La fête du Train au Pays des Grands Noms

My work usually takes me to Germany but December 2019 was an exception. Every three years Denis Thomas, Président Office de Tourisme de Meursault, organises a model train fair named ‘La fête du Train’. The company I work for was present with a stand. Meursault is a small wine village in Côte de Beaune the southern part of the Côte-d'Or department and region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in France. When I arrived in the afternoon there was a pretty dense fog. The surroundings were completely hidden behind a grey wall. It was clear the beginning of December was off-season. Many restaurants were closed and not much work was done on the vines. The hotel I booked was a small private house right in the center. It was really a perfect place to spent a leisurely afternoon on my own.

Meursault wine

Around 98 percent of wines produced in Meursault are white wines. Most wines are 100% Chardonnay although AOC regulations allow both Chardonnay and Pinot blanc. Several climats or lieu-dits are classified as Premier Cru vineyards. Meursault is pretty much synonymous with Chardonnay and the quality of a Meursault Chardonnay is excellent. The price of a bottle starts with approximately 16 euro and can easily go up to 70 euro or higher for a Premier Cru. I think those prices are too high. For 20 euro you can buy a very good ‘buttery’ Chardonnay from Meursault thanks to extended oak ageing.

Hotel Restaurant Le Chevreuil

Address: 1 Place de la République, 21190 Meursault

The second day I took our new agent for France, Guy Coessens, out for dinner. After a few too many aperitif (Chardonnay & pastis) in the local pub, we settled for Restaurant Le Chevreuil for diner.

Demi-lune de foie gras poêlé, duxelles de cèpes, bouillon de queue de bœuf aux arômes de champignons

Pigeon de Corton en deux cuissons, châtaignes rôties et mousseline de potimarron.

Château de Meursault

On Saturday evening were invited for diner at the Château. This was an amazing experience. The annual La Paulée de Meursault after the harvest is legendary. La Paulée was launched by the Meursault wine producer Jules Lafon in 1923. The reputation of this wine fest reached far and since 2000 La Paulée de New York and La Paulée de San Francisco are being hosted by American sommelier and wine entrepreneur Daniel Johnnes. The diner I attended borrowed quite a few things from the post-harvest fest. Music and singalongs were provided by the Joyeux Bourguignons, Each course only started after the communal Ban Bourguignon and at the end of the evening everybody raised up and waved their napkins to the "Marseillaise bourguignonne".