The first Bourgogne wines we drank on the Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015) were wines from Tonnerre. These wines are pretty much unknown outside of the area of its production, although the Tonnerois “is an up-and-coming wine area” (Jancis Robinson).
In a broad sense, the Bourgogne also includes the Beaujolais in the South and (from west to east) the Vignoble de l’Auxerrois (south of the town of Auxerre), the Vignoble du Chablisien (around the town of Chablis) and the Vignoble du Tonnerrois (north of the town of Tonnerre with its 5500 inhabitants) in the North.
We spent our first night in Tonnerre at Hotel Auberge de Bourgogne, following the start of the tour in Hochheim, Germany, lunch at Restaurant Les Berges de l’Ource in Essoyes, the City of Renoir in the Southern Part of the Champagne, and a tour and tasting at Champagne Josselin in Gyé-sur-Seine, Champagne.
The Wines of Tonnerre
Winemaking in the Tonnerre Region goes back to Roman times. At the end of the 19th century the vineyards of Tonnerre totaled 5000 hectares. However, the phylloxera wiped out the vineyards in the area. Today, after extensive replanting starting in the 1970s, winemaking is back to about 200 hectares.
The replanting of the vineyards began in Epineuil. The Appellation Bourgogne Epineuil (86 hectares) was created in 1993 for the red and rosé wines of the commune. In 2006 the Appelation Bourgogne Tonnerre (103 hectares) was added. The Bourgogne Tonnerre appellation stretches over six communes – Tonnerre, Molosmes, Epineuil, Junay, Dannemoine and Vézinnes – and can only be used for white wine. Tonnerre and Molosmes are the two principal communes, accounting for more than 70 percent of the vineyard area.
Generally, the soils, full of white pebbles, resemble those of the nearby Chablis region (Kimmeridgian or associated limestone).
Postings on the Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France (Posted and Forthcoming)
Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Champagne Jean Josselin in Gyé-sur-Seine: Tour and Tasting with Jean Pierre Josselin - Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
The Wines of Tonnerre (Bourgogne)
Visit: Domaine Séguinot-Bordet in Maligny, Chablis: Cellar Tour and Chablis Tasting with Owner and Winemaker Jean-François Bordet
Domaine Brocard in Chablis: Lunch, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Odile Van Der Moere, Responsable de Cave
Dinner at Hostellerie Chateau de la Barge in Creches-sur-Saone
Domaine Ferret in Fuissé, Poully-Fuissé, Mâconnais: Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Cyril Laumain, Chef de Cave
Lunch at Hostellerie d'Heloise in Cluny
Domaine Theulot Juillot in Mercurey, Côte Chalonnaise: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Nathalie and Jean-Claude Theulot
Maison Olivier Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet: Vineyard Walk Cellar Tour and Lunch with Wine Tasting at Restaurant La Table d’Olivier Leflaive with Patrick Leflaive
Wine Tasting at Domaine Mestre Père & Fils in Santenay with Jonathan Maestre
Visit: Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils in Beaune
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne
Visit: Musée de l’Hospice de Beaune with Karoline Knoth, M.A.
Domaine A-F Gros in Beaune: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Owner and Winemaker Mathias Parent
Visit: Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune
Domaine Faiveley in Nuits-Saint-George: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Mathilde Nicolas (Brand Ambassador)
Wine Tasting at Domaine du Château de Prémeaux in Nuits Saint Georges with Owner and Winemaker Arnaud Pelletier
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion in Vosne-Romanée: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Bernard Rion and Alice Rion
Domaine Guillon & Fils in Gevrey Chambertin: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Jean-Michel Guillon
Visit: Château du Clos de Vougeot