On the way home
6:30 am – live from the TGV on the way to Charles de Gaulle. I drove up the N74 to the station in Dijon this morning in the dark – sad not to get a last look at the Côte as I passed by, saying my good-byes to Vosne, Chambolle, Morey & Gevrey. After who knows how many times, it’s still a little dicey finding the train station at this hour. Could have something to do with the brain not functioning fully at 5am, I suppose. It’s also never really clear where you’re supposed to leave the rental car – they change it every time, so I just stash it somewhere fairly obvious and pop the keys in the drop box. I’ve never received a notice that a car was missing, so I’m assuming they’ve always been found and returned to their rightful owner…
While waiting on the platform, I bumped into and chatted with Philippe Pacalet, one of Burgundy’s most talked-about and controversial winemakers. Philippe has a small negoce operation based in Beaune – he makes some delicious wines from Gevrey, Chambolle, Pommard and others I don’t recall. The controversy stems from his non-use of sulfur. He claims to use no sulfur whatsoever throughout the process. I’ve tasted with him in his cellar, and can attest that the wines are indeed beautiful and well made. How they travel and how they age is the question. Without any sulfur to protect the wines, one would normally expect a rapid oxidation process and some very premature browning. I suspect (as do most folks I know) that he is actually adding at least a bit of SO2 prior to bottling. He sells most of his wine in Japan, and I can’t imagine the wines surviving the voyage to Tokyo without some protection. He is sitting directly behind me on the train as I write – we joked that this must be the “voiture des vignerons” (the winemakers car.)
I am most grateful that the railroads did not go on strike again this year – last year’s strike forced me to drive to Paris from Beaune, which took 6 and a half hours instead of the normal 3 due to the extra traffic. I understand that this year’s strike is still possible for this weekend – in protest of the fact that they are considering changing the retirement rules, letting one retire at 65 if they want to rather than the current mandatory 60. Apparently they don’t want the option to work 5 years more. To the French, that’s five whole years of missed vacation, and you know this place is all about vacation. Work here is seen by most as something you do to kill time between vacations…
Excellent dinner at Caves Madeleine last night – escargot stew in a salty, garlicky broth and perfect duck leg confit, followed by killer Valrhona chocolate and salt-caramel ice cream. Yum! We had a 2004 Lafon Meursault, 2005 Mugnier Chambolle Fuées, 2001 de Vogüé Chambolle 1er, and then a 2004 Coche-Dury Meursault Rougeots with the cheese. All in all, not a bad night!
So, from here it’s a train, two planes, and lot’s of waiting between them all, and then Martha & Pirrie will be at the airport in Portland to pick me up and bundle me home a mere 25 hours after leaving the guest house in Volnay. My heart is unbelievably happy in Burgundy, but always even more ecstatic to be home with my girls. Perhaps the best part of the trip is getting home and seeing Pirrie’s joy in opening her little presents (which of course always include some chocolates from Madame Bouché!) Au revoir, la Bourgogne – je reviendra bientôt!