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Hi Wine Friends,
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a relaxing, wine-filled holiday season and are kicking off 2025 with rest, relaxation and realistic resolutions 🙂 I just returned from two weeks in France, where I got to explore some of the most iconic wine regions in the world as well as return to my favorite city of Paris. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share all the highlights of the trip, but I want to start with the region that’s always been the gold standard: Burgundy.
And it should start with a confession, which is this: it took me over 10 years as a sommelier to finally make it to Burgundy. Why? Well, if I’m being honest, I was intimidated. And I was afraid it wouldn’t be very much fun. See, Burgundy is the kind of region that can make even seasoned wine pros feel outclassed. It’s the place filled with wine royalty—where iconic names like Le Montrachet and La Romanée reign supreme. The wines are the most revered in the world, and their price tags reflect it.
I was nervous that Burgundy was going to be all about white tablecloths, aristocrats, and a world of exclusivity. But I’m happy to report that I couldn’t have been more wrong. Burgundy is beautifully humble.
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From the tiny, charming villages (Beaune! Puligny! Santenay!) to the wineries that feel more like rustic homes than polished institutions, Burgundy is grounded in a way I didn’t expect. We were never surrounded by tuxedo-clad collectors with their noses in the air. Instead, we were embraced by passionate, down-to-earth vignerons—winemakers who tend their vines with dirt under their fingernails and holes in their jeans. In fact, the word vigneron in France literally means "vine grower." These winemakers are true farmers, and they do it with a warmth and humility that is a breath of fresh air in a wine world that can feel divided at best and alienating at worst.
One of my favorite moments was in the cellar of David Moreau (if you haven’t tried his wines, you’re missing out—David is making some of the most vibrant and complex wines in Santenay and you can find them here in the States). We were tasting wines straight from the barrel with friends–American and French, old and new–bundled up in winter coats with frosty breath, the cellar dog wagging at our feet, the damp moldy ceiling, the rusted spitoon–laughing through broken language barriers but united by the common tongue of wine.
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These wines would cost hundreds of dollars on a list back home. But here we were, getting to peek behind the curtain to where the magic happens. And instead of finding riches or advanced technology as the secret ingredient, it was simple: the human spirit.
I think at its core, that’s what wine is-- humanity in a glass. It’s an elixir that, when shared, brings us closer to each other. There’s a reason we’ve been drinking wine longer than any other beverage. It’s a tool of connection.
As recent news has come out from the surgeon general about alcohol consumption, I can’t help but think that it’s not fair to lump wine into this larger bucket. There's a vast difference between a small-production wine, made by a responsible producer using only grape juice and care, enjoyed in moderation with loved ones... and mass-produced alcohol, filled with additives and marketed to excess. Wine, especially the kind we’re talking about here, is more than just a drink. It’s an experience.
Wine deserves its own conversation.
And I didn’t mean to hijack my own conversation on Burgundy, but those thoughts have been rolling around my head as I came back stateside to those news stories…
I’ll be back next week with details on my visits to Champagne and the Jura (which I always knew I loved but now has my heart forever). But, for now, I wanted to share my favorite stops in Burgundy–both wineries and restaurants–for those of you that are curious. And for those of you who are visual, check out Instagram for video footage of the trip!
Cheers and until next week,
Kelsey
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Favorite Stops in Burgundy
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David Moreau (Santenay): David Moreau is an incredible up-and-coming winemaker in Santenay, and he’s making some of the freshest, liveliest, and most complex wines around. His reds vibrate with tart, crunchy red fruit and a smoky, earthy core. The Clos de la Mouche was pure elegance, and the 2013 Premier Cru Santenay was aging beautifully into tertiary notes of iron, terra cotta, and dried anise. These wines truly show how complex and nuanced Burgundy can be, and I can’t wait to follow David’s journey.
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Domaine d’Henri (Chablis): Even though Chablis is pretty far north, it’s technically part of Burgundy, so it counts! I had the privilege of tasting with Michel Laroche, one of the godfathers of Chablis and an all-around great guy. Michel’s family has been producing Chablis since the 1600s, and he’s worked tirelessly to put the region on the map with his focus on organic farming, no new oak, and the championing of screw caps and synthetic corks. His new Domaine d’Henri project with his wife and daughters produces wines that showcase the region’s fresh, lean, and mineral-driven characteristics. Each bottle was a lip-smacking joy to taste!
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Le Relais de Saulx (Beaune): One of the best meals of the trip, hands down. Run by a husband and wife team, Relais aux Saux offers a one-seating, intimate dining experience with a seriously well-priced wine list that features the coolest producers in Burgundy and beyond. We were lucky enough to find the impossibly allocated Les Horees Blanc, which was my wine of the trip, and paired it with seared scallops and the most perfectly prepared sardines (olive oil-poached and smoked!) I’ve ever had. Their selection of Armagnac, going back 60 years, was dangerously reasonably priced, so be careful!
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Le Bistrot de l’Hotel (Beaune): For a bit of elegance, our fancy meal in Burgundy was at Le Bistrot de l’Hotel, an iconic centuries-old spot known for its massive wine list (shown above). The roast chicken here is AOC-protected and roasted to perfection, carved tableside with all the fixings. Paired with the most decadent aioli and finished with crepes Suzette, it was a meal to remember. Definitely not cheap, but a must-visit in the region.
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I’d also love for you to know…
I’ve put something special together at Arden to support the California fire relief. Los Angeles has always been my second home–I grew up spending lots of time there with my aunt and then lived there for 6 years, which is where I became a sommelier and got my feet wet in restaurants. I still have many dear friends there and I know I’m not alone in knowing many who have lost everything.
So in an effort to give back in some small part, Arden is featuring a $25 glass of wine, with 100% of the proceeds going toward a different California fire relief cause each week. The featured wines will rotate - generously donated by talented, big-hearted local winemakers. And we're talking big-deal winemakers who we could not normally afford to pour by the glass: Morgen Long, Sequitur, Beaux Frères, Cameron, Flâneur and many more.
With Arden covering all costs associated with service, the entire $25 from each glass will go straight to supporting causes aiding in California’s recovery. We’re supporting causes like World Central Kitchen, Pasadena Human Society, LA Fire Foundation and many more.
Stay tuned on social media each week to see who we’re supporting, how much we’ve raised, and which wines we’re featuring. I hope you join us for a great glass in service of a great cause!
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