Behind the grand windows of The Conservatory at One Sansome, seven long tables patiently await their guests in the majestic marble ballroom. Apart from a few sommeliers poised with champagne bottles in hand, an ethereal silence commands the room. In just a matter of minutes, the energy will transform into a grand celebration of oenology, gastronomy, culture, and life. La Paulée’s 25th anniversary gala dinner was a feast fit for kings and queens or, rather aptly, Dionysus himself.
For the past 25 years, La Paulée has honored Burgundian winegrowers who so artfully produce the nectar of the gods in their small region in France. With an air of conviviality and indulgence, it is oxymoronic how rare the hundreds of bottles of wine opened truly are. Before attending La Paulée, most Burgundy producers were out of reach for me. I only read about Burgundy in wine books and dreamed of ordering the revered bottles from curated wine lists at Michelin-star restaurants. In just one evening, all that changed. At La Paulée’s gala dinner, I not only tasted some of the most globally sought-after Burgundy wines, but the winemakers themselves poured cuvées from their personal cellars into my glass. Although they often let their most beloved life’s work speak for itself, it was too tempting not to ask questions, as is encouraged. Before sharing too many details from the enchanting evening, much more can be gained from understanding the roots of La Paulée, how it is celebrated today, and what preparation for the week of festivities entails.
The origins of the American La Paulée can be traced back to the Middle Ages when the vignerons and workers in Meursault, a small commune in Burgundy, celebrated the season’s labor with a communal feast. In 1923, Jules Lafon, a respected winegrower of the Domaine des Comtes Lafon lineage and mayor of Meursault, revitalized the tradition. Over time, La Paulée de Meursault evolved from a modest grower-and-worker gathering into a grand gala, attracting not only the producers and growers but also wine connoisseurs from abroad.
Inspired by his visits to La Paulée de Meursault, prominent American sommelier and entrepreneur Daniel Johnnes brought the Burgundian tradition to the United States. The first La Paulée de New York took place in 2000 as a modest affair, but over the past 25 years, it has blossomed into a multi-day celebration of tastings, seminars, focused dinners, and the grand finale, a gala dinner. As tradition goes, guests are encouraged to bring a special treasure from their cellar to share alongside the bottles brought by attending winemakers.
With an impressive roster of wine experts, sommeliers, and winemakers, it may seem like an intimidating task, but for most attendees it is the perfect occasion to appreciate a bottle they have been saving. For someone who doesn’t have a cellar of her own (just yet), I did not take this task lightly. As soon as I secured my ticket to La Paulée de San Francisco, my preparation began. Step 1: choose a bottle of Burgundy that will be poured proudly among a sea of treasures. Step 2: style a look for the evening that exudes elegance and precision, fit for a wine-focused gala dinner.
Choosing the “right” bottle of Burgundy is like sourcing a diamond with “perfect” clarity, carat weight, cut, color, and certification. It is almost impossible to deem one more “perfect” than the others, but there are factors at play beyond what meets the eye. Burgundy is one of the most prestigious wine regions in the world, famous for producing exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The region is relatively small in size, but exports wines coveted by millions of people around the world. For reference, Burgundy spans about 54,000 acres, which happens to be about the same size as San Francisco. Just like a city is divided into districts, Burgundy is divided into many subregions and vineyards, each with its own reputation and distinct style.
Demand, scarcity, and rising prices have fundamentally changed Burgundy. Since the early 2000s, Burgundy prices have gone up by about 10% annually. One of the most sought-after #wines in the world, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC), exceeds $1,000 per bottle at auction. With limited time and funds, I turned to my favorite wine shop in Napa, Compline. I compiled a task force which included the talented Compline sommelier team, two winemakers with their own labels in Napa, and a colleague and talented sommelier who has worked in the industry for over 15 years. After narrowing down the choice to five bottles, my colleague spotted a hidden treasure perched on the top shelf of the Burgundy section: a 2017 Meursault-Bouchères Premier Cru from Domaine Genot-Boulanger. Everyone agreed this bottle would be a wonderful gem to share with my table at the gala. I won’t go into the details here, but if you are interested to learn more about this specific wine or need help choosing a bottle for a special occasion, Compline will certainly provide you with the best guidance and selection.
My next task was figuring out what to wear to such a special occasion. Style offers a lens into someone else’s perception of the world. Whether it be in a bottle of wine crafted by a skilled winemaker or a silky ballgown meticulously sewn by a talented designer, style speaks without words. As someone who loves both wine and fashion, I strive to emphasize the link between the two through my personal expression of style. Putting that mission into practice, I reached out to the team at elysewalker, the mecca of designer fashion in St. Helena, for some help. A chic afternoon ensued.
With the help of an elysewalker personal stylist, I crafted the perfect look: a silky, Burgundy-hued set by Rosetta Getty paired with an elegant golden Valentino clutch and Gianvito Rossi platforms for some extra height and confidence. Admittedly, I was a bit intimidated by the scope of the crowd attending the gala, but I knew that this outfit would help me spark conversation with other guests about style and what it means to them.
La Paulée de San Francisco’s gala dinner took place on March 1 after a week of seminars, wine-focused dinners, and tastings at restaurants all over the city. Guests were greeted with a place card in exchange for the bottle of wine they brought to share. My card guided me to Table 1: Clos de la Roche, where I found my seat amid an impressive set of winemakers and local enthusiasts. Nicolas Rossignol and Nathalie Tollot sat across from me. Both Rossignol and Tollot are fifth-generation winemakers who now oversee every aspect of their respective families’ domains, from farming, winemaking, logistics, distribution, and hospitality.
With so much time dedicated to wine growing and very small teams, producers cannot focus on luxury hospitality as is the case in our local wine region, Napa. That is why La Paulée is such an incredible opportunity. Even with the resources to travel to Burgundy, one would struggle to visit these domains, meet these winemakers, and try these rare wines. La Paulée’s gala dinner makes that possible, all in a single night.
After a champagne toast and welcome remarks from Daniel Johnnes and Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac, the wine began flowing and never stopped. For the next five hours, my four wine glasses and dinner plate were filled with delicacies. The feast brought together the most renowned Michelin-starred chefs from San Francisco and New York, each overseeing a signature dish. Canapes were prepared by Sebastian Brown of Holbrook House. Then came a parade of dishes, starting with an appetizer prepared by The Slanted Door’s team, honoring the late Charles Phan; artic char by Daniel Boulud and Jean-Francois Bruel of Café Boulud; risotto by Michael Tusk of the Quince, Cotogna, and Verjus empire; guinea hen and huckleberry donut holes by Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski of The Progress and State Bird Provisions; and a cheese course by Soyoung Scanlan of Andante Dairy. It took true skill to balance a sip of wine with conversation and a bite of Périgord truffle and black trumpet mushroom risotto.
While some guests enjoyed their food, others got up to share with other tables the bottles of wine they brought. It was impossible to capture each wine’s name, vintage, and essence into memory, something I found rather sad. Taking Rossignol and Tollot’s advice, I took photos of the bottles that resonated with me the most, providing me with solid evidence for eternity. Luckily, the La Paulée team captured the most noteworthy details from the evening: 210 bottles of wine were opened, including 118 standard 750-mL bottles, 78 magnums, and 14 jeroboams. With a total of 150 guests, about 210,000-mL of wine were consumed, putting the per-person consumption at about 1,400 milliliters—the equivalent of approximately two standard bottles of wine.
Among those 210 bottles, many were grand crus, premier crus, and old bottlings that nobody in the world will ever be able to try again. A vintage bottle of wine transports us back in time, creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the people with whom we share it. At the gala, we traveled to 1947 with a magnum of Bouchard Aîné and Fils Grand Réserve Premier Cru, sourced by a guest from The Morris’ treasured cellar. There were also visits to 1955 with a bottle of Georges Noëllat, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots and to 1962 with a bottle of Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüée, Bonnes-Mares.
If you ask me what my favorite wine from the night was, I might give you a few different answers. Every sip I tried made my tastebuds sing, from a 2002 Clos du Tart en jeroboam to a 2006 Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru, nothing was less than extraordinary. Admittedly, my favorite memory was not poured into my glass but rather an encounter I had as I was heading to the afterparty. After a night on their feet toting around magnums, meticulously pouring, and making sure everything ran seamlessly, the sommeliers got to enjoy an after-party feast of their own, organized by restaurateur Mark Bright, at Saison Wine Bar. To my surprise, the winemakers were eager to continue the party and had a designated bus to whisk them away. As I patiently awaited my Uber ride, Nicolas Rossignol, Nathalie Tollot, and Maxime Raveneau approached me in a fit of exuberance to offer me a seat on the winemakers’ bus. In that moment, I felt like I had broken through the “glass window,” the mysterious barrier that intimidates me and so many others from fully understanding the intricacies of the legendary yet complex wine region.
La Paulée enlightened me to the beauty of Burgundy and power of conviviality. The celebration offers a cultural bridge for American oenophiles, giving them direct access to the wines and people of the renowned wine region. Burgundian vignerons, sommeliers, and wine enthusiast (beginners or avid collectors) are all eager to listen, taste, and learn from one another, especially when there’s a glass in hand.