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Burgundy

The Millésime Bio Organic Wine Fair Returns to Montpellier


The New Year has come, let the wine fairs begin! From the 24th to the 26th of January, the Millésime Bio Wine Fair will take place in Montpellier.

Millésime Bio 2011 Winefair

This fair's aim is to present organically certified wines from around the world to the visitors and professional wine buyers.

Two of Gourmet Odyssey's partners, Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard and Domaine Chapelle, are exhibiting at this organic wine fair, and will be happy to welcome you should you be attending.

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Burgundy Wines Showcased in London!


On 20th January, London welcomes a hundred Burgundy winemakers at the Terroirs & Signatures de Bourgogne 2011 wine fair.

Meet our partners at the Terroirs and Signatures 2011 wine fair in London

Domaine Chapelle and Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard, the two Burgundy partners of Gourmet Odyssey located in this beautiful region, will be presenting a wide range of their best wines.

It's the occasion to meet the winemakers and discover the richness of Burgundy wines during a huge wine tasting session that lasts the whole day! And for those who want to improve their knowledge of wines, a training seminar with a commented tasting of Village appellations will be presented from 10 to 12 am.

A mouth watering and enriching day awaits!

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The Snow covers the Chablis Vines!


Winter is not yet officially upon us, but the Chablis valleys have already been whitened... 

Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard Vineyard Chablis under the snow
The snow flakes that have fallen during the past few days have been enough to cover the burgundy vineyards with a white cloak. This picture is taken from the "Boissonneuse" vineyard, looking back across the vines towards Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard.

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Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard Reviewed by Le Figaro Magazine


Chablis - La Boissonneuse 2008

Chablis la Boissonneuse Wine Label
A true test for Julien Brocard.  Convince his father, Jean-Marc, one of the great Chablis winemakers, that a biodynamic wine, made using the traditions of yesteryear, can achieve excellence.  The bet has paid off : a white wine that is mineral, generous, perfumed and very much alive.

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Harvest Experience at Domaine Chapelle in Burgundy


Last weekend, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Harvest Experience Day 2010 clients at Domaine Chapelle, with a few drops of rain, but in good cheer! Everyone was looking forward to harvesting their grapes, now finally ripe for making the 2010 vintage.

Grapes ready for harvest

A few morning rain showers meant that we changed the order of the day a little.  After the introduction to the region and the wine estate by Jean François Chapelle, we headed off to the reception hall where the grapes, freshly harvested by the team of 40 harvesters, are received to be inspected by the expert eyes of the sorting table team.

Harvested grapes arrive in the reception hall

Yannick, the Vine Manager and, during harvest time, manager of the sorting team, explained and showed us how to separate the good grapes from the bad, thus ensuring that only the best continue their journey into the fermentation tanks.  Around the sorting table, the atmosphere is very jovial, and the jokes fly around.

Sorting the good from bad grapes

Once sorted, the good grapes enter the destemming machine to separate the grapes from their stems.  The stems are then collected together with the rejected grapes, part of which will be turned into compost to nourish the vines for the next harvest, and the rest used to make the strong liqueur, Marc de Bourgogne.

Collecting the stems for compost

Domaine Chapelle boasts a new reception hall which was completed just in time for last year's harvest.  It was engineered to make the handling of the grapes as gentle as possible to help further improve the quality of the wine. And so instead of the grapes being pumped, as is the case in many wineries, they slide by the force of gravity into the awaiting trolley below.

The trolley is then wheeled by hand to one of the vats where each vineyard plot is fermented individually.  The grapes and their juice enter the vats to ferment, which can last between 10 and 25 days depending on the year.

The grapes enter the fermentation tanks

By this stage, the rain had now stopped, and so arrived the moment that everyone was waiting for!  Down to the vineyard, booted up and armed with secateurs to harvest the grapes.  Each client introduced themselves to their adopted vines, identifiable by a sign with their name on, and after a quick lesson by Jean François on which grapes to pick, it was time to knuckle down to work!  And we can testify that the harvest was a good one!

Gourmet Odyssey harvesters hard at work

After the effort, the just rewards! Back to the winery for the wine tasting, accompanied with gougères, a local Burgundy specialty.  We started with Domaine Chapelle's Meursault 2008, followed by the 2003 and 2005 vintages of their Santenay "Clos des Cornières", the wine chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.  Jean François explained the difference between the two vintages, which is very pronounced due to the heat wave of 2003.  We then finished with the Gevrey Chambertin 2007 and the Santenay Premier Cru "Beaurepaire" 2002. 

Wine Tasting

Next, off to the make-shift harvesters' refectory, to savour one of Yvette Chapelle's legendary harvesters' meals.  Yannick had spoken of them in hallowed terms during the last Wine Discovery Experience Day, and we weren't let down! Parsley ham, followed by beef, stewed in an Aloxe Corton (one of the estate's wines) sauce, regional cheeses, and a delicious apple tart, all accompanied with a Santenay Premier Cru "La Comme" 2002.  Difficult to get moving again after such a feast!

The Harvesters meal

We finished the day with a guided cellar tour.  Yannick explained the important ageing and blending side of winemaking, and the impact that the choice of wine barrels has on the wine.

Wine Cellar Tour

To sum up: A very pleasant day, full of encounters, sharing and conviviality.  We hope that everyone left with a small insight into the life of a winemaker during the busy harvest season, and that the next drop of Domaine Chapelle's wine will be that much more appreciated!

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The Saint Vincent Tournante 2011 in Corgoloin


The annual wine festival, the Saint Vincent Tournante, will be hosted by the Burgundy village of Corgoloin on the 29th and 30th January, 2011.  Corgoloin is one of the villages that make up the Côte de Nuits appellation.

Poster for Saint Vincent Tournante 2011 Corgoloin Burgundy

The Saint Vincent Tournante dates back to the middle ages to pay homage to the patron saint of winemakers, Saint Vincent of Saragossa.  The festivities had almost disappeared until the founders of the "Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin", wine brotherhood, relaunched the tradition in Burgundy in 1934.  By the end of the 1990?s, the festival was so successful that it attracted over 100 000 people over the weekend, making the event unmanageable logistically and financially. 

Today, the festival has been reduced in size, but there were still some 40,000 visitors last year for the Saint Vincent Tournante 2010 in Chassagne Montrachet.
During the festival, a procession is led through the selected village on foot, with each of the 80 wine brotherhoods "confréries" being represented by people in costume and their statues of Saint Vincent.  The procession is followed by a religious mass and a traditional meal of pig for the families of the members of the brotherhoods.

The other big event of the weekend is the wine tasting of the wines selected for the Saint Vincent Tournante.

If you are planning on going, make sure you reserve your accommodation well in advance!

 

More information on the Saint Vincent Tournante can be found on the following site:


Confrérie des Chevaliers de Tastedevin

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Wine Experience Day at Domaine Chapelle


Last Saturday we were at Domaine Chapelle in Burgundy for a Discovery Experience Day with the clients of the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.

 

Wine Experience Day at Domaine Chapelle, Burgundy

After a very rainy week, we were dreading the worst, but fortunately Yannick, the Vine Manager, was focused on his weather radar to take us into the vineyard as soon as a brighter window came along!

Yannick showed us the vines in full flowering season, and explained the work that has been done so far this year in the vineyard.  Everyone introduced themselves to their adopted vines, and then it was time to get down to some work!

 

Vine Flowering
 

 

The task to be completed was to ensure that each of the vine shoots were placed between the training wires, and that they were separated from one vine to the next.  Then we had to raise the wires as high as possible, and attach them together with a biodegradable clip, used at the estate since their conversion to organic farming.

 

Clipping the Vine Wires Together
 

 

After a few words on the history of the region, the winery and their organic wine making philosophy by Jean François Chapelle, it was time to taste the estate's wines over a meal.  We savoured their Meursault 2008 white wine, the Santenay "Clos de Cornières" 2004 and 2003 vintages, the Santenay Premier Cru "Beaurepaire" 2002, and their Gevrey Chambertin from 2007.

 

Wine Tasting Session of Domaine Chapelle's Burgundy Wines
 

 

During the afternoon, Mr Chapelle, pipette in hand, took us into the winery and cellars to introduce us to the wine making side of things, finishing with a tasting, direct from the casks, of the 2009 Clos de Cornières, which is still maturing.

 

Wine Tasting Straight from the Barrel
 

 

A huge thank you to all who came and to Domaine Chapelle for a very memorable day!

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