Chateau de La Maligny, owned by Jean Paul Durup in Chablis. The building in this picture is just one part--you could easily get lost on this unreal property. I think Chablis is an important stop for anyone visiting Burgundy, especially, once again, people who don’t like Chardonnay. Chablis is located in the Northernmost part of Burgundy. Very few to none of the producers use any oak at all in their Chardonnay, so the wines show off the pure flavors of grape without any vanilla oak bomb heaviness found in many American Chardonnays. Most importantly, the soil here is made up of Kimmeridge clay with outcrops of a chalk layer and soil which is composed of limestone, clay and fossilized oyster shells. Chablis winemakers like Jean Paul Durup want to emphasize the terroir, with the calcareous soil being the most important factor, supplying the acidity and minerality that is so special about the wines from this area.



Mr Durup showing us the unique soil of Chablis. Chardonnay in its purest form, and because of the acidity and the freshness and the minerality, you get a perfect pairing for those oysters I had from Normandy.

Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to mention a winery in the Nuits St. Georges area that I personally thought provided the best quality to price ratio of Pinot Noirs on the trip, Domaine R Dubois & Fils. Above, I am drinking some great red Burgundy with Raphael Dubois. Nest to that picture is a very talented winemaker, Beatrice Dubois. Their wines, like all the rest I tasted throughout Burgundy, were fantastic. 2009s are drinking great right now. 2010s, especially the Premier Crus, might go down as one of the classic vintages in Burgundy and will have more longevity for aging than 2009s. Beatrice and Raphael prepared a great lunch for us and they whipped out a bottle of 1990 Premier Cru…WOW!

A Hospice de Nuits St George Premier Cru. These wines are produced to help benefit hospices in the area. The Pinot Noir was dark, deep and loaded with black fruits and ripe tannins. I wanted to mention an area known as the Jewel of the Cotes de Nuits, Clos De Vougeot. We tried a 2010 and like all the others they are gonna be great with some aging. It brings up a valid point that I discussed with Beatrice. How can any reviewer, including myself, rate a 2010 Clos De Vougeot? These are not Pinot Noirs for a House Pour at a local Restaurant. I asked Beatrice what she thought of the 2010 and she candidly said, “Ask me again in 15 years.” We were then treated to a 1998 Clos de Vougeot. Now I see her point. That wine was one of the best Pinots I have tasted in years, but I wouldn’t have known that back in 1999 or 2000.

Always time for one last oyster before heading home. The only disappointing thing about a trip to France: the trip home!