Tuesday September 2:

Well, we asked for it.

The alarm rang right on schedule as my phone flashed 5:00 am on its screen. It was the kind of wake-up that hurts- the REM cycle is disrupted, and your whole body protests in anger. Nothing a hot shower couldn’t cure, however. By 5:30 we were functioning enough to navigate our way down the hotel stairs, and we were quickly off into the dark early morning.

There was a definite chill in the air, and the wind was a bit brisk as we hurried to the Gare Saint-Lazare metro station. Each using a standard T+ ticket, we retraced the previous morning’s route by taking Line 14 to the fourth stop- Gare de Lyon. Paris was basically empty this time of day, but Gare de Lyon seemed to be the exception. We were surprised by how many people were moving about there. We had already purchased our tickets about a month earlier through CaptaineTrain- which is a website with a very good user interface (Kind of like a Kayak, but for trains).  However, we needed to use our ticket confirmation code at an SNCF Ticket Machine to actually print our tickets. This was really easy to do though (look for a yellow ticket machine).  After composting our freshly-printed tickets, we headed to the train platforms.

Our final destination was the train station in the small city of Beaune. However, we would have to first stop in Dijon and then connect to a regional train there. So, we found the high-speed train that was set to depart for Dijon at 6:40 and hopped aboard. I had almost forgotten that we actually had assigned seats on this train ride. Luckily we randomly had boarded the train in the exact car where our seats were located. Even for second class, the seats were very roomy and comfortable! We had brought some granola bars, etc. for breakfast, we munched on those while we waited for the train to depart.

I wish I could have told you what the train ride was like from Paris to Dijon, but I was fast asleep for the entirety of the trip which lasted about 1.5 hours. We found our next train after a 17 minute “layover” in Dijon, and 20 minutes later at 8:32, we arrived at the Beaune train station. We did not need to be anywhere until 9:30, so we set about exploring the charming town. Beaune is known as the wine capital of Bourgogne (Burgundy), and it has quite a history. It is old enough to have been a fortified city, and most of the stone walls (and even some entry gates) still exist today. We actually went up onto one of these ramparts, and from there we took a walk around half of the city.

When we reached the arch denoting the North entrance to the Old City, we descended the walls and returned to the streets. It was now almost 9, and we wanted to make sure that we were at the Tourism Office by 9:30. With my map app from CityMaps2Go combined with the helpful signs throughout the city, it was very easy to find.  Our big plans for the day were to take a guided “Bike and Wine” tour of the Bourgogne (Burgundy) countryside.  We had already scheduled this particular adventure with Burgundy Evasion Bike Tours a few months prior, and we were to assemble at the Tourism Office where we would meet our group and guide.

The other members of our group began to arrive. There were 12 of us. All 12 were from the US, but we had the map well-covered: California, Utah, Georgia, New York, and of course Minnesota. We soon met our guide, Florian, who drove up in a van attached to a large bike trailer. After initial introductions from Florian, we loaded into the van (and a taxi because our group was too large to all fit in the van) and we were whisked up the curvy, narrow roads east of Beaune in the general direction of the village of Saint-Romain.

Our transport vehicles stopped on the side of the road at the top of a large hill surrounded by meadows. Here we received our bikes, helmets, and standard safety lesson from Florian. I should probably take this time to say that Florian was awesome! He was extremely knowledgeable about everything wine-related, and his positivity and gregarious nature made everyone feel welcome. (He also runs Burgundy Evasion Bike Tours as a one-man operation by himself) Everyone was already getting along very well, so by the time we were ready to depart, we all felt as if we had made new friends.

Well, our first segment of biking lasted less than 30 seconds….and with good reason! We quickly pulled off the road and gathered around the edge of a steep limestone cliff that offered up amazing views of the valley and the sleepy little town of Saint-Romain below. The morning was cloudless but hazy, so unfortunately we did not see the Alps in the distance (which is apparently possible from there on a good day). However, we were still not disappointed with the view. We could see very far into the valley, and up close we watched falcons dive from their cliffside homes in search of breakfast.

While we admired the view, Florian taught us about the wines of Burgundy. Here is what I learned from the great master teacher:

WARNING! BURGUNDY WINE LESSON BELOW! …Skip right on by if you’d like 🙂

Burgundy is known for two types of grapes- Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Obviously, the Pinot Noir creates red wine, and the Chardonnay creates white. The best of the red grapes are found north of Beaune, but we would be travelling to the south of Beaune through the best of the Chardonnay grapes.

Burgundy wines are divided into four different classifications or “appellations.” These appellations are used to classify quality and price, but they are also used to even source the location of where the grapes for each wine were actually grown!  In fact, the appellation designations are given to the plots of land themselves. Once a plot of land (be it 1 acre or 100 acres) is given an appellation, it can never be changed. (This mostly has to do with price-fixing)

There are four appellations: Regional, Village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru

Regional is the lowest quality (but “lowest” quality is still excellent in my humble opinion).  About 52 percent of the total grapes grown in Bourgogne are considered to be a “Regional” appellation.  So, any grape grown in a “Regional” plot can be blended in with others to make a “Regional” wine. If you see a wine bottle with just “Bourgogne” or “Burgundy,” then it is probably a Regional appellation

Village is higher quality than Regional, and accounts for 36 percent of the total grapes grown in Bourgogne. Any grape grown in a town’s “Village” appellation plots can be blended in with others to make a “Village” wine. If you see a bottle with just a village name such as “Pommard,” you can be fairly certain it is from this appellation level

Premier Cru is an even higher quality appellation which is reserved for only 10 percent of all Bourgogne grapes. Premier Cru wines are usually made from just a plot or a few plots of Premier Cru grapes (they MUST be ONLY Premier Cru appellation), so these wines are considered to be higher in quality (and in price!)

La pièce de résistance of Burgundy appellations is the Grand Cru. These plots and the grapes that are grown on them make up only 2 percent of the total for the whole region. These grapes go on to make the most expensive wines in the world (One of which goes for upwards of 40,000 euros a bottle).

A good rule of thumb is that the more limestone in the soil, the better the appellation will be. However, it is often impossible to tell how or why a specific plot of land is given one appellation and a neighboring plot is given another. Example: We saw a plot of Grand Cru that was valued at around 20 million euros a hectare…Literally 2 meters away was a plot of similar size that was considered to be only a “Village” appellation. As such, it was only valued at 1 million euros per hectare.

Serious stuff here, folks.

END OF WINE LESSON! If you made it this far, you deserve a glass of Grand Cru wine!

After our BGNDY101: Intro to Wine class concluded, we got back on our bikes and began our bike trip in earnest. We were starting out on the high ground, so most of our route would be downhill. We cruised through the picturesque village of Orches before stopping for a closer look at some of the vines on the hillside.

We biked on through the tiny hamlets of Evelle and Baubigny until we reached a steep hill that would prove to be the toughest biking challenge of the day. When we crested the hill, we took a break to admire the view- which seemed to be something out of a masterwork painting. It was hard to believe that what we were seeing was real. The wildflowers, meadows, hamlets, vineyards, mountains, hills, cliffs- it all appeared to be almost contrived- almost too perfect.

After our break, we continued towards the town of La Rochepot. We stopped along the way to admire the impressive castle there. Le Château de La Rochepot (or at least its chapel) dates back to 1128 when it was built by Alexander of Burgundy. Everything except the chapel was destroyed in a 13th century fire, but the castle was quickly rebuilt due to its prized defensible position. This is what can be seen today.  Unfortunately for us, the castle was closed for visits on that Tuesday, but at least we could still admire it from the outside. The whole property is for sale for 3.2 million euros, so I suppose I could always buy it and see what it looks like on the inside….

We continued down through the actual town of La Rochepot and then started a long climb up another hill that provided us with some fantastic views of the castle from the other side. I was yet again stunned by the beautiful scene that was before me. And I mean that literally- it took me a while before I could make a move to get on my bike and join the group at the top of the hill. Just absolutely beautiful.

At the top of the hill, we took a break- our first wine break! Florian pulled out a bottle of white wine that he procured from a neighbor that morning. Along with the wine, he brought along some charcuterie and some peaches from a tree in his own backyard. It was the perfect time to stop, because we were getting fairly hungry. Here, Florian also taught us a few techniques about swirling the wine in the glass to enhance the experience of smell and taste.

After the picnic break, we continued downhill into what was obviously now “wine country.” Many more vineyards were visible as we descended into the valley, and we were soon completely surrounded. We slowed to a stop on the hill overlooking Saint-Aubin to learn about how rock piles on the hillside denoted old grape plots that had been since abandoned. (Grape growers used to pile many limestone rocks on the side of the plots because it was too difficult and time-consuming to haul them elsewhere)

We coasted through Saint-Aubin and took a dirt trail that led past more and more grape vines in the direction of the town of Chassagne-Montrachet. At the far edge of the town, we parked our bikes at Domaine du château de Chassagne-Montrachet. Perhaps this “château” was once a real château, but it is now a beautiful modern facility where the Picard family estate wines are crafted. However, one part of the estate remains as it once was in the 1300’s- the cellar. We were able to explore this very old wine cellar on a brief tour. It was incredibly musky/mildewy down there, and I got the feeling that if a person stayed down there too long, they could have some respiratory issues. Still, it was fascinating to see such an historical wine cellar still intact and in use. We returned topside and tasted four wines from the region. None were higher than “Village” appellation, but they were very good. My favorite was a Pinot Noir from Saint-Aubin…I wonder if I rode past any vines that contributed to my taste!

Back on the bikes, we rode to the east towards the town of Puligny-Montrachet where we were to have lunch. However, on the way, we arrived at a Grand Cru plot. This particular Grand Cru plot was less than 12 hectares, but in those 12 hectares grew some of the most expensive grapes on earth!

Finally, it was lunch time! We had a three course meal at La Maison d’Olivier LaFlaive. The food was excellent, but due to some miscommunication, the bottle of wine we ordered never arrived. Sad day. All was not lost though because we were at least able to get to know some of our fellow bike adventurers a bit better. (Yes, this is a shout-out to Christine and Josh. Cheers, guys!)

Now feeling much better with full stomachs, we rode north towards Pommard. On the way, we passed by the towns of Mersault and Volnay. Our views now were more of what you would expect from biking through wine country- vines as far as the eye could see. At one point we were able to make out the faint blue haze of the Alps off to the east, but it was impossible to capture on film.

We had been dodging the main roads/routes for the entirety of the ride. However, the last 200 meters of the ride would have to be on the busy main road to Pommard. We had no issues though, and we were soon in the center of the small town- and our final biking destination. We were going to tour Domaine LeJeune- a small family winery located in Pommard that had been in operation since the 18th century. Since the bike ride was mostly downhill and at a leisurely pace, we were not tired at all. However, Florian was not so lucky! He left us in the good hands of François, the proprietor, and went on his way back up the hill to retrieve the van from our original starting point.

This wine tour at Domaine Lejeune was more of our style. There was nothing pretentious or ostentatious about this winery- just a passion for viticulture and pride in the family business. The winery actually still follows the traditional vinification method of grape-stomping. They also use the oldest fermentation vat in Burgundy in their processes. We were able to taste several different types of their wine, and we liked the Premier Cru (pinot noir) so much that we bought a bottle to take home with us! (In case you are wondering, we took extra care and the bottle luckily made it back intact!)

Soon, Florian returned with the van (and the taxi arrived, too), and we returned to the Beaune Tourism Office. It had been an amazing journey, and I was sad to see it end. We had about an hour before our train left for Dijon at 6:40, so we walked around Beaune to do some shopping. We were lured in by the great smells of Fromagerie Hess, but we did not bite the bullet and buy any of the artisan cheeses…They were expensive, but looked delicious. We also tried to catch a glimpse of the famous Hospices de Beaune building (l’Hôtel-Dieu) but unfortunately the famous architecture (Google it!) was not visible from the street. Before we knew it, we were back on the train to Dijon.

The train to Gare de Lyon left Dijon at 7:25 (we had a 15 minute stop in Dijon this time). Once again, I fell asleep- I just can’t stay awake on trains! It was past 9pm when we arrived in Paris, but we were not quite done for the day. We had snacked on our remaining granola bars on the train, but we wanted actual food. Our chosen restaurant  was called “La Fée Verte,” and it was about a 15 minute walk away…so why did we choose that one instead of the hundreds closer to Gare de Lyon? One word- Absinthe.

We had noticed some people drinking absinthe our first night in Paris, and we decided that we just had to try it before our trip ended. La Fée Verte was recommended as a great place to try absinthe, so we were excited. We first ordered a cheese plate which was really, really tasty. I can’t remember each type of cheese that was on the plate, but the Bleu Cheese (Roquefort?) was delectable. For a “desert” we ordered some  crêpes which were also very good. However, we were most anticipating the after-dinner drinks.

We ordered the Pernod- which at 136 proof was sure to make an impression! The absinthe was brought to us in glasses accompanied by two flat “spoons”, two sugar cubes, and an apparatus filled with ice water. The procedure is to place the sugar cube on the spoon over the glass of absinthe. Then allow the water to drip onto the sugar cube until it (mostly) dissolves into the glass below. At that point, the absinthe is good to go.

Note about absinthe in general- The absinthe available today is legal- even in the US! The active ingredient of Wormwood is now forbidden, so the hallucinations associated with absinthe are no longer applicable. However, you can and will get very very very drunk if you drink a lot of it!

The verdict? Not as much alcohol taste as I expected from something that is basically moonshine. In fact, the taste of licorice was the most prominent flavor I picked up. Megan liked it better than I did, but I think that is more about my hatred for licorice than anything else. But yeah, one glass of absinthe should do just fine…and two will definitely suit any of your drinking requirements for the evening!

We took the metro back to the hotel via Line 9 feeling quite good. It was now midnight, but I was not as tired as I thought I would be. I suppose sleeping on the trains helps a lot in that regard! It was a very long day, but it really did not feel that way. Our meandering journey through the Burgundian countryside left us feeling strangely refreshed and energized. The peaceful beauty of the landscape was still in my mind as my eyes closed. Unfortunately so was the fact that our trip was rapidly approaching its end. In only three days, we would be leaving our Parisian paradise. Even so, we had no regrets up to this point, and we were excited to see what the next day would bring.