Blake - Breakfast in Burgundy: a hungry Irishman in the belly of France

Copyright 2014 by Raymond Blake

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Eve Siegel

Cover photo credit Raymond Blake

Interior photos by Raymond Blake

ISBN: 978-1-62914-474-0

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62914-882-3

Printed in China

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PREFACE

The Done Deal Dinner

Once the publishing deal for Breakfast in Burgundy was signed we celebrated with a good dinner in the company of close friends and excellent wines. The evening was topped and tailed by champagne and portDom Prignon 1998 and Dows 1977but center stage was reserved for a trio of burgundies. First up was a Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes premier cru 2010, served with halibut, baby spinach, and herb beurre blanc. It was beyond brilliant, precision-flavored, intense and long. Yet, if anything, the next wine was more memorable: Ccile Tremblay, Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes premier cru 2008, served with a Challans chicken supreme and wild mushroom sauce. Exotically scented and supremely satisfying, it provided ringing proof that when Burgundy gets it right, nothing can rival it. A magnum of Bernard Morey, Santenay Grand Clos Rousseau premier cru 1995 followed with the boeuf Bourguignon, and it picked up the gauntlet easily. Showing some sweet age and mellow notes on the finish, it eased us nicely into the port.

I chose the wines not only because I regard them highly, but also because they are favorites of my wife, Fionnuala. Though my name appears on the cover of this book, it is, and has been for the past seven years, a joint effort with her. I did the writing, but that was the easy bit. She had to encourage and support, advise and enthuse, counsel and comfort. Her belief never flagged, not even as I prowled the house, sullen and morose, convinced that Breakfast in Burgundy would never be finished. She has been with me every step of the way, and she saw a way around all the difficulties I saw as insurmountable. As my belief wavered, hers strengthened, and it is only because of it that the book got written. I could never have done it without Fionnuala.

Santenay

Cte dOr

Easter 2014

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

So many people have helped with the writing of this book that it is difficult to know where to start. I owe a big debt of gratitude to Jacques and Rosalind Seysses, who spotted early on that I was suffering from the Burgundy bug and did much to nurture it by way of hospitality, advice, and guidance. Their home has always been open to myself and Fionnuala, and we look forward to sharing more good bottles with them in the future. Their sons and daughter-in-law, Alec, Jeremy, and Diana, were equally welcoming, especially when I visited during harvest.

Our solicitor, Ivan Healy, is also a friend and fellow wine lover who always went the extra mile when we were buying the house, and further down the line when unexpected issues had to be dealt with. I am grateful to him for wise counsel well beyond the strict legal necessities. Dominique Roger, the estate agent who handled the sale of the house, came from the same mold. He was helpful beyond the call of duty, as he cut through red tape, and became a good friend in the process. Nick Dunlop, trusted friend and former crewmate, who corrected the French words and phrases, deserves a special word of thanks. Any remaining errors are due to my lack of diligence, not his expertise.

So many people helped simply through words of encouragement and inquiries about progress: my parents, Gay and Frank, and my sisters, Barbara and Margaret, whose support I have always been able to count on; David Browne, ever ready with a positive word and the name of a contact to help move things along; Toms Clancy, colleague, true friend, and encourager par excellence; Philip Dodd, whose wise words never failed to steady the ship; Mary Dowey, always wonderfully enthusiastic on hearing news of snaillike progress; David Eades, source of crucial advice as we set out on our house hunt; Michael and Kate Hayes, steadfast supporters, always ready with an encouraging word when the challenge seemed too daunting; Bill Kelly, through whom I met numerous Burgundians while they were visiting Ireland; Jim Tunney, an endless source of positive, practical advice; my fellow troopers in the Premier Cru Club, Randall Plunkett and Eugene OSullivan; and all the members of the Honky Tonque Wine Club, where spirited discussion takes precedence over worship of prestigious labels. Thanks to their generosity I have been lucky to sample a kings ransom of fine burgundy over the years.

In France we have been hugely fortunate to meet a legion of kind, helpful, and welcoming people, all of whom helped indirectly by enriching our life in Burgundy, providing the background and context for this book: Roger Belland, whose gesture of kindness may have been small to him but was priceless to us; Jean-Claude Bernard, generous host, always happy to share a bottle with Irish visitors; the Boisset familyJean-Claude, Jean-Charles, and Nathaliewhose delight was boundless when they heard of our house purchase; Stphane Colas, ever patient, ever helpful, ever friendly; Aubert and Pamela de Villaine, generous hosts and treasured guests; Vronique Drouhin, always charming when I visited during harvest; Corinne and Fabrice Germain, restaurateurs par excellence; Michel and Frdric Lafarge, two quiet-spoken gentlemen of Burgundy; Guillaume Lavaillotte, who met every query and quibble with a smile; Frdric and va Mnager, soulmates and great hosts; Jean-Charles le Bault de la Morinire, engaging, frank, and hospitable; Gregory Patriat, as thoughtful and talented a winemaker as I have met; Romain Ponnelle, whose advice on what wine to buy, and what wine not to buy, is second to none; Jean-Claude and Nol Ramonet, who conduct their tastings with a great welcome and a magnificent lack of ceremony; Bernard Repolt, disarmingly frank and wonderfully generous; Pascal Rossignol and his brother Hubert, the best ambassadors Burgundy could want; Jean-Marc and Anne-Marie Vincent, whose wines are made in their own delightful image; and our wonderful neighbors, Jol and Patricia, who cannot be thanked enough for their kindness and generosity.

Over the course of 15 or more years, I visited countless domaines and met with scores of winemakers, too many to list here. They were all generous with their time, and some information was always gleaned to flesh out the tale told in Breakfast in Burgundy . To all of them, I say merci beaucoup . And I say bonjour to all our friendly neighbors in Santenay, many of whom I know only as smiling faces on the way to or from the boulangerie . Someday, I promise to improve my French... someday.