeee!

So overall I give it a good to very good, but not food that I think I will remember years down the line. Hopefully one day down that line I can give it another try in a less intense context than an IWFS Pilgrimage. Maybe a Julian Alsace Pilgrimage. See how. 

We all crawled back on the bus for Colmar where it was shared that the Columbier had found two hotels to house us all for the night. Eight pilgrims in one hotel and the rest in The Mercure, I think it was, though it might have been an Ibis. Can't remember if Napoleon helped unload the bags, was too tired to think much beyond get checked in and into the room. Which we speedily did. So it was that at midnight we stumbled up to the rooms for a quick shower and crawled straight into bed. A good memorable day ended with a good solid sleep. Drunken dreams. No trombones. 

Auberge de L'Ill Petits Fours

L'Auberge de l'Ill

2, rue de Collonges au Mont d'Or

68970 Illerhaeusern, France

Tel +33 3 89 71 89 00

aubergedelill@aubergedelill.com

www.auberge-de-l-ill.com

Closed Monday and Tuesday, closed for the month of February

Menu Auberge de l'Ill Illhaeusern

La Longe de Thon Rouge pane aux Epices,

Mousseline de chou-fleur au wasabi et get de citron

La Filet de St Pierre Poele, vierge de legumes et fritot a la ricotta

Le Bouillon de Homard Estival

Le Carre d'Agneau Roti accompagne d'un Croustillant de Pommes Boulangeres au Fenouil Safrane

Les Fromages

la "Peche Haeberlin"

La Tarte au Cotron et Mirabelles d'Alsace Pochees

Creme Citronelle, Petits Carres de Florentin

Glace au Lait de Brebis et Miel

Petits Fours, Mignardises et Chocolats

Wines

Muscat Josmeyer 2014

Riesling Rene Mure Alsace Grand Cru Vorbourg 2010

Riesling Boxler Alsace Grand Cru Sommerberg 2012

Pinot Gris Zind Humbrecht Alsace Grand Cru Rangen 1997

Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru Faiveley 2002

Madiran Cuvee Prestige Montus 1998

Gewurtztraminer Vendange Tardives Hugel 1989

The aperitif Josmeyer Muscat - surprisingly delightful

IWFS Kuala Lumpur visit to Champagne, Burgundy and Alsace September 2016 - Day Four

Our morning route. Joy.

Tuesday, 27th September 2016

Morning: walk to the vines to see Vendange
Bus to Domaine Leflaive
Lunch: Maison Leflaive
Afternoon: Beaune, Bouchard wine taste
Evening: Domaine Taupenot-Merme
Dinner: Castel de Tres Girard

Woke up around 7am. The room was a bit cool from the aircon and the bathroom floor was positively freezing underfoot. Brrrr….   now I remembered why I do not like winter, nor the prospect of it. Too darn cold for humans. Birds have the right idea - fly south. But at least it was dry with a prospect of sunshine. Always a good sign. Couldn't find the slippers so suffered the morning frostbite on the feet and jumped back into the warmth of the duvet for a quick defrost ahead of the shower, dress and ready for the off. 

As said previously, this was to be an early up and at 'em which would involve a brisk morning walk with Fabrice to the vineyards where the harvest was taking place. Well, brisk in theory and ultimately only for some of us - the rest would take the thing a bit more leisurely in the crisp September morning Burgundy air. 

The gentle rolling slopes of the Cote de Beaune

Following a swift and light breakfast of coffee and croissant, the doughty and devoted pilgrims had all gathered in the chill but still morning air with Fabrice outside the hotel entrance. The less devoted had clearly remained in their warm beds. All seemed in various shades of either wakefulness or hangdog from the previous night, but otherwise in good spirit. The sun had yet to come out to burn off the morning chill which actually made it perfect walking weather. The appointed time came and off we tramped toward the line of vans and cars we could see bisecting the Beaune slope. 

Fabrice Amiot with the Pilgrims

The village of Chassagne-Montrachet

There is something about the slopes of the Cotes de Beaune which is so easy on the eye. Rolling greenery of precious climats sectored off by stone or slate walls into the distance and punctuated by pretty towns and steeples. Somehow ageless and deathless. 

The pickers take a break, the Pilgrims take a photo

The walk was pleasant and easy and all cameras started clicking when our group came upon the first gang of pickers who had decided to take a quick snack and wine break. They were all European, it being apparently the law that French employers like Fabrice cannot hire non EU workers (which will really screw any itinerant Brits looking for work once Brexit kicks in). Seeing all the Malaysians taking the photos of the white folks picking the grapes, it struck me that were this about fifty or sixty years ago the positions would be reversed - would have been white folks taking photos of Malaysians doing the work. Strange how the world turns, eh? Someone remarked that the survivors are always those who best turn with it. Not wrong there.

The Pilgrims Communing with the Grapes. Om.

Walking along the lines of vines, there was a great sense both of nature and cycles and vintage and place and…. a moment. A sense that though the Vendange had been repeated annually for centuries, this was MY moment to be here for this picking and harvest of the 2016 Montrachet grapes. Or what was left of them after the bastard April frost that had apparently killed about 70% of the buds according to some estimates. God and itinerant meteors willing, these fields will still be farmed long after I and my fellow pilgrims are gone. Be that as it may, as said this was a timeless and eternal moment for me. Total location and connection with the place and the time. Om. 

"Ai can sell you zis field, 'ow much you want for paiy?"

After a reasonable lurk around the vines and more photos, we took a leisurely walk back to the hotel to grab a quick shower, pack the bags and check out. The sun was now well up in the cloudless sky and making for another glorious day. Napoleon was very quiet today, sheepishly grabbing the bags and wordlessly loading them into the bus. Probably figured best not to say anything to either person or handphone - his end of the trip tips were in clear jeopardy. There did not seem to be much of a rush today - people seemed easy and free and just chilling in the shade. Beautiful light at this time of the morning, which for some reason I failed to take much advantage of in terms of photos. Must have been the early morning walk - the Brian is not built for such extensive exertions at such unreasonable hours of the day. 

Waiting for the bus at Le Montrachet

For some reason no one made the choice to walk to our next destination, the nearby Domaine Olivier Leflaive. Perhaps it was a fear of getting lost, though the winery was apparently just up and around the corner. The herd instinct mentality can be a powerful force. As often happens, the five minute walk became a twenty minute drive due to one way roads and narrow strips and corners that took some negotiating. We disembarked in front of a restaurant that would prove our lunch venue, where we joined a couple of other tour groups that had assembled to go on the winery tour. 

Outside Le Maison d'Olivier Leflaive with the man himself

Leflaive is booze of legend. Their Pulignys are massive fruit bombs that whack and sing and fill the mouth with amazing tastes. The Leflaives were one of the first wine families to recognise and introduce Biodynamism and rode the wave of first movers as it stormed the world of wine drinking. Lenglui and I got turned on to Leflaive some time back and have supped a number of the Puligny vintages over the years. So where Bollinger was a pilgrimage for the fizz lovers, this was a bit of a pilgrimage for us. It was also a chance to say a quiet prayer for winemaker Anne-Claude Leflaive, who sadly passed in 2015.

Freshly harvested from the vines

At the assembly point, we were met and greeted by a farmer-like country gentleman who turned out to be M. Olivier Leflaive himself and who would personally be conducting this tour of his winery. Wow. Following a few words of welcome, we were told to follow him down the road and round a few turns to get to the winery. Which would indeed turn out to be around the corner from Le Montrachet. Herd instinct. There you go. 

We all stopped outside the winery for a brief intro to Leflaive and its history. Everyone else always seems to be able to politely stand and take all this in. I get very restless and miss much of what gets said. I think I heard something about extensions to the winery sponsored by someone in the USA. Lenglui borrowed my seatstool to rest the legs. Very useful device this - folds up to be a walking stick then folds down to become a stool. Pain to carry around and get through airports, but hugely useful on tours like this. Then we all went inside to look at the steel and pipes and ogle at the vintages in the wine storage area. 

Olivier explaining his wines to the Pilgrims

Lenglui needed the toilet so we went off hunting and thanks to my schooldays French was able to communicate this to an employee who directed us accordingly. Lenglui had also had enough of standing so I left her parked with the stool near the staff entrance and returned back to the group back inside the winery. The tour ended back at the front of the winery where we were introduced to a machine that was making the first press of the 2016 Vendange. M. Olivier grabbed a couple of plastic cups and filled them with the juice so that we all could get a taste of the 2016 direct from the press. It was fantastic - sweet and grapey, like grape juice concentrate but with a hit of apple cider. I brought some of the juice along to where Lenglui was waiting for her to try. She also liked. Real highlight for a Leflaive pilgrim like me - can say I tasted the first press when we get the 2016. Can't wait for the finished wine!

Tasting the first press of the 2016 harvest 

Strolling back to town to lunch was a bit warm in the growing midday sun. As said, the restaurant was the place where we had all earlier assembled. It was located in the town square, where two Cenotaphs stood to honour those of the village who lost their lives in both the World Wars. Lot of character in the place, lot of both Leflaive and Puligny history. There was a cute elderly wooden bespectacled Grandmere with a tray outside to welcome everyone into a smallish place with narrow doors, stuffy rooms and tight seating. Actually make that very tight seating. Getting in and out would be difficult. Lenglui figured a pre lunch bathroom visit would be a good idea which it was - she darn smart like that. 

The walk back to lunch

We scrambled and climbed into our tight seats for lunch and a tasting of some Leflaive lovelies. The restaurant does a food menu for Euro30 but if you tack on a tasting of either 6 or 9 wines to taste then this was either Euro60 (labelled "Emotion") or Euro75 (labelled "Passion") respectively. There were also tastes of the Premier and Grand Cru wines at various prices. I think we had a combo of Emotion plus a couple of the 1er Crus. 

Tightly seated in Le Maison anxiously waiting for the booze...

The nice though marginally effete Frenchie with the bottles and the irritating and somewhat snotty "ai am ze expert 'ere, eef you pleeeze oncle, just dreenk when ai tell you" attitude poured us the first three to be going on with. We started with the 2013 Bourgogne, which was fresh and light and tasting of crisp apple with throat dry sucking acidity. Second was a 2011 Saint Aubin Village which, although a wine that ticked all the boxes didn't really pop the cork in intensity terms. And the third was a 2011 Saint Aubin 1er Cru "Chateniere" which did the same only with more, er, intensity - crisper in the mouth, bigger apples, more power in the mouth and finish and sweeping the throat like a draught of frosty spring water. Lovely drop.

The Chicken - love the plate with all the names of the Burgundy regions

The cheese choux was a bit on the dry flaky side, full of air and salt and sticking to the top of the tonsils like sellotape. The Chicken was pretty good, firm and fair taste whilst the apple and celeriac gave crispy sweet and subtle heat. There were also some brown crispy tobacco looking bits which gave some spice and crunch - not sure what these were. In matching terms, wine 1 felt the better of the three - its large acidity got tamed which let some big fruit bombs come through. Wine 2 gained a degree of class when tasted with the food. Got more complexity and clean sleek throat and finish. Good pairing. Wine 3 must have got seen off as I have no note. 

Yasu and Allie

During lunch, someone of an architectural bent passed observation that the extensions to the Leflaive winery felt a bit "bolt on" rather than having been thought through and better integrated into the existing structures. The resulting building felt a bit "factory" rather than Chateau, which he said kind of turned him away from buying the wines. If no thought goes into integrating things into the building, or visibly preserving the heritage of the winery and its pedigree, what else might follow from this? Becomes a question. Is a profit motive looming larger in the boardroom? Will some of the quality seams start to stretch as this push toward larger volumes takes hold?

Vanessa and Tony

Whilst not entirely sure that the logic follows in all that, it does not seem an unfair observation in its context - here we were sucking on Leflaive's best in a Leflaive restaurant and getting sold on the romance of the Leflaive name. And the cash till kept ringing its roll-out-the-bottle song. To which I contributed by buying a couple of the Pulignys. Because they are lovely wines which friends and family enjoy and would be some of the last to have been made by Anne-Claude. Actually no - my friend Julian pointed out that Olivier Leflaive has his own operation separate from the Domaine and we were sucking his wines and not the usual ones we buy. Bugger. Never mind. Gives a good reason to go back there and do the place I assumed we were doing. Bloody French.

M. Le Snot came back with two Meursaults - a 2012 Village "Vireuils" and a 2010 1er Cru "Boucheres". The Village was limestone fresh on the nose, with oak and butter also to the fore. Heavy mouth texture on this one, and somewhat harsh cheek squeaky citrus acidity. Bit thin on the finish. The 1er Cru was also limestone fresh but richer, rounder, smoother, and leaner though still with large oak and butter. And still with a tear jerking lemon squeak acidity that brought tears to the eyes. I think these boys might dissolve kidney stones. 

Salut!!

The cod was nicely roasted and full of firm fish taste. Potatoes were fine, lightly boiled and crunchy and adding light and milky Creme Fraiche made for three great companions on a plate. And all seasoned lightly though with an added hint of cardomom. I just wish it all could have been hotter. Not sure if this was the style that Chef was seeking to display to us punters, but I would think that Roast Cod requires some warmth. Perhaps the kitchen might have been suffering from lack of staff to get 40 plus dishes out on to the tables. But hey, if you're laying on tours for visiting pilgrims every day and offering food and tastings at your outlet, you need to make sure there's enough staff to get the food out fast and hot. There's a need to maintain the standard here, else the whole brand suffers as a result. Perhaps my architectural friend might already be right.

The Roast Cod with Potatoes and Cream

Anyhow, matching wise, Meursault 1 gained a gut turning acidic belt resulting in a Metallica fierce finish. Yuck. Meursault 2 fared somewhat better, certainly less harsh, but the food seemed to suck most of the character out of the wine and turned it into springwater. Very pleasant springwater, but springwater nonetheless. 

Pannacotta. Very French. Oui.

I think Dear Leader decided we needed some of the top class to try because out came a 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. Not sure if he bought by the bottle, but we all got a decent slug of it. Hugely tight nose - I thought I got a hint of kipper but my nose was pretty whacked by this time. Eventually got a bit of raisin and perhaps hazelnut aromas. Tastewise, it was like sucking on a tin of mixed fruit - peaches, cherries, orange, pineapple and all doused in that thick sinful syrup the doctors say is analaptic shock in waiting but which we greedily pour down our throats anyway. Nice and tasty, though not convinced it was enough to shell out Euro100 for a bottle. And having it before the youthful and frisky 2011 Pommard Village rendered the latter tannic and acidic and setting the teeth on enamel stripped edge. The cheese helped the Pommard slightly, though not enough to save it. "Grim and harsh" say my notes. Though the cheeses were excellent. Someone came round to take orders for tea or coffee. Someone responded with a "More wine, please." Don't think we got any - M. Le Snot was charming another group into buying up the souvenir booze. 

Our lunchtime tastings

On the way out, I bought a Leflaive T Shirt and, as said earlier, splurged on two bottles of the 2011 Puligny Montrachet "Les Folatieres" at Euro73 a hit which is still a good whack below what we would pay to get it brought up from Singapore after tax and duty. I recommended it to The Money who strongarmed a more pleasant bottle man (M. Le Not Snot) to give her a glass from which I managed to snag an extra sip whilst she was swooning over it. It is good. Will make sure these survive the trip, unlike that poor Italian that never made it past Paris CDG. Overall, if you're a Leflaive fan, then this pilgrimage is a must. If not, perhaps do lunch at Le Montrachet round the corner for the Michelin stars. And the wider space between the chairs. And the hot food. Though you won't have Grandmere to welcome you. Nor M. Le Snot. Non vraimant.

May with Grandmere Leflaive. And my booze.

Food Menu

Gougeres

Cheese choux pastries

Blanc de Volaille marine au citron, celeri et pomme verte

Marinated chicken breast, celeriac and green apple

Cabillaud, pomme de terre grenaille et raisin blanc, creme a l'echalote

Roasted Cod, grenaille potatoes, white grapes and shallot cream

Trio de Fromage regionaux fines par A Hess

Regional chesses matured by Alain Hess

or

Panacotta pain d'epices et coulis de cassis

Spice bread Pannacotta with blackcurrant coulis

La Maison d'Olivier Leflaive

10, Place du Monument

21190 Puligny-Montrachet

Tel +33 (0)3 80 21 37 65

maison@www.olivier-leflaive.com

Back on the bus for a fifteen minute drive to the Ibis Styles in Beaune to dump the bags for an immediate out and tasting at Bouchard Pere et Fils. Lenglui along with the majority decided against this one, opting instead to walk around the town and have a little looksee around the shops. For those who have not visited, Beaune is hugely pretty and wonderfully walkable. Lots of little shops selling wine and booze paraphernalia, and charming patisseries inviting you to sit for coffee and cake - well worth a couple of hours to meander and shop.

Checking in at Beaune Ibis Styles

There were four of us who set off to the Bouchard winery from the Hotel, and we would be joined by three others who got initially detoured by the craving to spend on necessaries like Truffle Mustard and sunblock. It was becoming quite a hot walk to get there, but thanks to Dear Leader's GPS we managed to navigate a scenic route in the cooling shaded streets of Beaune. We got to Bouchard about ten minutes late but still in time for the tasting. I remembered the building from my last visit on a rainy Sunday in August 2013 - peering through the wrought iron gates in the drizzle to take a photo of a long Town Hall like imposing structure that was saying "non, yoo cannot come in 'ere on a Sundaaaiy - whay are yoo not een church?" In the sunlight and open gates it looked way more friendly and indeed Dear Leader got warmly welcomed by the lovely Mmselle and young Monsieur who would be our guide. We took a  brief five minute look at the treasures underneath the building, and then got straight to the tasting. I think Dear Leader might have mentioned we were a bit time pressured. It is always good when you get an understanding guide, n'est-ce pas?

Maison Bouchard Pere et Fils

Bouchard was founded in 1731 and has a collection of some 150,000 bottles, some of which date back centuries. It was taken over by the Henriot family of Champagne in 1995.  The vineyards of Maison Bouchard Pere et Fils cover around 130 hectares (320 acres), of which 12 hectares produce grand cru wines and 74 hectares grow second-ranking premier crus. Our guide proudly shared that some Maison Bouchard Pere et Fils vintage burgundy were sold at auction in Hong Kong in September 2016, one of which was an 1846 vintage from the Meursault-Charmes region which (in what was described in a report as "enthusiastic bidding") sold way above its estimate of HK$80,000 for HK$134,750 ($17,451). The bottle was described by Christie's as the oldest bottle in the Bouchard cellars, with a pale golden colour and a honeyed character (seemed they opened, tested and recorked the boy).  

I must confess to never having been a great fan of the Bouchard wine style. Perhaps a massive over generalisation, but on the whole I have found them a bit on the meagre and thin side, lacking firm body and bite (though perhaps this is the result of only tasting the introductory levels). I do like a bit of meat and whack in my wine. Of today's tasting, I have nothing in the way of notes other than the names of the wines. It all went by in a blissful sunny bright haze of delightfulness. There truly is nothing like sipping the fruits of a winery's labours in the comfort of a well appointed and comfortable tasting room, with little in the way of apparent parsimony in the offerings. There were some lovelies being poured, though none of which ultimately passed the wallet test. 

Some of our tasting wines

We had a 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin, a 2011 Premier Cru Beaune du Chateau, a 2012 Premier Cru Beaune Clos De La Mousse and a 2011 Vigne De L'Enfant Jesus. The whites were 2013 Saint-Veran, 2011 Premier Cru Meursault le Porusot, and a 2012 Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes". I found the concept of a wine of the baby Jesus somewhat amusing in a Catholic kind of way (I was apparently baptized one).  It was Holy Water indeed. Not sure whether the Vatican would wholly approve, though presumably such a naming does not cause offence. No fire and brimstone raining on the Bouchard roofs. Yet.

Bouchard Pere et Fils

15, rue du Chateau

21200 Beaune

Tel +33 (0)3 80 24 80 24

contact@bouchard-pereetfils.com

Heading back to the hotel we lost one of our number so Dear Leader went back to search for him. Seems he was choosing some Bouchard booze to buy and we forgot about him. Lenglui had a successful shopping trip to the Pharmacy in Beaune, having found a skin creme which cost 60% less than home prices. We lazed for a little while before a shower and dress and down for the bus to Morey St Denis and a winemaker's dinner with Romain Taupenot of Domaine Taupenot Merme. Originally the dinner had been scheduled to take place at the One Star Jardin Remparts, a pretty chateau like 1* star restaurant right in the centre of Beaune and five minutes walkable from the hotel. Dear Leader shared that when Romain saw the menu he took it upon himself to liaise directly with the restaurant Madame to change the menu to better suit his wines. Seems the Madame took some offence at the implication that she could not match her food with the wines. After some back and forth across the email ether, both agreed to disagree and parted the ways. Not sure if she told Romain to go elsewhere, but that is what he did. So it was we loaded onto the bus at 6pm to drive to the place that Romain booked, the Castel de Tres Girard. This was also in spitting distance from Romain's Domaine and allowed us to get a brief tour of the winery before our winemaker's meal with him (can't resist it - Romain's Domaine). Dear Leader says if he ever tries to book the Jardin in the future, he will use a different name. 

Outside Domaine Taupenot

Driving through the single lane roads of the Cotes de Nuits was pleasant, passing road signs of legend and desire. The somewhat fierce setting sun necessitated sunglasses, and the reddening sky indicated that it should be a hot one tomorrow. It took us about an hour to reach the Domaine - as memory serves Napoleon took a wrong one somewhere and we had to re-route. I think he was following a French GPS. But of course.

Domaine Taupenot courtyard and well

Romain was there to greet us as we stepped off the bus into a well appointed property that seemed to loom four storeys high but was only two. About 40 plus in years at a guess, very warm and talkative in a mild manner, he kept us standing in the courtyard while he talked about his winery and the climats. As he was doing, a car pulled up and after an awkward bit of parking a vivacious lady stepped out and conversed quite informally with Romain. Everyone assumed they were married. Bit of a shock when he revealed it was his mum - very sparky and stylo. Lenglui was most impressed.  

Mum also became the cue to head off to the cellar, which we did. I need to add at this point that someone had decided it would be a good idea to fine anyone Euro50 who asked a question of Romain. The aim being to shut certain people up and so get to the dinner and the booze faster. Which actually turned out to be quite rude - there was Romain telling us all about his booze and how he made it and all he was getting from the assembled was stonewall silence.  He was indeed starting to sweat a bit by this impassive bunch of pilgrims. I asked a question to give him some relief and offer a way out, which worked - the tour drew to a fast close after it. Then when someone tried to impose the fine on me I flatly refused. Both the premise and the concept did not reflect the standard I would expect of the IWFS. I feel we should be above such schoolyard nonsense. The Queen would be most unamused.

Winston and The Money

As it was, we got to the booze soon enough. The venue was a short drive to the Castel de Tres Girard, an old style cottage place with a roaring fire in the bar and a large room for the restaurant with open area seating available to visitors. We would all be sat on one long table which, in the low light of the place, seemed to stretch away into the distance.  Whilst the fire and grate looked glorious, one consequence was that the place got a bit stuffy if you were sat near that end of the room (and guess who was so sitting…). Seems a Malaysian chef was operating the place but was away on the night we were there.

At the table at Castel De Tres Girard

Castel De Tres Girard is associated with the Chateaux & Hotels Collection, a "regrouping of hoteliers who didn’t feel comfortable with the merger of Relais de Campagne, Relais Gourmands and Châteaux-Hôtels".  They say the hotel and restaurant are housed in an old 17th century wine press, whilst the restaurant "celebrates inventive gourmet cuisine accompanied by exceptional wines."

Both the hotel and restaurant get pretty good reviews on Tripadvisor, and the mention in the Michelin guide looks and reads positive. The place looks very pretty in sunlight on the website, though not much information on the history of the place - doesn't help that the website is in French. There may have been an English version but it was not immediately apparent. Never mind.

Romain telling us about his wines

We all got seated and the wines started to flow. Number 1 smelt like cow poop but tasted wonderful, like tropical fruits - put me in mind of Cigku, that purple-black rock hard skinned little beast of a fruit we see in Malaysia. But when someone remarked that Wine 2 smelt the same, Dear Leader got suspicious and came for a sniff. He immediately ordered fresh glasses - there was something wrong with the ones we had and suspected the early ones were not fully rinsed of soap. On fresh glasses being brought to the table, I got passed over and notwithstanding asking for a glass ended up having to trudge to the kitchen to get one for myself. Also got one for Lenglui to spare any future blushes. 

I must have been Mister Glass Window Cellophane on this evening, because in addition to getting passed over on glasses, I would get passed over on food - twice. Some cutlery issues in all of this as well. Staff were pleasant enough (all men) but clearly not too attentive. Though it must be hugely difficult to retain decent staff in a village in the middle of France, notwithstanding the beauty of the place. Given the quality of the wines we would drink, I'd work there. Train the buggers up and pay them in wine. Though I might be too drunk to do decent food service. Sommelier - that will work. I can handle a corkscrew.

First dish was the somewhat over-salted egg which had been positively buried in truffles. They had this woody kind of quality about them which was new - a kind of a bark-like texture to them which melded beautifully with the egg and all of it slopped up with the wheaty bread and farmhouse butter. All of this worked well with the Saint Romain Blanc, cutting through to reveal citrus, mango and melon. Nice. Stinky due to the bad glass, but nice.

The 63degree Egg and Truffles

Wine Two (also in stinky glass) was Village Gevrey 2012, apparently a low yield vintage. As said, same stinky cow poop smell but the taste was fantastic. Clean crisp cherry, total terroir, bit of toasty oak, minerality and veering toward complexity (winespeak for "things beyond the vocabulary of the witless writer"). When transferred to a non stinky Burgundy glass, the sucker sang - beautiful nose, wonderful mouth and finish, beautiful wine. 

Snail Ravioli

The Snail Ravioli was a bit odd in texture, but pairing with bacon and some fava beans in a Ragout sauce kind of worked. Never seen snails in ravioli before. I have vague memory of them being somewhat crunchy. Naturally the sauce was amazing with the bread and butter. 

Lobster Curry. Allegedly.

My Lobster Curry seemed to lack any hint of curry, my Lobster was mushy and undercooked and I dam near cracked a tooth on a chunk of shell. Strange looking dish, though the rice tasted okay. Dare I say, it would have benefitted from a splash of chili sauce... no one asked for any.

The Morey Saint Denis was another great wine - full nose, pepper cherry mouth, medium body and a wonderfully long finish. Snagged a couple extra glasses of this one. This felt like the good stuff.

Pilgrims communing with the booze

It was at this point that I seemed to notice a preference for the food on the dishes to be located more on the left side of the plates. Not sure if this was artistically intentional or whether the chef might be left handed, but it did seem a shade OCD. 

Finally a dish to sing about - the Charolais Beef was excellent. Great taste and amazing texture, with such an easy tender bite on it. Equally with the Foie Gras - smoky, gunky and utterly brilliant. So so good. 

Charolais Beef. Yum.

And the 2006 Corton we were supping with it was equally delightful. Rich black forest fruit, berries and an endless finish. This was followed by a 2006 Chambertin made from grapes planted during WWII. Such an elegant wine, terroir nose, sweet fruit, a wonderful finish and absolutely perfect with the Charolais. The restaurant had redeemed itself. Well worth a return for this beef and this booze. 

Cheese Platter

My notes were suffering in the face of all this wonderful booze and the generous toppings we seemed to be getting. Lots of drunken swear words in my notes extolling the wonders of all the wines. And most of it for the 2006 Chambertin - four repeated praises with different coarse and colourful words that do not bear repeating here. It must have been very, very good. Got a later note which says "Leave it in the glass and - wow. Nose gains intensity, all green fields and forest and herbs - thyme and oregano." 

Dessert

My note on the 2002 Mazoyeres has it as "powerful and intense, with firm acidity and tannins, youthful, colour of a two year old wine, nice length. Tremendous balance across fruit, alcohol, tannins and acidity. Silky powerful - total race horse wanting to get out of the starting gate." The good stuff clearly brings out the lyrical in me. Oui.

Yin-How with (L to R) David, Romain and mystery wine winner Dr Rajan

So… for me the service was pretty grim - missing my cutlery on the table, missing my pourings and glasses, missing my food - twice. The staff were clearly stressed in having a table of 22 to serve all at once and keep the other punters in the restaurant happy. Notwithstanding the wonderful wines and generous pourings I can't quite forgive the restaurant for the first two rounds of dirty glasses some of us received. This completely messed up my sniffing of the wines, thereby killing one of the main elements of the evening. Not sure if others had this, but I certainly felt I got the short end on this presentation by the restaurant. 

Outside of this it was a wonderfully enjoyable evening. Romain was in great form talking about his great tasting wines, and I got him to do a sell job to a neighbouring table that had bought his wine from the restaurant's wine list. One of the diners saw my medallion and asked if I knew anything about the Taupenot-Merme they had on the table. I said not really, but said that the chap who made it was on our table and maybe I could persuade him to speak about it. Which he did. Always good to make connections with the punters, eh? Maybe he can give me a job. I can handle a corkscrew. 

The Domaine Taupenot Merme wines

The Castel de Tres Girard would not get a Michelin vote from me on this performance. Though I would go back, if only to buy some of Romain's wines and drink them there with him and Lenglui and the excellent Charolais beef - and relive a wonderful memory. Maybe next time we'll persuade him to bring his mum.

Everyone drunkenly dozed on the bus back. Can't remember much. Perhaps there was some brief attempt at singing. No memory. Fell into the Ibis bed, slept like a pig.

Ai laike zis waine! Ooo la la!

Castel de Tres Girard Restaurant Hotel Menu

63o Eggs, Button Mushrooms, Sesame, Burgundy Truffle

Saint Romain Blanc 2013

Snail Raviolis, Onion, Bacon, Red Wine sauce

Gevrey Chambertin 2012

Malaysian Lobster Curry, Black Fried Rice

Morey St Denis 1er Cru "La Riotte" 2012

Charolais Beef Filet, Pan Seared Foie Gras, Seasonal Vegetables

Corton Rognet 2006 and Charmes Chambertin 2006

Cheese from our Region

Mazoyeres Chambertin 2002 and mystery wine

Michel Cluizel dark Chocolate, Red Pepper and Raspberry

Mignardises

Castel de Tres Girard Restaurant Hotel

7, rue de Tres Girard

21220 Morey-Saint-Denis

Tel +33 3 80 34 33 09

info@www.castel-tres-girard.com