Burgundy Advice Needed
 

My husband and I will be in the Burgundy region for 3 days in late October. We plan to rent a car and would like to visit a number of wineries in the Cote d'or grand cru area. We have ordered both books recommended highly on this site, France Backroads and the Michelin atlas, but I am looking for recommendations about routes to take, how many wineries we should plan to visit in one day, and are places close enough to base in Beaune and do all day trips. We do need to be working ourselves up to an area convenient to getting to Paris airport, CDG. We have an 11:00 a.m. flight on Sunday Oct. 24 and assume we would need to be in Paris the night before unless someone could recommend somewhere close to Paris, where a rental car can be returned and a short train or bus ride to the airport in time to catch the 11:00 a.m. flight. Thanks for all your input.

I read this article and went back and found it for you:

http://www.wineeducation.com/regburg.html

This and your map ought to pull together a nice trip...sa the list goes north to south, and you know your own tastes (If, particularly, you're headed to the Montrechet area. I'd try for the Maconaise, (not grand cru - yet) as well, for the lovely Poilly-Fuisse, and the white Macon whites... YUMMMM...

Then I'd drop off the car in Digon and TGV back to Paris the night before coz I'm chicken and would want to be at CDG at 3 hours before the flight...

Thanks for the information SuzieC. Does anyone have any hotel recommendations for this area and whether we should stay in one place like Beaune and do day trips, or stay in a different place for the 3 nights we will be in the region.

My usual hotel recommendation is the Hostellerie du Vieux Moulin; it's in the hamlet of Bouilland, about 15 minutes from Beaune and is thus well placed for visiting the wineries. To get to/from Beaune you go through Savigny-lès-Beaune, a very nice wine village with tasting rooms.

Once you go through SlB to the main road (can't tell you the number, as I just packed the Burgundy map!)you can turn left or right for the Côte d'Or or the Côte de Nuit. You will see vineyard after vineyard and can, if you wish, drive up and look with longing at the Romanée-Conti properties. South you will find the Château de Meursault, which has one of the best tasting rooms: an entire large cellar. Several different vintages of each wine are on offer.

I think you could easily do two wineries in the morning, break for a leisurely lunch, and then visit two more in the afternoon.

You will definitely need to be back in Paris the night before your flight, as you should plan on getting to the airport a good three hours (yes!) in advance. You might even want to spend the night at the airport and turn the car in there.

ttt

I would recommend the b&b Domaine de Loisy, which is about half way between Dijon & Beaune. Madame de Loisy is an expert on wine and also touring the area. The website is: www.domaine-de-loisy.com

P.S. I neglected to say the town is Nuit St. Georges.