The wine region of Burgundy continues to excite and elicit reverential prostration poses in even the most well-heeled of collectors and enthusiasts. Even to the most jaded wine enthusiast, the names Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Leroy, Henri Jayer and Maison Joseph Drouhin, among others, are enough to get esteemed collectors to salivate and Frugal Freddys to open their wallets. There’s a reason for this: Burgundy is arguably the best wine in all of the world. Many will take issue with that statement, to be sure, but more often than not, people will tend to agree.
Why?
Quality of wine often has much to do with a few things: vineyard aspect, or the orientation of the vines to the sun, low yields to maintain good quality, and soil and climate. Of course, scarcity, too, makes for the perception of a good wine.
The region of Burgundy and all its famed Grand Cru vineyards like Richebourg, Montrachet and Romanee-Conti, are such a celebrated area that it is home to its own bacchanalian fete, La Paulee. La Paulee de Meursault, the original celebration in the heralded white wine region of Burgundy, was initially the main component of a three-day celebration for Hospice de Beaune, a hospital for the poor in Beaune, France, celebrating the end of the harvest. But Daniel Johnnes, wine director of Daniel Boulud’s restaurant group, had the wherewithal to bring an offshoot of the event to the U.S. Now, La Paulee alternates between SF and NYC with tastings, seminars and the culminating Gala Dinner in which everyone brings their best bottle of Burgundy to share. Some have touted the event as an “uncontrolled, unplugged, unleashed expression of Burgundy” and “hedonistic to the extreme.”
La Paulee is a rousing affair that lasts well into the night, but for the first time, a version of the festivities will touch down in Chicago with American Express as the sponsor. It will be held on September 24. A walkaround tasting of up-and-coming and lesser-known Burgundy producers will be poured at City Winery, paired with vittles from some of the city’s best restaurants, including Formento’s, Trenchermen and the Kitchen, among others. Its price point of $95 is a steal for the ability to sip the next Burgundy wine stars’ wines. But for those of you with deeper pockets, consider the Blackbird Rare Wine Dinner. At $500 per person, it too is a bit of a steal, especially considering the rare vintages and producers that will be served, and Blackbird’s Michelin-star status. Daniel Johnnes himself will be on hand to guide you through the dinner, regaling you with stories of the wines and their makers, for a true La Paulee experience.
As an added bonus to the guided pairing dinner at Blackbird, you will get to taste three 1985 Maison Joseph Drouhin Grand Crus, celebrating the outstanding vintages’ 30th anniversary.
This event will sell out, so purchasing tickets immediately is recommended. This is the first time La Paulee has ventured away from the coasts, and its visit to Chicago further solidifies our fair city as a gastronome’s paradise. To purchase tickets, call 1-800-445-7374 and use your American Express Card.
J’nai Gaither is a copywriter and freelance food and wine writer in Chicago. Her love of food began as a child in the Windy City, going to fancy restaurants with her mom every few months. As a 20-year old, she fell in love with the complexity and intrigue of wine, and decided to pursue her passion to the hilt – taking wine classes, obtaining certifications and frequent eno-tourism. She then found that she could barely contain her excitement when discussing her food and wine passions, and figured the best forum to extol virtues of gastronomy was to write about it…and so her foray into food and wine journalism began. Her articles have appeared in Plate magazine, Grub Street Chicago, Eater Chicago, the Minority Wine Report, Grape Experiences, and other online publications.
