Ze Odyssey in Burgundy has begun!

Our CFPPA class started today. We woke up early for a quick breakfast and started off with Sommelier Professionnelle Gosh Pertuset giving us un petit overview of Burgundy wine as a whole.



So.. a little bit about the region:
Burgundy in all is about 30,000 hectares, (everything’s metric over here, mind you); that’s about 74,131 acres. This land is divided into four departments (or climatic areas) that run North to South: Yonne, Côte D’or, Saône-et-Loire and Rhône. In these departments there are at least 100 different operations and of these over 500 different landowners. Mainly, Burgundy produces Pinot-Noirs and Chardonnays.

Presentation is everything en France. The French pay spectacular attention to the temperature at which butter, apéritifs and beverages, especially wine, are served. M. Pertuset instructed us that between 14-18C* is the correct temperature for wines of Burgundy (57-64F*).

Mmmmmm lets try some, shall we!?

Chambolle - Musigny, 2006, Hubert Lignier

Gevrey - Chambertin, 2007, Domaine Arlaud

Vosne - Romanée, 2006, Vieilles Vigne, Alex Gambal

Clos - Vougeot, 2003, Domaine Georges Mugneret

In 2003 there was a canicule, or heatwave. It was 108-109 F* during the day and in the 80s F* at night! "The grapes were practically raisins," said M. Pertuset. Most vineyards got little more than a third of their usual annual production. And you could taste it in the wine, accross the board! The tasted extremely reduced, leathery, cooked and full of tanans.

After lunch, a field trip!

At the Hospices De Nuit-St-Geroges. ~12.5 hectares

Walking around near Romanée-Conti

Tasting at Lucien Jacob

We had these three delicious, sweet berry liqueors! Jean-Micheal Jacob poured these with a rosé, a aligoté and a crement bubbly. yumm yumm.

An after thought:
I've heard so much hearsay since I've been here that this year is setting up to be a spectacualr vintage. The weather has been virtually cloudless and in the 70s (F*) every day since I've been here. Yet, each person we spoke to today mentioned the affects of the heatwave in the 2003 vintage or refered to it as "our new world wine." Our teacher, tour guide and both winemakers each hinted at the effects of a global warming. I'm curious to ask Alex more about what he thinks the future of his wines look like in the context of "new world" weather patterns.

How it all started...

Life in transition. Having finished two years at the University of Vermont, it was time for me to get back to the warmth and sunshine of the Good Ol' North State. The University of North Carolina granted me a year deferral of my transfer and my first thought was France. Our good family friend Alex Gambal has been in Burgundy for over 15 years. In 1997 he created Maison Alex Gambal and is now making and distributing wine to over 20 countries.

Through Mr. Gambal and Le Centre de Formation Professionnelle et de Promotion Agricole (CFPPA) in Beaune, I am part of a week-long program called Odyssey in Burgundy. The class includes lessons on: the history of Beaune; vine vegetative cycle, conduct and cutting; harvest-time precautions and security; wine making and storage processes; and the methodology and practice of wine tasting. Not to mention we get to visit and taste at some of Burgundy’s finest Domaines with the winegrowers themselves!

Class starts tomorrow and I am eager and ready to get to know the ( tres international) group I will be studying with!

Alex in a Basket: Profile
In the basket in their bathroom the magazines next to their toilette are; military history magazine, Wine magazine and UNC alumni magazine – that’s Alex in a nutshell. Let’s not forget however, the Russian machismo act he replays after several glasses of wine. (Haha!)

“I think… I’m feelin’…. POWERFUL!” (rubs his chest in circles around his heart) “mmm… yeaa baby!”

Russian in heritage, American in style and French at heart, Alex is one hell of a guy. A history and business major at UNC-CH (circa Joyce), Alex wasn’t always on this path. He started out in real estate in the US but has now come to live la vrai vie! Passionate about and devoted to wine, Alex has spent the last 20 years of his life in France. He apprenticed under Becky Wasserman for two years and has since then accumulated vineyards he can call his own in the Burgundy region. With his cute little smile, his great hair and his natural French persona, he’s won the hearts and the trust of the people in Beaune and is prospering more and more every year!