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How far would you go to make sure of a welcome in your favourite growers’ cellars?
David Chan, 1st Violin at the NY Metropolitan Opera’s esteemed orchestra, is passionate about Burgundy. In the heat of the summer, when New Yorkers head for their holidays and the Opera House closes, Chan crosses the Atlantic to visit growers on his beloved Cote d’Or. After a few visits he discovered that some of the stars of that small but precious strip of vineyards are as passionate about music as he is about their wines and came up with a brilliant idea, which has ensured an ongoing relationship.
“I conceived the notion of a music festival that would be a way of giving back to the wine community that has brought so much joy to my own life through their work. I thought it would be really synergistic,” he told me. He easily persuaded colleagues to join him. The result was Musique et Vin, a series of tastings and concerts now in its fourth year. If you have been enjoying the Live Relays of opera from the Met, beamed into cinemas worldwide, you might have caught a glimpse of those wine-loving string players in the pit.
Chan was determined there would be a real exchange between vignerons and players. He had already had the experience of tasting in cellars, something he thinks of as a kind of concert. He had identified favourite growers like Michel Lafarge in Volnay, Jean-Marc Roulot in Meursault, Frederic Mugnier in Chambolle-Musigny, Jean-Claude Fourrier in Gevrey-Chambertin.
“Wine-makers seem pleased to have musicians in their cellars – maybe they feel a connection because they are with someone who also spends long time honing their craft,” he says. Chan looks for wines that are as natural as possible, made with minimal interference. This is the way he likes to make music. “It must sound like you, but the intent is the composer first – it is the same as growers expressing the terroir but with their personal touch”. He cites DRC and Dujac as examples. “Their house style is identifiable but each cru is completely different.”
When he got to know Bernard Hervet (late of Bouchard Pere, now with Maison Faiveley) he knew he’d found the man to integrate the wine portion of the festival into his conception, and make the whole thing possible. A brilliant organiser, Bernard Hervet has had a passion for music for more than 40 years. “Musicians and winemakers call on the same part of the brain to understand and express the same emotions,” he believes. Then Aubert de Villaine (director of Domaine de la Romanee Conti) came on board as President, and success was assured from that point, Chan says. His summer holidays were falling into place nicely – he was going to get to hang out with his favourite growers and perform with some of his best friends and colleagues, including his wife, fellow violinist Catherine Ro.
Is there really a synergy between classical music and great wine? According to Aubert de Villaine, there is. This cultured, music-loving man is, at the same time, someone who has his feet firmly in the soil of the vineyards, whether they be Grands Crus in Vosne Romanee, or the vines he and his wife own in Bouzeron, at the far end of the Cote de Beaune near Chagny, making humbler white Aligote and Bourgogne rouge.
“You only have to taste with great musicians to see the link between the emotions evoked by music and wine. The inspiration of composers, which can be conveyed to the audience by great musicians, creates something that is more than the actual notes; it is the same with wine in the hands of a great wine-maker, it is more than just a drink. To
experience this at the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot, the place at the very heart of the Burgundian terroir is wonderful,” he says with some emotion.
Indeed it is. The venue for the festival is a fine old stone building, surrounded by its walled vineyard (appellation Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot). It is now the home of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin who hold their famously convivial banquets here where Cistercian monks used to make their wine. Chateau du Clos de Vougeot, or Clos Vougeot – arguments about which is correct can continue for hours over a bottle or two of Pinot – forms part of the very patrimony of Burgundians. Pre-concert tastings, poured by growers, are held in the old cuverie; having tasted, you can wander round an extraordinary collection of ancient wine presses and out into the beautiful courtyard. On three nights concerts take place in the adjoining stone flagged and arched cellar where the monks’ wine was aged in barrel. The musicians offer one free concert to the citizens of Beaune, who crowd into the covered market where charcuterie, fresh meat and cheese are sold on a Saturday morning, eager to hear these top class performers.
This wouldn’t be Burgundy if there wasn’t a celebratory meal. So the final concert is followed by a gala dinner, held upstairs in one of the chateau’s historic rooms in the ceremonial apartments. After a great concert and a glass of Cremant de Bourgogne outside under the emerging stars, diners are ready to relax over four courses paired with the best of local wines. Astute businessman that he is, Bernard Hervet waits until the atmosphere is decidedly mellow, before setting in motion an auction to raise money for young musicians. Since its inception, the organizers of Musique et Vin have been awarding bursaries to promising young singers and instrumentalists. Last year it was decided that a fund would be started to buy good instruments for young performers as an investment in talent. Diners are more than willing to compete for lots which have in the past included bottles donated by the DRC, Maisons Drouhin and Jadot, and domaines Coche-Dury, de Montille, Leflaive, Bruno Clair, Roulot, Lafon, Raveneau, and Grivot.
If you are planning a trip to Europe this year during our summer you might like to know that Musique et Vin concerts with the soloists of the Metropolitan Opera New York and invited stars including Franck Braley, piano, and Gary Hoffman, cellist, will take place on June 24th, 27th and 30th, the latter followed by a Gala dinner and auction. If you are tempted by some Grand Cru music, email Manuela Monteiro - m.monteiro@bourgognes-faiveley.com for tickets and information.
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