Not super-warm despite many of the pics, yet it was a fresh and bright week in Beaujolais. There were a couple of evening storms with strong wind, rain and a little thunder and lightening, but no damage – more storms are forecast for Sunday onward, though. If the growth of the vines had been a little bit more forward – saw another 10 days worth – and not yet trained, then the wind would have done quite some damage by breaking off many shoots – but it wasn’t much of a problem this week.

Here, some images captured during my week:
 

Friday I had to rush back from Beaujolais because I had friends coming to stay for the weekend – amongst touristy vineyard viewing we managed to squeeze-in a Friday-dinner at Ma Cuisine and a Sunday-lunch at Auprès du Clocher. I think that all our expectations were met 😉

Saturday began with croissants, pain-au-chocolat and lots of coffee – perhaps more than first intended as it was raining! By 11am we anyway decided to brave the rain and attack the market to buy something for our dinner. Always one of the best omelettes at Bistro Carnot was followed by a tour through the vines of Pernand, Corton, Aloxe, Nuits, Vosne, Chambolle, Morey and Gevrey – including visiting Huguette for coffee in Gevrey! Then came the cooking and the bottles!

On Sunday there was sunshine! There was also (still) croissants, pain-au-chocolate and coffee, but but it was a little less ambitious pile of pastries as we knew that lunch awaited! Before lunch we took in the vineyards and views of Santenay, Chassagne, Puligny and Meursault. After lunch, at a reduced pace, Pommard and Beaune.

A shame to wave them goodbye in the afternoon!
 

The week (mainly) was in Beaujolais, visiting producers. Next week I’ll be back for the third week in a row, but with just one task – to taste through 250 bottles of 2014s. Call me a wimp, but I’m going to do it over 3 days…

First some pics from Wednesday:
 

Chateau de Cercy

Lemons!

Chateau de Cercy

Perréon

Perréon

Then some more pics from Thursday and Friday:
 

still life…

Brouilly

Also Brouilly

Re-training goblet to cordon

Avenue in the vines

Old vines Fleurie

La Romanée today…

Simply a beautiful day today – almost 18°C, despite a cool start – and a cloudless sky too.

I took in a few sites around the Côtes today, before heading back to Bojolais tomorrow. I passed a couple of nice horses along the way, but really I was more interested by the seemingly ridiculous work on the hillside above the Clos des Perrières in Vougeot. You see, here on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, are planted a couple of small plots of vines, which because of the way that the maps were drawn, are (were!) theoretically classed as Musigny. One was particularly precarious with a 20 feet drop into the Clos des Perrières for anyone who stepped back without thinking. Now it looks like a major construction project – probably just to add a safety wall!

You know, life would have been far simpler if they had left the ‘cliff’ as it was!
 

The view from Pernand…

Charlemagne’s cross…

Team Chandon de Briailles in Corton Bressandes

Also team Chandon de Briailles – taking a little shade…

Team Comte Liger-Belair – exiting La Romanée

The old Porcheret Musigny in the foreground…

Looking down on the building work

The building work…

The building work…

CV – outside…

CV – inside…

Just what it says…

Nice weather in the Beaujolais yesterday – except in the late afternoon, and seemingly only in the heights of Moulin-à-Vent – and what vent! There was also the thunder and lightening though fortunately only modest rain.

Given the number of desolate, ‘herbicided’ vineyards, it was really nice to see one magnificent steed at work in MàV – and the domaine? It turned out to be that of ‘Mâconnasian’ Olivier Merlin.

In MàV yesterday, I tasted some great stuff, and some really pretty nasty stuff…
 

Only a crop from a pic taken with my phone!

I thought the view of the distant mountains quite good on Sunday, but above was a spectacular display of alps this morning from my room in Beaujolais. Below are some pics I took on Sunday, mainly during a 90 minute walk up and then back down the hill of (the Chapel of) La Madone from the centre of Fleurie. 19°C and beautiful wandering weather…