Our final full day of wine tasting took us north to Santenay, the last AOC in the Côte de Beaune and Rully in the Côte Chalonnaise. The historic Château de Santenay – or what is now known as Chateau Philippe le Hardi – was our first stop. Our host Chloe Deroy gave an absolutely brilliant and concise history of the estate and its importance to the whole Burgundy wine story. This really set the scene for what was a beautiful location that oozed history. We wandered round the ancient cellars, discussed the barrels and discovered that their 96 hectare estate covers more than 20 different appellations. We then tasted a terrific range of wines down in the cellar. I have stocked their wines for a number of years now so it was no surprise.
The Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune was rich and balanced and the Mercurey Blanc and Chassagne Montrachet even more so. The reds were equally good with fine examples of Beaune 1er Cru, Aloxe Corton, and culminating in the Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2018 at 150 euros a bottle.
We took lunch on the very pretty square in Santenay itself at the Terroir restaurant. Owner Corinne Germain warmly welcomed us, and mindful of our dinner in the evening, presented a delicious coq au vins with fresh pasta and a café gourmand – just enough to keep us going but still allow room for a final night extravaganza.
From Santenay, it was a 15 minute journey to Rully and the well established négociant André Delorme. Established in 1942 they have become a significant player in the Côte Chalonnaise particularly for their Crémant de Bourgogne. Monique Verdot hosted our visit and tasting and showed us the historic method of production for crémant before taking us round the cellars.
A wonderful tasting ensued with two Crémants, whites from Rully, Bouzeron and Montagny and reds from Givry and Mercurey – thus covering all five of the AOC’s within the Chalonnaise.
A great end – with dinner still to come.
Our final night dinner was at Le Poisson d’Or – on the riverside in Mâcon – but a couple of kilometres walk from our hotel. With the majority opting for taxis, we all arrived in good time and a superb four course dinner ensued. A delicious crab creation was followed by tender beef, a sublime cheese board and a truly historic assiette gourmande as dessert. A fabulous end to a great tour!
