Exactly one year ago, my hubs and I were in France for two weeks trying to cram in as many of my favorite wine regions as we possibly could. We did amazingly well – visiting Champagne, Burgundy, Beaujolais and both the Northern and Southern Rhône. And while I loved each of these places, I would honestly put Burgundy at the bottom of my list.
It certainly wasn’t the wines of the region – in fact one of my favorite bottles of the trip was a Pernot Belicard Puligny-Montrachet (and a Bouvier Gevrey Chambertin was up there as well). Rather, it was the overarching pretentious attitude that seemed to permeate the region. Granted, we were staying at a 5 star hotel with a Michelin starred restaurant just outside of Beaune. But while I can swing 5 stars America style – the French take it to a whole new level that’s just way outside my comfort zone. 
That being said, there were definitely moments when I felt like I was experiencing the real Burgundy . . . like when we pulled off the side of RN74 to watch some workers busy at harvest, or wolfed down Beef Bourguignon at a small, crowded little bistro in Beaune. These experiences were much more memorable than the fancy schmancy hotel or restaurant with a menu full of items I couldn’t pronounce or identify WTF they were when they were served.
So perhaps it’s rather ironic that I recently joined the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin – a group described as “an exclusive bacchanalian fraternity of Burgundy wine enthusiasts.” Just typing that makes my eyes roll it sounds so incredibly pretentious.
Historically, the Confrérie has consisted of older, wealthy, white men (shocking, I know). My “liberal and casual” local chapter was looking to add more women and younger people. Since I can’t remember the last time my 44 year old self was included in the classification “younger people” – I was intrigued. And having access to a cellar full of Burgundy wines doesn’t hurt either. 😉
The Château du Clos de Vougeot is the headquarters of the Confrérie, so I figured I should know something about this area prior to my official “knighting” ceremony – fascinating history of this place, here’s the Vougeot outline.
And P.S. – so far, what I’ve seen of my fellow Chevaliers is a bunch of wine loving individuals who don’t take themselves too seriously. And I’m at least a decade younger than most of them. 🙂
Outwines 