There were most definitely no vignerons - this is tourist group dining all the way. We loved our dinner that night at Le Ciboulettes, a small bistrot just inside the walled area of Beaune. Nose of earth and wet cement, like a cellar. La Table is a technically a restaurant, yes, but it's more like eating at somebody's house. MORE >>

We ran up to the cellar door and knocked, holding our coats over our heads. Small but quite stout, completely gray and into his 70s, he wore a pageboy cap, a rumpled apron over his canvas workpants and shirt, and an old blue cardigan sweater to protect against the cellar's chill. Reds: 2005 Beaune Clos de dessus les Marconnets. MORE >>

think of Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romaneé, Gevrey-Chambertin, and the storied villages of the Côte de Nuits, and also of Puligny, Meursault, Volnay, and the other superstars of the Côte de Beaune. There are a few in my cellar, and I agonize over opening them because they are so special and so dear in price. Is this even possible? MORE >>

In honor of their 20th anniversary, the Dressner folk dug into the cellar and set out a load of wines from their inaugural vintage. These are piercing wines of great definition, and they can seem like turtles, just their head visible underneath all of that shell. The Italian wines - I didn't taste 'em. How thoughtful is that? MORE >>