The tiny, picturesque village of Savigny-les-Beaune lies tucked up in a small valley just around the corner from Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses, on the way up to the Haute-Côte. It is home to a very cool old castle (complete with moat), an amazing collection of old airplanes, and probably the best value reds in all of Burgundy. You certainly get more bang for your buck in Savigny, and the top producers are crafting wines that often blow away their higher priced cousins from the more prestigious appellations.

At the top of the heap is Domaine Jean-Marc & Hugues Pavelot. From their 27 acres in Savigny & Pernand they produce a fascinating array of wines, including six single-vineyard 1er Crus in Savigny that are a textbook illustration of the concept of terroir. I first met Hugues at the IPNC event in 2004, and am thrilled that we now finally have the opportunity to work together. Hugues’ first vintage at the helm was 1999, with his father Jean-Marc still present in a supporting role. We’ll kick off our work with the domaine with their lovely ’08s this fall. I especially loved the SLB Narbantons and Dominode bottlings, though for pure value the village-level Savigny-les-Beaune is unbeatable.

In the cellar with Hugues Pavelot

I had a great tasting as always with Jean-Marc Millot at his cuverie and cellars beneath Nuits-St. Georges. His ’08 Clos Vougeot is the best CV he’s produced yet – the quality of the tannins is really pure and fine, and the wine has a lot of personality (I don’t know that I would have guessed it as Clos Vougeot blind – it is normally not so expressive, especially in its youth.) The news here is that Jean-Marc will be adding the sub-climat designation of “Grands Mapertuis” to the label of his Clos Vougeot, as all of his vines in the Clos are in that prestigious section at the very top, just south of the Chateau. And as I’m always preaching – it’s important to know where in the Clos your wine came from. (Not that good examples can’t come from the lower sections – but you certainly have much better odds with vines up at the top…)

Jean-Marc with daughters Alix & Laura

I was fascinated to learn some of the history of the little house I stay in while in Burgundy. It belongs to Thiébault Huber’s (Domaine Huber-Verdereau) parents. I’ve always known it was their little vacation house in Volnay, with Thiébault’s cramped yet functional winery tucked into the outbuildings, but that’s all I knew. I turns out that this was the winery and residence of his grandfather, the late Raoul Verdereau, and probably his great-grandfather as well, though no one seems to know for sure. What is for sure is that Raoul was in the French army during WWII, and while he was away the house was requisitioned by the Germans and used as a residence for a group of German army officers and soldiers from the time of their invasion until sometime in early 1943. Apparently the officers took the house, and the soldiers were given what are now the winery rooms. Lucky, as according to legend the houses the soldiers occupied were often trashed, while the officers’ quarters were generally left in better shape.

During the war Raoul was captured and imprisoned for a time, but was released in early 1943. He returned to Volnay to find his house occupied by the Germans, and his family living in a barn outside the village. Shortly after his return, the Germans suddenly exited, and the Verdereaus were able to move back into their home. And Raoul was able to get back to tending his vines – which had been more or less looked after by all the women and girls of the village during the war, but little or no wine was made during most of the war years.

I came to find all of this out in the course of tasting a magnificent bottle of Raoul’s 1943 Pommard Rugiens that Thiébault so generously opened for me at lunch one day. The wine was beautifully evolved, silky, and quite divine, but even more special and more of a treasure as the story behind it was revealed while we drank it. That bottle will always be a special memory for me, and I will always have a different perspective on my little Volnaysien hideaway every time I climb into bed after a long day of tasting on the Côte.

The Verdereau house in Volnay

In a post a few weeks back I mentioned the book The Great Domaines of Burgundy by Remington Norman, and noted that a new, well-needed update of this classic was scheduled for release this fall. It has, however, already been released in the UK and presumably the rest of Europe, as there was a big display stack of them on sale at Athenaeum in Beaune. I picked up a copy, and found it to be an excellent update and full of interesting and useful information. One could always quibble with the selection of domaines for a work like this – who was left out, why is that one in, etc. – but on the whole it’s a good tome and worth picking up. (Make sure you get the THIRD Edition – apparently you can pre-order it now on Amazon for August delivery…)

The latest from the Mâconnais and some amazing tastings in Volnay & Pommard in the next installment…

My 2-3 trips per year to the motherland are always full of great wine, food, camaraderie and discovery, but this last trip proved to be especially fruitful and exciting. The addition of five new producers to our portfolio, the volcanic cloud over Europe, and some gorgeous weather on the Côte d’Or added up to an excellent adventure indeed.

In the ice-cold cellars chez Mugnier

I have admired (make that idolized, to be honest) Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier and his wines for as long as I can remember. My favorite “Freddy” quote sums up my feelings exactly – “Winemaking is essentially not a technical issue, it is an aesthetical issue.” If you’ve ever tasted his wines, you understand this immediately. They are the most ethereal, elegant, purest and most pristine examples you may ever enjoy. His wines have greatly inspired our philosophy and the way we do things at Scott Paul, and our Audrey bottling is our humble attempt to capture a little of that “Freddy magic” in the bottle. To now work with him and import his wines is beyond a dream come true.

My first tasting upon arriving in Burgundy two weeks ago was at Mugnier. Freddy was on holiday in Japan, so I tasted with his delightful (and aptly named) assistant, Audrey. Many of Burgundy’s greatest often seem to shine brightest in the more difficult vintages, and this is quite true chez Mugnier. His ’08s, which were racked into tank about a month before my visit, are some of his most stunning yet. Bottling is scheduled for next week, and the entire range was singing with the domaine’s trademark purity and weightless elegance. The Bonnes Mares, often a bit difficult in its youth, was already showing pure silk that belied its intense flavor impact. The Musigny of course (still in barrel, to be racked and bottled last), has an extra dimension of depth and polish. Not a soul in the cellar spoke a word after swallowing the Musigny (no one spit, either) – we just swallowed and savored in silent, reverent rapture. Since taking over the 25-acre Clos de la Marechale in 2004 (a Nuits-St. Georges 1er Cru monopole of the domaine), they’ve continued to fine-tune the quality each year. In ’08, the CDLM is intensely flavorful and redolent of rich blackberries and earth, and is clearly a now a textural and stylistic cousin of the domaine’s Chambolle-based wines, but from a very different branch of the family. In all, a magnificent range of wines. Our tiny allocation of his ’07s will arrive in mid-May – watch this space and your email for the opportunity to grab your share of some of the most delightful wines on the planet. (Audrey finished up the tasting with the ’01 Bonnes Mares, which on the day was astonishingly pure, linear, and fine. Bravo!)

I love France, always have. However, there are no ice cubes in France. What that says about the country I’m not quite sure. (To be fair, there are “ice cubes”, so to speak. If you ask for them, you get one sliver of frozen water that immediately melts upon impact with your drink.) If you want something cold to drink – head to the cellars at Mugnier. The barrel cellar is absolutely ice-cold – about 39 degrees most of the year. No matter how thick your boots and socks are, your feet will turn to frozen stumps when you taste there, I’m just sayin’…  And another thing – how many times a day is one supposed to go to church? The bells ring incessantly at least twice a day in every village, yet no one heeds them, as the churches remain resolutely empty (save for the occasional very old lady.) Vive la France…

In addition to Mugnier, we have now added Domaine Michel Lafarge (to many the best producer in Volnay), Domaine Pavelot (to many the best producer in Savigny-les-Beaune), Domaine Comte Armand (to many the best producer in Pommard), and Bonneau du Martray (revered as one of the best in Corton-Charlemagne.) Wow. I think that now we just may have assembled the best Burgundy portfolio on the planet. I am like a kid in a candy store – I am so excited to work with all 20 of our producers and share their wines with you. Not that I’m passionate about any of this…

At Anne & Hervé Sigaut in Chambolle, we decided to bottle our barrel of ’08 Chambolle villages later this week. It has rounded out nicely over the course of élévage, and I now plan to release it in the fall. I also selected a barrel of ’09 Chambolle from the Sigaut’s parcel of Derrière le Four (in ’09 they’ll be releasing two different cuvées of Chambolle, one from Les Bussières on the Morey border, and the other from Derrière le Four, which is just south of the the village.) The Bussières is richer, and the Derrière le Four more elegant, reflecting the difference in the mother rock of the two sites (which are about 1,500 meters apart, perhaps…)

Hervé Sigaut, in his cellar with the late Phoebus the cat...

The news in Chablis is that Frédéric Gueguen now has a little Grand Cru juice available, to go with his killer array of villages and 1er cru sites. We will bring in a bit of the ’07 Bougros Grand Cru this fall – really stunning stuff, with an extra dimension of intense minerality and explosive length that I find irresistible. Oh yeah…

It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I’ve got to blab a bit. I’m a notoriously poor blind taster, and have been known to make some hysterical guesses. Once in a great while though, I nail it. Last week in Pommard it was a 2002 Pommard Platières at Thierry Violot-Guillemard that he served blind, and to my extreme delight I hazarded the correct guess (it is of course much easier when you know the vineyard holdings of the producer in question, but nonetheless I blow it horribly fairly often.) It may not happen again for quite some time, so I thought it worth mentioning…

The ’08s are a revelation at Huber-Verdereau in Volnay, as Thièbault Huber has found the path to elegance that he’s been looking for, and it is there in his wines in spades. Bravo, Thièbault! Detailed notes on his entire range in the days ahead…

Benjamin Leroux, the rock-star winemaker at Comte Armand in Pommard and his own micro-negoce Maison Benjamin Leroux – is one of the progressive young vignerons experimenting with some small parcels of ultra-high density plantings. The AOC rules require 10,000 plants per hectare – which works out to meter-by-meter plantings, the standard now on the Côte. Some are even higher density, at one meter by .9 meters, or occasionally by .8 meters. These new experiments are taking the density to double or triple the current norm – some are 1 meter by .5, and some even .5 by .5 – resulting in 20,000 to 30,000 plants per hectare. But is this actually anything new? As recently as the 1800s, Burgundian vineyards were planted “en foule” – meaning they vines were not in rows, but jammed in willy-nilly in a patchwork one right next to the other in 30,000+ vines per hectare. There were no trellis wires or end posts then, just small wooden stakes next to each vine.

Comte Armand's ultra-high density block of Volnay Fremiets

And these new experiments today? Benjamin Leroux’s Dom. Comte Armand parcel of Volnay Fremiets, for example – 1 meter by .5, no trellis wires, and tall wooden stakes next to each plant. Everything old is new again! (Ben’s also doing this in conjunction with his Biodynamic principles – wanting to have no metal stakes or wire in the vineyard, only wood and natural elements.) The theory of course is that the increased density forces the vines to send their roots deeper in search of moisture and nutrients, forcing the vines to compete harder for limited resources. Then only a couple of clusters are left to ripen on each vine, allowing the plant to put all its energy into ripening just a tiny amount of fruit. In the old days, yields from this type of planting typically topped out at 1-1.5 tons per acre – extremely low, but exceedingly high in quality, or so the theory goes. DRC has put in some experimental ultra-high density blocks in Romanée-St. Vivant and Grands Echézaux at 14,000 plants per hectare, and I’m told Olivier Lamy has put in some blocks at a density of 30,000. It will be quite interesting to follow these as the vines mature…

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. So many more domaines to report on, so many more stories to tell – in the posts to follow…

The fact that my flight over to France was interrupted and delayed for 24 hours turned out to be a major blessing in disguise. It forced me to change my return to a day later than originally planned, which turned out to be the first day that things had returned to normal after the volcano-cloud snafu that stranded tens of thousands of travelers all over the globe. As the Taoists say, when something seemingly “bad” happens – “How do we know this is not a good thing?”

I’ve got a thick notebook full of thoughts and notes from the trip to pull together for a full-on follow-up to my latest Burgundian adventure, but first some exciting news:

Allen Meadows at our IPNC dinner in 2006

Allen Meadows, the Burghound himself, will be joining us for our pre-IPNC dinner at the winery in Carlton on July 22nd. What a great night this is going to be – Vitaly Paley at the stove, Alain & Sophie Meunier from JJ Confuron coming in from Burgundy, my winemaking mentor Greg LaFollette coming in from California, and this year’s IPNC Master of Ceremonies – Ray Isle from Food & Wine magazine – all together in our cellars for a night of food & wine and conviviality. There are still seats available – call 503-319-5827 or email Kelly Karr to book yours now…

This Saturday from 1-5 it’s a special White Burgundy tasting in Carlton. Join us for newly arrived goodies from Chablis, Meursault and the Mâconnais – I can’t wait to pop some corks!

Chateau des Rontets in Fuissé - home to some killer whites...

Join us on Sunday April 25th from 1-3:30pm at E&R Wines – 6141 SW MacAdam in Portland. We’ll be pouring Pinot alongside 15 more of Oregon’s finest – including Domaine Drouhin, Bergstrom, Archery Summit & Domaine Serene. Tickets are $20 – and you can get yours in advance by calling E&R at 503-246-6101 or email them here – this event will sell-out, so don’t miss out!

As I get ready for my last day of tastings and appointments here in Burgundy, I’m looking through my notes and am reminded of how warm, generous, and welcoming the Burgundians have been to me over the years. They are often referred to as being cautious, or withdrawn or distant. I have found only the opposite, and have been the beneficiary of hospitality and generosity that I’ve not known the likes of anywhere else.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude and a thousand Grand Mercis to all who have made my adventures here not only possible, but an exciting reality beyond my wildest dreams. None of this would have happened without many many people extending themselves on my behalf. Most notably my wife Martha, who supports me lovingly and passionately and patiently and is the rock behind it all. Our business partner Cameron Healy, whose wisdom, acumen, and resources are the foundation of it all.

Here in Burgundy, Jean-Pierre Charlot – the talented vigneron of Domaine Joseph Voillot in Volnay – is the man who opened so many doors for me and led me directly to the first few producers who agreed to work with us. Veronique Drouhin, my boss for my years at Domaine Drouhin Oregon, has been a huge help and inspiration, and continues to be one of the finest people I know.

The Burghound himself, Allen Meadows, is owed a very large thank-you – if only for the amazing in-depth coverage of these wines and these producers that he provides. Without Allen shining the light, many of our producers would remain in the shadows, never to see the broader recognition they so clearly deserve. On top of all that, Allen’s amazing knowledge and historical overview of Burgundy, and the great insight he offers both personally and professionally, continue to be a huge part of our ability to do what we do.

And mostly to our producers. They’re out in the vines (often alongside their elderly parents, or perhaps with their children), dedicating their lives to the stewardship of these little patches of land – some of the earth’s great treasures – and the lovely little beverage that comes from the fruit they so lovingly coax from the poor soils and the limestone bedrock that geologists tell us was deposited here some 200 million years ago. I am often in awe of them, I salute them, and I am so honored to be invited into their homes and into their lives, and for the opportunity to work with them and represent the product of their labors in our part of the world. For all this, not to mention their kindness, generosity and genuine friendship, I am deeply thankful to each and every one. Merci Mille Fois.

Sitting in Volnay and reading the new Burghound report, looking out the window at the wineries and vineyards that are in the reviews. As much time as I spend here every year, it never gets old. I have a deep attachment to this place and these wines and these people. It just makes me deeply happy inside. (And of course even happier when our producers get killer reviews, as they all did today!)

Huge congratulations to all of our Cote de Beaune producers, who all received deservedly excellent scores in Allen Meadows’ new issue today: Michel Lafarge, Huber-Verdereau, Violot-Guillemard, Comte Armand, Aleth Girardin, Lucien le Moine, Benjamin Leroux & Hugues Pavelot – wow, what a line-up we’ve got, if I say so myself…

I have so much to write but so little time to write it while I’m tasting up and down the Cote. I try to squeeze in as many Facebook and Twitter posts as I can, but never seem to have the time for the longer pieces I want to write while I’m here. The time I had intended to use for writing this morning was usurped by devouring the new issue of Burghound, so I’ll leave it with this thought for now – The Lafarge Clos du Chateau des Ducs Makes me want to fall in love. I haven’t swooned like that since I met my wife…

Latest pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottpaulwines

The drive up to Chablis was a breeze yesterday. We’re having gorgeous spring weather here on the Cote, and the AutoRoute was wide open for a nice 90-minute cruise. Frederic Gueguen has some superb 09s in tank. We tasted through the whole range, and I found every one to be floral, nicely mineral, crisp, dense, with a nice dimension of richness as well. The standouts were of course the amazing l’Homme Mort and the Fourchaume – but everything was delicious down to the Petit Chablis, which was especially generous andr rich for the appellation. His 08s, all of which have arrived and are in stock now, are excellent examples of pure, classic Chablis. The 1er Crus are in very short supply, so don’t dally if you’re interested…

After a lovely lunch overlooking the vines at Frederic and Celine’s house in Prehy, I headed back to Beaune for a little shopping, and then a bunch of email and work at the Volnay house (which I’ve just learned was requisitioned and occupied by the Germans in WWII from 1939 to 1943 – more on that later…)

Dinner was with friends at Caves Madeleine in Beaune, where I visit at least once per visit. Lolo (the prorietor) was in rare form, holding forth on the provenance of all the artisinal products he sources for the kitchen. The two days per week he’s closed, he spends driving around a 100 kilometer radius from Beaune sourcing the best ingredients he can find. He is very opinionated, and very happy to share his opinion, and reminds me a lot of Mounir Saouma of Lucien le Moine, who
happens to be one of Lolo’s close friends. They are peas in a pod, those two. As always the food was simple and delicious – a perfectly grilled “piece de boucher” (hanger steak from Charolais beef), a cassoulet d’escargots, and a bitter-chocolate fondant with vanilla cream. The 06 Chambolle from Mugnier was quite good, as was a rather bizarre but interesting Chardonnay from the Jura that Lolo turned us on to.

I headed back to Volnay full and happy. Happy that I hadn’t eaten or drank too much – as the nights before I run I’ve found it works a lot better if I don’t over do it – in fact I now usually don’t drink at all the night before a run. I was especially happy of my restraint when I was pulled over by the Gendarmes right in the middle of Pommard, where they had set up a roadblock to test all the drivers for alcohol. I was frankly terrified, because the legal limit is so low in France that two glasses of wine can put you over the limit and send you straight to jail. I had probably consumed enough over the course of the evening to be over the limit, but fortunately it had been over the course of about four hours. Anyway, I blew into the digital machine, mentally figuring out who I was going to call if I was over .05. The cop looked at the digital readout and said “tres bon monsieur, au revoir” – and I took of for Volnay thanking my lucky stars, and being especially thankful that my running regimen had definitely saved my ass!

I ran a good 10k this morning from Volnay into Meursault and back, and every time I started feeling tired i just pushed on, remembering that I was a hair away from being in jail rather than running through these fabulous vineyards. Talk about some good motivation…

Grabbed a quick pain-au-chocolat and then met up with Thiebault Huber, who took me on a tour of his vineyard parcels in Pommard and Volnay. Then we went back to his winery to taste the 09s in barrel and the 08s in bottle. Full details to come, but these are clearly the two best vintages this talented young vigneron has produced yet. I was invited to his house in Pommard for lunch in the garden, and we joined his family for a delicious blanquette de veau and a bottle of 1943 Pommard made by his grandfather – which was fabulously complex and amazing. His grandfather had returned from the war in the spring of 43 to find his house and winery occupied by the German army, but the soldiers moved on shortly thereafter, and he was able to get the winery up and running in time for harvest that fall. It always blows my mind to drink a little piece of history like that. Un Grand Merci to Thiebault and his grandpere, Raoul Verdereau.

Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottpaulwines/

Now a bit of rest and the Sunday paper, before heading back in to Beaune for dinner with friends…

Between the 24hr delay and my usual rough first day, I had more trouble than usual getting into my rhythm here, but I’m happy to report that I’m back in form, as they say here. Got a good ten hours of sleep last night, and then laced up and ran six miles through the vines of Volnay and Pommard this morning, with the result being I feel like a new man. And that new man was thirsty!

So, I hit the autoroute and headed up to Chambolle for a 9:30 tasting at Sigaut, where Anne and Herve have made some fabulous 08s, and another set of gorgeous 09s. I am most happy to report that our barrel of Scott Paul 08 Chambolle-Musigny is in excellent shape, and we have decided to bottle it at the end of the month. So, we will not release it until sometime this fall, as it will really benefit from six months or so in bottle. It is round and rich and lovely, and has been getting better every time I’ve checked in on it for the last 16 months. I am also thrilled to report that our barrel of 09 Chambolle is drop-dead stunning – more on that in the months to come.

Then I cruised back down to Nuits-St. Georges to taste with Jean-Marc Millot. God, this man just makes elegant and refined beauties every vintage. His Grands Echezeaux – both 08 and 09 – are his best yet. Sadly there are only two barrels produced every year. We are lucky to get our five cases for the entire west coast. The whole range was rocking chez Millot today, and his little Cote de Nuits Villages remains one of the best values in all of Burgundy. We’ll have the 08s in this fall…

Then I was invited to lunch with J-M and his wife and daughters at restaurant l’Alambic in NSG – my first time there and very very nice. Loved the foie gras on spice bread appetizer, and the porch loin with mushrooms and potatoes gratin was delicious. Just a light Burgundian lunch…

After that, i stopped up in Gevrey to taste at a new producer who is making a lot of noise – Olivier Bernstein. I found the wines to be excellent as advertised, but I also found them way too marked by the 100% new oak he uses. It’s a conundrum – the wines are very very good, but not in the style that I personally prefer. I will probably pass, but if you’re not scared away by a lot of wood, the wines are indeed superb…

Yesterday seems like a year ago. I’m glad I took copious notes, because otherwise I would not have remembered a thing. It’s tough to start a tasting trip in the cellar at Mugnier – because you know that everything else is probably downhill from there! The 08s there are things of absolute ethereal beauty. It is difficult to put into words how silky and elegant these wines really are. Of course the Musigny is head and shoulders above everything else, but the Fuees was so crystalline and pure and long that it may have outshone the Amoureuses on the day. “Why can’t more wines be like this” was the quote from another customer at the tasting. Indeed. Some people just have a special touch, and Frederic Mugnier is surely one of them. Period. (the Mugnier 07s arrive in a few weeks – watch your email for your chance to grab these highly allocated items…)

It was great to reconnect with Hugues Pavelot at his domaine in Savigny les Beaune. Perhaps the
best values in truly excellent Burgundy are found at this address. I am so excited to finally get them into our portfolio – we’ll have the SLB village and a few of the 1er crus early this fall. All the details soon…

And that should bring us up to date for now. I’m off to Beaune for dinner with friends, and then up to Chablis in the morning to spend the day with Frederic Gueguen…

See photos here.

If there is anything I love more than a party with great food, it would be a party with great food with great leftovers.  I was lucky enough to have some of Paul Bachand’s pickled golden beets left over from an event at the winery, catered by Farm to Fork, (with bonus cloves of pickled garlic!).  For me, these are just right and not too heavy on the vinegar.  They brought sunshine to my plate of arugula, crumbled blue cheese, and some toasty maple glazed pecans.