Back to 2008 Daily Schedule (Itinerary)
>>> BURGUNDY / EUROPE - AUSTRIA
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WEINGUT FRED LOIMER
Fred Loimer never doubted which profession he would choose. From the very beginning, he wanted to be a vintner. Today, he owns 35 hectares (86 acres) of vineyards in the some of the best sites around Langenlois. Year after year, he seeks to produce benchmarking Gruner Veltliner and Riesling wines, which reflect the high quality, the terroir, and the special microclimates of the Kamptal. Having had a special affection for Pinot Noir for years, Fred is absolutely convinced that this capricious grape can specifically thrive very well in this area. Pinot Noir ripens earlier than, for instance, Zweigelt or Cabernet Sauvignon. It will, therefore, reach a high degree of ripeness also in cooler climes. The cool nights promote the formation of spicy aromas and intense flavors in the grapes. The wines usually have lower tannins and, according to Fred, in the most favorable cases are dainty, yet also elegant and noble. The oldest vineyard planted with Pinot Noir is Dechant (20 years) where the vines thrive on medium-weight loess soils. All plantings face east which is an advantage for the development of balanced tannins and acidity in the Pinot grapes.
Website: Loimer.at Email:weingut@loimer.at |
>>> BURGUNDY / EUROPE - FRANCE
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DOMAINE d'ARDHUY
Domaine d'Ardhuy is located in the very heart of Burgundy, in the Côtes de Nuits, at the border of the Côte de Beaune. The property is in the Clos des Langres, which has been known for the quality of its wines since the monks of the Abbaye de Citeaux planted the vineyards in the 10th century. The d'Ardhuy family has been managing this 45-hectare estate for three generations. The vineyards stretch from Puligny-Montrachet to Gevrey-Chambertin and produce over 40 different wines, including several Grands Crus: Clos de Vougeot, Corton-Charlemagne, Corton les Renardes, Corton-Pougets, Corton-Combes, Corton-Clos du Roi, and Corton Hautes Mourottes. The average production of the Domaine is 24,000 cases.
Website: Ardhuy.com Email:domaine@ardhuy.com |
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DOMAINE CHARLES AUDOIN
Domaine Charles Audoin is located in the Marsannay appellation just south of Dijon, which is known as the "Gateway to Burgundy." The Domaine began in 1972 with just three hectares of vines. Along with his wife, enologist Marie-Françoise Audoin, Charles Audoin has since built up their Domaine to 14 hectares. Their son Cyril has been on board since 2000, and together they are continuing the Burgundian tradition of respecting the terroir. Their vines on average are 45 years old. In the winery, they bottle without fining or filtering and produce about 4,000 cases annually.
Email:domaine-audoin@wanadoo.fr |
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MAISON CHAMPY
Founded in 1720, Maison Champy is the oldest wine house in Burgundy, thus heading an ancient commercial tradition. A part of the living history of Burgundy, it remains one of the smaller, high quality wine houses of the Côte d'Or. In 1990, Henri and Pierre Meurgey, longtime courtiers (representing domaines that sell their wine to négociants), bought the cellars with their partner Pierre Beuchet. Producing only high quality and well-balanced wines, each wine reflects the unique character of its terroir. Dimitri Bazas has been the winemaker since 1999, after having worked for eight years as a consultant to the finest domaines of the region. With 30 acres of vineyards, Champy vinifies a majority of its wines. Not believing that bigger is better, the Meurgeys insist, "We are not hectomaniacs."
Website: Champy.com Email:dbazas@champy.com |
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DOMAINE CLAUDE CHEVALIER
Information coming soon...
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CHATEAU de CHOREY
In the late 19th century, Pierre Germain, Benoit's great-great grandfather bought Château de Chorey, the vineyards of Beaune, and the négociant "Poulet père et fils". In 1968, after Benoit's grandfather Jaques Germain died, his son François sold the négociant, took charge of the family estate and bought parcels of Pernand Vergelesses and Chorey. In 1989, after a year of winemaking in Australia and Oregon, Benoit started working for the Domaine. He bought a new winery in 1993 and took over the vineyards and cellar and began to use organic growing methods. A year after adding a parcel of Mersault, he began running the entire estate in 2000 and since 2003 his wife, Jaqueline, has been working with him.
Website: Chateau-de-Chorey-les-Beaune.fr Email:contact@chateau-de-chorey-les-beaune.fr |
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DOMAINE FOUGERAY de BEAUCLAIR
It was in the late 1970s that Domaine Fougeray de Beauclair came to life by the acquisition of such renowned appellations in the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune as Bonnes Mares Grand Cru. Domaine Fougeray de Beauclair's philosophy is based on "top quality". By employing such methods as limited output, strict sorting of the grapes, vinification under heat control, and maturing in new or recent barrels, they have made it possible for the different appellations to hold the top ranks among the most famous Burgundian domaines. These methods have enabled Domaine Fougeray de Beauclair's wines to be offered in the finest restaurants, cellars, and specialized shops throughout the world.
Website: FougeraydeBeauclair.fr Email:fougeraydebeauclair@wanadoo.fr |
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DOMAINE HUBER-VERDEREAU
In 1994, Thiébault Huber created Huber-Verdereau from a vineyard passed down from his grandfather (less than three hectares). Before, Thiébault was a wine-waiter in a famous restaurant on the Côte d'Azur. Over the years, the Domaine grew to 6.7 hectares of vineyards, from Volnay to Puligny-Montrachet. The current annual production is 3,200 cases of red and white wine. He has been producing organic wines since 2001 and biodynamic wines since 2005.
Website: Huber-Verdereau.com Email:contact@huber-verdereau.com |
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DOMAINE MICHEL LAFARGE
The Lafarge's have been vignerons in Volnay since the 18th century and started bottling in the early 1900's, a rarity for a small estate. They have had loyal customers for generations, selling their own wine in barrels to Parisian restaurants as far back as the 1850's. Michel Lafarge, now in his seventies, and his son Frédéric are probably the most famous father-and-son team working in Burgundy today. They have around 10 hectares of vines in the famed village of Volnay. The vines are mature, very little new oak is used, and the wines are handled as seldom as possible, with only a couple of rackings, a light fining and rarely any filtration. The Lafarge domaine is run very much by instinct and with respect for the terroir, with no sense of imposition and with biodynamic techniques. The wines are allowed to speak for themselves and are wonderfully fragrant, complex, and harmonious - the essence of great Volnay.
Website: DomaineLafarge.fr Email:domaine@domainelafarge.com |
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DOMAINE JEAN MARC MILLOT
Jean Marc Millot has been growing grapes and honing his winemaking skills since the late 1980s. He began estate bottling his wines in 1992 with a limited range of wines including Cote de Nuits Villages, Vosne Romanée, and Clos Vougeot. In 1997, Jean Marc and his wife Christine had the opportunity to assume control of Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards that had long been leased out to other producers. Jean Marc believes that if low yields are employed in the vineyard, the density of texture and flavor will already be present in the grapes, thus the fruit is destemmed and strong care is taken to avoid over extraction. Jean Marc strives to produce pure, soft, mesmerizing Burgundies that encapsulate the aromas and fruit character of the Pinot Noir grape.
Email:lesmillots@orange.fr |
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DOMAINE ALBERT MOROT
In 1820, Albert Morot began his négociant business in Beaune. After the phylloxera epidemic, the Château de la Creusotte was built, and the vines were acquired. Over the years, the domaine has made the transition from a négociant to a grower. Between 1984 and 1999, Françoise Choppin, the great-granddaughter of Albert Morot, took over and ran all aspects of the business. At that time, she made the wise decision to stop the négociant activity in order to concentrate on her vineyards and winemaking. In January of 2000, Geoffroy Choppin de Janury, a great-nephew, took over the family business. He maintains the traditional spirit of the Domaine, while being open to new techniques that produce higher quality grapes. The yields are kept low, and the vinification is still done in open wood tanks using wild yeasts. The domaine spreads over eight hectares of vineyards, planted predominantly with Pinot Noir, exclusively 1er crus. The cellar is built into three levels, which allows the Domaine to work with gravity.
Email:albertmorot@aol.com |
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DOMAINE NUDANT
The Domaine Nudant is marked by more than 200 years of tradition. There is literature stating that a Guillaume Nudant was a winegrower in the village of Aloxe-Corton in 1453 during the reign of Charles the Bold. In the year 1747, André Nudant cultivated vines in Ladoix, the village where the cellar and 6.4 acres of vineyards exist today. After working for a period in New Zealand, Guillaume Nudant, the last of the line, joined his father, Jean-René, in managing the property and vineyards. Domaine Nudant produces wines from multiple appellations including Ladoix, Aloxe-Corton, Corton, Nuits-Saint-Georges, and Vosne-Romanée. Jean-René and Guillaume pamper their vineyards throughout the year employing the methods of "lutte raisonnée" which involves frequent plowing, no weeding, and use of organic manures. The winemaking is rigorous, with long fermentations and temperature controlling. The Pinot Noir is aged for 12-18 months in oak barrels, one-third of which are new oak. The result is aromatic wines with elegance, structure, and ripe tannins.
Website: Domaine-Nudant.fr Email:domaine.nudant@wanadoo.fr |
Photo Credit: Bertrand Celce |
PHILIPPE PACALET
Philippe Pacalet had a solid upbringing in the wine trade, learning from mentors like Jules Chauvet and his uncle, Marcel Lapierre. Since he did not inherit vineyards of his own, Pacalet abandoned the idea of ownership and prefers to rely exclusively on rented vineyards to make his wine, thus giving him the option to hand-select vineyards that he deems to have the most interesting terroir throughout the Cote de Beaune and the Cote de Nuits. Philippe's approach to winemaking is rooted in simplicity. He opposes interventionalist techniques and goes to great lengths to ensure quality such as manually filling every bottle by gravity and inserting every cork with traditional corking tool. Pacalet's wines are well regarded for their aromatic purity and lively nature.
Email:philippe.pacalet@wanadoo.fr |
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DOMAINE MARC ROY
Domaine Marc Roy has been in the family for four generations. The estate includes nine acres of Pinot Noir and one acre of Chardonnay, producing about 1800 cases annually. Owner/winemaker Marc Roy inherited his love for vineyard management and winemaking from both his father and grandfather. Marc's wife, Regine, manages the sales and reception of guest at the winery. Daughter Alexandrine, after working vintage 2005 in New Zealand, recently took over the job of winemaker and manages the vineyard with her father. She has been given more and more responsibilities at the family estate. She created a new cuvée, bearing her name, from a selection of special grapes, so she can carry on the family tradition. The aim is to produce the best wine by giving strong attention to the soils, bringing about low yields of top quality. Traditional winemaking processes yield wines that reflect Gevrey-Chambertin's specific and unique terroir.
Website: DomaineMarcRoy.ViniMarket.com Email:domainemarcroy@orange.fr |
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DOMAINE TRAPET
In Jean-Louis Trapet's words, "Wine is one of the most civilized things in existence. In my capacity as a wine
grower, the path of gentleness and respect enables me to make my way towards the highest degree of expression of my soils. This gentleness, chosen with due consideration, often follows the paths of tradition.
It travels across the vineyard. From the first buds to harvesting, the grape is accompanied but never forced. It passes through the fermentation room where bunches of grapes are meticulously sorted and delicately pressed. It follows its course through the cellar where the wine gently oozes out in all solemnity. It finally
slips into its bottle to set free in their entirety, some years later, its flavours and delicate, elegant and harmonious fragrances. In short, the prospects that gentleness offers to the wine grower who knows how to follow them through are rich. Rich, too, are the heady perspectives for the amateur who knows how to taste them."
Website: Domaine-Trapet.com Email:message@domaine-trapet.com |