This past weekend we once again had the pleasure of planning the four-day Boulder Burgundy Wine Festival put on by Brett Zimmerman from the Boulder Wine Merchant. Each day was overflowing with multiple events at some of our favorite spots around Boulder with some wonderful connoisseurs of fine wine, and let’s not forget the incredible Burgundy wine, Champagne and Chablis which was showcased all weekend.
Thursday
The weekend kicked off on Thursday with the Champagne and Caviar Welcome at the Koenig Alumni Center on the University of Colorado campus. It was a cozy yet classy event that helped start the weekend off with just the pop it needed! Cured was there to serve the caviar along with some other irresistible snacks. There were many champagnes flowing that evening. It was the perfect way to begin such an extravagant festival.
Friday
Friday’s busy day started with a lunch at Oak. This lunch was geared towards helping the attendees navigate their way through Burgundy wines including wines that offer both greatness and attractive pricing. The wine present at this lunch were accessible, approachable, and delicious!
The Old and Rare Seminar at the St Julien followed the lunch at Oak. At this seminar Jay Fletcher who is the cellar master for the Guild of Sommeliers selected rare and exotic Burgundy wines for people to enjoy! He then led a discussion to provide insight on why those wines were so special and rare.
To wrap up Friday’s busy day, The Little Nell team and Element 47 prepared an evening to remember at The Academy. This event was graced with a champagne reception to start and some of the finest wines, complemented with a lovely five course meal. During the evening the Calluna staff was kept on their toes by The Little Nell team as we seamlessly played a role in the dinner service that evening. We felt honored to have been able to not only be a part of the planning process but also everything in between!
Saturday
Saturday began with a Paulée inspired lunch event at the Flagstaff House. The event strove to capture the celebratory spirit of the traditional Meursault Paulée by bringing a sample of its energy and essence to Boulder. This lunch is always one of the more popular events of the weekend and sells out every time! And of course there is a reason to its popularity, it was an amazing start to Saturday!
Dinner for Saturday took place and the one and only Frasca. The Boulder Burgundy Wine Festival was honored to have Jean-Charles at this year’s festival. He and the wine of Bonneau de Martray were the focus of this dinner. This was a special dinner because it is very rare to find an opportunity to try multiple wines of the Bonneau de Martray. Needless to say, the dinner was a hit!
Sunday
Sunday started off as every Sunday should, with an amazing brunch hosted at PMG Restaurant. Here guests were able to sample wines of Kermit Lynch. It was a great start to the end of a long weekend!
The brunch was followed by the seminar: “A tour of Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru” at the St Julien. Jean-Charles was leading the seminar along with wine writer Ray Isle from Food and Wine Magazine. Given the wines poured and the panel presented, the event proved to be a mind-blowing combination of wines and educational discussion!
The weekend came to a close with the Grand Tasting at the St Julien. This tasting featured more than 200 Burgundy wines and all the proceeds went to Growe Foundation. It was an event that was very well attended and one that spoke for itself. With a room full of producers, suppliers, restaurateurs, sommeliers, collectors, and consumers. The vibe at this amazing event was electric and it is the perfect punctuation for the line up of Burgundy Festival events.
As always, it was such an honor to be a part of such an amazing festival. The food, the wine, and most of all the people never ceases to amaze us every year. We are so excited to watch the Boulder Burgundy Wine Festival transform next year into Boulder Food and Wine and we are so excited to be there every step of the way!
