We did not have a strict plan where to go, we just had a general idea, a direction. And the direction was Côte-d’Or a part of Burgundy, the premiere wine-growing region with vineyards producing Chardonnay and my beloved Pinot Noir. So we set nav system for the shortest route criteria and started from Mâcon heading for Dijon. Sometimes we stayed on Route des Grands Crus, and sometimes we took narrow roads through vineyards, forests, fields and small villages. Roads sometimes so insanely narrow that they barely fit one car.

The view of the countryside along the way was breathtaking yet there was something missing. I figured it out too late. I was missing the summer smell of Provence, herbs, lavender. Burgundy is extraordinary, I’d love to go there for much longer to feel it deeply but I have soaked with Provence to some extent I think and I look for it everywhere. What was surprising and unexpected is that in strictly wine making region there are not that many fields with grapes. In Provence it’s overwhelming, every corner, every piece of land, even smallest one is a grape field but in Burgundy in some parts we were driving for 15-20 minutes not seeing any grape … well, we were not driving fast though ;)

As to wine, opinion from amateur … best Pinot Noir I’ve ever tested. There is one thing I couldn’t figure out so far. Locally in Poland you can buy Pinot Noir from region, pay fortune but it’s not even close to what you can get locally regardless price! Maybe the problem is with transportation, or bottling plant I don’t know but the difference is huge.

Enjoy those few selected photos, I do hope you’ll see Burgundy the way I felt it.