Following our thoroughly Burgundian lunch at Les Terrasses de Corton, The Astronomer, Mom, and I visited a few tasting rooms along the Route des Grands Crus. The roughly 40 mile route stretches from Dijon in the north to Santenay in the south.
Burgundy is truly breathtaking with its rolling hills and sprawling vineyards. The terrain was wonderfully lush and green for as far as the eye could see. The Astronomer remarked that the grapes here were allowed to grow in free form, unlike their staked, split, and tortured cousins in California’s Central Coast and Napa Valley. The difference in methodology was quite striking.
The first vineyard that we randomly stepped into was Château Corton-Andre, which is located at the bottom of the Corton Hill, the most important Grand Crus area in Burgundy. Grand Cru is the highest level in the vineyard classification of Burgundy.
The wines that we sipped here were quite young and thus acidic and assertive. We purchased a bottle to take home; it will be aging in our “cellar” for the next five years. Hopefully its flavors will be nice and round by the time we pop the cork.
