Post Nine: 10:40pm, Beaune

A beautiful, sunny drive back to Burgundy this morning. Chèvre chaud on the Petite Place Carnot in Beaune before two tastings in Savigny-les-Beaune. The first at a very old house with ancient bottles and extensive cellars. The second up the road with two sisters at their modern and exciting domaine. Dinner back at Le Gourmandin in Beaune. Two more tastings and a tonnellerie coming up on our last day in France.

Post Eight: 9:35am Westhalten

Beautiful sunny day yesterday. Two tastings but lots of wine - each producer with well over a dozen. The first in St-Hippolyte - clean, delicious wines from six different cépages. For lunch salads with gruyère, muenster, and amer picon. An afternoon tasting full of fascinating wines and vintages as old as 1983. Sampled ail d'ours ("bear's garlic") as a spread on toasts. Today back to Burgundy - two afternoon tastings outside Beaune.

Post Seven: 10:05am, Westhalten

A rainy drive to the Alsace yesterday morning. Beautifully picturesque driving along the Vosges Mountains - one storybook town after another. Only one tasting, but a sizable range of wines and cépages. At dinner, an apéritif of amer bière, followed by traditional Alsatian meats in a choucroute. Today cool and beautiful weather for two more Alsatian domaines.

Post Six: 9:10am, Cissey

Côte de Nuits yesterday. Tasted juicy 08s and elegant 09s, 47 wines in all. First tasting in Morey-St-Denis showed wines of beautiful weight and balance, particularly expressive of Morey. Next to Vosne-Romanée for an enormous range of wines, all elegant and cleanly made. Most were 08s en cuve preparing for the mise en bouteilles. Ended with a Nuits 04 and a Vosne 1er Cru 04, both showing the beauty of an often forgotten vintage. A barrel tasting in Nuits-St-Georges after lunch - 09s full of intensity and ripe fruit; 08s in bottle showed well again. Final tasting in Gevrey-Chambertin, mostly exciting 2009s but finishing with a Gevrey 04, and a Gevrey Grand Cru 02 (Mazis-Chambertin) that was everything we could have hoped for. A long, hot day of tasting, full of superb red wines. A delicious dinner seated outside on a side street in Beaune.

Today, a drive to the Alsace.

Post Five: 7:10, Cissey

Packed a day's worth of tasting into yesterday afternoon. Started with some promising Gamays and Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire Valley, followed by a brief (12 bottle) introduction to Champagne. A memorable dinner - seated between two Masters of Wine and across from a great vigneron. Escargots, champignons and pigeons to eat; 08 Puligny, 05 Chassagne 1er cru, and two magnums (99 and 00) of a Vosne 1er Cru to drink. Fabulous wine, superb food, and delightful company for the second night in a row.

A gorgeous day today. Early tasting in Rully, some exciting new ideas from a recent discovery - sparkling and still. A lovely visit to Clessé to taste with some old friends, a quick lunch nearby. Tasted delicious Pouilly-Fuissé in Vergisson, followed by a vineyard tour. Finally back to Mercurey for reds full of both rusticity and finesse. Dinner in Beaune tonight at Ma Cuisine, an old favorite.

Post Four: 3:30pm, Cissey

A leisurely morning - le Jour de la Fête Nationale. Retasted with one of yesterday's producers before exploring Santenay le Haut. Lunch in Beaune on the Place Carnot - sandwiches and pressions. A quick and somewhat successful trip up near Nuits-St-George to find the scenic Hautes-Cotes de Nuits. Back in Cissey now before a meeting in Beaune and dinner in Puligny-Montrachet.

Post Three: 6:40pm, Cissey

Beautiful, warm and dry through a long day of tasting. Began with two old favorite winemakers, both in Chassagne-Montrachet. The first mostly bottles, as far back as 2004; the second only barrels, all 2009 - appears to be a very promising, lively year, particularly in reds. A quick (3.5 course) lunch in the town square in Santenay - gaspacho, salmon, volaille and rascasse; fromages to finish. A 2pm tasting in Santenay, reds and whites, all with a familiarly beautiful nose. Worked our way through Santenay vineyards from which we had just tasted, before a final dégustation in St. Aubin. Tasted 2009s en cuve and en barrique, nearly ready to be bottled - both full of youth and balance, with promising near-futures. Back to Beaune tonight for dinner with a winemaker from Chassagne.