From October 22 – 25, Boulder Burgundy Festival brought together leading wine professionals, producers, aficionados and enthusiasts from across the country, including a significant number from Aspen and The Little Nell, for a four-day extravaganza of events.
Master Sommelier and Boulder Wine Merchant owner Brett Zimmerman founded the festival five years ago, creating an opportunity to serve some of Burgundy’s most rare wines, largely due to the incredible generosity of festival partners and his extensive web of friends in the industry.
The weekend included tastings and seminars with winemakers and top U.S. wine directors, as well as wine dinners hosted by Boulder’s acclaimed restaurants including Oak at Fourteenth and also Frasca Food & Wine, owned by Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey and Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson. Stuckey lived and worked in Aspen in the 1990s as the Wine Director at The Nell.
The Nell’s culinary and wine team took part in two special events during the weekend. On Friday night, Executive Chef Matt Zubrod, Chef de Cuisine Matt Padilla, Executive Banquet Chef Keith Theodore and Sous Chef Rachel Koppelman prepared an element 47 pop-up dinner including the restaurant’s most popular courses such as the egg yolk raviolo with mushroom ragout, served al dente. The evening began with a Champagne reception followed by the wines of Domaine Dujac and Domaine Génot-Boulanger, served from a leading team of sommeliers including Master Sommelier Jay Fletcher, Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy, Master Sommelier Sean Razee, Advanced Sommelier Chubby Oveges and Advanced Sommelier Chris Schaetzle and event support from Boulder-based Calluna Events.
On Saturday, a La Paulée-inspired lunch took place at the iconic Flagstaff House overlooking the town of Boulder. A broad range of vin de Bourgogne was served in the spirit of the traditional La Paulée de Meursault, a lunch celebrating the end of the grape harvest in Burgundy. Originally, the celebration in France included only winemakers, cellar workers, and the surrounding community, but has since evolved to become an international wine event held in the Château de Meursault for nearly 700 people. For the Boulder event, all 120 seats at The Flagstaff House were filled for a sold out afternoon of stunning Burgundys, each brought by the sommelier hosts and guests to share.
For more information about the 2016 festival, which will expand in name and program to include more than Burgundy wines, visit www.boulderburgundyfestival.com.
- Carlton McCoy and Food & Wine magazine’s Ray Isle.
- Little Nell chefs Keith Theodore and Rachel Koppelman.
- House Cured Salmon Bites Served on Bagel Chips with Royal Transmontanus Caviar.
- The element 47 pop-up dinner menu.
- The delightful Calluna Events team.
- A talented duo at the element 47 pop up.
- Brett Zimmerman with Anvil Wines’ Dustin Wilson and Matt Roesch.
- Mike Lazslo and Carlton McCoy.
- Craig Lewis of Stelvio Selections and Guillaume Lavollée of Domaine Genot-Boulanger.
- Chubby Oveges and Dustin Wilson.
- A beautiful day for a La Paulee lunch.
- Master Somms Dustin Wilson, Jay Fletcher and Bobby Stuckey.
- Wines of Burgundy at The Flagstaff House lunch.
- Carlton McCoy leads a toast at The Flagstaff House.
- Views of Boulder from the Flagstaff House.
- The star sommeliers at The Flagstaff House lunch.