The Côte de Beaune (Burgundy, France) and its Grand Cru clusters

The Côte de Beaune is the southern portion of the Côte d'Or and runs for 20 km north to south from Ladoix-Serrigny to the hillside of Maranges.

Côte de Beaune

It is wetter and warmer in the Côte de Beaune than it is in the Côte de Nuit. Henri Jayer says that this is a result of a greater marine influence on Côte de Beaune. The relative warmth aids ripening and allows picking of the Côte de Beaune vineyards two days prior to the initiation of Côte de Nuit harvest. That being said, the major climatic influences associated with the greater Côte d'Or are relevant to the Côte de Beaune.

According to legendary Burgundy winemaker Henri Jayer (A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy), the soils from Ladoix to Meursault are from the Late Jurassic, with Oxfordian and Callovian series' predominant (This would actually qualify as Middle-Late as the Callovian actually falls in the Mid-Jurassic period.). The mostly red marl, consisting, according to Jayer, of half-chalk and half-clay, is Pinot-Noir-friendly, producing supple and fruity red wines which are less structured and tannic than Côte de Nuit reds. These wines mature earlier than do the Nuit reds but, in the best years, will age well.

From Meursault to the middle of Chassagne-Montrachet, the middle Jurassic becomes evident . The sediments here were not completely transformed to limestone and were deposited in the area as white marl. Chardonnay thrives on this soil. Hence the Grand Crus of Chassagne- and Puligny-Montrachet. From the middle of Chassagne, the soil again becomes Mid-Late Jurassic, making way for light, supple Pinot Noir wines.

The Hill of Corton heralds the beginning of the Côte de Beaune wine region and, one would think, a sea of white wine.

The top of the hill is covered by dense woodland which gives way to cap rock of Rauracian limestone. Vineyard-capable limestone soils begin at about 345 meters and slope gently to the valley floor through "terroirs of distinction." The upper slopes are rich in marl and Chardonnay flourishes on the western side of the hill while Pinot Noir grows on the western side beginning at 330 meters elevation where Late Jurassic soils kick in. Two great Grand Cru vineyards share the hill: Corton (mostly red) and Corton-Charlemagne (white).

Source: burgundyonline.com

The Corton Grand Cru appellation is associated with the famed communes of Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny, and Pernand-Vergelesses. The vineyard is 97.53 ha in size (4.53 ha of which is planted to Chardonnay) and sits at elevations ranging between 250 and 330 meters. The Chardonnay vines are planted in the climats of Vergennes and Languettes.

While 4.5% of the Corton Grand Cru vineyard is devoted to Chardonnay vines, 6.19% of the Grand Cru production is white wine. There are 26 Lieux-dits in the appellation and the red wines are authorized to name the Lieux-dit on the bottle following the appellation name. White wines are not so allowed.

The Côte de Beaune's second Grand Cru cluster can be found around the towns of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, both AOCs since 1937. Puligny-Montrachet soils are either brown limestones or limestones alternating with marls and limey clays; in either case, soil depth is varying. South of Chassagne-Montrachet, the soils have a higher concentration of limestone marl and red gravel, a boon for Pinot Noir. North of the village, the harder marls are substituted by softer, finer limestone and a preponderance of Chardonnay vines. The Grand Crus -- all white wines -- in this cluster are as follows:

• Le Montrachet -- shared between the two communes
• Bâtard-Montrachet -- shared between the two communes 
• Chevalier-Montrachet -- Puligny-Montrachet
• Bienvènues-Bâtard-Montrachet -- Puligny-Montrachet
• Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet -- Chassagne-Montrachet.

In addition to the Grand Crus, the two communes support Village and Premier Cru appellations. Puligny-Montrachet hosts 17 Premier Cru vineyards while Chassagne-Montrachet hosts 55. Noted Premier Cru vineyards in Puligny-Montrachet include: Les Demoiselles, Le Cailleret, Les Pucelles, Les Combettes, and Les Folaitières. Notable PC vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet are : Caillerets, Ruchottes, Chaumées, and La Boudriotte.

The distribution of vineyard size and production by appellation is shown in the table below.

		Village			Village and Premier Cru			Grand Cru
		Production (hl)			Production (hl)			Production (hl)
Appellation	Size (ha)	Red	White	Size (ha)	Red	White	Size (ha)	Red	White
Aloxe-Corton				118.87	4361	88
Auxey-Duresses				132.87	3319	1787
Bâtard-Montrachet							11.73		486
Beaune				416.23	12,146	2195
Bienvènues-Bâtard-Montrachet							3.58		165
Blagny				4.31		142
Chassagne-Montrachet				307.52	3906	9346
Chevalier-Montrachet							7.47		287
Chorey-lès-Beaune	126.28	4712	425
Corton							97.53	2789	151
Corton-Charlemagne							52.08		1929
Côte-de Beaune	31.76	680	269
Côte-de Beaune Village	4.66	176
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet							1.57		67
Ladoix				98.13	2478	952
Maranges				160.84	5390	357
Meursault				399.87	458	16,563
Montrachet							8		271
Pernand-Vergelesses				138.45	2644	2373
Pommard				325.65	12,014
Puligny-Montrachet				205.72	26	10,066
Saint-Aubin				154.01	1493	5054
Saint-Romain	92.26	1409	2259
Santenay				321.87	8742	2101
Savigny-les-Beaune				354.73	11,413	1620
Volnay				220.39	7587
Totals	3399.2	6977	2953	3359.46	75977	52644	181.96	2789	3356

To summarize then, in a total vineyard area of 6940.62 ha, Côte de Beaune vignerons produce 85,743 hectoliters of red wine and 58,593 hectoliters of white wine, with a counter-intuitive, almost-60% of the production being red.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Vosne-Romanée: "The pearl of the Côte"

We just concluded a trip to Burgundy, the highlight of which was a visit to, arguably, the producer of the world's finest wines, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The domaine's famed wines are made from grapes grown on fabled Grand Cru sites in Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux (Pinot Noir), Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet (Chardonnay), and, since 2009, Aloxe-Corton (Chardonnay). As a prelude to a discussion of the trip, I will provide some background on each of these regions, beginning with Vosne-Romanée in this post.

Vosne-Romanée is a small commune in the Côte de Nuits that, according to BBR, is the region's "brightest star" and "produces the finest and most expensive Pinot Noir wines in the world. Its wines have an extraordinary intensity of fruit which manages to combine power and finesse more magically than in any other part of the Côte d'Or." Writing on Decanter.com (Vosne-Romanée, April 7, 2005), Stephen Brook spoke glowingly of Vosne-Romanée: "Its wines are the epitome of fine and great red Burgundy. They are the apotheosis of Pinot Noir. ... Vosne's glory lies in its remarkable blend of richness and perfume, vibrant fruit and a profound structure. Few red burgundies are as long-lived as Vosne, nor evolve so subtly with bottle age."

As a whole, the Côte -- due to its location east of the Morvan Mountains, west of the Eastern Mountains, and south of the Vosges Mountains -- is sheltered from prevailing winds and, as a result, experiences higher temperatures and lower precipitation than neighboring areas. Saulieu, as an example, is only 73 km (45 miles) away yet gets 200 mm more rain per year than does Beaune.

Vosne-Romanée is dominated by cool weather which is somewhat tempered by continental and southern influences, the latter emanating from the Rhone Valley. The region experiences moderate and regular rainfall (730 mm) and temperature averages 10.5℃. The area is subject to occasional hail and frost attacks, which, like the hailstorms of the 2013 vintage, can significantly impact harvest volumes.

Henri Jayer (A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy, with Jacky Rigaux), legendary Burgundian winemaker, described the Vosne-Romanée soils as brown and chalky and being partly the result of clay and limestone activity in the Jurassic period. The underlying rock is a hard, fossil-rich limestone which dates back to the intersection of the Upper Bajocian and Lower Bathonian ages. The limestone slope is covered by a thin layer of soil -- a few decimeters thick above the village -- that is comprised of: decomposing clays from the underlying limestone; colluvial deposits; collapsed rock; and silt brought down from the upper portions of the slope.

The primary soil layer varies in quantity and nature along the slope. For example: the soil is mostly thin and of limestone at the top of the slope; enriched clay further downslope; and relatively deep soils on spreading silty clay at the foot. This is rather poor soil but, combined with the excellent drainage provided by the cracked limestone substrate, and the excellent sun exposure provided by the slope and aspect, provides the perfect environment for growing Pinot Noir.

The Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux vineyards have historically been considered jointly. The vineyards in the two communes are east- and south-facing, following the convention in the region. Between the two communes, approximately 230 ha are devoted to grape growing, 157 ha in Vosne-Romanée and 73 ha in Flagey-Echezeaux. The distribution and geographic location of the vineyards were captured in the map above.

The Grand Cru vineyards are located on the mid-slope just above the villages of Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux at elevations ranging between 220 and 300 m. Vines are planted at a minimum of 9000 vines/ha. Additional details for the Grand Cru vineyards are presented in the table below.

Commune	Grand Cru Vineyard	Size (ha)	Soils	Owner(s)
Vosne-Romanée	La Tâche	5.03	Brown calcareous; deeper at top	Domaine de La Romanée-Conti (DRC)
	Romanée Conti	1.63	Brown limestone soils 60 cm deep; major clay component	DRC
	La Grand Rue	1.6	Brown limestone; thick at top; 12% slope	Domaine Francis Lamarche
	Richebourg	8.03	Brown calcareous over hard limestone	DRC (3.51 ha) + 10 other producers
	La Romanée	0.85
	Romanée-Saint-Vivant	9.3	Similar to Romanée-Conti but deeper	DRC (5.28 ha) + nine others
Flagey-Échezeaux	Grands Échezeaux	9.1	Marl and gravel over limestone; eastern exposure; 230 - 300 m elevation	DRC (3.5 ha) + 20 others
	Échezeaux	38	Same as for Grands; 3 - 4% slope; 250 m elevation	DRC (4.7 ha) + 20 others

Below are characterizations of selected Grands Cru wines as presented in the Jayer text.

Grand Cru	Characterization
Richebourg	Power, amplitude, and character One of Burgundy’s greatest wines Exuberantly fruity when young, with powerful, generous structure that gives touch of firmness On aging, intense and complex aroma of red fruits, violet and spices
Echezeaux	Complex and whole Full-bodied and supple Delicate fruity nose with concentrations of red and black berries Musk and fresh leather as the wine ages
Les Grands Échezeaux	Fleshy wine Encjhanting bouquet of blackcurrant, strawberry, cherry and raspberry With age aromas of forest, rare mushrooms, moss
La Romanée	Sumptuous color, full body, complex aromas Long aging
Romanée-Saint-Vivant	More delicate than powerful Always elegant Delicate flowers Cherry Remarkable balance and length
La Tâche	Strong color, rich bouquet, fullness of mouth Aptitude fro aging One of the Côte’s most complete wine
La Grand-Rue	Very rich bouquet with traces of violet and raspberry Ages gracefully

Source: Henri Jayer, A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy, with Jacky Rigaux

The Premier Cru vineyards are located above the Grand Crus as well as lower down the slope, to the north and south of the Grand Crus. The soils above the Grand Cru vineyards are poor but favorable for good wines due to excellent drainage and an eastward orientation. The quality of the Premier Cru soils to the north and south of the Grand Crus is somewhat lower than the quality of the soils at the top of the slope. A total of 57 ha of vineyards are classified as Premier Cru with 46 ha located in Vosne-Romanée and the remainder in Flagey-Echezeaux. The Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru vineyards are drawn 11 from Vosne-Romanée proper, two from Flagey-Échezeaux and one is shared.

The Premier Crus are described thusly in the Henri Jayer book: "The Vosne Premiers Crus are rich, elegant, and they have an innate aptitude to aging. Some are very close to Grands Crus. At their best they give off an exceptionally refined bouquet mixing flowers (peony and wild rose in particular) forest, cherry, leather and fur." M. Jayer was especially favorably disposed to Cros Parantoux (which he vinified for 40 years) and Les Brûlées. Clive Coates is enamored of Les Brûlées ("one of the three best 'first growths' ", "wine of voluptuous richness and backbone, quality and depth, and the ability to last"), Les Suchots ("most noble of the first growths") and La Croix-Ramea ("wine with a Grand Cru flair") but not so much Charmes ("second division Premier Cru"). See the map above for a full listing of the Premier Crus.

A total of 96 ha is devoted to vines for the production of Village wines. These vineyards are located above the Grand Cru rim, at and below the village level. Jayer felt that the best Village vineyards are below Suchots and Romanée -Saint-Vivant -- in the direction of Clos Vougeot -- and that the least interesting wines came from the vines in the hollow to the north of the village. Soils for this class of vines tended to be limestone mixed with clayey marls with soil depths that range from tens of centimeters to 1 meter. These vines have an easterly exposure. As is the case for Premier Cru wines, the name of the climate from which the grapes are sourced can be so indicated on the label following the official AOC designation.

Up next, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Willi's Wine Bar (Paris, France): Monument to a party animal

So you are over at the Louvre and you are done for the day. You have had your fill of watching Monica Lewinsky -- or whatever her name is -- and being battered about by camera-toting terrorists. You want to get off your feet. You want to sit back with a nice bottle of wine, have some great reprise conversation in a nice, funky atmosphere. Maybe if the place is nice enough, and the food looks good, you may even order some. And you shouldn't have to go too far to access this retreat. Boy have I got the place for you.

Yes. Willi's Wine Bar. Located at 15 rue des Petits-Champs in Paris' First Arrondissement.  But hey. I am getting ahead of myself. Lets rewind.

During the course of our time in Burgundy (Yeah I know. I haven't gotten to that as yet), Raj had set up lunch for the six of us at Willi's Wine Bar for 1:00 pm on Saturday. This meant that we had to roll out of bed at an ungodly hour in order to get to Paris from Beaune. Raj said he would swing by our hotel at 8:00 am so that we could caravan in but he is no Swiss timepiece so we bailed at 8:30.

I had gotten us to our hotels and returned the car by noon and, after a short coffee in the hotel lobby, we got into a taxi and headed for Willi's. The taxi driver wended his way south along George V and then turned east along the bank of the Seine, north into Place du Carrousel through the heart of the Louvre (my only brush with culture on this trip), and then continued northward until he hit rue des Petits-Champs where he made a left turn. He said we had arrived. I looked around and got out. Not an especially crowded area. Large wooden doors across the street (found out later that this was the doorway of the Cour Tue-Boeuf of the Bibliotheque National) and a blue-colored storefront with oval arches marking our destination.

We stepped through the Willi's entrance and ran up hard against a bar which took up most of the left side of the two halves of the establishment (From our viewpoint, the right side seemed to provide the bulk of the establishment's seating capacity.). At the furthest end of the bar from where we entered, a waitress-cum-bartender was wrapping silverware into napkins while looking at us with an expectant smile. After seeing that we intended to stay, she came over, introduced herself, and took our orders. Arabella (that is her name) is a cheeky, half-French/half-English lass who, during and after taking care of our order, gave us some of the backstory of the bar. The bar was opened in 1980 and is still going strong. It was named after a dog, a dog who is no longer with us. And a dog, so said Mark later on, who had been a "party animal" (I had not asked for further clarification of that characterization.).

We spent some time at the bar chatting with Arabella and sipping on Chablis and went to our table when Ron and Bev showed up. We were all on a high because this had been a massive trip. For Ron, especially so, because DRC courses through his veins. And he had swung the DRC visit.

A short while after we sat, a lanky Englishman came over and introduced himself. He was Mark Williamson, the owner of the establishment. He asked after Raj with a smile on his face so we told him about the caravan idea. He laughed and said that Raj would show up as soon as he began to open a bottle of wine. He was not too far off.

While waiting for Arabella bring over the bottle, we asked him about the bar and how long he had been in the business. He had apparently been in Paris for a while so I asked if he had been here during the Steven Spurrier days. Yes. He had worked with Steven for three years at the Caves de Madeleine. As a matter of fact he had just recently had dinner with Steven back in the UK. Prior to coming to France, he had worked in the kitchen at the Connaught in London (not too shabby a place to have on your resume)

By this time the wine had arrived and Mark proceeded to open it. And in walks Raj. They welcomed each other warmly and that is when I discovered that they are both partners in Evening Land Enterprises. According to Mark, he was on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean and, after a long day of drinking, someone had convinced him that he had to become a partner in the venture. 

The Chablis we had was not as finely honed as I like them but provided classic notes of lime, mineral, stone and chalk; albeit on a wider base. Lengthy finish.

Raj and Mark Williamson

Based on his experience with the menu, we had Raj do the ordering which comprised, for the most part, of a first course of salads and a main course of chicken. Raj also ordered a 2000 Cornas and a 1999 Côte Rotie to accompany the main course and mentioned that the bar has a phenomenal aged-Rhone list.

This was a lovely afternoon filled with great food and great conversation about the experiences and initiatives of both Raj and Mark. During the time we were there, the patronage had filled out nicely and included a number of families. The venue was perfect for a Saturday afternoon brunch but I will visit it the next time I am in Paris to see what the evening vibe is like.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

La Fontaine de Mars (Paris, France): "So nice we did it twice"

For dinner on the first of the two nights we would be spending in Paris, prior to our Burgundy jaunt, we acted on the recommendation of the George V concierge and had dinner at La Fontaine de Mars. We were not disappointed. As a matter of fact, we were so pleased with the outcome that we arranged on the spot to revisit the locale on the following Saturday night on our scheduled return from Beaune.

Cassoulet from first visit to La Fontaine de Mars

View of the ET on the walk from La Fontaine
back to our hotels

La Fontaine de Mars is located in Paris's 7th Arrondissement at the intersections of rue St. Dominique and rue de L'exposition in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. On our first visit, we thought that the taxi driver had brought us to a small theater by mistake because there was a crowd standing around outside. We soon discovered that these were no art patrons; they were waiting around in the hope of getting a seat at the one of the small number of tables on offer.

The restaurant is small, with three Lilliputian seating areas on the ground floor and a cramped eating space on the level above. In addition, there is outside seating along the front and the side of the restaurant. There is a small kitchen at the back right of the restaurant and that is even more crowded than it is on the floor. Our preference is to sit on the ground floor adjacent to the kitchen so that we could feed off the energy inside the kitchen and out as the staff worked frenetically to deliver excellence in a submarine.

This is not a place that you go to for a nice, quiet, romantic dinner. The wait staff is engaging and engaged, flitting from kitchen to table and back, all the while keeping up lively banter with fellow waiters, patrons, and kitchen staff. This fun, happy mood is picked up and reflected by the customers.

The menu has  number of French standards that are complemented by a "specials" board that is brought to the table when you are ready to order. The wine list is establishment-appropriate with offerings from all of the major French wine regions. The clientele seems to be a mix of tourists (I was aghast on my first visit to see a group of US where the females were decked out in berets of different colors. Somewhat ancien caricature.) and locals.

On our first night at the restaurant, the food and wine clicked on all cylinders (except that the wives did not like our Gangloff blanc and ordered a Sancerre for themselves). On our second trip, most of the food was spectacular (except in the cases where Ron placed himself in the hands of the waiter and could not come to terms with the results).

We started off with a bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé. Paul, our waiter, brought over some bread and thinly sliced sausage to accompany our ruminations on the wine list. The Billecart had a nice pale strawberry color and its freshness and bread notes were great stepping stones back into the ring after our extended lunch at Willie's Wine Bar.

I ordered the Bisque de Hommard as my starter while Ron "ended up" with a "leg of Salmon." The soup was presented at the right temperature and was accompanied by a garlic aioli and toast. It had a slight saltiness, was not too creamy, had great texture, and a rich, full flavor without being cloying. It went swimmingly with the Champagne. Of course Ron had soup envy and sent his hunk of Salmon back to be replaced with a soup.

For the main course I had a Black Pudding Sausage on a bed of cooked apples and my wife had the Duck Confit. The duck was truly amazing. It was the DOTN. Each of us sampled. Ron's sample was largest because he had mis-ordered again and so had to have a bigger piece to keep his spirits up. My dish was a contrast in flavors with the savoriness and coarse-grained character standing in stark contrast to the sweetness and fine-grained texture of the apple. The weight and size of the meal ensured that the plate would not be empty when I took my bib off.

We paired the main course with a 20101 Henri Boillot Pommard, a study in red berries, toast, and spice. One of the areas where La Fontaine de Mars definitely needs improvement is in the quality of glassware provided for customer use. We noted the thimbles they used on our first trip and got them to promise they would have better glasses for us when we came back. They did not deliver.

I closed out my dinner with a Creme Caramel while my wife had some kind of a space capsule. By this time Ron had settled on drinking only so I didn't have to try to capture his mishaps. The Gangloff Côte Rotie exhibited jammy fruit, spices, and black olives on the nose and was deep and rich on the palate.

Chef Pierre with my sposa

If you visit this restaurant, ask for Paul. He epitomizes the shift in Parisian waiters from the curmudgeonly garçons of the '80s and '90s to a smiling, personable, service-oriented waiter. Where have all the bad boys gone?


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Dinner at Le Taillevent, a Paris icon

Our Burgundy jaunt with Raj Par was preceded by a two-day, two-night blitz of selected Parisian restaurants. One of the "blitzees" was Le Taillevent, an icon on the French dining scene, visited on the eve of our ride out to Beaune.

Located at 15 Rue Lammenais, but a stones throw away from Champs Elysees, Le Taillevent has been in continuous operation since its founding in Paris in 1946 by M. Andre Vrinat and was held in the namesake family until sold (along with other related holdings) to the Gardinier brothers in 2011. The restaurant's receipt of three Michelin stars over its history (1948, 1954, 1973) is a testament to the quality of its food and service. It reverted to two-star status in 2011.

We were welcomed by two hostesses, who smilingly checked our reservations and then ushered us to a smart-looking couch to await our dining companions. Once the Siegels arrived, one of the hostesses walked us back to our table. My first impression on entering the dining room was of patrons attending to the business of having a good time and staff attentively assisting them in that endeavor. Our seats were in a booth-like setting, with padded, fixed, bench-like seats against the wall, a table that almost ran the length of the bench, and two chairs on the outside of the arrangement. This was a cozy; until someone on the inside needed to get out.

Once we had taken our seats, we were presented with menus and a wine list. The wine list was formidable -- both inside and out. Ron went quickly to the Champagne section and ordered a Jack Selosse Rosé in order to buy us time to carefully peruse the massive tome. (The Sommelier who assisted us over the course of our vinous expedition was Elize and, in manner, look, and speech, she reminded us of Pascaline Lepeltier, the well-known -- and well-regarded -- Somm at NYCs Rouge Tomate.). The Selosse had a lovely salmon color in the glass and yielded dried rose petals, strawberries, yeast, and sourdough bread on the nose. Lean with bright acidity and a burnt orange taste. It was "paired" with the Amouse Bouche, a complex and delectable Crispy Langoustine in a Sweet and Sour Sauce.

The food menu had an a la carte offering and two tasting menus. After we were resuscitated by the paramedics, we opted for the more extensive of the two tasting menus because we felt that it had the best quality/pain ratio.

Our first course was a Crab with Radish which we paired with a 1990 Comte de Lafon Meursault de Perrieres. According to Elize, this was the last bottle of this wine in their cellar. The wine had a golden color with a slightly honeyed nose accompanying notes of pear, coconut oil, citrus, and a rich oiliness. Little oxidative character. Burnt orange and citrus on the palate. Ron's notes mentioned honey, pear, and lanolin.

The second course was a Lobster Sausage with Fennel Foam. The bulbous appearance of the sausage, its lack of defined color, and its giving response to even the slightest application of force, made us initially doubt our choice. But in the mouth this dish was heavenly and was enriched by the very light sauce which accompanied it. This dish was paired with the 2000 Raveneau Les Clos. Ron thought that this wine exhibited notes of seashell, chalk, and flint. Fresh, with amazing minerality.

Next up was a Red Snapper with Zucchini Flowers. This was a clean presentation backed up by fulsome flavors. It was paired with a 2003 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze. On the nose the wine presented smoked oak, vanillin, and strawberry. On the palate a spiciness, copious amounts of red berries, road tar, cigar box, and savoriness. Lengthy finish.

The next two courses were paired with a 2003 Chateau Rayas. The first of the two courses was a White Wheat Risotto and Morel Mushrooms topped with morel mushroom foam and all sitting in a light brown sauce. This was followed in short order by a Foie Gras accompanied by foam-topped carrots. The Foie Gras had a mouthfeel and texture that belied its color and the distinctive salty tang was perfectly balanced by the relative blandness of the carrots. The Rayas was characterized (Ron) by cherries, kirsch liqueur, garrigue, lavender, and earth.

After a cheese course, we were treated to a carmel and chocolate dessert and petit fours. We closed out with a Taillevent-branded Armagnac which was excellent.

This was an excellent dining experience in a food and wine temple that cares and is not unwilling to demonstrate that in every way. The quality of the food and the service excellence puts this establishment in a very special place. We have a penchant for being the last people to leave an establishment but our servers hung in with us; smilingly. In their words, "we close when you leave."  Could have been famous last words but ...

The tasting menu is the way to go here. It is high quality, varied, and gives you a chance to pair a wide range of offerings with the establishment's wines (We were so focused on the food and wine upstairs that we forgot to go take a peek at their fabled wine cellar.). It also works out to be more economical than trying to put a like meal together from the a la carte menu.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme