Just a few kilometers south of the bustling streets of Beaune, the small park that marks the center of Puligny-Montrachet is a quiet oasis. There are no tour buses and no groups flowing back and forth through town.

Visitors here seek three things: luxurious tranquility, delicious food and the fine wines to accompany them. Our home in Montrachet, the Maison d’Olivier Leflaive, offers all of these things.

Settle in and enjoy a stroll through the village. This evening we will come together for the first time to get to know one another and sample the Maison’s own fine vintages.

This morning, we step directly from our hotel to the vineyards and slopes of the Côte d’Or. Our path leads through the tiny hamlets of Blagny and Gamay. By midmorning, our view extends well past the Sôane River in the distance.

Framed perfectly by the surrounding hills, the village of Rochepot is the perfect place to stop for lunch. Our friends Guy and Vernique welcome us into their home and cellars for a most personal dining/tasting experience.

After lunch, we set our sights on the village’s spectacular chateau where we have arranged for a private visit. The intricate tile work of the Chateau is reminiscent of the Hospices de Beaune, but the scale is warm and personal.

For dinner, we retire to the town square and watch the sun set through the trees of the park.

The villages that comprise the westernmost portion of Burgundy are petite and sleepy. Unlike their more famous counterparts down in the valley, they are tucked amidst rocky bluffs and dense woodlands with specific exposures set aside for grape cultivation. Each has its own distinct character and charm.

Our path wanders from Les Orches to St. Romain, Petite Auxey and Auxey Duresses on our way to the famed caves of the Chateau de Meursault. The Chateau de Meursault is a classical structure with an extraordinary art collection, but it is what lies beneath that astounds.

The chateau’s cellars stretch as if toward infinity, housing hundreds of oak casks and hundreds of thousands of bottles in maturation. To simply wander among the chateau’s vintages is intoxicating in itself, but we will try a few for good measure!

The Jura area forms an immense high plateau that borders Switzerland to the east. Most of it is wild and sparsely inhabited, but in its northwestern corner lies one of France’s best-kept secrets. This is horse country, and dairy country, AND wine country. Our walk today highlights it all. At various points, villages tower high above us and at others, our views extend down into idyllic, verdant glens.

After lunch in a classic country bistro, we continue to Arbois, Louis Pasteur’s country home for most of his life.

Tonight we settle into our own pampered accommodations at the Chateau de Germigney. Vanessa and Arnauld Baert are our hosts and make us feel right at home on our country estate. A candlelight dinner in the garden completes a perfect day.

This day truly reflects the “salt of the earth” nature of this part of France. Our walk follows placid rivers and hops from town to town to the unique destination of Salins-les-Bains. This is not an area filled with quaint antique shops; the antiques are still in the farmhouses. The countryside evokes a France of days gone by: simple, hardworking and rich in all good things.

Salins-les-Bains takes its name from the saltwater springs that flow beneath it. The stunning medieval salt mines of Salins are a technological wonder and are listed as a World Heritage Site. Our visit gives us new appreciation for this most important and elemental of spices.

This evening, we venture to the Bistro de Port-Lesney for a simple and classic dinner that drives home the earthy tastes of this pristine countryside.

One of our fascinations with this region is that a few steps will take us from the simple to the sublime. This morning, we wander beside the serene banks of the Loue River to Arc-en-Senans and the stunning architectural wonder of the Saline Royale.

It seems a classic French concept to start with the premise of an industrial processing facility and elevate it to an Age of Enlightenment gem. In the late 1700s, Claude Nicolas Ledoux was commissioned to create a salt factory whose beauty would reflect its importance; the result is the Saline Royale. We have wandered far and wide in France, but have never seen such an elegant and unusual “factory.”

Following breakfast in the chateau garden, we have arranged for private transport to Dijon, which has frequent connections in all directions.

Whatever your travel plans, we will go over them with you and make sure that your continuing journey is as easy and effortless as possible.

Au revoir!