Full-bodied reds and supple white wines, endless vineyards, green rolling hills, wooded slopes, grazing Charolais cattle on a bountiful and generous land––such might be the images evoked when one thinks of Burgundy. This is also where a unique culture of food and wine has evolved over 2000 years. Here the Celtic peoples first learned to make wine barrels from the oak which grew in abundance in their forests; here Cistercian monks of the Middle Ages first suspected the possibilities hidden in the soil and began the work of clearing slopes to plant the first legendary vineyards; and here today the descendants of those early Burgundians are faithful to the traditions of earlier generations with a warm and generous hospitality for the visitor––a guest here in Burgundy will eat and drink very well indeed, thus bringing honor to the host’s table.
There is history too. Today served by modern autoroutes and high-speed trains, Burgundy has long been a crossroads of northern Europe and has benefited from the best of many cultures. The Romans brought roads and law; the German Burgundii gave their name and a blond blue-eyed population; the Christian Dukes of Burgundy of the 14th and 15th centuries left as a heritage the beautiful, flamboyant Flemish-Burgundian architecture. As we walk through this region we will see evidence of all these cultures.
Indeed, with small villages and majestic cathedrals, simple, hearty café lunches and evening meals in Michelin-starred restaurants, refreshing Aligotés and robust Chambertin Grand Crus, there is something here for everyone. During our week together, in the spirit of the local traditions of hospitality, we will try to bring you the best of Burgundy. We stay in small friendly hotels and dine at some of the best tables the region has to offer. Our routes are quiet and scenic. Our trips include the unexpected, like Gallo-Roman ruins deep in the woods, as well as the hoped-for, like wine cellar tours or visits led by local guides. And whatever your pace, whatever your interest, know that a support vehicle and your Sundial guide are always close by.
Your Itinerary
Day 1:
Arrival at Dijon with transfer to Gevrey-Chambertin
Afternoon walk 7 km / Mostly flat with one hill
After a two-hour train ride on the speedy TGV you arrive in Dijon, to be met by your guides for the 30-minute transfer to Gevrey-Chambertin. Dijon is situated at the very limit of the great wine-growing area known as the Côte d’Or and once we clear the city limits of this thriving town we are soon surrounded by vineyards.
Our hotel is the small Hôtel des Grands Crus just on the outskirts of Gevrey-Chambertin, and our hostess Mme Farnier will make sure everything is just right when we arrive. After a few minutes to settle into our rooms and to change into our walking gear we will meet for a short orientation meeting, during which your guides will pass out maps and water bottles. Then it will be time start our first walk, a short loop up through neighboring wine villages with a couple of stops along the way.
The first stop along the way is in Fixin. Fixin has one peculiarity from the other villages in the area in that it prefers to be associated with Napoléon rather than with the excellent wine produced there. One of the sons of the village, Noisot, went off to war with Napoléon and returned full of admiration for the great man. In Napoléon’s honor Noisot commissioned a statue by François Rude, and this statue is on display in the Parc Noisot here in Fixin.
Leaving the village our trail leads us through the vineyards to Fixey where we will stop for a visit of a 10th-century Romanesque chapel, the oldest chapel in Burgundy. After enough time to appreciate the colors of the enameled tiles on bell tower, and how the solid oaken beams and rafters on the inside support the heavy roof made of limestones, we will retire to a local wine cellar for a wine tasting, in anticipation of a difficult choice to made at dinner tonight.
Back at the hotel, after some time to relax we meet for a welcoming champagne apéritif, then walk to dinner. Tonight we will be dining at the nearby Rôtisserie du Chambertin, one of the exceptional restaurants of the area. Entering the restaurant we will pass through a gallery peopled by whimsical figures in traditional dress posing in different phases of wine-making. The meal here will be no less entertaining and will be the perfect complement for the many local wines found in the winelist.
(D)
Day 2:
Through the vineyards to Nuits St Georges
13 km - flat walking on dirt and paved roads in the vineyards
Today will be a transfer day, so before breakfast your bags need to be packed and placed out in the hallway outside your room for the baggage elves. After a breakfast which will include fresh coffee, flaky croissants, home-made confiture and juice we leave for Nuits St Georges. As our route will lead us through wine villages all day long we will have several opportunities to stop and raise a glass in some dark cool wine cellar.
Between Chambolle-Musigny and Vougeot your guides will have set up a special treat––a gourmet picnic lunch with all kinds of local specialties. Fresh bread, fresh fruit, jambon persillé, mustard, cheeses both mild and strong, something chocolate, and a little local wine to wash it all down will be waiting for you in a peaceful setting.
After lunch our first stop will be for a visit of the 12th-century Château du Clos de Vougeot. Beginning in the 12th century the Cistercian monks from the nearby Abbey of Cîteaux (the mother church of the Cistercian order) cleared the surrounding oak forest, planted vineyards and began to make wine. The grapes were crushed in the huge oaken presses still in place today, and the wine was stored in barrels in the great cellar which we will visit. The château and the adjoining clos (a vineyard surrounded by walls) are part of the beginnings of the wine heritage in Burgundy and for any student or lover of wine a visit here is a must.
The next village on the way is Vosne-Romanée, where some of the world’s most exclusive wine is produced. We will naturally pause before two vineyards of the more renowned wine domains, Clos de la Tache and Romanée-Conti. How the wines made from grapes grown here can so far surpass wines made from grapes grown only yards away is one of the things which makes Burgundy so special.
Nearing our hotel we detour into Nuits St Georges for a visit of the extensive wine cellars of a commercial wine agent, or négociant, which ends in a special tasting of five or six wines in a vaulted candle-lighted room under the streets.
From here we can transfer or walk back to the hotel, for a bit of free time before dinner. A dip in the pool here might be just the thing. Our hotel, the Gentilhommière, was at one time a hunting lodge and as such was set in the country outside of town. The town is a little bigger than in times past but we will still be in the peace and quiet of the country. Dinner will be in the beautiful rustic dining room of the hotel just a short walk from our rooms.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 3:
To the Hameau de Barboron above Savigny-lès-Beaune
20 km - Moderately hilly
Another transfer day but the baggage elves are busy as we sip our coffee. We will skirt the town of Nuits St George before the first hill, then climb up to the Hautes Côtes, or upper slopes. The rural setting of the Hautes Côtes (the term hautes côtes means upper slopes), has been left virtually unchanged for generations. The views and landscape will be well worth the effort to get there, and we will be challenged early as we begin climbing shortly after leaving the hotel. As we reach the top we emerge into a terrain much different from that of the vineyards we left behind. The villages we encounter here seem more remote one from the other––owing to the hillier terrain they tend to be separated by land features such as valleys or hills. Here too are vast fields planted with grains and oil-producing seed plants such as sunflower or colza. In June the colza flower gives a blazing golden hue to the land; in July it is the turn of the sunflowers. Later in the season the fields of grain have a soft golden brown color, and always there are the woods to provide contrast in color and relief.
In Roman times, the Romans shared Gaul with the Celtic peoples, and today we call the resulting culture Gallo-Roman. The Gaulois left their traces with some of the place names in France, and Burgundy has its share. Nuits St Georges for example takes its name from the Gallic word nauda which meant humid soil, and Beaune is named after the Celtic goddess Belena. Our walk today passes through places which still bear physical traces of this ancient culture, if one has the patience and imagination to seek them out.
Nearing the end of our walk we will come to the village of Echevronne and here we might pause for a tasting of two or three delicious fruit liqueurs produced from local red currant berries, blackberries and raspberries. Years and years ago production of fruit liqueur was as important as the wine production in Burgundy but as wine became more and more profitable the production of the liqueurs fell off.
From here our hotel is but another 30 minutes. In the 16th century there stood a substantive stone farmhouse, today it has been transformed into an exquisite bed and breakfast surrounded by acres and acres of hunting preserve. Rooms and common areas alike have been tastefully decorated and the calm and beauty of the setting is striking. Since there is no restaurant here we will transfer into Savigny, three kilometers down the driveway, for dinner at the Cuverie. The cuisine here will be simpler than what we have experienced the last two nights but no less enjoyable.
(B) (D)
Day 4:
To Beaune via le Pas de St Martin
19 km - Hilly in the morning, flat in the afternoon
Today we will walk to Beaune, and we can do this with a longer route or a shorter route. For those who want to do a full day of walking we have a route which meanders through forests and fields. The highlight of this walk is the Pas de St Martin, a scenic overlook from a rocky point. From here we can look across a narrow valley to villages and pastures below while we enjoy a picnic lunch. Legend has it that in the 6th century St Martin leaped across this valley on his mule, to win a bet with the devil and claim the souls the devil had been taking to hell.
Or, since Beaune is really only a few kilometers from our hotel, we can take a more direct route and be there in time for lunch. Beaune has a population of 22,000 and is the wine capital of Burgundy. As a popular destination of visitors there are shops and galleries to visit and medieval streets to explore. Don’t get too carried away with the exploring however because we still have a guided visit of town tomorrow morning.
Dinner will be at one of Beaune’s Michelin-starred restaurants.
(B) (D)
Day 5:
Free day in Beaune, free night for dinner
Today will be a day you can design for yourself. Beaune is a colorful, bustling town whose lifeblood is the buying and selling of wine. Today will be especially active though since Saturday mornings are market days. Take time to stroll through the two main plazas of Beaune, with vendor after vendor selling everything from fresh bread, fruits and vegetables to housewares and clothing. These itinerant merchants have been a part of European life since the Middle Ages. Only the motorized trucks and cars they use today make them any different from their ancestors.
Before the market though we will want to invite you to take a guided tour of Beaune led by a local guide. First Celtic, then Roman, and still surrounded by 17th-century walls, Beaune has a rich past to share. Part of this tour will be the Hospice, a 15th-century charity hospital which was closed only in 1971. Remarkably, the trust fund set up in 1443 to provide operating funds for the hospital is what paid for the new hospital. Architecturally, the building is considered a masterpiece of the colorful Flemish-Burgundian style, noted in part because of the liberal usage of colorful enameled roof tiles, which gives Burgundy a unique appearance.
For the rest of the day you are free to visit the various shops and galleries, do some wine tasting, or to relax in one of the many cafés. In the meantime be on the lookout for a good restaurant for tonight you will be on your own for dinner. If the choice of restaurants seems a little overwhelming, for Beaune has quite a few good ones, we will be able to recommend one that is just right for you.
(B)
Day 6:
To Meursault via Pommard in the Côte de Beaune
13 km - Moderately hilly
Today begins in red wine country and ends where the land of superlative white wines begins. Leaving Beaune we will be walking through the vineyards of the Côte de Beaune. The village of Pommard produces some of the heartier red wines of the Côte de Beaune, while the next village, Volnay, produces a lighter more feminine wine. Above Volnay is the ideal picnic spot, in the shade of pine trees overlooking the spread of vineyards below and in the middle distance the Saône River Valley. Off to the right are seen the hills of the Côte Chalonnaise and on a clear day the Jura Mountains can be seen far to the east. Such a view inspires contemplation, and the week spent here in Burgundy has surely broadened just a little bit our horizons of food and wine. And it is not quite over yet. Upon arrival at our hotel Les Magnolias, we may either relax in the charming English-French decor of our spacious rooms or wander into Meursault and duck into a tasting room or two.
Our last dinner together merits special attention, and we will start off with a champagne apéritif to mark the occasion. Then we will transfer to the nearby village of Levernois for a regal dinner at the Hostellerie de Levernois. The park seen through the big dining room windows is the ideal setting for such an elegant meal.
(B) (D)
Day 7:
Departure from Dijon.
After breakfast we will transfer you to the train station in Dijon to get you on the recommended train to Paris, or we can help you with other arrangements you might have.
(B)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
This walking trip is a gem. It combines very good restaurants, among the best Burgundy has to offer, with a blend of 3-star and 4-star hotels. Operated by an American living in Burgundy for 10 years with family-in-law contacts in the wine business. I have been operating trips here and elsewhere in France for 10 years and can bring the best out of an area, and tailor the individual trip to the tastes of the groups, putting the accent on antiques, history (Celtic or Roman), wine, or athletic effort (ie, longer miles, optional routes)
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