Joy Uncorked: April 2025 | Issue No. 6

Crossing the T’s and Accenting the É’s

We are joyfully going full bore on the final preparations for the second summer of our tour through French wine country. This is one of our favorite times, as the broad strokes of the trip have been settled, and now only the fine points remain.

For instance, during this time, we are in constant communication with the chefs at the restaurants that we will visit on our travels. These are establishments that Adam and I have personally visited, vetted, and fallen in love with. We know the quality meets and exceeds what we promise our guests, but we don’t stop at ensuring excellence from their everyday offerings. We work with the chefs to create menus exclusively for our group; generally, we will have reserved the entire restaurant, or nearly so, and the kitchen is at our service for the evening. Our discussions always begin with what produce is in season locally, what their preferred vendors are excited to offer, and what the chefs are finding inspiration in currently. We give them the space and opportunity to create dishes that reflect the area and their own dynamic imaginations, and our conversations with them are eager and excited on all sides. Being a part of their creative process is an honor and a delight.

After the chefs have decided on our menu, Adam will work with the sommeliers at each restaurant to curate wine pairings for our meals. This might be the most fun of all. We get to dig into which local wines best represent the region and most beautifully complement each dish.

As a further consideration, we want to make sure we are not eating or drinking the same things place after place; even though most regions have wines and dishes in which they specialize, we want our guests to have a breadth of experiences, and we are careful to ensure variety on all fronts. In fact, between the five winery visits and the curated pairings at meals, our guests have the opportunity to taste nearly 80 extraordinary wines on our adventure through France!

Exciting News! If you haven’t booked a place on our June 11 – 21, 2025 French wine tour yet and are interested in doing so, we’ve been able to add 1 more room (for up to 2 people) to our tour!

Additionally, we have 6 rooms still available for the summer of 2026!

Journey with us in 2025 or 2026!

Vintner Varietals: Winemakers We Love

Domaine De La Mandeliere

The Chardonnays of Chablis have the near magical ability to turn Chardonnay detractors into converts. Far from the fruity, oaky, opulent California Chardonnays many American wine drinkers recognize, Chablis wines are marked by structure, acidity, and an austere minerality.

Few Chablis winemakers produce finer examples of this than husband-and-wife team, Charly Nicolle and Lucie Thieblemont, whom we visit on the second day of our travels through French wine country. The couple has gradually been assuming control of Charly’s family vineyards since 1997. They now produce Chablis from the domains of three generations: Domaine Paul Nicolle (the grandfather’s); Domaine de la Mandeliere (the father’s); and Domaine Charly Nicolle. Lucie, once a chef at a nearby Michelin-starred restaurant, is producing exciting sparkling wines under her own label, as well.

As producers and long-time inhabitants of the area—the Nicolle family has roots here as far back as the 19th century—they are dedicated to crafting Chablis that harnesses the region’s distinctive terroir. One-hundred-and-fifty million years ago, the southern coast of England through Champagne, Chablis, and the Loire Valley was covered by ocean, and the bedrock of that land now is formed in large part from the fossils of Jurassic-era marine life, including plentiful small, comma-shaped oyster shells.

The resulting Kimmeridgian soil, calcium-carbonate-rich and composed of clay and limestone, is famous for imparting minerality and salinity to wines produced from the region’s grapes, as though the ancient sea echoes in every sip.

Charly and Lucie age their wines in stainless steel vats, shaped according to how much contact with the lees (sediment left over from fermentation that imparts rich flavor and mouthfeel) they desire each wine to have—taller, skinnier vats for minimal lees contact, and wider, square tanks to allow for more.

Approximately 20% of a vintage will age in oak barrels for a controlled depth of flavor. This hybrid technique gives the winemakers remarkable control over the development of aromas and tasting notes, and allows them to extract as much of the precious terroir as possible from the grapes.

Charly and Lucie’s respect for the land is evident in their farming practices, as well. They have long applied integrated farming methods in their vineyards and are committed to sustainable agriculture through the HVE (High Environmental Value) certification, with an aim to become certified organic. Their appellations include several Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines, meaning the grapes used in the bottling are from a superior vineyard site, meeting strict requirements of soil, climate, altitude, exposure, and varietal.

Chablis is a special place, with unique soil and distinctive wines, and each visit to Lucie and Charly, as they share their mineral, floral, tautly balanced wines, inspires reverence, gratitude, and sheer delight.

Cultural Terroir: Places We Love

Explore Chablis

The region of Burgundy (officially Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) is divided into eight smaller regions, called departments. Chablis is in the northwestern-most department, Yonne, along with the towns of Auxerre, Sens, and Joigny. Yonne is as quintessential and picturesque as it gets—fairytale forests, medieval towns, neat vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see. If you’re looking for an experience more quaint than urban that still offers art, culture, and world-class food and wine, Yonne delivers.

Auxerre, about 1.5 hours south of Paris, is the capital and largest town of the department (though with fewer than 100,000 residents in the urban area, it’s hardly a metropolis). The River Yonne runs through the city and offers a scenic stroll along its banks. The historic city center, designated by the French Ministry of Culture as a “Ville d’Art et d’Histoire” (Town of Art and History) for exceptional architectural and artistic heritage, is a medieval marvel of cobbled streets and wood and stone buildings with gabled roofs. It’s anchored by a still-operational, 15th-century clock tower, chiming out the hours of the day since 1483. Overlooking the River Yonne, the Cathedrál Saint-Etienne, built between the 11th and 16th centuries and given status as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture that houses stained glass and art from the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. Just outside the city walls is the Carolingian Abbaye de Saint-Germain, a stunning monastic complex built in the 5th century and containing the oldest murals in France.

The city center of Sens, the second largest city in Yonne, is home to the first Gothic cathedral ever built, the Cathedral of Saint Stephen of Sens, constructed in the early 12th century, with spectacular stained glass and ornate facades. Across the square from the cathedral is a stunning example of 19th century metal architecture that now houses a lively covered market, selling local goods and produce. Another must-see in Sens is the Moulin à Tan Park, certified as a “Jardin Remarquable” (Remarkable Garden), full of play areas, exotic greenhouses, an arboretum, a rose garden, and animal enclosures.

Joigny is a commune of fewer than 10,000 people on the banks of the Yonne and the edge of the beautiful Othe forest. It is small but mighty, with three striking gothic churches, a picture-perfect, historic city-center, and deep pride in its artistic and gastronomic scenes—it even boasts a Michelin 2-star restaurant. Joigny is known for embracing the philosophy of “art de vivre,” a play on the French term, “joie de vivre,” or “joy of living.” Art de vivre is an attitude of finding beauty, cultivating pleasure, and appreciating good wine, cuisine, art, and culture. The town encourages and facilitates these pursuits with relish. Overlooking the village is the appellation Bourgogne Côte Saint-Jacques vineyard site, growing primarily Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris grapes.

And Yonne is, of course, the department of Chablis, a village with deep vinological roots that color the town’s culture. Full of medieval architecture and charm, the village center and the banks of the River Serein are lovely places to wander or sip glasses of the eponymous wine. Chablis is also home to one of three visitors’ centers in Burgundy celebrating the region’s oenological contributions, the Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne. This museum of sorts showcases the history of winemaking in the area as well as hands-on sensory experiences.

While our tours emphasize incredible wine and food, we also take the time to explore the art, architecture, and history that make the places we visit so special. Every region—every subregion!—has so much rich heritage to offer.

Wine Key: Insights We Love

Decoding French Wine Labels: Appellations

French wine labels can be confusing to the unfamiliar consumer, so we’d like to break down their labeling practices to help you choose your perfect bottle. The first step in parsing the labeling is understanding the tiered system for identifying the wine’s origin.

The labels on American wines put the grape varietals front-and-center, so your U.S.-produced Pinot Noir will say Pinot Noir, your Chardonnay will say Chardonnay. But in France, wine is labeled most often according to appellation—the region or even, more narrowly, the vineyard site within that region, in which the wine was produced—a convention reflective of the importance of terroir to French vintners. This labeling is regulated by a governing body called the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité, a branch of the French Ministry of Agriculture. There are three primary designations, broadly based on quality and adherence to certain regulations: AOC, IGP, and Vin de France.

AOC, short for Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, is the tier with the strictest regulations ensuring the highest quality. AOC wines must meet demanding standards, including vineyard location, agricultural practices, winemaking methods, production yields, and allowable varietals and blends. This became a codified organizational system in 1937, and there are over 360 qualifying appellations in France today. The appellation may be defined by the larger region, such as Bordeaux or Burgundy; by subregion, as with Chablis or Côte de Nuit; or by village/commune, like Gevrey-Chambertin or Bandol. Within AOC wines, further designations can be made for Premier Cru, reserved for vineyard plots of exceptional quality, and Grand Cru, signifying the very highest level of quality and applying to specific plots or estates.

Through AOC labeling, you are assured of the wine’s geographical origin and quality, and the grape varietals and style inside the bottle. For instance, if you see Gevrey-Chambertin on the label, you will know it is a Pinot Noir from Côte de Nuits, and will be structured, full of dark fruit, earth, and spice. If you are looking for that Chardonnay, you may go for a bottle of Chablis, which will always be 100% Chardonnay, mineral and elegant. You might also see Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) on a label; this is the European Union equivalent of AOC, and adheres to the same strict standards.

A tier below AOC is Indication Géographique Protégée, or IGP, which previous to 2009 was labeled as Vin de Pays. This designation allows for more grape varietals and greater freedom in methods and yields. As you can imagine, the looser restrictions result in more variability in style and quality than you can count on in AOC wines, though some winemakers may choose this label if they do not wish to be limited, and there are interesting IGP wines to be had. Because an IGP label does not connote any particular grape varietal, you may see the varietal listed on the bottle.

The least regulated designation is that of Vin de France (which replaced the designation Vin de Table in 2010). Wines labeled Vin de France can contain any varietals from any region, as long as the grapes are from French soil and the wine is produced in France. The labels can list the varietals and the vintage, but must not mention a region.

Though the system may seem perplexing at first, in many ways it makes choosing what to drink easier. While that bottle of American Chardonnay may be more or less oaked, buttery or crisp, and large production or small, requiring you to know the specific producer to know what you’re getting, the bottle of Chablis is going to be much more consistent in terms of the character and quality. Discover your preferred appellations, and the choice is easy!

Pairings: Recipes We Love

Artichokes are a gift of spring, and this French dish—at once rustic and elegant—is a springtime classic in Provence. In this preparation, the artichokes are cleaned all the way down to their hearts then braised with aromatics and herbs in white wine. The result is a sort of light stew that is excellent as an appetizer or vegetable side, but which can also be served with pasta or crusty bread as a stand-alone meal (though in that case, this would serve two instead of four).

NOTE: Cleaning artichokes can be intimidating, but don’t let that stop you. Rather than give you a step-by-step guide to trimming them here, we recommend watching any of the multitude of video tutorials online; the real-time visuals are immensely helpful.