Wine Connect's 3 Day, Prestige Champagne Sale

Wine Connect's 3 Day,  Prestige Champagne Sale Once again Wine Connect has been able to negotiate a special deal with importers, Moet-Hennessy, where we are able to buy some of their most prestigious champagnes at a heavily reduced price. This enables Wine Connect customers to buy the following champagnes at unbeatable prices over the next three days ending on Sunday the 28th of October. Available Champagnes are as follows:  Veuve Clicquot 2008 A great house, a great champagne and a sensational year. This is a tight and youthful champagne with years in front of it. The palate is complex and reserved at this stage with plenty of flavour in reserve. If you bought some of this champagne last year and you haven’t been able to keep your hands off it, then now is the opportunity to replenish your supplies. Special Price $99.00 La Grande Dame 2006 The 2006 LGD is sensational. Light in colour which is surprising considering it is 53% Pinot Noir but the 47% Chardonnay is having quite an influence at this early stage as there is a slight toasty, brioche aroma which is most appealing which is followed by a creamy, fine palate which, although very fine, lingers and lingers. This is an irresistible champagne right now but it is going to reward further cellaring  Special Price $210.00  Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV Ruinart is to Chardonnay as Veuve Clicquot is to Pinot Noir and the Chef de Cave Frederick Panaiotis is fastidious about avoiding oxidation and retaining all the fruit available to the winemaker. The result is a champagne that exhibits all the finesse of Chardonnay combined with great fruit intensity. You can almost imagine a Grand Cru Chablis with ultra fine bubbles. Special Price $109.00 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2006 Dom Ruinart is made from the very best Grand Cru Chardonnay available to Ruinart and it all comes together in this rare and prestigious champagne. 2006 was one of the great vintages as you would be aware and this is one of the great wines from this vintage. Pale yellow with aromas of freshly baked biscuits and a touch of brioche. The palate is super fine and the fruit dances across your tongue.   Special Price $260.00 Dom Perignon 2009 There’s not a lot that can be said about Dom Perignon that hasn’t already been said about this iconic champagne. The nose exhibits youthful floral notes as well as mild toasty aromas. The palate is a tour de force, rich and intense with generous fruit from start to finish and an impressive balanced acidity at the end. Brilliant as always. Special Price $220.00 Krug Grande Cuvée NV  This is a non vintage champagne like no other non vintage. It is fermented in oak barrels and it is a blend of over 120 wines from 10 different vintages. After blending and tirage bottling it spends a further minimum of 6 years on lees before disgorgement. The barrel fermentation gives a slight nutty almond aroma to the wine along with a brilliant yeasty freshness. The palate is full and dry with some citrusy grapefruit flavours giving freshness to the palate. This is an iron fist in a velvet glove, a gastronomic champagne to enjoy with seafood and other fine flavoured dishes. Special Price $260.00 If you would like to take advantage of this exciting offer you will need to place your order by midnight on Sunday the 28th of October. This is a once a year offer for 3 days only so don't miss out. Please download and complete the order form (Find it here) and email it back to: ian@wine-connect.com.au or john@wine-connect.com.au Coming up: Bordeaux Dinner at Dispensary Bar and Diner, Dispensary Walk Bendigo, Tuesday the 4th of December details to be announced.

The Wine Connect 2019 Tour de Burgundy

The Wine Connect

2019 Tour de Burgundy.

9th to the 15th June, 2019

Join winemaker Ian  Leamon  on a tour of Burgundy where  you will visit some of the  region’s most  prestigious houses  and  gain  a greater understanding of the complexities of the Burgundy region.

 PRINTABLE BROCHURE AND BOOKING FORMS

Enjoy  seven  fabulous  days  in  Dijon  and  Beaune  and  Puligny-Montrachet when  we  visit  William  Fevres,  Louis  Jadot,    Bouchard Pere  et  Fils,  Joseph Drouhin, Domaine Faiveley, Domaine Belleville and dine out at some of the best restaurants in Burgundy.

Day 1                Sunday April 7, 2019

Tour members will make their way to Dijon and proceed to our centrally located hotel, The Grand Hotel Le Cloche or equivalent. This will be our hotel for the first night. The remainder of the day is free to explore Dijon. The tour group will come together later in the day for welcome drinks in the hotel bar. We will then have our first group dinner together.        *Dinner  and wines are included in the cost of the tour.

Day 2                Monday April 8           William Fevre, Chablis

After breakfast we will board the tour bus and drive to the township of Chablis. It is about a ninety minute bus drive to Chablis from Dijon but the drive will be worth it as we will be visiting, in my mind, the best producer in Chablis. A tour of the cellars will conclude with a tasting of Premier Cru and Grand Cru Chablis before we lunch at an adjacent restaurant.  After lunch we will drive to Beaune and check into our hotel.

*Lunch and wines are included in the cost of the tour.

Day 3                Tuesday April 9           Louis Jadot and Domaine Faiveley.

We will take the bus to Maison Louis Jadot which is located a short distance from our hotel in Beaune. Louis Jadot is an excellent negociant who makes wine from many of the sub regions within Burgundy. The tasting here is a particular high light.

In the afternoon we will visit Domaine Faiveley in Nuits St Georges. Domaine Faiveley has recently refurbished their winery in 2018 and it is a wonderful piece of restoration. This visit will high light Domaine Faiveley’s production of wines from the Cote D’Or.

The recently renovated winery at Domaine Faiveley.

In the evening we will dine at Restaurant La Ruchotte.  La Ruchotte is a farm restaurant owned and operated by the chef. Chef Frederic Meneger, worked in a number of Michelin starred restaurants in Paris before deciding to buy a farm and start his own restaurant in Burgundy.

Dinner and wines are included in the cost of the tour.

Day 4                Wednesday  April 10                 Joseph Drouhin.

We will take the short walk from our hotel to the house of Joseph Drouhin, home of the fabulous Clos du  Mouche  Chardonnay and  Pinot  Noir.  Our  visit will include  the  historic underground  cellars beneath the streets of Beaune. Some of these cellars date back to Roman times. The afternoon is free to explore the beautiful walled town of Beaune and in the evening we will dine at 21 Boulevarde.

*Dinner and wines are included in the cost of the tour.

Historic Roman cellars at Joseph Drouhin.

Day 5   Thursday April 11       Bouchard Pere et Fils and Domaine Faiveley, Cote Chalonnaise.

Bouchard Pere et Fils is located in the heart of Beaune just a short walk from our hotel. This famous and historic house is in fact located within a part of the ramparts of the ancient walls of Beaune and touring the cellars will take us through part of these old walls. The tour will conclude with an extensive tasting of Village, 1er Cru and Grand Cru Burgundies.

In the afternoon we will take a 35 minute bus ride to Mercurey to the south of Beaune where we will visit Domaine Faiveley’s Cote Chalonnaise winery and learn more about the Cote Chalonnaise.  In the evening we will dine at Ma Cuisine, a local institution and it is always a wonderful night. *Dinner and wines are included in the cost of the tour.

Day 6                Friday April 12.                        Domaine Belleville and our farewell dinner.

Today we are moving camp again, albeit just for one night as all of our final day’s activities will take place near the village of Puligny Montrachet so I thought it would be nice to stay the night in the village.

Today will be our last day in Burgundy and we will make our way to the beautiful village of Meursault where we will visit Domaine Belleville. Meursault is home to some of my favourite white Burgundies and we will see some lovely fresh and vibrant Chardonnays as well as some superb reds during our visit.

We will then take the short journey to a charming roadside restaurant known as Gout D’Or where we will enjoy the golden taste of Burgundian food before heading to Puligny Montrachet and checking into our hotel.

 

Tonight we will have our farewell dinner in the hotel’s 1 Michelin star restaurant also known as Le Montrachet. The Age travel section asked Jacques Reymond where he likes to eat when he returns to his native Burgundy and his reply was, “I always dine at Le Montrachet when I visit Beaune” and so it will be for us.

*Dinner is included in the cost of the tour.

Day 7                Saturday April 13 to the Dijon railway station.

Tour Guide- Ian Leamon

Tour members will be driven to the Dijon railway station by bus where you can continue your travels in France or catch a return train to Paris. Or you may wish to travel to the south of France by rail. Should you wish to continue your journey from Dijon by means other than train then you will find that many hire car companies are located at or close

Winemaker Ian Leamon is your tour guide. Ian was involved in the establishment of his family’s vineyard and winery, Chateau Leamon in 1972. He then studied winemaking at Charles Sturt University and has been making wine for more than thirty years.

Ian  is  a  founding  partner  of  Champagne  Connection  and  Wine  Connect  and  he  has  travelled extensively throughout the wine regions of France over the past thirty plus years. Ian first visited Burgundy in 1985 and has returned on a regular basis since that initial visit.

Ian also imports champagne to Australia and he visits Champagne on an annual basis. Ian has twice worked vintage in Champagne, in 1985 for Veuve Clicquot in the village of Bouzy and in 2007 with the Loriot family at Champagne Joseph Loriot-Pagel in the village of Festigny.

Ian is an experienced tour director, having conducted tours to Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy since 2010.  Altogether Ian has visited France on an annual basis since 2000 and has built up an excellent understanding of the Burgundy region.

Meals.

The tour offers breakfast on a daily basis plus one other meal, either lunch or dinner each day. Rarely do we offer a third meal on the same day. We do this for two reasons.

1.   Group meals tend to be large meals and if we had two such meals in one day then people start to feel weighed down by their food and wine.

2.   Sometimes tour members like to take the opportunity to have a free evening on their own and choose their own restaurants.

Tour Accommodation

We have selected four and five star hotels for the tour. All hotels have clean and modern facilities and breakfast is provided at each hotel on the tour.

Tour Costs

The tour is a land only package and costs $5,700 per person twin  share or $6,700 for a single traveller.

We understand that many tour members will be extending their time in Europe beyond the length of

the Burgundy tour. For example some tour members may wish to travel in Europe prior to the commencement of the Burgundy tour in Dijon or they may wish to continue their holiday after the tour concludes.  Either way we feel that it will be easier for tour members to make their own flight arrangements with their preferred carrier.

Included  in the tour price;

•    Tour leadership.

•    Accommodation in four star hotels including breakfast each day.

•    Two lunches and five dinners including our farewell celebration dinner at Le Montrachet. All dinners include premium quality wines carefully selected by Ian Leamon.

•    Entrance and tasting fees at all wineries visited.

•    Bus transport within Burgundy

Not included in the tour price.

•    Airfares

•    Airport Transfers.

•    Passport and visa fees.

•    Travel insurance.

•    International airport and general travel taxes.

•    Sightseeing and general expenses not specified in the itinerary.

•    Lunches and dinners unless where specified.

•    Laundry

•    Items of a personal nature including drinks and snacks consumed from the mini bar in your hotel room.

•    Additional travel arrangements.

General Information and booking conditions.

Champagne Connection Pty Ltd ABN 90190711630 is the tour operator.

**Deposits and Payments.  A deposit of $2,500 per person is required at the time of booking.

Full payment  will be required by 14 February 2019.

**Cancellations. Cancellations advised more than 60 days from the date of the tour commencement will incur a cancellation fee of $500 per person. Cancellations advised less than 60 days prior to the date of commencement of the tour will result in the loss of all monies paid. Travel insurance is strongly recommended to cover the cost of cancellation  fees that could result from a death in the family, illness etc.

In the event that you cancel and another person is able to take your place then all monies will be

refunded. This may be possible up to 90 days prior to the commencement of the tour. Whilst it may be possible to find a replacement for the tour it should be noted that your airfare cannot be transferred to another name. A $100 administrative fee will apply where a cancellation is offset with a replacement.

Please note that  cancellation  of the tour applies exclusively to the land component  of your trip. Airfares come with their own conditions  and cancellation/changes of airfares will be completely separate from the Champagne Connection  tour. It should be remembered that  the Champagne Connection  tour commences and finishes in Dijon. Conditions  of airfares will be advised at the time of airfare purchase.

Refunds   The  tour  is  based  on  arrangements  that  do  not  allow  for  any  refunds  in  respect  of sightseeing, accommodation, meals, transport or other services not utilized after the tour has commenced.

Travel Documents.  All passengers will need to be in possession of a valid passport with more than six (6) months validity from return date. Passengers holding other than Australian passports should check visa requirements with their travel agent when they book their flights.

Changes  to the Tour Itinerary. Champagne Connection reserves the right to make changes to the tour itinerary to fit in with operational requirements. Any changes to the itinerary will be replaced with similar arrangements with an equal or greater value.

How to Book.

Bookings can be made by completing both pages below and signing the booking form and submitting them to Ian Leamon at Champagne Connection. Ian will then issue you with an invoice for your deposit of $2,500 per person. Payment can be made by Visa or Master Card. Payment by credit card will attract a 2% fee.

There is no fee for a personal cheque or EFT direct deposit. Bank details

BSB: 633 000     ACC: 148168735 Account Name: Champagne Connection   REF:  clients surname.

Cheques can be made out to Champagne connection and posted to;

Champagne Connection

PO Box 487

Bendigo Victoria. Australia 3552

E.  champagneconnection@gmail.com      Ph 0419 89 66 22     Fax 03 54 41 48 41

Tour Numbers

The tour is limited to a total of sixteen (16) guests. Bookings will be taken  on a first come first served basis. The booking  will not be secured until  the deposit  of $2,500 per person has been paid.

Booking; Bookings are now open and will continue until all 16 places are filled.

Please Note.

Travel Insurance

We strongly recommend that  you take out personal travel insurance at the time you book your tour. The  cost  of the  tour does  not  cover  you for travel insurance. For your protection we recommend that you purchase adequate comprehensive insurance that includes coverage for medical expenses, loss of luggage, land content  as well as airfare charges that  may occur due to cancellation,  loss of deposit, volcanic activity or strikes.

 Caution

Please note that visits to some wineries will involve the climbing of stairs which will require tour members to be capable of such a task.

  PRINTABLE BROCHURE AND BOOKING FORMS

To make a booking for the 2019 Tour de Burgundy please download and fill out the forms (download link above). band return to champagneconnection@gmail.com  and   I   will   issue   you   with   an   invoice   for  the   tour.

To secure your place on the tour please  complete these forms and send them with your deposit to

Champagne Connection

PO Box 487

Bendigo Victoria. Australia 3552 or

E.  champagneconnection@gmail.com  

Fax 03 54 41 48 41