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WHITLEY ON WINE

When In Beaune

BY ROBERT WHITLEY

I one Michelin star. Outside the city a taste for the most sought-after chardonnay the village center, and immediately celebrate

nside the largely intact ramparts of
with a glass of Cremant de Bourgogne or Lau-
this relatively sleepy village of 20,000, and pinot noir in the world.
rent-Perrier brut rose Champagne, usually by
there are four restaurants with at least
the grand fireplace just off the lobby, especially
Surrounded by some of the most famous wine
walls there are several more.
Beaune has other superb
The center of the village, around villages in France, Beaune is more than the if there is a chill in the air.
hotels, including the elegant
Place Carnot, is lined with and relatively new Le Cedre
shops pedaling gourmet food and the conveniently lo-
products, as well as the latest cated Hotel de la Poste. Le
fashions from Paris, a couple of Cep, however, is eclectic and
hours to the north.
charming, an Old World pe-
riod piece, with a warm and
From early spring through the friendly staff; and it's an easy
annual Hospices de Beaune walk to my favorite haunts.
wine auction in late Novem-
ber, the cobblestone streets None easier than the few
are clogged with tourists, par- steps to Loiseau des Vignes,
ticularly on Saturday, which a Michelin one-star next
is market day. On most week- door to Le Cep. A diner could
ends in the high season, ho- commercial center of Burgundy; it is its heart easily spend $300 in one sit-
tel and restaurant reservations are a must. ting at Loiseau, but on a recent visit I ordered
and soul.
the four-course menu decouverte for 59 euros,
Once the bastion of the Dukes of Burgundy, When in Beaune, this is what I do. which is about $80, including tax and tip.
Beaune is now the center of the wine universe I arrive at Hotel le Cep, a four-star hotel near Dinner was, as expected, innovative and spec-
for some, particularly wine aficionados with

92 Wine Dine & Travel Spring 2014