"Downie... calls readers to arms by celebrating the terroir and how it, along with the particular climates, has created culinary jewels for millennia—snails, Charolais beef, chèvre, honey, truffles, and grand cru pinot noirs and chardonnays. He easily demystifies the processes of wine making...succinctly maps and divides Burgundy into four regions, walking readers through each town and discussing lodgings, markets, artisans, and vintners. He also deconstructs restaurants' menus for their technique and signatures.... Beautifully depicted, handily sized, and substantially sourced for contact info and seasonal hours. Not a stand-alone general guide, this book is a regional standard for oenophiles and the palatably enchanted traveler. Highly recommended." —Library Journal, 2/15/10, Starred Review

Eguilly—La Rente d’Eguilly
            Eguilly and its château belong to greater Pouilly-en-Auxois, on the east side of autoroute A6. But Eguilly is sliced in half; the château’s grounds are ruined by the freeway. Happily, the farmhouse that once kept the aristos of Eguilly in food is on a forested hillside, miles west of the autoroute, of Eguilly itself, and of the outlying village of  Blancey, on Le Morvan’s eastern edge. Reach it on one-lane roads, from Pouilly or Chailly-sur-Armançon. Ferme de la Rente d’Eguilly (Tel: 03 80 90 83 48, closed mid September to late October, inexpensive, reserve ahead) is a working farm; the tireless owners are “retired.” The farm occupies a fortified, 1400s compound. Spend the night and you may dine on delicious, wholesome, housemade everything, sharing your table with affable Chantal and Michel Rance. The comfortable rooms are done up with country antiques (one is in a reconverted bakery). In winter you eat in a dining room with knickknacks, at a table twenty feet long. In mild weather, you dine in the courtyard. Michel grows the lettuces, potatoes, herbs, and vegetables that Chantal transforms into rustic ratatouille or casseroles with cream and cheese. The chickens (and eggs) are further afield, out of olfactory range; the eggs go into giant, luscious omelettes or classic, to-die-for oeufs en meurette with wild black trompettes de la mort mushrooms (gathered in the woods). The chickens are cooked with cream, or wine. The beef and pork come from a neighbor’s farm (Michel was a cattle rancher, and knows his beef). Chantal’s terrines from said pork are like dreamy meat loaf, each slice with a plump chicken liver in the middle. Even the pickles are homemade. The cow’s milk, butter, cream, and fresh cheese come from a neighbor—and are delicious beyond description. For dessert, fruit tarts or French classics, from scratch. The water is pure springwater. Be warned: the homemade aperitif—raspberry juice, sugar, white wine—will weaken your knees. Wine flows free, included in the price (it’s from the local co-op). For breakfast, five housemade jams from homegrown fruit (cherries, blackcurrants, raspberries, apricots, figs), and more bread and wondrous butter than anyone could possibly devour. How the owners—he in his mid 70s, she retirement age—can survive this daily treatment is a question worth asking. “Work preserves,” quips Michel, deadpan. The pair have been at it, with courtesy, grace and frankness, since 1982. Amazing.

Pierre-Perthuis
Known for a natural stone arch and eighteenth-century bridge over the Cure River, this charming hamlet four miles south of Vézelay is home to hotel-restaurant-café Les Deux Ponts (D958, Tel: 03 86 32 31 31, http://lesdeuxponts.free.fr, restaurant closed Tuesday and Wednesday in February, at Eastertide and in summer, hotel closed early December to late February, inexpensive to moderate). Philippe and Marianne Bariteau—he Southern French, she Dutch—tastefully remodeled a roadside inn. The open-plan dining area’s tables are well spaced and hemmed by live plants, and the many-paned windows in the carriage doors let in light. There’s white china on the white tablecloths, and quality silverware, candles—and a fire burning in the lounge area—adding romance. On your plate: artful yet unfussy lightened classics. Philippe did time with marquee chefs, but doesn’t do narcissistic cuisine d’auteur. The rustic terrine has wild mushrooms, the crayfish cream comes with baby vegetables, the filet mignon of pork is slow-roasted and flanked by delicate parsnip purée. Philippe buys his ingredients locally, including the duck, which he cooks exquisitely à l’orange. The cheeses are local and very good, the wine from excellent Yonne winemakers Alain Vignot, Elise Villiers, Jean Montanet, Ghislaine and Jean-Hugues Goisot, and others. Outside are teak tables and chairs on the deck, open in good weather. The guest rooms are simple yet stylish; spend the night and at breakfast taste Philippe’s homemade conserves—classic strawberry, apricot, or surprising banana.
On the east side of the river at Précy-le-Moult, part of Pierre-Perhtuis, is winery Elise Villiers (Tel: 03 86 33 27 62, elisevilliers@yahoo.fr, by appointment). Her Vézelay Le Clos Blanc, from a three-acre vineyard below the southern ramparts of Vézelay, bursts with refreshing minerals and lemon zest.