Cycling in the Burgundy countryside ② Côte de Beaune heading south

Every day you stay in a wine-producing area can be a leisurely one, even if you are not a wine person. Watching the sunrise and sunset, the vegetation changing color due to the light, walking on the country roads with undulating waves and changing scenery, It has been an extremely wonderful experience. On this basis, if you still want to play new tricks, then go for a ride on a bicycle and get lost among the vineyards.

We chose to stay in the city of Bern, so that we could explore the Beaune Côte to the south and the travel time could be controlled to a round trip on the same day. Bourgogne Randonnees, a car rental company near Bourne Train Station, not only provides daily bicycle rental services, but also provides small group cycling and itinerary customization services. We explained our intention and quickly went to the rental area to check out the bicycle. The friend expressed his satisfaction. According to his feedback, the vehicle was well cleaned and maintained, and the vehicle\’s handling was also good. The store also thoughtfully prepared lockable saddlebags and safety helmets, which I have to praise.

In Waunai Village, I passed by a sign of a premium vineyard. The pictures in this article are all BIVB pictures unless signed.

The cycling route starting from the city of Bern and heading south to Santenay is roughly 20 kilometers long. Compared with the Grand Cru Vineyard Road in Côte de Nuits that we went to before, this is a leisure-style route. There are not many sections that require climbing. Ordinary travelers can easily complete the entire journey in one day.

The wine route of the Côte de Beaune begins on a small road called Rue de Sceaux, near the Auxerre exit of Route D970. This path is restricted to motor vehicles. There are many signs along the path. If you walk in this order, you can reach Pommard, Volnay, Meursault and Puligny. Montrachet), Chassagne Montrachet (Chassagne Montrachet), and ends in Santenay. In other words, it basically connects all the famous villages and villages of Côte de Beaune. The only thing that cyclists regret is that the wine route indicators only show the names of grand-cru vineyards, omitting first-class vineyards and village-level vineyards. If you want to understand the terroir and characteristics of different areas of the Côte de Beaune, it is obviously not enough to just take a trip like this.

A vineyard in the village of Meursault, Clos de la Pucelle, the wrought iron gate with hollow letters is very eye-catching

There are actually not a few grand cru in the Côte de Beaune, mainly in the village of Priny-Montrachet, to be precise. , they are all in the most famous field – Montrachet (Le Montrachet is the leader in white wine in Burgundy, and the wineries that are lucky enough to get a share of this vineyard are also wealthy. I saw many famous stone monuments and spiers here. , arches, and fences decorated doorways, some wineries will Exquisitely crafted hollow signboards are hung at the door, announcing their origins in this way. Of course, they cannot be compared with the Bordeaux wineries that show off their wealth, but compared with the wineries of the same level in the same village, they are very high-profile. In Burgundy, the great houses are concerned about pretentiousness. Generally speaking, I have no interest in it. The most common entrance is just a circle of stones with names engraved on it outside the vineyard wall. When I passed by Montrachet, to be honest, I felt a little disappointed. Surprised. \”Sure enough, Montrachet still has a lot to show off. \”Where\’s Ben?\”.

Continuing south, we passed many resting places with beautiful scenery along the way. One of my favorite places is the small square in Wonnai Village. There are ready-made tables and chairs in the center of the village, because the terrain is slightly lower. With a high relationship, sitting here overlooks the two first-level park Clos. de La Bousse d\’Or and Taillepieds, the view couldn\’t be better. The small square in the village of Priny-Montrachet is also worth stopping at. We passed by it on the way back and went to the old hotel in the village, Hotel Le Montrachet. I ordered a lemon smoothie made according to a traditional recipe, which was both delicious and thirst-quenching. Most of the muscle soreness from pedaling for days seemed to be gone.

The stone nameplate on the stone wall of Clos des Mouches \”Bee Garden\”. Look carefully. There are three bees and the time clue of 1921 on it. Photo by Joseph Drouhin

Drinking Chardonnay There are also many good places to see, such as Priny-Montrachet’s Wallerand, Chassagne-Montrachet’s Caveau Cooperatives, and Chateau de Meursault. In addition, there are several excellent wineries in the city of Bourne. It was only in the last two days of my trip that I realized that the city of Bourne itself, which is full of ancient buildings, is also a winery. A destination that you can visit for several days without getting tired of it. The most recommended winery is Maison Joseph. Drouhin, I drank their \”Bee Garden\” a few years ago. The taste is rich with oil and mineral flavor. It is very unforgettable. This winery is located among the ancient buildings in the center of Bern, and the building itself is also beautiful. It is very unique and suitable for spending an afternoon alone to visit Joseph.

Joseph. Drouhin Winery has also launched some wine tasting packages for travelers. The most cost-effective package of 20 euros includes 6 basic wines, and visitors are allowed to enter the ancient parliament wine cellar built in the 13th century to taste the wines. Don’t underestimate it. In terms of sensory impression, these regional and village-level Chardonnay white wines are far better than what we drink in China. Many expensive products are more delicious – based on my travel experience in the early years, I think this is a truth. The best wines are always an integral part of their native soil. They will be tasted in underground wine cellars, or It appeared during the rare barrel-side tasting, with its constant temperature and budding aroma, it blinded our eyes.

Treasures from the cellar. Joseph Drouhin picture

When it comes to the wine tasting atmosphere, Burgundy seems a bit more homely, at least not as generous as Bordeaux or Napa. The reason may be because it is poor, and Burgundy has a French climate. There is no region with the most difficult geographical conditions. The common way of making wine is to make wine from multiple fields separately. The production capacity of one field may only be two oak barrels, which is about 25 boxes. It is also very troublesome for winemakers to prepare wines from different fields. bunch of grapesWe prepare dozens of different fermentation equipments, and the process is not complicated. In comparison, the annual output of large wineries in Napa can reach 250,000 cases, and the top wineries in Bordeaux can produce nearly 20,000 cases. Naturally, they are willing to greet visitors with a smile and serve wine to them.

So, the first article of \”Burgundy Travel Tips\” should be written like this: Travelers should not have expectations for free wine tasting, especially if they visit without a reservation. case.

There are many unpopular areas in Burgundy that can be called \”heritage jewels\” worth visiting. Aloxe Corton and Savigny les Beaune, south of Côte de Nuits and north of Bonn, are two typical examples. The southbound path we took this time covered most of the Côte de Beaune, but only missed the part north of the city of Beaune. Therefore, we had to miss many of the Grand Cru vineyards of Aros-Gordon. There are many regrets, but they seem inevitable. Burgundy is such a place. If you want to enjoy it thoroughly, you may need a long-term residence permit.

The scenery in the grape fields