Day 2 - North to Clos de Vougeot and back to Beaune (Cote de Nuits and Nuits-Saint-Georges)

Day 2 of our 6-day bike trip: riding up to Clos de Vougeot in the Cote de Nuits region. We covered 60kms of vines and passed through many, many little chateaux and domaines along the way.

Being among the vines and touching the soil cemented my learning about how moisture is captured in the lower slope, why there is no need for irrigation (not that irrigation is allowed in France anyway) and how this might dilute the concentration in the grapes.

As with any good bike trip, a quick… flat tyre change was required before we were off again to taste at Domaine Michel Gros.

Food was required first though, so we took a lunch break at Factory Fromage to get ourselves a baguette. This was very much a moment of “what goes on tour stays on tour” as the lady at the fromage factory spoke absolutely NO English. With A LOT of reluctance, she made us our baguettes and then put THICK THICK cheese in them. When asked if she could cut the cheese thinner it was like asking her to cut off her finger. She also refused to put salmon in the baguette. Hmmmm. Let’s just say there was a communication breakdown but all ended well.

Despite our baguette detour, we made it to Domaine Michel Gros on time. Here we tasted some incredible wines and were given a detailed winery tour, allowing us to experience exclusive wines and learn about their domaines and appellations. Pierre Gros took us through the tasting.

On the way back to Beaune we took the higher route through Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, a high elevation appellation with slopes coming down to the roadside.

Wow, what a day! So much learning and so much fun. The romantic Cote de Nuits and Nuits-Saint-Georges.