The Ireland Funds WineGeese Society visits Burgundy, the Côte d’Or, and
Paris
For seven days in June,
the WineGeese explored Burgundy while staying in the charming Hôtel Le Cep in
the medieval heart of Beaune, its wine capital.
Beaune with its cobbled streets, sumptuously tiled roofs, charming
restaurants and antique shops, made a perfect base for our exploration. We were guided through the intricacies of the
region by the great Clive Coates, MW – one of the most respected and entertaining
wine authorities in the world. WineGeese
members will know Coates for The Vine,
his independent fine wine magazine, which ran from 1984 to 2005, back issues of
which continue to be in high demand. His
books are widely considered the classic works on their respective subjects
including Côte d’Or, A Celebration of the
Great Wines of Burgundy and the newly released The Wines of Burgundy.
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| Chateau de Sully |
We explored the Côte
d’Or, that 35-mile stretch running from Dijon in the north to Chagny in the
south including the revered white Burgundies of the Côte de Beaune – Domaine
Olivier Leflaive Frères, Château de Meursault,and Bouchard Père et Fils; the
reds of the Côte de Beaune including Maison Louis Jadot who are in charge of
producing the beautiful wines of the Domaine Duchesse de Magenta, an original
WineGeese family lunching at Domaine Senard with our host the Comte du Senard
finishing at Domaine Chandon de Briailles for a private tasting guided by
proprietor and winemaker Claude de Nicolay; the reds of the Côte de Nuits at
Domaine Faiveley, then touring with proprietor Jean Grivot at Domaine Ponsot,
Comte Georges de Vogüé, Domaine Drouhin-Laroze where we were guided by
proprietors and winemaker Philippe Drouhin and his wife Cristine, and Domaine
de la Vougeraie with winemaker Pierre Vincent.
We spent
a magical evening at Château de Sully, the ancestral home of Maurice de
MacMahon, Marshal of France, the first elected President of the French
republic, Duke of Magenta, and descendent of the MacMahon family of Limerick. Our hostess, the Duchess of Magenta guided
us through this Renaissance jewel and its fascinating Irish connections.
The 4th
Duke of Magenta came under the spell of the Abbey of Morgeot and its vines in
the village of Chassagne-Montrachet. Today,
the premier wines are produced by Louis Jadot for the Domaine Duchesse de
Magenta.
Our tour
concluded with our return to Paris for a WineGeese dinner at the Irish Embassy
hosted by HE Paul Kavanagh, the Irish Ambassador to France. Honorary WineGeese member Thierry Gardinier
of Château Phélan Ségur joined us in what is fast becoming a most treasured
WineGeese tradition. The evening was
made even more memorable with pianist Michael McHale’s recital.
The
WineGeese will take flight again in October 2013 to discover the delights to be
found in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
