After the worry of a little rain on Friday evening, all our doubts disappeared on Saturday morning as the wind swept the last of the clouds away from the Burgundy sky. We were at Domaine Chapelle in Santenay for a Discovery Experience Day to learn all about the work carried out in the vineyard by the winemaker to obtain the best possible grapes come harvest time.

Following a brief presentation of the winery by Jean-François,
the owner and winemaker, we headed out into the garden of the
family manor, where Jean-François talked about the geography and
geology of Burgundy. He also explained why he had decided
to embark on the organic approach to making wine. For him,
it is as much about taking pleasure from drinking a wine that is
free from harmful products as it is about respecting the soil and
protecting the health of the people who work at the winery.
Jean-François then showed us the "Clos des Cornières" vineyard,
where our adopted vines are
to be found. He took the opportunity to explain the
differences between the Burgundy regional, village, Premier Cru
and Grand Cru appellations. We then met our adopted vines
for the first time. A very emotional moment!

We knew that sooner or later, it would be time for us to roll up
our sleeves and do some work... We're getting into the
de-budding season. After pruning, a very important stage in
determining the future development of the vines and for reducing
the quantity of grapes that each vine produces, de-budding is
another key step. You mustn't leave too many branches and
leaves to feed, or you run the risk of not obtaining mature
enough grapes. We removed some of the buds on the vines to
better appreciate the complexity and scale of this titanic
job.
Back at the winery, we made the most of the lovely April sun, and
enjoyed our aperitif outside. We started the wine tasting
with a Santenay 2013 white wine, accompanied by some gougères,
and then continued the tasting over lunch of a Burgundy Pinot
Noir 2011, a Santenay Clos de Cornières 2011 and a Chassagne
Montrachet Premier Cru 2010 with cheese.

In the afternoon, we took a stroll to the Beaurepaire plot of Santenay Premier Cru vines. The walk allowed us to appreciate the landscape of the southern côte de Beaune, and to learn a little more about the local geology. The vineyard has just been replanted, and so we found out about a vine's life-cycle of a vine. Yannick Jacrot, the winery's Technical Director, explained how the vines are planted and the vineyard prepared.

The day finished with a brief visit of the fermentation hall and cellar where the barrels of wine are ageing and the bottles of wine are stocked.

Many thanks to Jean-François and Yannick for their passionate explanations, and to all of the Gourmet Odyssey clients for your good cheer.
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