Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9:00-12:00 & 14:00-17:30, last entry 1.5 hours before closing, English handout, tel. 03 80
21 55 03,
www.chateau-savigny.com
)
. Beyond the château in the village, you'll find the
R. De Famille
café-pizzeria facing a little square (daily,tel. 0380215000)and a grocery
shop a few blocks past the café (usually closed 12:30-15:00).
• From Savigny-lès-Beaune, drive or pedal back into Beaune. Those with a car can con-
tinue along...
▲
Route des Grands Crus (North of Beaune)
While I prefer the areas south and west of Beaune, this route is a must for wine con-
noisseurs with a car, as it passes through Burgundy's most fabled vineyards. The first
part, between Aloxe-Corton and Nuits St-Georges, is less interesting, as you're forced
onto an unappealing highway (D-974). But from Vougeot north, the route improves no-
ticeably—locals call this section the “Champs-Elysées of Burgundy.” Between Vosne-Ro-
manéeandGevrey-Chambertin,you'llpass24grandcruwineriesofCôtedeNuits—Pinot
Noir paradise, where 95 percent of the wines are red. The path of today's busy D-974 road
was established by monks in the 12th century to delineate the easternmost limit of land on
which good wine could be grown. (Land to the east of this road is good for other crops
but not for wine.) For lunch fixings, you'll find grocery stores in Nuits St-Georges and in
Gevrey-Chambertin, orconsiderthegreat-value €15
menu
ofthedayatLeCastel desTrès
Girard in Morey-St-Denis (listed later).
Bikerscantrackmuchofthisroutebutarebestofftakingtheirbikeonthetrainfrom
Beaune to Vougeot (nearly hourly departures, 15-minute trip, bikes are free on trains) and
riding from there, skipping the hilly Ferme Fruirouge detour.
(See “Route des Grands Crus/Vineyard Loop near Beaune” map,
here
.)
Self-Guided Tour:
Begin this trip in Beaune.
• From Beaune, take D-974 north into Nuits St-Georges and, at the north end of town,
take a left at the signal onto D-25. A few minutes after leaving Nuits St-Georges, take the
turnoff to
Concoeur/Corboin
. After passing fields growing red fruits
(fruits rouges)
, you'll
come to the hamlet of Concoeur and find the pink-signed...
Ferme Fruirouge:
This is the ultimate Back Door stop, where cassis liqueur, mus-
tards, and jams are made with passion. Adorable owners Sylvain and Isabelle (or their
equally adorable staff) will explain their time-honored process for making the famous
crème de cassis, vinegars, and mustards, as well as jams made from cherries, raspberries,
and black currants. You can sample everything—including their one-of-a-kind cassis-
ketchup—andgetfreerecipecardsinFrench(Thu-Mon9:00-12:00&14:00-19:00,closed
Tue-Wed, tel. 03 80 62 36 25,
www.fruirouge.fr
,
call ahead to arrange for a good explana-
tion of their operation).
