选自 http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Ode-to-Burgundy_2442

电影《杯酒人生》中备受瞩目的黑皮诺来自圣巴贝拉，对于葡萄酒铁杆追随者来说她出尽了风头。

The film "Sideways" may have spotlighted Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara, but for hardcore followers of the grape, it was the mother region that stole the show last weekend in New York. For a day and long into the next morning, Burgundy was the focus of La Paulée de New York.

More than a dozen winemakers from Burgundy poured their red and white wines for an enthusiastic throng of about 400 at the W hotel during the afternoon. There were a lot of smiles, as most of the wines hailed from the excellent 2002 vintage. Tickets to the tasting sold for $250.

Some vintners gave attendees a comparative look at different vintages; for example, Frédéric Mugnier of Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier in Chambolle-Musigny poured his Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées from 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999. Others showed a range of wines from 2002, with a 2001 here and there for comparison.

Burgundy lovers greeted winemakers like old friends. There were New Yorkers such as former New York Met Rusty Staub, and those who came much farther, such as California winemaker Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat. I overheard one person, when asked to comment on what they liked, say, "Let me put it this way: I haven't had a bad wine all day."

La Paulée culminated in a gala dinner. Tickets cost $1,250, and on top of that, the 275 guests were encouraged to bring bottles from their collections. But far from feeling exploited, collectors took pride in sharing the riches of their cellars. The dinner was a marathon of one great wine after another, where collectors competed for bragging rights.

Let me just say that I've never seen such a high-quality selection of mature Burgundy anywhere. And I'm sure I didn't even taste everything that was floating around our table, let alone the room. I did my best to keep up with the sommeliers and others who kept pouring and passing bottles, but somewhere in the middle of the main course I stopped taking notes. I was able to record my impressions of a dozen whites and 18 reds, though I'm sure I tasted a dozen more.

Our table began the evening with a jeroboam of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 1979, an ethereal red, perfumed with flowers and spice. Then a series of whites appeared. My favorites were the Marc Colin Montrachet 2001, a real thoroughbred, racy, intense and harmonious, and the precise, mineral-infused Meursault Perrières 1999 from Domaine Roulot. A Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet 1993 and G. Roumier Corton-Charlemagne 1993 proved the benefits of aging grand cru white Burgundy.

My favorite reds were a sublime Ponsot Clos de la Roche 1985, a very youthful Armand Rousseau Chambertin 1995, an opulent Richebourg 1989 from DRC and a succulent, smoky Nuits-St.-Georges Clos des Forêts St.-Georges 1990 from Domaine de l'Arlot. Many of the wines were poured from magnums or even larger bottles.

However, what impressed me the most was a wonderful sense of community between the vignerons from Burgundy and the wine lovers and wine professionals from New York and the rest of the United States. Everyone seemed genuinely passionate and happy to be at La Paulée. In no time, Les Cadets de Bourgogne, a male chorus, was leading the crowd in drinking songs.

Amidst the celebration was a serious side. Several lots of wine, dinners and trips were auctioned off by Ann Colgin (who, along with husband Joe Wender and a group of American investors, owns the Burgundy negociant Camille Giroud). La Paulée organizer Daniel Johnnes confirmed that the event raised $150,000 for the charity Citymeals on Wheels.

Johnnes, with the help of fellow Myriad Restaurant Group partner Drew Nieporent, enlisted celebrity chefs, including Daniel Boulud and Michel Richard, to prepare the dinner. At the Grand Tasting, 13 restaurants, including Ma Cuisine from Beaune, offered small plates to fortify the crowd.

But it was all about the wine and the celebration of Burgundy. Dominique Lafon, the great Meursault producer, smiled as he glanced around the room. His great-grandfather established La Paulée as a harvest feast in 1923 in Meursault, a lavish dinner for wine producers and their guests which is still thriving today. Lafon was thrilled with the New York version. "You can't pay for this," he said, pleased by the interest in the wines. "It's fantastic."