Beaune and the Italians
Sunday was the big one, heading up to see Luca and Eric at Domaine David Duband. Wasn't following the usual route, my maps took me down these back roads instead, right through the middle of harvest, tractors everywhere, picking bins out, so real it barely felt like riding at all. Had to climb a serious hill on this little rental bike too, which was fucking funny if you'd seen me, though I'm fairly sure nobody did, and who cares really. The smell of harvest followed me through every village, and at one point, oddly, vinegar too.
Got a little lost at one point, which did nothing for the small stress about timing, being so keen to get to Luca and Eric. Found the road again soon enough.
Then came the strangest, best bit of track I've ridden all trip, barely a track at all, more a suggestion of one, and it dropped me straight into this gorgeous little village called Meuilley, locals out and about, me riding through like the obvious tourist I was. Found Domaine Nicolas Faure there too and had to stop for a photo, it was that lovely.
Luca and Eric are part of the Pegasus Bay family, and it was so great seeing them at Domaine David Duband, right in the heart of the Cote de Nuits, emotions and excitement both running high. The place was organised chaos when I got there, hoses everywhere, everyone flat out, music blaring, just like Peg Bay. Sat down together for lunch, simple food but such a good time to be part of, and got to share a bottle of Bel Canto Riesling with them too, great times.
Foulage was one of the best times, they brought it forward so I could do it before their party got started. Put me in a tank set up high on purpose, since too low and the CO2 gets you, so two of the guys stood by to haul me out if needed. Wasn't nervous, just buzzing. Six of us stomping away across the vats, and once the cap got loose it took real strength through the arms and shoulders just to stay upright.
That's foulage au pied, treading the grapes by foot, still genuinely done today, not some relic people assume has died out. Two or three times a day for the first five days of maceration, all in the name of gentle extraction, checking temperature and texture with your own feet rather than a machine. Came out with grubby feet and a sore upper body to prove it, nowhere near as grubby as the boys who'd been in those tanks every day for ten days straight, since I'd only done it once.
On the way back I stopped near Nuits-Saint-Georges for a glass and somehow ended up with red when I meant white, didn't read the list closely enough, they always put the rouge first in France. Nuits-Saint-Georges, still amazes me with it beauty and history.
Cycling back into Beaune after that, probably my last time on this exact ground for a couple of years, I kept thinking about the clay soils under the wheels and what they give the pinot noir here, the minerality, the tannins, the structure. Rode the last stretch between Premier Cru and Grand Cru vines, exactly where Mikey and I rode two years ago. And somewhere in amongst it all, this idea I've been carrying for a long time, about running NV Wines tours to Champagne and to Burgundy, came back hard. I'm a bit of a mini expert in this region now, and I know my way around both Beaune and Champagne, and that has to be worth something to someone wanting to actually understand what they're drinking rather than just visit it.