Rhône Valley Custom Itinerary Day 1 – Arrival Lyon Upon arrival in Lyon you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon, your Lyon guide will meet with you at the hotel, and you will set out to explore together the 2000 years of history in this richly cultural city. The walking tour will take you all the way from “Vieux Lyon” to the Fourviere district, spanning the centuries as you go. You will visit the 19th century Basilica, and from there walk backwards in time to the Gallo Roman site, with a wonderful panorama of the entire peninsula of old Lyon. The view has you take in the incredible eclectic architecture of the city, with the older buildings lived in with some of the most modern. Descend from the hill through the tiny alleyways, galleries, and spiral stairs into the Renaissance part of Lyon, stretching along the banks of the Saone River, and filled with charming squares and narrow streets (Lyon is the largest Renaissance city in the world after Venice!). You’ll be entertained and surprised by the variety in the Lyon neighborhoods, many of them listed as World Heritage by UNESCO. After our visit, the rest of the day is yours, to explore Lyon, and enjoy its lovely centre, and great shopping – whether you are interested in the big name fashion designers, the antique and flea market neighborhoods, or the numerous independent art galleries. Return to your hotel after the visit. Dinner at leisure and overnight at your hotel. Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 502 - 1250 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 1C6 2 Your hotel for the next 3 nights is Cour des Loges Perfect combination of historic charm and modern conveniences. Imagine a Florentine courtyard with a marble floor and a spectacular contemporary glass and steel ceiling. This is the breathtaking surroundings in which Anthony Bonnet, Gault Millau d'Or 2007 "Talented Young Chef" and now awarded a star by the 2012 Michelin Guide, officiates. In the restaurant Les Loges, the chef and his team offer a refined gastronomic cuisine combining tradition and imagination. Throughout the seasons, you will be seduced by a menu of unequaled produce and quality. Day 2 – Beaujolais You leave Lyon today after breakfast, and transfer northwards. After a little over an hour we detour into the hills and vineyards of the Beaujolais, spotted with the pretty villages constructed out of the typical golden-colored stones. You will soon forget about the mediocre Beaujolais Nouveau that has unfortunately tainted people’s vision of this great wine region; today we will be concentrating on the ten Village Crus, with passionate winemakers who produce delicious wines. You will stop in several of the villages – you’ll love the scenery, including views of the castles of Pizay and Corcelles, with their very different architectures, and the hillside of Brouilly, actually a dormant volcano, today covered in vines. In the village of Fleurie, we’ll take the time to go up to the “Madone” to enjoy the spectacular view of the Saone River valley – if we’re lucky and it is a clear day, you’ll be able to see the Mont Blanc! Your guide will go in-depth to the particularities of this region, and the characteristics of the Beaujolais wines. Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 502 - 1250 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 1C6 3 During your visits, the winemaker will take you into the vineyards, to tell us about the year as essentially a farmer, leading up to the critical few weeks as a winemaker; you’ll also learn about the Beaujolais method of semi carbonic maceration, and then of course get to taste the wines. These are a some of the wineries we will consider for this trip in Beaujolais, Chateau des Jacques, Domaine du Vissoux, Domaine de la Madone, Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud, Château Thivin, Domaine des Terres Dorées, Daniel Bouland. We will include 2 domaines and a 3rd if time allows it. Return to your hotel at the end of the visits. Dinner at leisure and overnight at your hotel. Day 3 – Cote Rôtie and Condrieu This is the northern section of the so-called Northern Rhône. Home to a variety of wines from the floral and opulent Condrieu whites to the elegant Côte Rôtie reds, it is really only since the 1990s that this area has come to the fore as new plantings and new wine producers have developed the region. The vineyards all face the Rhône and are incredibly steep and impressive – if you take a drive, take time to imagine working on these hills. This morning depart south direction to the Cote Rôtie and Condrieu appellations. We’ll stop in Vienne, where you can admire the view from Notre Dame de Pipet church, down onto the Rhône Valley and the 2000 year’s old Roman amphitheater. Your guide will teach you about the terroir and appellation specific to the northern Rhône, as you continue on through Ampuis, the world capital of Syrah, and the real entrance into the Cote Rôtie. Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 502 - 1250 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 1C6 4 Discover Cote Rôtie vineyard, probably one of the oldest in existence in France. In Ampuis, appreciate the precipitous vertigo inducing terraced slopes of Cote Brune and Cote Blonde with 30 to 60 degree angles. You’ll climb steeply up through the terraced vineyard hillside of the Cote Blonde and the Cote Brune, and then onwards to Condrieu, a village which lends its name to the famous white Rhône wine. Learn about its grape, the Viognier, which almost disappeared completely just a few years ago. These are a some of the wineries we will consider for this trip in Cote Rotie and Condrieu, Domaine Jamet, Domaine Bernard Levet, Domain Jasmin, Domaine E. Guigal, Château Grillet, Domaine Georges Vernay, and Domaine Pierre Dumazet. We will include two domaines and a third if time allows it. Return to your hotel at the end of the visits. Dinner at leisure and overnight at your hotel. Day 4 – St. Joseph and Valence This morning check-out your hotel and depart with your guide direction Valence. Visit and tasting in domains of the St Joseph appellation. On the right-bank of the Rhône, the Saint-Joseph vineyard sits upon the 45th parallel, planted on steep hillsides that have been carved into terraces since ancient times. Erstwhile known as “Vin de Mauves”, the Jesuits gave it its current name in the 17th century. Today, the appellation is known for its red wines made using Syrah grapes. These wines are both strong flavoured and refined, expressing Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 502 - 1250 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 1C6 5 notes of pepper and spices, often accompanied by notes of violet mixed with minerals. The appellation also produces 10% of all white wines made using Roussanne and Marsanne grape varieties. These are a some of the wineries we will consider for this trip in St Joseph, Domaine Gilles Barge, Domaine François Villard, Domaine De Boisseyt – Chol, Domaine Pierre Gonon, Domaine Pierre- Jean Villa and Domaine Coursodon. We will include two domains and a third if time allows it. You will be driven to your hotel in Valence. Check-in upon arrival. Dinner at leisure and overnight at your hotel. Your hotel for the next 2 nights is Hotel de France Hotel de France is located in the heart of Valence, 1500 ft from the Saint-Apollinaire Cathedral. The charming Hotel De France offers elegant accommodation in the heart of Valence. The property is located in a shopping of Valence, close to Les Lauves, Musée de Madagascar and Musée archéologique de Soyons. Just 10 minutes from the center of Valence. Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 502 - 1250 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 1C6 6 Day 5 – Crozes-Hermitage Today you will discover the wines of the Crozes-Hermitage appellation. Crozes-Hermitage covers a relatively large area on the eastern bank of the Rhône River, to the north and south of Tain L'Hermitage town. Much larger than the prestigious Hermitage appellation which it surrounds, Crozes-Hermitage is also much more prolific. The vast majority (around 90 percent) of Crozes-Hermitage wines are red, and made predominantly from Syrah. The remaining 10 percent are white Crozes-Hermitage Blanc wines made from Roussanne and Marsanne. The famous hill of Hermitage gives way to the less steep slopes of the appellation Crozes-Hermitage, with some very good sites. The newer Crozes-Hermitage vineyards to the south are on flatter lands, more easily mechanised and arguably producing less fine wine. These are a some of the wineries we will consider for this trip in Crozes Hermitage, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Domaine Philippe and Vincent Jaboulet, Domaine Belle, Cave de Tain l’Hermitage, Domaine Les Bruyères, Domaine Laurent Combier, and Domaine Fayolle Fils et Fille. We will include 2 domaines and a 3rd if time allows it. Return to your hotel at the end of the visits. Dinner at leisure and overnight at your hotel. Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 502 - 1250 Homer St.