A week without too much fog – even some occasional sunshine – but also, today, we woke up to snow. It cleaned up my running shoes pretty well this morning 🙂

In Beaune, though I was initially oblivious to the signs placed around the town (they are usually to tell people not to park for the next 24 hours due to deliveries/removals) but I had noticed that everyone seemed to wearing face-masks around the town – unlike Nuits St.Georges where nobody was wearing a mask! I asked at a couple of domaines if there were some new rules – and they all said no – so confusion reigns but the signs also remain!

Earlier this week, I pointed out the article in the local paper about the rise in covid-infections following the big parties around the Vent des Vins weekend. Apparently, the mayor, Alain Suguenot, has brushed aside the article, suggesting that there were no more than 5 or 6 people that were infected. A local wag (and director of a major Beaune ‘shipper’) laughed out loud at this response and said ‘Yes, 5 or 6 per table!’

Happy days!

I’m just hoping that I can see out my last week (next week) of tastings in the Côte d’Or without issues! Have a nice weekend…

Deep in the bowels of Nuits…

Jadot’s cuverie at night…

Obliatoire but not a rule?

Lulune’s basket of vegetables…

Having mentioned the Hotel Le Montrachet this week, more centrally in the Côte d’Or, I can tell you that there is a new hotel in the works Beaune.

I’ve always loved this great old building a stone-throw away from the Hospices de Beaune but also always been saddened that it has lain empty and seemingly unloved – but for a few weeks now, things have been afoot.

I’d always assumed that the building belonged to the Drouhin family as it was connected behind their offices in Rue d’Enfer – so this week, when tasting together, I asked Véronique Drouhin about it: “Yes, it’s a building that is owned by the family but the work isn’t us. We’ve leased out the building to a company that is developing a hotel – there won’t be a lot of rooms, maybe 15-18 – a kind of boutique hotel I think. We’re really looking forward to seeing the place being used.”

I’m also looking forward to a new place in Beaune, central and with plenty of parking in front. Hopefully, other absentee landlords will get the hint as there are too many great buildings languishing, seemingly forgotten, in Beaune today.

I’m indebted to Marko de Morey for finding a small article and putting it under my nose:

“COMO Le Montrachet”
“In Burgundy’s vinous heartland, the COMO Group has acquired the four-star Le Montrachet, a key property in the village of Puligny-Montrachet and the brand’s first French opening. The Group will work with Italian designer Paola Navone to thoroughly revamp the 18th-century property’s 31 rooms and suites, and the hotel will have France’s first Shambhala Retreat for ultimate relaxation. First phase of the renovations to be completed in 2022.”

The hotel remains my favourite location south of Beaune for a coffee-stop between rendezvous – actually for quality/price, anywhere in the Côte d’Or – and also for the occasional breakfast and lunch too.

Nothing seems to have changed for now – and I was there for my grand crème this morning too – but this weekend they close for their winter holiday – so no more visits in 2021!

Grands-Échézeaux, yesterday

The usual Autumnal mix of mist and sunshine – we just missed the rain 🙂

I may have had a ‘day off’ this week, due to being totally bunged up and coughing, but my palate came back well at the end of the week – and likewise, there were a few nice pics to snap too.

Of course, you always see the best ones when you have no time to stop. Because of the latter I only got a couple in Mercurey on Friday when the sky was dark, the sun came out and the colours were not yet lost in the vines – it is what it is 🙂

Mercurey

Nuits 1er Rue aux Chaux (Château Gris in background)

Beaujolais in Chassagne

Talking of Beaujolais – 65% cork seals for the 2021 Nouveaus…

It might appear that not much has happened around here for the last week – but – I’ve been extra-busy but unfortunately not everything was wine-related.

Last Thursday was a very early start, driving to the UK for a family funeral, returning, equally early on Sunday. A result of over 3,000 km driven in a week. Unfortunately returning with a cold too.

Well, I’d hoped that it was just a cold but I decided to seek a PCR-test as the red-light, green-light of whether I could head to Burgundy. The light was green.

The green light meant a trip to Villefranche to the marketing home of Beaujolais to taste the 2021 Nouveau samples (right). In recent years over 160 samples had been presented to taste but this year only a little over 100 – they also had frost and hail this year! A report should appear here in the Diary in the next 10 days. At my request I tasted separate from other tasters as I was developing an annoying cough – and negative or not, I’m sure that they would have become a bit pissed off with that. My palate had been reasonably fine but I was completely fatigued by the time I returned to Beaune in the evening – the cough worsening and the nose starting to block.

I’ve been lucky, I suppose, because previous vintage tastings seem to have avoided the clash with bacteria or viruses – but not today – for the first time ever, I had to cancel all of today’s visits and rest up. From another perspective, that was quite lucky, because parking was at a premium in Beaune today – the whole of the centre was cordoned off while the street ‘cleaners’ attempted to collect the falling leaves. And the reason? Apparently, Monsieur Macron was talking Angela Merkel to visit the Hospices de Beaune before their next rendezvous, for lunch, in the Château of the Clos Vougeot – no sniffles there, I’m sure!

Today my cough has begun to subside and my nose has been at least 50% open. I haven’t cancelled any of my 5 visits to taste tomorrow – so wish me luck 😉

This week in Beaune the weather’s been quite nice – in fact with beautiful blue skies yesterday – It’s been ideal for the producers for pulling out dead vines and making the holes for replanting. But tonight the rain is forecast.

I’m making visits to taste the 2020s (mainly) in the Côte de Beaune – all I’m missing at the moment is the chance to get out and do a bit of jogging – tomorrow’s a long day with three big ranges of wines in my 5 visits, so I’m not holding out much hope for any kilometers. At least I got in a bit more than 7km yesterday evening, finishing at close to 4 mins/km – so I’ll take that after a bit of ‘mountain running’ last week!

The best coffee near Beaune – tastinmg appointment required!

Not just ‘jars’ at this domaine but glass globes too!

A little Clos Saint Jacques colour…

Not so sunny but always a great view above the Clos des Lambrays…