Ahhh Burgundy

Burgundy!  Need one say more?  Of course, who am I to pass up an opportunity.  Burgundy is such a magical name.  Think of Cote d'Or which is divided into two main areas:  Code de Nuits and the Cote de Beaune.

Our friends Stan and Gail Fridstein and Mary and Doug Danielak joined us in Chaumont.  We wanted them to experience the barging life before Doug introduced us to his old stomping grounds in Burgundy.

The famous white cows of France.

In case you were wondering, this is what happens when you have a wine maker (Doug) and wine agent (Stan) on board.

Stan wants to show us he can dance.  We need a little more leg there, Stan.

The colors around us were so intense as to almost hurt my eyes.  There are  more shades of green than you could ever imagine.  The bright blue sky plays peak-a-boo between clouds ranging from fluffy whites to dark stormy grays.

Our friend Doug Danielak is one of the best winemakers in Napa Valley, California.  He studied in Burgundy before bringing his amazing skills to the states.  Some of you may be familiar with his exceptional wines Juicy Rebound and Pontneuf.  We were fortunate to have Doug and his lovely wife Mary on board Rabelo for a few days.  He arranged a tour of Francois Freres Tonnellerie, one of the largest cooperages (wine barrel makers) in France.  Francois accompanied us on our tour showing us each step from the raw logs, their being cut into staves and cured 2-3 years in the sun.  We watched as wood planks were smoothed into the proper shape and size, the pieces put together to form the barrels, firing the inside of each barrel to get the proper "toast," the tops and bottoms put on, etc.  We even saw kosher wine barrels being made.  Clay rather than flour was used to seal the tops so that the barrels would qualify as kosher.  It was a noisy, exciting, and informative tour.  Thank you Doug, Mary and Francois!!!

The mustard factory was interesting.  After watching the barrel making which is a hands on operation, we saw the mustard factory which is almost completely automated.  In spite of being separated from the process by thick glass walls, our eyes couldn't stop tearing from the mustard "fumes."

Joseph Drouhin Winery for tasting.  The fourth generation of Drouhin family are running the company which was founded in 1880.  Yes, we are working on stocking our small wine refrigerator.

More wine tasting with Paul Garaudet who produces Grand Vins de Borgogne. We had to buy more wine for Rabelo.

I think even those who don't drink can appreciate the beauty of this area.

Here in the Montrechet fields we see the rows between the vines being plowed in the traditional manner.  These WHITE wines sell for $400.00 a bottle?  Only the East and South facing slopes are planted with vines.  The hilltops are trees, scrubs or thickets.