Heart of Burgundy Newsletter - February 2024
IN THIS ISSUE:
- A Feast For All the Senses - Be Our Guest at Domaine de Cromey
- Getting to Know Another Friend - Domaine de Cromey's Vines
- Join Us at The Hospices de Nuits Charity Wine Auction
- Wine and Recipe Pairing: Bresse Chicken
- Our Most Popular Offers This Month
Greetings Friends,
Here we are in the depths of winter, that time of year when we dream about someplace else. So it’s appropriate that the theme of this issue is planning your trip to the Domaine de Cromey, and all that that might entail. Cromey: the place; the vineyard; the recipes and of course the wine. It’s all here. And even more than you might imagine. Come to Cromey at the height of the season for all the beauty of Burgundy. But come as well in November for the fun of the Hospices de Beaune festivities, or even later, for the cozy comfort of Cromey at the holidays. Or even now; here at Cromey, even the depths of winter glimmer with the promise of Spring. And there’s no better way to mark that than the weekend of the Wine Auction at the Hospices de Nuits in the middle of March. So read on. I hope you enjoy this newsletter, as you dream of days to come.
We are going to the auction again this year (since 2019 for this one and 2013 for the Hospices de Beaune auction) and, as always, we are putting together a group of partners who would like to be part of this years purchase. Join us either for the Hospices weekend (March 7-11 2024) staying at Cromey or join one of our consortia to buy a barrel share. Have a look at the details later in this newsletter.
Whether you come for either of the Hospices wine auctions or in the summer or fall to enjoy the great food, wine and activities, I look forward to welcoming you.
All the best from Burgundy,
Dennis Sherman
burgundywine.com by Elden Selections
A Feast For All the Senses - Be Our Guest at Domaine de Cromey
Domaine de Cromey—the home of BurgundyWine.com by Elden Selections located in the heart of Burgundy—is the jewel in the crown of one of the world’s foremost gastronomic regions. An idyllic manor house complex, it is dedicated to the enjoyment of culinary traditions and the natural beauty of Burgundy. Cromey, with six luxurious en-suite rooms set around a courtyard within the acres of a walled-in park, offers modern comfort and quiet sophistication in a setting from another era...
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Burgundy House Party Mix & Meet Weeks Available:
May 5th-11th 2024 & Hospices week November 14th-18th 2024
Hurry, these will sell out quickly! Contact us now!
Getting to Know Another Friend - Domaine de Cromey's Vines
Did you know that Domaine de Cromey — Elden Selection’s home in Burgundy — has a seven-acre vineyard of its own, the Clos de Chateau, now producing wines in partnership with an exciting pair of winegrowers known as Domaine Ami? They have developed an impressive reputation for innovative, quality winemaking in the Maranges Valley, very close to where Domaine de Cromey nestles in the rolling Burgundy countryside...
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Join Us at The Hospices de Nuits Charity Wine Auction
The Hospices de Nuits Charity Wine Auction at Nuits-St Georges
Once again this year, in the week leading up to the March 10th auction, we’ll take part in the festivities and the tastings, the culture and the tradition, as Burgundy takes to the street to celebrate its harvest. And then, on auction day, in the halls and cellars of the historic Clos de Vougeot, we enter the inner circle of the Burgundy wine world at the gala banquet that precedes the auction itself.
We invite you to join us as we put together our barrel purchasing consortia.
The 2023 vintage is superlative in every sense. Burgundy is buzzing with the excitement of a great vintage and good volumes. Cote de Nuits 2023. It’s a bumper crop! A vintage not to be missed. And the prestige of the Hospices de Nuits will only make the wines all the more valuable, desirable and collectible. We already have our eyes on a few of the Nuits-St Georges premier crus. We will be buying at least one barrel, which will be raised by our good friend Pascal Marchand at Marchand-Tawse in Nuits St Georges itself. So it could not be in better hands!
Want to join us for the Hospices de Nuits Charity Wine Auction?
There are two ways you can do so. read more…
BUY A PARTNER’S SHARE OF A BARREL
We offer partner shares of the barrels we will buy at the auction.
2023 promises to be a great year, deep and rich. Great structure, and great ripeness, with bright tartaric acidity. And it was a bumper crop. So we are hoping to snag a gem or two. We have become Hospices insiders, with contacts that get us into the top
professional tastings with oenologists, wine makers and Masters of Wine. So, come auction day, we will know what barrels want.
Prices vary depending on the appellation, of course, but we have been able to get some remarkable premier cru wines these past few years in the 20,000 EURO range (hammer price) for a 228 liter barrel. In this price range, we are buying wines that will eventually retail for $190 -$220 a bottle, making the cost to you extremely interesting.
But that’s just part of it. You get something priceless and rare. You get the thrill of taking part in a Burgundy tradition, of participating in one of the great events in all the world of wine.
Here’s how it works:
We have 5 members per barrel, with Elden taking a 6th part for its services. The price per barrel is generally determined by the members, but in our experience, 20,000 EUR is a sweet spot in the current market and we use that guide as our budget price.
Additional costs include commission to the auction house, the barrel itself, and the services of Marchand-Tawse to raise, bottle and prepare for shipping, bringing the total to around 27500 EURO. So a partner’s share will be 5500 EURO
Count 288 bottles per barrel, divided 6 ways, each partner gets 48 bottles.
Elden covers the cost of shipping to our west coast cellars. Onward ground shipment to you and state sales tax are additional, and cost will depend on where you will take delivery.
The wine is usually shipped 15 months after the purchase. If you would like to get involved, let me know soon. We’re less than 7 weeks away from the auction date.
Join us in this great Burgundian tradition. Great wine and a great cause!
COME TO CROMEY
The second, and perhaps the best way to participate in these famous auctions, is to come to see for yourself. And live in the lap of luxury at the Domaine de Cromey. We are offering a long-weekend of intensive wine fun in the heart of Burgundy. This year, the Hospices de Nuits auction is from Thursday March 7 through to Monday March 11.
We’ll take you inside the Wine Auction, one of the world’s great wine events, and the festivities that accompany it. It's exclusive. It’s all-inclusive. And don’t be surprised if you get your picture in the paper!
We’ll do tastings in the cellars, tastings in the vineyards, tastings with the professionals and tastings with the locals as they celebrate in the streets. And think of the food. The cuisine at Cromey. The Hospices banquet. The best of Burgundian fare in the streets of Nuits St Georges.
All this while we are planning what barrels to buy on the Sunday. Come immerse yourself in the world of Burgundy Wine. We’ll show you how. And we’ll show you the time of your life.
We are almost full for this year but don’t worry, we still have some availability for the November 2024 Hospices de Beaune auction and we are opening bookings for the March 2025 Hospices de Nuits auction. Contact us for more information.
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Wine and Recipe Pairing: Bresse Chicken
It’s not just great wines we like to share and enjoy here at Elden Selections – it’s great food too. After all, our region is known as the stomach of France (Paris is France’s head, and Champagne her soul, or so the saying goes.) One quintessential French dish involves a very famous fowl indeed, one that is actually protected by an Appellation of Quality (AOC) mark, just as the region’s revered wines are. Maybe you’ve heard of it – it’s the Bresse chicken...
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Our Most Popular Offers This Month
Discover the epitome of quality and exceptional value in Burgundy at BurgundyWine.com by Elden Selections. Don't miss out on our latest and highly sought-after deals from the previous month.
Mixed Red & White Burgundy
Valentine's Day Favorites
Share with your Valentine all there is to love about Burgundy. We're created this this curated 6-Pack of our favorite Burgundy wines ideal for Valentine's Day. This collection of wines features red, white, and sparkling Burgundy selections to pair perfectly with a romantic dinner for two. 6-Pack $382
Borgogne Red & White Duet
The perfect gift for bourgogne lover. Includes one bottle of each Red and White Bourgogne: Chateau Cary-Potet Bourgogne Rouge 2019 & Julien Cruchandeau Aligote 'Le Village' 2020. Duet Only $73
Red Burgundy
Domaine Michel Rebourgeon Bourgogne Cote d'Or Rouge 2021
Expressive Pinot with both power and fruit: the power of the Pommard terroir with deep ripeness. An amazingly charming nose and a wine that drinks above its appellation. SPECIAL PRICE, Full Case $389
Domaine Mouton Givry 1er Cru 'Clos Jus' 2021
Domaine Mouton's aptly-named 'Clos Jus' ('jus' means 'juice') is the Mouton wine we go to first. Always ripe and juicy, ready to drink relatively early. Minerality is the key here, from a vineyard with different soil make-up to the rest of the appellation. Dark fruit, earth notes, delicate structure fleshed out to fullness. We appreciate the finesse in the winemaking, an unstinting perfectionism that has been communicated across a generation. The self-effacing Moutons would be the last to admit it, but for us their wines are nearly always perfect. 6-Pack $354, Full Case $708
White Burgundy
Oudin Sisters Chablis Mixed Case
Nathalie and Isabelle Oudin Theirs is a gutsy style of winemaking, uniquely adapted to the growing conditions in Chablis, where the difference between good and great wine is fearlessness. This contains three examples of exceptional Oudin Chablis, it is not to be missed! Full Case $740
Domaine Borgeot Bourgogne Blanc 'Clos de la Carbonade' 2022
PRE-ARRIVAL: From a series of offers going out to insiders, we have a new shipment en route to the US, and, as always, I am offering you first dibs before the wine arrives and goes on to the website. Those of you who already know the Borgeot Clos de la Carbonade (affectionately known as Clos Carb) know that this is a wine that, year-in, year-out drinks way above its appellation. 6-Pack $234, Full Case $468