These furtive stops in Burgundy remind me of the wonderful way Alberic Bichot welcomed us in his domaine in Pommard, Le clos des Ursulines. Yes, POMMARD, the sound of it is already poetry. This domaine represent 17Ha, and is one of the 4 of the Maison Albert Bichot. Nevertheless, this is the only one that is all organic. The sight of the vines and the hundred years old beautiful tank room can only make you want some of its wines !

We were a small team of wine enthousiasts (Findawine.com, Bourgogne live, You Wine Blog) , the sun was up and the clos des Ursulines looked like a corner of paradise. Alberic Bichot successor of Albert Bichot in the management of the vineyards is a life lover, warm temper, down to earth man and overall a very good host.

In a family atmosphere, with kids running around the terrace, we had the crémant de Bourgogne. While some of us were dying to try the Gougère, a cheese soufflé you have for the apéritif… My eyes couldn’t leave the Crémant.

Cremant de Bourgogne: I have never seen such tiny and ordonate bubbles in a crémant de Bourgogne. Light, refine and incredibly delicate that is ! Yes, we’ll have another glass please !

The vines of Pommard’s view, and a glass of crémant had put us in the perfect condition for a lunch at Loiseau des Vignes. A first star restaurant that echoes the one in Saulieu. There we tried the Pommard 1er crus.

http://www.bernard-loiseau.com

I know some desagree, but I can’t help to say that some wines are feminine and other masculine, at least in a stereotyped comparison with human gender.

The Pommard Domaine du Pavillon 1er Cru Les Rugiens 2007 from Albert Bichot is to me, masculine. Mineral and earthy with the sensuality of pinot noir in the back. It is structured, polished and pure. With such power, it will make you want a well prepared main dish… Like the poultry supreme with a butter and herb sauce we had at Loiseau des Vignes. The mash potatoes that was on the side was also supreme… and I’ve heard somewhere that it was Mr Bichot secret receipe. Merci to the chef Christophe Quéant !

It is to believe that Loiseau des Vignes and Albert Bichot work well together. Ms Loiseau’s sommelier selects wines from Albert Bichot that he makes specifically for the restaurant, like the Chassagne Montrachet 2007 we had with the starter. A rich white with citrus and honey notes… that I will develop in a future article on Chardonnay…Time is to Pommard!

The Beaune Premier Cru “Clos des Avaux” 05 is secretly my favorite…delicate, incredibly soft on your palate, with a good concentration of gourmand ripe fruits that stick on your palate. We loved it. 

Last week, I’ve tried Albert Bichot’s Pommard “Clos des Ursulines” Monopole 2007 and thought it would go perfectly with the tagine my dad makes with almonds, apricots, olives and pumpkins. A perfect match indeed that was confirmed by Albert Bichot food and wine pairing’s advices thereafter.

More feminine was also the 07 Pommard “Clos des Ursulines” Monopole.  More fruity than the Premier Cru, with all the silkness of pinot noir and a hint of spice. The nose is delicate and very aromatic. I loved it for its delicatessy and its delicate lenght. Perfect with a ligtly spiced tagine indeed. Perfect alone too. Perfect.

Soon more on the Albert Bichot adventure, a very good memory of some first steps in the heart of Burgundy ! Cheers !