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Acclaimed wine writer and Burgundy expert Pierre Rovani is our featured speaker

pierre-rovani-remoissenet-burgundy

We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that acclaimed taster, writer, and Burgundy expert Pierre Rovani (above) will be joining us for both the Saturday night dinner and Sunday morning seminar.

Some may remember Pierre’s years at the Wine Advocate where he was handpicked by Robert Parker to cover Burgundy for the publication.

Since 2005, he has served as the president of Remoissenet Père et Fils, one of Beaune’s oldest and most revered estates. He will be presenting a flight of Remoissenet wines at both gatherings.

Raj Parr to join Eric Asimov for this year’s main event (REGISTRATION NOW OPEN)

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This year’s Burgundy seminar (Sunday, October 15) is really shaping up to be an star-studded event: Not only will New York Times wine critic and author Eric Asimov be our keynote speaker but celebrity sommelier and fine wine guru Raj Parr will be joining him for this year’s panel.

Raj (above, center) has taken part in the Boulder Burgundy Festival in years past and we are really excited to welcome him back.

Hands down, Raj is one of the world’s leading experts on the wines of Burgundy and his wine list at RN74 (named after the famed Route Nationale 74 that runs through the heart of Burgundy, the “Route des Grands Crus”) is widely considered to be one of the best Burgundy programs in the world.

Author, winemaker (with his excellent Domaine de la Côte in Santa Barbara county), and sommelier truly extraordinaire, Raj is also one of the most accessible and approachable wine professionals working in the U.S. The best part of having him with us is getting to interact and taste with him. You’ll see him at other events as well: In the past, he’s poured at the Paulée lunch and other tastings as well. Such a treat to have him with us.

REGISTRATION FOR THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL IS NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN.

Meet and taste with Paul Wasserman, one of the world’s foremost Burgundy authorities

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Above: Not only is Paul Wasserman one of the world’s foremost authorities on Burgundy but he also grew up there and even played in a rock band in Beaune. How’s that for authenticity?

One of the most anticipated events of this year’s Boulder Burgundy Festival is the “A tour of Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru” seminar on October 25.

Yes, grape grower and winemaker Jean-Charles le Bault de la Morinière will be there to discuss the wines of his family’s historic Bonneau du Martray estate.

And yes, Food & Wine magazine’s executive wine editor Ray Isle (you know, the guy from the “Today Show”) and one of the most beloved wine writers in the country will be there as well.

But many of the Burgundy insiders will come just to get to taste and interact with Paul Wasserman (above) of the famed Wasserman family in Burgundy.

Not only has Paul spent his entire adult life as a merchant of fine wine and of Burgundy in particular, but he literally grew up in Burgundy after his family relocated there when he was a child. He even played in a rock band in Beaune.

The wine trade know Paul and his brother Peter as some of the leading wine professionals working in the U.S. today.

But when you get to spend some time with him, you begin to realize that this polyglot and polymath dude is one of the more charismatic and fascinating personages you’ll ever meet in the wine world.

He’s equally at home discussing the finer points of Burgundy soil types as he is discussing a Charlie Parker solo or a Jimi Hendrix lead (a lot of people don’t know that he studied at the CIM École de Jazz et Musiques Actuelles in Paris).

He’s also a prolific writer, even though a self-effacing one.

Check out this superb stand-alone piece that he wrote about the Domaine Bonneau du Martray, its history, and its historic relationship with Corton-Charlemagne (highly recommended even if you’re not attending the festival).

Whether you’re attending the Sunday seminar or not, one of the greatest things about the Boulder Burgundy Festival is that its dimension and its chill vibe make even its marquee-name speakers accessible to guests.

Paul Wasserman alone is worth the price of admission.

Click here for the complete Boulder Burgundy Festival 2015 schedule and registration page.