The Ireland Funds WineGeese Society visits Burgundy, the Cote d’Or, and Paris 2012

“But the conclusion of the whole matter is that lovers of these superb wines ought to make pilgrimage to the country of their origin and explore the subject in all its ramifications. No region in France has more buildings of historic interest and beauty than Burgundy. Nowhere are the towns and villages richer in mellow charm and as to the people they have a special geniality and a gaiety with less sharpness in its speech than I have met elsewhere in France.”

– Stephen Gwynn, Burgundy (1935)

Day One :: Mon 11 June

You will be met at the Dijon train station in the afteoon and brought to our home for the next seven days Hôtel Le Cep in the medieval heart of Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy. Beaune with its cobbled streets, sumptuously tiled roofs, charming restaurants and antique shops, is the fifth most visited city in France. And this is where Clive Coates, MW – one of the most respected and entertaining wine authorities in the world – will guide us through the intricate world of Burgundy. 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.

5:30-6:30 pm Clive Coates will provide an introduction to Burgundy with a tasting of generic, village, and premier cru, both white and red, to illustrate the hierarchy we will explore in the following days. After our introduction to Burgundy we will walk to Le Gourmandin for a casual dinner.

Oveight at the four-star Hôtel Le Cep, Beaune. The owners combined several 14th to 18th century mansions into one ravishing hotel thereby providing a luxurious yet friendly place from which to explore the glories of Burgundy.

Day Two :: Tue 12 June

Our focus in Burgundy will be on those magical names of the Côte d'Or, that 35-mile stretch running from Dijon in the north to Chagny in the south. Today we explore the revered white Burgundies of the Côte de Beaune including a visit to Domaine Olivier Leflaive Frères, created in 1984, a total of 12 ha (hectares) spread over nine appellations. Their distinguished white wines come from Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault Premier Cru Poruzot, and Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Chaumées.

Our next stop for a tour will be Château de Meursault, dating to the 11th century, extensively enlarged in the 19th century, subsequently purchased by André Boisseaux of Maison Patriarche in 1973. They own 60 ha including such notables as Meursault Premier Cru from Charmes and Perrières and Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Champ Canet. We will lunch at the stunning Le Chevreuil in Meursault.

Our final visit will be at Bouchard Père et Fils, founded in 1731 at Volnay and since 1820 located at the Château de Beaune; they have amassed 130 ha of vineyard, 12 of them classified as Grand Cru and 74 as Premier Cru including such prestigious appellations as Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Corton, Corton-Charlemagne, Clos Vougeot, Chambertin, Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus, Volnay Caillerets, and Meursault Perrières. In 1820, Beard Bouchard bought the site of the former royal fortress of Beaune. From then on, the bastions and ramparts of this fortress provided a marvelous cellar to store the greatest crus that the House collected throughout the 19th century. Joseph Henriot of Henriot Champagne purchased Bouchard Père et Fils in 1995 reviving much of its faded luster.

From Bouchard it is but a short walk for a tour of the famed Hôtel Dieu, founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin as a hospital for the poor and now a museum. Somehow this medieval building continued to be used as a general hospital until 1971. Nicolas Rolin and his wife Guigone de Salins spared no expense on this lavish shelter for the poor and destitute.

The Hospices de Beaune – this name includes the Hôtel Dieu, the Hospice de la Charité, and the hospital – acquired a very fine vineyard through Rolin; subsequently, they received many other donations thereby enriching the Hospices and its charitable work. Its vineyards produce a quarter of a million bottles of wine each year. The proceeds still finance a hospital and nursing home in Beaune. The Hospices de Beaune host a grand charity auction each November where more than 500 barrels of wines are auctioned to buyers from all over the world. The prices paid become the benchmarks for the year's vintage in the Côte d'Or.

Dinner at Ma Cuisine, ensconced in a much-renovated 15th century stable, for a well-prepared meal with an impressive wine cellar.

Oveight Hôtel Le Cep, Beaune

Day Three :: Wed 13 June

Today we explore the reds of the Côte de Beaune. We will start at Maison Louis Jadot, founded in 1859, which controls 150 ha of vineyards in Burgundy, of which 70 ha lie in the Côte d'Or: Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot, Domaine Louis Jadot, Domaine Gagey, and Domaine du Duc de Magenta (an original WineGeese family, of which more below).

In 1985, in order to ensure the company's future, Madame Jadot sold the company to the family of Rudy Kopf, Jadot's US importer. Pierre-Henry Gagey became president of Maison Louis Jadot in 1992. The winemaker at Jadot is Jacques Lardière, whom Clive Coates calls a man of genius. Duc de Magenta Clos de la Chapelle

Lunch and tasting will be at Domaine Comte du Senard, in the center of Aloxe-Corton. The wines are made by Philippe Senard and his daughter Lorraine, including the grandest of Grands Crus, Corton Bressandes and Clos du Roi. In 1857, Jules Senard, great-grandfather of the current owner, created a vineyard called Clos des Meix, 2.5 ha in size. It has belonged to the domaine ever since. The family's domaine now covers a total of 9 ha whose wines are matured in the cellars of the estate, built in the 13th century by the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Sainte-Marguerite.

Our final stop will be at Domaine d'Ardhuy in Corgoloin, owned by the D'Ardhuy-Santiard family, based in the middle of the Clos de Langres, rebo in 2003 when their contract with Château Corton-André expired and now described as a new star. Their 42 ha in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits include seven Grand Crus and 15 Premier Crus. We will dine in Beaune at the smart but casual La Ciboulette.

Day Four :: Thu 14 June

Today we will explore the reds of the southe Côte de Nuits starting at Domaine Faiveley, founded in 1825 and based in Nuits St Georges; today they have expanded to some of the finest vineyards in Burgundy including Gevrey-Chambertin, Pommard, Volnay, and Puligny-Montrachet. The average surface area per appellation is around just 1 ha. Faiveley exploits more than ten ha of Grand Crus and nearly 25 hectares of Premier Crus, including several vineyards that are exclusively owned by the family. They own some 37 ha in the Côte d'Or and 82 ha in the Côte Chalonnaise.

Next we head to Morey St Denis for a lunch and tasting at Domaine Ponsot where clonal selection in Burgundy can be said to have started when Jean-Marie Ponsot provided cuttings from very old Pinot Noir from his Clos de la Roche for use as mother plants. They hold 11.1 ha spread across 14 appellations.

We then head for Vosne-Romanée to Domaine Grivot, one of the finest in the Côte d'Or. An old domaine, its origins date back to the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. Their 15.5 ha is spread across 19 vineyards, including nine Premier Crus.

We will take time to visit famed Château de Vougeot, built in the 12th century by the monks of the abbey of Cîteaux, whose surrounding vineyard of about 50 ha is the property of some 70 different owners.

Tonight we dine at the Michelin three-star Maison Lameloise in Chagny. From father to son, the Lameloise family has brought to life this former post house renowned for the quality of its hospitality and cuisine. Today chef Eric Pras has created a fine balance between his cuisine and the Lameloise heritage. To dine at Lameloise is to discover the true meaning of the Michelin star.

Oveight Hôtel Le Cep, Beaune

Day Five :: Fri 15 June

Our final day of wine exploration will lead us to the reds of the northe Côte de Nuits beginning at Comte Georges de Vogüé, in the village of Chambolle-Musigny, which has been in the hands of the same family for over 500 years. Currently the 20th generation is in charge. The domaine owns 80% of the fabled Le Musigny vineyard, all of the Les Petits Musigny, and 2.83 ha of Bonnes-Mares among others. Since 1989 the team has been led by François Millet as cellar manager and Eric Bourgogne as vineyard manager.

Next we head to Gevrey-Chambertin for a lunch and tasting at Domaine Drouhin-Laroze. Jean-Baptiste Laroze started a vineyard in this region in 1850. In 1919 Suzanne Laroze married Alexandre Drouhin who owned vines in Chambolle-Musigny. The estate holds 11 ha of vines in some of the most prestigious vineyards of the Côte d'Or of which six are Grand Cru and four are Premier Cru. Philippe Drouhin is currently at the head of this significant estate and he has been joined by his son Nicolas to ensure continuity. They represent the 5th and 6th generations of the domaine originally founded by Jean-Baptiste Laroze.

We will finish our tour of the northe Côte de Nuits at Domaine de la Vougeraie, a family estate uniting a collection of the most prestigious, historical vineyards in Burgundy, including the Monopoles Vougeot Premier Cru Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot, Vougeot Le Clos du Prieuré White, and Vougeot Le Clos du Prieuré Red and the Grands Crus Charmes-Chambertin Les Mazoyères, Bonnes Mares, Musigny, Clos de Vougeot, Corton Le Clos du Roi, and Corton-Charlemagne Le Charlemagne.

We will dine 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. The Duchess of Magenta will be our hostess for a magical evening at this Renaissance jewel.

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 Duchess of Magenta.

Oveight Hôtel Le Cep, Beaune

Day Six :: Sat 16 June

Moing and afteoon at leisure to explore Beaune's Saturday market and the charming shops in the town. You may wish to set your sights higher and set out on a hot air balloon exploration of the Burgundy region. For those who want to take in a round of golf, go ballooning, bicycling, or other activities, we are happy to handle the reservations for you. Dinner venue to be confirmed.

Oveight Hôtel Le Cep, Beaune

Day Seven :: Sun 17 June to Paris

Today is a travel day. We depart Beaune in the mid-moing for Paris where our bus will take us directly to our hotel.

WineGeese dinner at the Irish Embassy in Paris hosted by HE Paul Kavanagh, the Irish Ambassador to France, where we will be joined by special wine guests from France, USA, and Ireland. The house in which the embassy is located was built in the early 1890s by the eighth Marquis de Breteuil and his American wife. The Irish govement acquired it in 1954 and it has housed the Irish Embassy in Paris for over 60 years.

Oveight at the five-star Hôtel Raphael, a haven of discreet charm and luxury on the Avenue Kléber off the Champs-Élysées between the Arc de Triomphe and the Seine.

Day Eight :: Mon 18 June

Day at leisure to enjoy the sights of Paris.

Evening dinner at three Michelin star Taillevent, one of the greatest restaurants in the world and now under the ownership of one of our own WineGeese, the Gardinier family of Ch Phélan Ségur. First opened by André Vrinat in 1946, it received its first Michelin star in 1948. It is situated in a townhouse built in 1852 initially the residence of the Duke of Moy.

Oveight Hôtel Raphael

Day Nine :: Tue 19 June

Our tour of Burgundy and Paris ends today. Those going to The Ireland Fund's annual conference depart for Cork, Ireland on Aer Lingus Fl 823 from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at 3:15 pm and arriving Cork airport at 4:00 pm where we will be met and taken to the luxury five-star Castlemartyr Hotel, just 20 miles west of Cork city.