b'2 theirelandfundswinegeesesociety1visitsburgundy,thectedor,andparisfo r s e v e n days i n j u n e ,theWineGeeseexploredBurgundywhilestayinginthe charming Htel Le Cep in the medieval heart of Beaune, its wine capital.Beaune with its cobbled streets, S a v e sumptuously tiled roofs, charming restaurants and antique shops, made a perfect base for our exploration. We wereguided through the intricacies of the region by the great Clive Coates, MWone of the most respected and t h e D a t e entertaining wine authorities in the world. WineGeese members will know Coates for The Vine, his independent finewine magazine, which ran from 1984 to 2005, back issues of which continue to be in high demand. His books arewidely considered the classic works on their respective subjects including Cte dOr, A Celebration of the Great Winesof Burgundy and the newly releasedThe Wines of Burgundy.We explored the Cte dOr, that 35-mile stretch running from Dijon in the north to Chagny in the south including the revered white Burgundies of the Cte de BeauneDomaine Olivier Leflaive Frres, Chteau de Meursault, and Bouchard Pre et Fils; the reds of the Cte de Beaune including Maison Louis Jadot who are inchargeofproducingthebeautifulwinesoftheDomaineDuchessedeMagenta,anoriginal WineGeesefamily;lunchingatDomaineSenardwithourhosttheComteduSenard.Wefinishedat DomaineChandondeBriailles withaprivatetastingguidedbyproprietorandwinemakerClaudede Nicolay;theredsoftheCtedeNuitsatDomaineFaiveley,thentouredwithproprietorJeanGrivotat DomainePonsot,ComteGeorgesdeVog,DomaineDrouhin-Laroze wherewewereguidedby proprietorsandwinemakerPhilippeDrouhinandhiswifeChristine,andDomainedelaVougeraiewith winemaker Pierre Vincent.WespentamagicaleveningatChteaudeSully,theancestralhomeofMauricedeMacMahon, Marshal of France, the first elected President of the French republic, Duke of Magenta, and descendent of theMacMahon family of Limerick. Our hostess, the Duchess of Magenta guided us through this Renaissance jewel andits 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 PaulKavanagh, the Irish Ambassador to France. Honorary WineGeese member Thierry Gardinier of Chteau PhlanSgur joined us in what is fast becoming a most treasured WineGeese tradition. The evening was made even morememorable with pianist Michael McHales recital on a piano that had been generously provided by The Ireland Fundof France.TheWineGeesewilltakeflightagaininOctober2013todiscoverthedelightstobefoundin Kieran McLoughlin addresses the WineGeese at the Irish Embassy in Paris Michael Jackson, HE Amb. Paul Kavanaghthe Napa and Sonoma Valleys.co 20 71connnneecctt 201121 71'