Patriarche: Visiting Des Caves

I did the Patriarche wine-tasting tour in 1989, while Vicki and Rebecca and Rachel shopped. For a wine neophyte, it was quite an experience. Now I am simply lazy, thirsty, in the market for a bargain, and happy to reconnect with the past. So I did the Patriarche tour again. (Patriarche is one of the largest Burgundy negociants...blenders and marketers of fine wine.) Hey, 13 wines, including a few really good ones, for 10 euros?! It was a slow day, and I had the place pretty much to myself.

Patriarche

Entering the caves; I have forgotten how many acres beneath
Beaune Patriarche owns, but it's quite a walk just to see the
parts open to the public

Halls and halls like this

And this

Meursault, my favorite Burgundy white; my favorite white

wine

One of the best years ever

Finally, the first of the tasting areas; you get 3 whites and

10 reds; the big difference between now and 20 years ago

is back then they had people staffing these areas; nowadays--

ha!!!--it's self-serve, with just a few staffers circulating and

making conversation (and making sure you aren't stuffing

the '47 Gevrey Chambertin into your jacket)

If you're a real wine cognoscenti, you oxygenate, sniff, taste

with all parts of your mouth, then spit it out into one of these

little jugs; and make notes in your wine journal; I find the

expectorating part really difficult, but previous experience

has taught me it's best to taste and spit out the cheap stuff

(anything under $30 a bottle) so that you can really appreciate

the fine stuff

Not the cheap stuff; I had to get several helpings to really

discern its quality; ditto with the Pommard and Rully and

the Chassagne Montrachet

And of course the Meursault; ah, the soft amber glow...

I was glowing a bit myself by the time I

reached the last of the tastings

Hey, if it's good enough for the Sun King, it's good enough

for me