A rumour reached Piet's wine and dine society 'Het Derde Glas' that one of their favourite restaurants, Au Fils du Zinc in Chablis, was closing their doors. This caused a slight panic, but swift action was taken and a farewell tour was quickly cobbled together. In the end Piet, Paul and Frits drove down to France for a long weekend.
We left on Friday morning and after driving through the first snow in southern Belgium ended up at Faux de Verzy, a small forest near Reims, were many dwarf beech, chestnut and oak trees are growing, in between normal trees. This is a rare phenomenon, with twisted trees, umbrella branches and a weird magical feel. The trip continued to Cramant, in the Cote des Blancs area, for a stop at Bonnaire, one of the famous Champagne houses, that was also visited in 2019. Tasting and purchase was handled efficiently, to arrive timely at the next stop: Lac du Der.
Lac du Der is a large artificial lake that was constructed in the 70-ies to prevent floods in Paris, by capturing water from the Marne river. It is also a large bird sanctuary where thousands of cranes rest during their autumn and spring trek. This is one of the main attractions in the area. However, when we arrived it was suspiciously quiet, and there was not a single bird in sight. The grey weather, chilly wind, empty hotel (just the 3 of us) and closed restaurant contributed to a depressing atmosphere.
Luckily the nearby casino was open, and they served champagne and a proper meal. The next morning the lake was still empty, but on the drive north a few cranes were spotted foraging in a field. This was celebrated at Lonclas, one of the main producers in the tiny Champagne village of Bassuet. Our hostess managed to serve many customers, and convince us to leave with several boxes. On the way to Chablis lunch was enjoyed at Marius in Les Riceys (recommended). We had torrential rain during the drive, but after we stocked up at Brocard, 'valuer sur' for Chablis white wine, buienradar showed that the worst had passed, and we enjoyed a hike around the Grand Cru hill in the late afternoon sunshine.
The day was wrapped up in Au Fils du Zinc. The manager indeed confirmed that the restaurant would close within a few weeks. The good news is that they bought a new place in Chablis, which they will renovate and open towards the end of 2020. We enjoyed a great dinner and excellent wines, and will definitely be back to test the new place.
After another vineyard hike in the morning sunshine we drove back, and Piet got dropped in The Hague with his boxes. Next appointment: re-tasting with the whole group!
Lac du Der is a large artificial lake that was constructed in the 70-ies to prevent floods in Paris, by capturing water from the Marne river. It is also a large bird sanctuary where thousands of cranes rest during their autumn and spring trek. This is one of the main attractions in the area. However, when we arrived it was suspiciously quiet, and there was not a single bird in sight. The grey weather, chilly wind, empty hotel (just the 3 of us) and closed restaurant contributed to a depressing atmosphere.
Luckily the nearby casino was open, and they served champagne and a proper meal. The next morning the lake was still empty, but on the drive north a few cranes were spotted foraging in a field. This was celebrated at Lonclas, one of the main producers in the tiny Champagne village of Bassuet. Our hostess managed to serve many customers, and convince us to leave with several boxes. On the way to Chablis lunch was enjoyed at Marius in Les Riceys (recommended). We had torrential rain during the drive, but after we stocked up at Brocard, 'valuer sur' for Chablis white wine, buienradar showed that the worst had passed, and we enjoyed a hike around the Grand Cru hill in the late afternoon sunshine.
The day was wrapped up in Au Fils du Zinc. The manager indeed confirmed that the restaurant would close within a few weeks. The good news is that they bought a new place in Chablis, which they will renovate and open towards the end of 2020. We enjoyed a great dinner and excellent wines, and will definitely be back to test the new place.
After another vineyard hike in the morning sunshine we drove back, and Piet got dropped in The Hague with his boxes. Next appointment: re-tasting with the whole group!
Faux de Verzy: a dwarf beech tree
Tasting at Bonnaire
No birds at Lac du Der!
A church on the banks of Lac du Der, which was moved when the lake was created; three villages were flooded
Discussion about Champagne at Lonclas, in Bassuet
Not our first visit at Brocard: quality Chablis and a lot of choice
View across the Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis
Art on a roundabout, Chablis
