A Year in Burgundy Page #3

for almost 40 years:

4 generations of wine-makers.

[speaking French]

Now lets try the Farande.

Its my most favorite.

The vines are 75 years old,

arent they? Or 74?

- Theyre grand old ladies.

- Oh, I dont know...

- I think theyre quite young.

- Careful what you say...

Thats magnificent.

Its a shame to spit it out.

But Martine...

Youve only got one more to taste!

Yes I know.

But its still a shame to spit it out.

I think no-one has a particular gift

at the start.

As little children we grow up

surrounded by vines and wine and cellars...

...by fathers and grandfathers who talk about wine,

and the aromas and tannins.

I think that,

even as a little child,

even if you dont taste it...

...you start to get a feeling

for wine quite quickly.

By the age of 5 or 6,

Thibault could

identify different wines by their smell.

That one is more mineral.

Very fine.

When I was young it was my passion.

I only went to school because I had to.

When I came home I joined my parents

in the vines and the cellars.

Ive always been fascinated by these huge cellars.

When youre small, to see cellars like these,

which are so beautiful...

When I think of the work that it took...

It was all done by hand,

carved out of the rock...

The flavors not there yet.

Its still very closed,

but even so...

When I go to work tomorrow morning in the cellars...

...my eyes will be wide open,

like a child.

When the monks

built these caves,

they built them to last-

as if they knew we'd

still be enjoying the wine, 500 years later.

This is a fortunate land.

The Sane Valley

is incredibly fertile,

though the grapes

prefer the gentle slopes.

The best land of all

for the Pinot Noir is here:

the Cte de Nuits,

north of Beaune.

It's barely 20 miles (32 km) long,

but it may be the most

prestigious wine-growing area in the world.

Here, as in the rest

of Burgundy,

wines are often

named after villages:

Vosne-Romane,

Clos de Vougeot,

Chambolle-Musigny,

Gevrey-Chambertin.

These are picture postcard

locations full of real charm,

because the people who live

in them, for the most part,

are the same families

who've lived in them for hundreds of years.

No two winemakers

are the same, in Burgundy.

This is Bruno Clavelier.

In his spare time, he coaches

young rugby hopefuls.

He used to play

on France's national team,

like his father before him.

And, like his father before him,

he makes superb wines.

His winery is less than a mile

from the rugby field.

[speaking French]

So, Martine, this is the Combe Brle vineyard.

These are old vines.

Were just above the village of Vosne-Romane.

Just down there to the right.

The lie of the land lets you see

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