This is the first time I have tried this wine since recieving the new batch under the new vintage, and oh what a suprise! Given what I know of the wine and given what I know of the vintage I was expecting something a little tight, with closed fruit and pronounced tannins.  However what I discovered was delicately clove spiced cherry fruit with subtle oak undertones.Wine always spiritually takes you somewhere (well it does if you are open to the concept that wine has a time a place and an imprint of the work gone into making it, which if open to the experience unequivocuably takes you there)  the image and euphoric journey took me into wines of good times past, Old Burgundy with a tawny print, and journeys into the Cote De Nuits.

As for the food..

Well half way into eating and the fruit in the wine has really opened up, with the result that the wine has taken on more depth and almost a greater intensity in colour, from a light tawny red to an opulent plum.. go with me on this, I'm bound to use a bit of artistic licence!

My Fiancee Sarah made an interesting point: She said, "I can see how the wine has got better, but I preferred it to how the wine presented itself in the first place."  i.e. after an hour the wine took on an intensity of fruit which re-defined itself as a flavour and experience on the tongue.. well welcome to Burgundy Ladies and Gentlemen. Here you have a living dynamic product that is not the same from the moment you open it to the moment you finish the bottle. So what is so droll about that? Yes that Hardy's is good I reply with eyes glazed over, but what do you want? A life changing experience (due to increased knowledge), or bland mediocrity that makes you feel safe?

As for the menu and recipe for tonight's meal, you'll have to email me :)

        
I never used to know whether I approved of the concept of “Father’s Day”, and to be honest I don’t think I can remember it having such a high profile as it does today, which I am quite sure is related to the increase in commercialisation over the last twenty years. However it’s quite clearly here on the calendar and ironically it takes on more poignancy for me having lost my father nearly three years ago. So my advice is go on, take the opportunity to show some appreciation for a man that might not always show his affections, might not always be able to express them, and a man that largely goes unrecognised in the role in the family when all media influence these days seems to focus on the Mum (rightly or wrongly).

So what do you get for the man who has everything?

The man who has everything is hard to shop for as this man will largely have achieved what he set out to do, and this will be reflected in his lifestyle, and general satisfaction with his own lot. So Father’s Day is a challenge for the buyer for this man. So we propose the following Father's Day wine gifts.

We have the perfect solution to this with a Chablis Tasting Case comprising six different bottles of Chablis from the same producer:
3 bottles of Premier Cru from different vineyards
1 bottle of Chablis
1 bottle of Old Vine Chablis and 1 bottle of Petit Chablis

This will say to your Dad that you’re acknowledging his taste and style, and that his sophistication could only be matched with a Father’s Day wine gift such as this.

Purchase here

So what do you get for the man who is always looking for something better?

This man, though full of experience will always seek the Holy Grail, always yearning for that ultimate experience that he can claim “was the best I have ever had”.
Well look no further as we have what will undoubtedly be a case of the best white wine your father could ever taste and he will talk about it for years to come, propelling Father’s Day 2007 into his eternal memory.

A case of six bottles of Puligny Montrachet 2005 Domaine Henri Boillot.

Smooth and creamy flavours of apple and pear with gentle toffee undertones from beautifully integrated oak and quite incredible mineral complexity. Each mouthful takes on a new dimension as the sensory sensation reaches overload. He’ll moan with delight. “This is the best white wine I have ever tasted in my life” and you’ll just smile. What a Father’s Day wine gift.

Purchase here

So do something special for Father’s Day as he might not be around forever.

                            Henri Boillot Tasting at Volnay

A tasting with Henri Boillot is always a privilege, his wines are after all increasingly sought after year by year, but to have that personal contact with the man is extra special. This year, I was joined by my fiancée on her first visit to France, thus making the experience even more pleasurable given my chance to really share my passion with someone I love.

The visit revealed various pieces of news, most notable that Henri is today a proud father of a new baby boy just 4 days old to the day.  Sarah’s presence with the culmination of this particular piece of news added to the cordiality of the occasion and seemed to make the visit that little bit softer in seriousness.

The other piece of news was that Henri Boillot has acquired the Domaine of his father, that being Domaine Jean Boillot & Fils, having bought the respective shares in the business from his brother and sister.  As you may be aware, Napoleonic laws of inheritance still decree today, that all land, and notably vineyard estates must be split equally between each offspring of any said deceased land owner.  This explains the fractal aspect of vineyard ownership in Burgundy and accounts for the common practice of vineyard consolidation through marriage of various Domaines.  Hence increasingly one finds double-barrelled namesakes on bottle labels, such as Confuron-Cotteditot.  Henri Boillot, having bought the respective rights of his siblings now bottles under the labels Domaine Henri Boillot and Maison Henri Boillot for his negociant wines.  To mark this fact Henri gave Sarah a wonderful tile for our kitchen which has the markings of his flagship wine; Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Clos De La Mouchere’ which also happens to be a prestigious ‘monopole’ indicating that the vineyard is under sole ownership.

Having secured just short of a mixed pallet of the highly sought after 2005 vintage I was very keen to learn about the 2006 vintage, which by all accounts is so far escaping the interest of wine writers in the UK as they are consumed by the frenzy which has still not reached its peak regarding 2005.

Henri Boillot’s  2006 whites are magnificent, but that should not surprise really as this master craftsmen is a wizard at producing wines of exceptional quality whatever the weather conditions of that year.  If a vineyard has been hit with hail then he simply picks grape by grape as is the practice in Sauternes.  In overly hot conditions such as 2003 then he adopts New World technology and a practice of cold fermentation to minimise fruit extraction.  In short the man is a purist, forever striving to maintain the characteristic of that individual parcel of land, forever maintaining the classical representation of the terroir of the grape’s origin. We tasted, Pucelles, Folatierres and Clos de La Mouchere, Meursault Villages, Savigny Les Beaunes 1er Cru ‘Les Vergelesses’, and then sampled some reds.

Henri Boillot let us in on a little known secret, that the 2006 vintage was the greatest in Volnay over anywhere else in the Cote De Beaune, having used all the grapes without the need for individual selection. In fact he reckoned that his flagship red ‘Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets’ Domaine Henri Boillot is in fact better than 2005. Those of us that are astute enough, have already put in for a reserve!

Henri has also completed his first blend of Bourgogne Pinot Noir; those of you that have read my previous article on Boillot will remember the last time I made a visit I asked him if he had any intention of making a Bourgogne Rouge, well he’s done it, specifically for the Japanese market.  The blend is quite interesting, Santenay and Pernand Vergelesses, two quite different appellations.  What’s more, he blended the grapes 50/50 before fermentation.
The other reds of notability tasted this day were a Clos Vougeot, a Charmes Chambertin, and Napolean’s favourite tipple, Chambertin.

We then tasted a bottle of Meursault 2005 and a Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi both of which are en-route to the Wine Cave and both of which are magnificent.
All of the 2005 vintage was sold on allocation, I learnt that my personal agent here in France receives an annual allocation of 1000 cases, so it looks positive for the continuation of the Wine cave being able to do direct business with this great man.

It is indeed a veritable privilege to have been in personal counsel with such a great man, and being his youngest customer, to have had the extra merit of receiving a personal present from him for our impending wedding.  Henri Boillot, Bacchus himself salutes you!
    

I get a bit fed up with other wine companies offering me 'En Primeur' listings, whether it be the latest Bordeaux releases or as is the case at the moment, Burgundy having declared a top vintage in 2005, wine shipping companies jumping on the band wagon and offering 'Burgundy 2005 En Primeur'.  I know its a good vintage but why should I let someone hold a gun to my head and tell me that if I don't comit now then it might be all gone?

I was offered this scenario on Domaine Leflaive's latest release, yes I would like to list some Domaine Leflaive wines over the next twelve months, no I am not going to enhance your cash flow by paying up front for some wine I haven't recieved yet.  I think its bloody cheeky.

However there is a circumstance where I will concede to this; People are often asking me, "What red wine should I buy now to age?" The answer of course depends on why you want to age some red wine, do you want to buy red wine for drinking later or are you looking to buy wine in order to invest? If you are looking to buy some red wine to put away for later drinking then on a good vintage, most Burgundy wines will benefit from further ageing.  The fact is that we are all drinking Burgundy wine too young these days, but commercial pressures mean that Burgundy wine producers are producing Burgundy wines that are more fruit lead and by design meant to hit restaurant tables sooner and sooner.  I am looking at a Vintage card that comes with any case of Domaine Leflaive wines; it reads..  These wines can be enjoyed at the earliest:                             The 2002 Vintage

1. Bourgogne Blanc             from 2005
2. Punligny Montrachet        from 2006
3. Premier Cu's                    from 2008

Okay so some wines are exceptions, and some producers only release their wines after some cellar ageing in the Domaine.

Now some wines such as the coveted Domaine Romani Contée wines have such high demand that as soon as they are released they are alomost guarenteed to rise in value, so from an investor's point of view they can be pretty much viewed as a sure thing... Or can they? Yes some wines such as DRC wines Petrus, Le Pin, Latour, Lafite Rothschild are such sure money earners that some investment funds are indexed linked to them. On the other hand, vintages are peculiar things, a good vintage is declared such as 2003 in Bordeaux and then 2005 comes along and over shadows the 2003 vintage and some wines don't realise their true market potential value after the En Primeur release price. Anybody that bought En Primeur in 1997 will have learnt quickly how easy it is to loose money with En Primeur buying.  The truth is beware of wolves in sheeps clothing offering discounted En Primeur wines such as a leading supermarket which I shall be very careful not to name, if you want to invest in wine then talk to an independant wine merchant, but even we don't always get things right!

Figures published in May 2006 suggested that wine consumption in the UK was in decline this year after 25 years of steady rise.

In the first 16 weeks of 2005, Britain drank 313 million bottles of wine. But in the same period this year, just 308 million bottles were downed - a fall of 1.5%. That translates to five million bottles and an awful lot of imbibing.

So far, analysts say it is too early to draw conclusions on what has caused the decline, but many in the industry fear that a combination of rising fuel prices and growing consumer debt has led many drinkers to start tightening their belts.

I have a different theory, this being that the British palate is becoming more educated and that consumers are becoming more sophisticated in the taste in wines.
I can best illustrate this with a little story about a customer who came into my shop last year, the dialogue runs like this.

Customer "I wanna buy some wine off you but I'm err,  I'm err ..

Me "What tight?"

Customer "Aye that's the one, that's the one"

And we both fell about laughing, the gentleman was what I would call 'very West Yorkshire' no airs and graces, just down to earth say what I mean type of chap', and I promptly moved him from a buying habit of spending £5 on a bottle of wine to £8, explaining all the while that 38% of a £5 bottle of wine is tax duty shipping and VAT on top!

So I developed a good rapport with the customer and over time nudged him from spending £8 to £12 as I gently helped educate his palate.
Then one day I received a phone call which went like this:

Customer "Eee I don't know what you've done to me but I can't drink that crap from the supermarkets anymore!"

Me "Well, you're becoming sophisticated Harry* !"

Customer "Aye that's the one, that's the one!"

Needless to say that we have been great friends ever since and the gentleman concerned cannot go back to what he call's 'one dimensional' run of the mill and generally 'New World' wines.

Indeed appreciating wine is not unlike appreciating driving a car, having experienced the sedate comfort of a Mercedes Benz why would you go back to driving a Mazda MX5? The answer is simple (but for unforeseen financial circumstances), you wouldn't. Wine is the same, once people have actually learnt what it is that makes a wine such as a Burgundy different to a Chilean wine, the structure, the complexity, the length, pales the Chilean into insignificance.**

Indeed to answer the title of this article maybe we are drinking less of the ordinary wines and are buying less frequently but when we do, we buy better? I certainly hope so!

There has been a wealth of research over the past few years, some of it advocating the benefits of red wine.  The general consensus is that red wines contain polyphenols, these are anti-oxidating agents which effectively seek out and destroy free radicals, which can cause cell damage and lead to heart disease and cancer.

The Wine Cave is not here to give medical advice about drinking wine, and all consumption should be with moderation in conjuction with a healthy diet.

However if you would like to know more we thought you might find these sites of interest;

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=77823

Wine and Health | Wine 101 | Professional Friends of Wine

Overview and explanation of recent findings of the health-related aspects of wine consumption, including headaches, sulfites, and cardiovascular effects.
www.winepros.org/wine101/wine-health.htm - 40k - Cached - Similar pages

Red Wine - Heart Health Benefits?Red Wine - Heart Health Benefits? Find out the potential benefits of red wine and how much alcohol you may consume per day. Red Wine Benefits written by ...
www.healthcastle.com/redwine-heart.shtml - 28k - Cached - Similar pages

The Eu have recently announced that they are to allow the use of oak chips in the production of wine in a vain attempt to compete with a largely Australian style of production.

The key to the thinking around this new legislation alludes me, however cost must be a consideration effecting this decision: a 300 litre oak barrel will generally cost in region of £300 where the equivalent amount of oak chips which can be deposited in a stainless steel vat will be a fraction of the cost.  However, this policy is ill thought out; the cost of the oak barrels puts a natural limitation on the quanity of a wine that an individual producer can make in any given year and so this acts as a natural 'check and balance' where volume of production is concerned. If the new regulation effectively brings down the cost of this aspect of wine production then it will surely contribute to greater volume of production in the commercial goal of generating more income. This will only  exasperate the problems faced by over production.

Needless to say that the EU, and I would say the French in particular need not try and compete with Aussie et Al styles of production. The UK palate is becoming moe sophisticated, opting less for one dimensional wines and in turn opting for slightly more complex and structured wines of the classical 'Old World'.  Indeed Australian production is leaning towards less use of oak in an attempt to produce more elegant wines of finess and structure.  South Africa is still catching up having replicated the heavy use of oak of Australia's yester-year.

So the whole dynamic of world wine production is changing, cross fertilisation of production ideas and methodology is rife, and at large a good thing, but don't sell out on your identity, lest the Wine Cave becomes a Tesco Express!

    When you first meet Henri Boillot it becomes immediately apparent that he is not of the same ilk of most Burgundian farmers. Pristinely dressed, he has an air, and a grace about him that oozes style, and quintessential sophistication.
In fact, an initial encounter with Henri Boillot could leave you mistaking the man for being arrogant, he is not, but he has every right to be...

Henri Boillot makes wines under his father's name, the Domain bottled wines of Jean Boillot and Fils at Volnay, and under his negociant business Maison Henri Bolliot at Meursault.

Most wine writers have written the 2003 vintage off in Burgundy. The excessive heat and lack of rain produced a vintage that not only had people scrambling to re-write history books, but had the Institut d'Appellations d'Origine re-defining allowed levels of alcahol for Burgundy appellations. In the Haute Cote de Beaune, a maximum of 12.5% volume is allowable under normal growing conditions, but 2003 was no ordinary year and the Insitut found itself allowing wines of 15% volume to retain their classification.
Indeed whilst describing the 2003 wines, popular writers have alluded to such terms as 'tropical', 'New World' and even 'vegetal', swear words, you understand, in Burgundian vocabulary.

Earlier this year in February a well regarded wine writer of wide acclaim visited Boillot in Meursault and pronounced the vintage 'disgusting', like the vintage itself, he was a little premature in his prognosis...

Henri Boillot is not like his fellow wine makers, who rely on the prayers of St. Vincent and the spirit of Bacchus himself to provide conditions favourable to wine making. Where traditional farmers are reactionaries, producing wines which symbolise the vintage and the weather conditions that year; Henri Boillot is a 'Modern Day Purist'.

On tasting his 2003 reds still in the barrel, Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru 'Lavieres', and Volnay 1er Cru 'Chevrets' to name but a few, all senses to the mind were deceived.
"Surely this acidity, structure, balanced fruit with pronounced green tannins is some recalled memory of yester year?", the shock on my face produced a wry knowing smile. "I only produce wines that are typical of their terroir!" he exclaims.
Henri Bolloit has outwitted the elements, with New World temperature regulation techniques he only fermented to 8*C, (28-32*C being the norm) and thereby minimised the fruit extraction to produce reds which will outlive even their greatest counterparts.

Boillot's genius does not stop with his reds, his Maison bottled whites covering an expanse that stretch throughout the appellation range, from Bourgogne Blanc, ( a blend of outer Villages boundary Meursault and de-classified St Romain) to the illusive and prestigious appellations of all the Montrachet Grand Cru's, including 'Le Montrachet' of which he makes one barrel.
In a year when most whites suffer from exposed midriff, and some overflow with unadulterated flab, Boillot has worked his marvel talents to produce wines that still characterise nay define 'elegance'. He has again exposed the true characteristics of their individual terroirs, Meursault 1er Cru with her buttery soft minerality offers fruit in the first instance then subtle integrated oak and just when you expect it to stop there, as if my magic, light acidity to lengthen the finish. Henri Boillot has achieved this with all his whites. He says, "If I can make good Bourgogne Blanc, I can make anything." He's not wrong; this year he used 350litre oak barrels instead of 300 litre barrels to lessen the impact of the oak on the wines.
When asked "Will you be making a Bourgogne Rouge in the future?", Henri Boillot just smiled with a glint in his eye.

Boillot's wines are highly sought after and importers are restricted to buying on reserve, introductions being by invitation only. His confidence precedes him; he doesn't even see fit to enter his wines for Guide Hachete, he doesn't need to.

2004 promises to be as problematic as last year for different reasons, wet months of July and August with their warm humidity has meant onset of mould and subsequent rot, although the four weeks prior to vendage have seen sunshine and dry air.
For Henri Boillot  in Volnay hail in August has wiped out 75% of his crop, yielding 10 hectolitres per hectare rather than the allowed 40.  This year he will be harvesting his Volnays grape by grape picking individually in the spirit of Chateau D'Yquem.

To buy Henri Boillot Bourgogne Blanc click here

To buy Jean Boillot and Fils Volnay 1er Cru click here

    
I never used to know whether I approved of the concept of “Father’s Day”, and to be honest I don’t think I can remember it having such a high profile as it does today, which I am quite sure is related to the increase in commercialisation over the last twenty years. However it’s quite clearly here on the calendar and ironically it takes on more poignancy for me having lost my father nearly three years ago. So my advice is go on, take the opportunity to show some appreciation for a man that might not always show his affections, might not always be able to express them, and a man that largely goes unrecognised in the role in the family when all media influence these days seems to focus on the Mum (rightly or wrongly).

So what do you get for the man who has everything?

The man who has everything is hard to shop for as this man will largely have achieved what he set out to do, and this will be reflected in his lifestyle, and general satisfaction with his own lot. So Father’s Day is a challenge for the buyer for this man.

We have the perfect solution to this with a Chablis Tasting Case comprising six different bottles of Chablis from the same producer:
3 bottles of Premier Cru from different vineyards
1 bottle of Chablis
1 bottle of Old Vine Chablis and 1 bottle of Petit Chablis

This will say to your Dad that you’re acknowledging his taste and style, and that his sophistication could only be matched with a Father’s Day gift such as this.

Purchase here

So what do you get for the man who is always looking for something better?

This man, though full of experience will always seek the Holy Grail, always yearning for that ultimate experience that he can claim “was the best I have ever had”.
Well look no further as we have what will undoubtedly be a case of the best white wine your father could ever taste and he will talk about it for years to come, propelling Father’s Day 2007 into his eternal memory.

A case of six bottles of Puligny Montrachet 2005 Domaine Henri Boillot.

Smooth and creamy flavours of apple and pear with gentle toffee undertones from beautifully integrated oak and quite incredible mineral complexity. Each mouthful takes on a new dimension as the sensory sensation reaches overload. He’ll moan with delight. “This is the best white wine I have ever tasted in my life” and you’ll just smile. What a Father’s Day gift.

Purchase here

So do something special for Father’s Day as he might not be around forever.

Whining With Watkins       

Did you see that woeful programme with Oz Clarke and James May before Christmas?  I could only watch one episode, if I’d watched any more episodes I wouldn’t have had any hair left, my fiancée promptly bought me a hat because I’d pulled so much hair out! How on earth did Oz think that he was going to bring wine to the masses with all those plums in his cheek and his “la de das?” What on earth was he thinking? I know that modern droll television broadcasting is all about accentuating people’s idiosyncrasies, but Oz made us all (whine merchants) look like airy fairy ponces!
If  people come into my shop I try to put wine into a down to earth approachable easy going and fun way of looking at it (unless someone says “That Hardy’s is good isn’t it?” my brain responds silently with an Essex accent “Computer says No”).
Not that I’m into dumbing down, society’s doing an accomplished enough job as it is. Take most wine writers, they write about most wines that are available in Asda and Safeway for £4.99 and do nothing to elevate the English palate. As for Malcom Gluck, the Richard Dawkins of the Wine World in his denial of the notion of terroir, anyone who writes a book entitled “Super Plonk” should be burnt on a pyre of 40 year old diseased vines!
I suppose I should be overjoyed that noble grapes are finding their way into bedrooms on housing estates in Essex, I can even imagine a parish notice in the not too distant future reading “Alexi Curtain and his lovely wife Chardonnay are pleased to announce the birth of their new daughter ‘Shiraz’.  The tattooing and naming ceremony will be on Friday”.
If you’re going to name a child after a wine at least give them a classy name like “Pernand” or “Aubin”, I mean what’s wrong with “Gevry” it was good enough for my favourite childhood programme ‘Rainbow’!

Anyway my recommended wines this week:
Saint Clair Tuatara Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Marlborough New Zealand
Personally I can’t stand the stuff its big, brash in your face tropical fruit, with real zingy gooseberry fruit. However it’s very popular and available for £8.75 at http://www.martinez.co.uk/
Martinez Fine Wines 35 The Grove
Ilkley
LS29 9NJ
Tel: 01943 600000

Chateau Fleur Garderose 2000 Libourne, St. Emilion
The second wine of Belregard Figeac, situated on the outskirts of Libourne. 68% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon this wine offers a glimpse of superb St. Emilion at a sensible price. £11.49
Available at House of Townend http://www.hotwines.co.uk/

Fleurie 2004 Domaine De La Cour Profonde
This is a gold medal winner in Paris. Like the name says wonderful floral nose, with violets and bluebells. Wonderful, round, Gamay fruit, not heavy, so great with or without food.  £9.90 Available at http://www.winecave.co.uk/
The Wine Cave Hetton Skipton 01756 730415

"This was my first contribution to my favourite site for France lovers; www.frenchduck.com So what if they refused to eat our beef, we invaded Calais! Besides they were right about Iraq in the outset.

Anyway enough politics...

A Pilgrimage to Burgundy

I’m going back to Burgundy the week before Easter, to my spirit filled place of dreams.  Ever since my Dad died, it’s been a spiritual, soul colluding affair.  You see his passion was infectious, his love of wine, his hunger for the vine, and the yearning had lead him home, home to Burgundy.
Sitting there, surrounded by beautiful wisteria, over looking the tranquil, carefully laid out, rows of vines, the gentle sloping aspect, the Norman church spire, a look of glee, a twinkle in his eye.

I hadn’t been working in Calais long, then working for Oddbins, when we took our first trip to Burgundy together. Thirty years of troubled tears, un-said things, muddled fears, you know how it can be between a Father and son; Yet something changed that year, a new understanding, a passion shared and for the first time ever a new friendship between father and only boy.  “Look Dad! They’ve named all these villages after bottles of wine!”, the old man shakes his head with a grin.  It had taken us all this time to find some common ground and who’d have believed that the ground would be some sodden earth between two rows of vines, with a wall around the field, and a gate and something called ‘Montrachet’ on the lintel.  “Look Son! This is some of the most expensive real estate in the world, no forty storey tower blocks, just the soil, the elements and vitis vinifera!”

It was funny really, I’d grown up with wine on the peripheral but had never taken the time to discover.  We were a catering family, father was a bit of a pub food pioneer, and I needed to find something to be passionate about.  I’m easily bored and had a tendency to loose interest in the sort of jobs that I’d pursued without much success, and wine was the obvious solution. Specialising in Burgundy seemed the shrewdest of options given the wealth of knowledge available to me, and I decided to get my hands dirty one year, picking the grapes.  I can remember my old man rolling around with laughter as I hobbled back to the cottage every day, with a bent back, in agony “That’s the only honest work you’ve ever done in your life Son!”, I think yes, maybe he was right, it was certainly the hardest.

I think the passion is closely linked to the soil.  Every wine produced by a farmer in Burgundy is a twofold expression, an expression of the wine maker, an expression of the soil. Every year the elements fight to change that expression, with hail, mist, rain and drought; every year the wine maker fights the elements to produce the wine that is the truest expression of that piece of land, the ‘terroir’.  I think this is where the spirituality comes in for me, there’s just that little thing that you can’t put your hand on, that extra something special. Maybe it’s the fact that to unsuspecting travellers a sleepy village with a leaf swept square and a hotel called The Montrachet could almost pale into insignificance were it not for the fact that countless similar sleepy archetypal rural French villages, throughout the Cote D’Or, have produced some of the greatest compliments to some of the finest banquets in Royal courts throughout history.

Going back fills me with a sense of joy, I can almost feel Dad’s spirit flying, freely over the vines, whispering comforts through the leaves, that spirit of Dionysus, that time loved, almost birth place, of my Father Denis.