Grand Cru River Cruise - Day 6 Dinner Menu

Our final (graduation) dinner. Tonight was the conclusion of our week in Burgundy. Jean-Pierre Cropsal (our teacher) joined us for our final dinner and a series of amazing wines.

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Traditional Burgundy Snails in Garlic Butter
Bâtard-Montrachet 2006 – Domaine Leflaive
Nice, balanced white wine with taste of green apples and butter flavors

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Fillet of Beef with Fois Gras and Truffle Sauce, and Mini-roasted vegetables
Clos de Tart 1998 – Domaine Clos de Tart
Clos des Lambrays 1995 - Domaine Clos des Lambrays
La Romanée 1998 – Domaine Bouchard
Three, great, red burgundies. Excellent examples of the fine wines of the area.

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Cheese Selection
Musigny 1992 – Domaine Moire Hudelot
Full, rich wine. Rated a 5.0.
Bienvenues Bâtard Montrachet 2006 – Domaine Leflaive
Citrusy, acidic, flavor of pears.

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Warm Chocolate Fondant with a Fresh Vanilla Pod Ice Cream

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Coffee and Cookies
Romanée Saint Vivant 1989 – Domaine Joseph Drouhin
A final treat from Jean-Pierre. Their contract with this vineyard expired and they are not allowed to sell this wine. It came from his personal cellar for our enjoyment.

Wine labels from this evening click here.

Grand Cru River Cruise - Day 5 Dinner Menu

Dinner this evening was one of the most entertaining of the trip. We dined with Laurent Ponsot, director of Domaine Ponsot, and his wife Claude. Laurent is quite a character - he has ridden across the U.S. on a motorcycle with his wife - twice. He is a private pilot and loves to drive his Corvette around the roads of Burgundy. In addition, he makes great wines in very small quantities.

The wines served this evening were incredible. All rated 5+ by the guests.

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Lobster Raviolis with a Shellfish Reduction
1er Cru Clos des Monts Luisants 1990 – Domaine Laurent Ponsot
Absolutely a delicious wine.

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Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Wild Mushrooms; Creamed Potato and Selection of Vegetables
Griotte-Chambertin 1998 - Domaine Laurent Ponsot
Chambertin 1999 - Domaine Laurent Ponsot
Great age to serve these wines (9-10 years old). Liquid velvet.

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Cheese Selection
Clos Saint Denis Cuvée Vielles Vignes 2002 - Domaine Laurent Ponsot
I've got to find this wine to order some - amazing with cheeses.

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Strawberries Marinated in Clos de la Roche

Clos de le Roche Cuvée Vielles Vignes 2003 - Domaine Laurent Ponsot

The strawberries were marinated in a bottle of this wine and refrigerated for 2-1/2 hours, then served with another bottle to accompany the dessert. Delicious and decadent without being too sweet or too heavy.

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Coffee and Cookies

Wine labels from this evening click here.

Grand Cru River Cruise - Day 4 Dinner Menu

Dinner this evening was one of the most memorable occasions since we started enjoying fine wine. We had the pleasure of dining with Aubert and Pamela de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, one of the premier domaines in Burgundy, if not the entire world. The wines were all outstanding. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime dinner.

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Salmon and Sole Terrine with a herbed mayonnaise
Echezeaux 2000 – Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Richebourg 1996 - Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

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Roast rack of Lamb with Herb Crust, Couscous, and Petite Ratatouille
Romanée Saint Vivant 1999 - Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
La Tâche 1990 - Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

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Cheese Selection
Romanée–Conti 1971 - Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

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Iced Strawberry Semifreddo with Tuiles and Strawberry Coulis

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Coffee and Cookies

Wine labels from this evening click here.

Grand Cru River Cruise - Day 3 Dinner Menu

Dinner this evening was with Christine and Philippe Drouhin of Domaine Drouhin-Laroze in the cellar of their winery in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin in the Nuits St. George region of Burgundy. They cooked the entire meal and served us the wines (all magnums). What a treat!

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Selection of Gourgeres, Stuffed Mushrooms, Terrines, and Quiche
Chapelle-Chambertin 2003 - Domaine Drouhin-Laroze
Chapelle-Chambertin 2004 - Domaine Drouhin-Laroze
Interesting to taste two vintages of the same wine. The 2004 was definitely younger - more tannins, yet a superior wine. 2003 was a very hot year.

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Casserole of Wild Boar (from their grounds) and Gratin Dauphinois
Chambertin Clos de Bèze 1996 - Domaine Drouhin-Laroze
This wine was a 5+. Soft tannins, extremely long fruit finish. Perfect match for the food course. One of the top wines of the week.

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Cheese Selection
Latricières-Chambertin 2002 - Domaine Drouhin-Laroze

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Chocolate Mousse with Carmelized Apples
Bonnes Mares 2001 - Domaine Drouhin-Laroze
A flat out fantastic wine. Aromas changed as wine sat in the glass. This wine should continue to improve with age. Wish I had a case of it.

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Cafe et Fine de Bourgogne - Domaine Drouhin-Laroze
Exceptional dessert wine. Very little produced.

Wine labels from this evening click here.

Grand Cru River Cruise - Day 2 Dinner Menu

Dinner this evening was with Veronique Boss-Drouhin, winemaker for Domaine Joseph Drouhin

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Langoutines with Orange Butter and Melba Toasts
Chablis-Les Clos 2002 - Domaine Joseph Drouhin
This Chablis is one of Drouhin's very special white wines.
Corton Charlemagne 2003 - Domaine Joseph Drouhin

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Fillet of Pork stuffed with Spinach in a Cider Jus and Braised Red Cabbage
Corton Bressandes 2003 - Domaine Joseph Drouhin
Charmes Chambertin 2000 - Domaine Joseph Drouhin
The second wine is a classic. Still young with some tannins, but luscious cherry fruit and spices.

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Cheese Selection
Clos de Vougeot 2003 - Domaine Joseph Drouhin
Grands-Echezeaux 1990 - Domaine Joseph Drouhin
These two wines were exceptional!

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Red Fruit Tart and Coulis
Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche 1992 - Domaine Joseph Drouhin
This wine was a special treat. It is full bodied, luscious, and elegant. Many aromas and flavors come out over time as you enjoy a glass.

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Coffee and Chocolates

Wine labels from this evening click here.

Grand Cru River Cruise - Day 1 Dinner Menu

For each night of the cruise, we will list the menu and the wines served. We will include some of Caren's wine ratings and exceptional tasting notes.

Seared Sea Scallops with a Sweet Potato Puree and Hollandaise Sauce
Chevalier-Montrachet 2003 – Domaine Latour
Ruchottes-Chambertin 2000 – Domaine Bonnefond


Beef Bourguignon and Green Beans
Mazovères-Chambertin 2002 – Domaine Camus
Mazis-Chambertin 2004 – Hospices de Beaune
Both of these wines were outstanding.



Cheese Selection
La Grande Rue 1991 – Domaine Lamarche
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet 2000 – Domaine Latour
The Latour was great with the cheeses.

Raspberry Pannacotta










Coffee and chocolates

Grands-Echezeaux 2000 (magnum) – Domaine Joseph Drouhin
In Jordan's opinion, this surprise wine from Jean-Pierre Cropsal was the star of the evening.

Wine labels from this evening click here.

2006 Goillot - Bourgogne Aligote'

This is a light white wine from grapes grown in Burgundy. Due to the popularity of Chardonnay, very little Aligote' continues to be grown in the region. The wine has aromas of apples and lemon, and was served with broiled scallops.

2005 Domaine Joseph Drouhin - Rully

We ordered this wine with a light dinner of appetizers at La Pinox, the restaurant in the Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel. Caren had oysters and a king crab roll (Vietnamese spring roll style) and I had escargot followed by seared ahi tuna. This wine is a luminous, golden green color, with a toasty, fruity nose, and an elegant body with floral and cinnamon notes. At the southern part of the Côte d'Or, a few miles South of Santenay, lie the vineyards of Rully. We are headed there in a few days and will visit the winery.