It’s the end of week 50 in 2022 – and how did this year go so quickly by? This was my final week of tasting in Burgundy – for this year – though January in Chablis and February in Beaujolais are already planned…

I started my tour of the domaines’ 2021s at the end of September and planned 150 visits. A heavy, coughing, cold at the end of October cost me a week of visits – though 3x negative tested. I’m becoming something of a rarity; never yet covid-positive that I’m aware of – but for more than 2 years now I have declined all large group tastings, sticking to vigneron(ne)’s cellars. It was out of respect for the producers that I wasn’t going to pretend that I could still taste their wines while coughing away…

So, nearly 130 domaines visited for the Mâconnais to Côte d’Or part of my ‘Tour de 21s‘ – lots of old faithfuls, though a few domaines drop off the list each year – preferring to no-longer show wines to ‘the press‘ now that their production is in such demand! I’ve only collected 4 domaines (who I’m aware of!) that won’t have me back based on what I’ve previously written.

Anyway – I must get to writing my report for the (mainly) white wine domaines of the Côte de Beaune, but in the meantime, here are a few images from week 22 – A week that started in the snow and icy temperatures of Switzerland. The theme continued with sub-zero temperatures in Beaune but yesterday we enjoyed 15°C and sunshine in the south of France – my base for a week of pre-Christmas writing. Our first evening’s wine:

2018 David Moreau, Santenay 1er Beaurepaire Blanc
White wax-topped. The aromatics are rather small in these (rubbish) air-BnB apartment wine glasses – an oversight on my part! But in the mouth this wine has a character that starts small and clean before widening over the palate and delivering an absorbing finish – for a 2018 there’s plenty of weight and persistence to this finish – it’s delicious too, what a lovely wine.
Rebuy – Yes