Went for a long drive with Bruno through the Route des Grands Crus of the Cote de Nuits sub region of Burgundy on the 14th Oct. Its not easy to meet the winemakers and visit the domaines in the first 2 weeks of October as the grape harvest just got over in the last week of september and people are either busy with the initial winemaking process or taking a break after a hectic schedule. We passed through all the vineyards of famous villages like Gevrey -Chambertin and Morey Saint Denis. We thought we will try our luck and went to Clos des Lambrays, one of the very famous domaines of the region and producer of a great grand crus red wine considered to be one of the 100 best red wines of the world. The Domaine has history dating back to the 14th Century.Though we visited the domaine without any prior appointment, we were given a very warm welcome by Mr Thierry Brouin, the Managing Director and Oenologist. He requested a trainee to show us around the estate and give a brief about the vinification of the Clos. The estat
e and the whole area around the stainless steel vats etc were being cleaned by spraying water and it looked extremely clean. The trainee took both of us around the estate and then to the wine cellar. The oldest part of the cellar dates back to the 17th century. We were then joined by Mr Brouin whom i found extremely humble and frank. He apologised for the delay in joining us as he was with some german buyers. The Domaine is owned by a german named Gunter Freund which he purchased in the year 1996. Mr Gunter Freund recently became Commandeur at the Chevalier du Tastevin.
e and the whole area around the stainless steel vats etc were being cleaned by spraying water and it looked extremely clean. The trainee took both of us around the estate and then to the wine cellar. The oldest part of the cellar dates back to the 17th century. We were then joined by Mr Brouin whom i found extremely humble and frank. He apologised for the delay in joining us as he was with some german buyers. The Domaine is owned by a german named Gunter Freund which he purchased in the year 1996. Mr Gunter Freund recently became Commandeur at the Chevalier du Tastevin.We all spoke about the vintage of the year and the recent grape harvest and problems with the weather and pests in Burgundy. Clos des Lambrays produces only around 30,000 to 35,000 bottles of the Grand Cru and its all reserved in advance and he doesnt have wine to sell. But he said he is interested to sell a few bottles of his wine to countries like India to expand his markets. 
We then proceeded to the tasting and to be frank i never tasted such exciting red Burgundy wines before. He made us taste grand cru red wines of 2 vintages 2007 and 2006 from the barrels. The wine was very supple and elegant with fresh aromas of red fruits and rich tannins and one of the best burgundy red wines i ever had (with my little experience ).
(Photo on the right - Bruno on my right and Mr Thierry Brouin on my left at the Cellar)
I was not bothered about the tasting terminology and the tannins and aromas and aftertastes. I simply just liked the wine i was drinking! I decided that very moment that i need to earn money to drink only the Grand Crus of Burgundy! They are all soooo costly ! But one has to taste the best wines to know the difference!
I was a very happy man that day sipping that wonderfull red wine at the right temperature and at the right place with natural cellar temperature, just next to the vineyard where these Pinot grapes were grown. Temperature and climate is absolutely important for wine. It also improves the tasting sensation. And when you taste the best wine at its own cellar and with the company of the oenologist who made the wine talking about his wine, thats the best you can ask for!Burgundy wines tastes best in Burgundy! Thanks to Bruno for having taken me to Clos des Lambrays!
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