An Excerpt from Nightmare in Burgundy by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen

Nightmare in Burgundy
by Jean-Pierre Alaux
and Noël Balen

We are delighted to welcome mystery authors Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen back to Omnimystery News.

Their third mystery to feature the Winemaker Detective is Nightmare in Burgundy (Le French Book; July 2014 hardcover, trade paperback and ebook formats) and we are pleased to introduce you to it with an excerpt from the first chapter.

— ♦ —

HIS HEAD WAS SPINNING. FOR THREE hours now, he had been sitting at the table between the wife of the ambassador to the Netherlands and a film star whose name he dared not ask for fear of offending her. He vaguely remembered having seen her in a period piece where she played the harpsichord in a château full of mirrors and china. He had to lean in a bit to exchange a few words with the guests across from him. Bunches of red and yellow tulips cluttered the tables. People smiled at each other between the stems.
  The dinner was sumptuous, as elegant as it was generous. You could read the satisfaction on the faces of the guests. As the feast continued, attitudes relaxed, looks of collusion replaced polite nods, and witty remarks cut the air with great panache. After savoring a duck pâté accompanied by a Bourgogne Aligoté des Hautes Côtes, perch supreme served with a chilled and fragrant Meursault, and crown loin of veal sprinkled with green peppercorns, along with a 1979 Côte de Beaune Villages, the guests thought the meal was finished. But this was underestimating the hospitality of the venerable knights of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. A cockerel and morel fricassee seasoned with Chambolle-Musigny added to the feast, and no one had trouble finishing it. Meanwhile, the Cadets of Bourgogne, decked out in black caps and wine-merchant aprons, had accompanied the arrival of each dish with a great many wine songs, comical tales, and jovial melodies. Beaming, with sparkling eyes and gleaming whiskers, they bellowed verse after verse at the top of their lungs.

  Always drinkers, never drunk,
  They go along their way
  And thumb their nose at fools who grump.
  Always drinkers, never drunk,
  They happily proclaim
  Their credo without shame.
  Always drinkers, never drunk,
  They go along their way!
  
  The cheese course was announced. Platters arrived filled with creamy Epoisses washed in marc brandy and aged on rye straw, a soft farmhouse Soumaintrain cheese, mild Saint-Florentin that gave off the scent of raw milk, lightly salted and creamy Chaources, and supple La-Pierre-qui-Vire. Accompanying them were small rounds of goat's milk cheese, including an especially full-bodied tomme du Poiset. To top it off and honor this Chapter of the Tulips, the hosts had elegantly slipped in some soft Dutch cheese with amber and orange hues. Benjamin Cooker prepared a nice plate for himself, enhancing it with a 1972 Latricières-Chambertin that sensuously tickled his taste buds.

  Here come the Cadets of Burgundy,
  Sowers of life and of sun;
  Lovers of water are mad.
  Here come the Cadets of Burgundy,
  A bottle in each hand!
  Open the door to some fun
  Here come the Cadets of Burgundy,
  Sowers of life and of sun!

  The chamberlain stepped to the podium. The association's slogan — Never whine! Always wine — was inscribed above it in gothic letters.

Read a longer excerpt, here.

— ♦ —

Photo provided courtesy of
Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen

Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen, wine lover and music lover respectively, came up with the idea for the Winemaker Detective mystery series while sharing a meal, with a bottle of Château Gaudou 1996, a red wine from Cahors with smooth tannins and a balanced nose.

Jean-Pierre Alaux is a magazine, radio and television journalist when he is not writing novels in southwestern France. He is a genuine wine and food lover and recently won the Antonin Carême prize for his cookbook La Truffe sur le Soufflé, which he wrote with the chef Alexis Pélissou. He is the grandson of a winemaker and exhibits a real passion for wine and winemaking. For him, there is no greater common denominator than wine.

Noël Balen in Paris, where he shares his time between writing, making records, and lecturing on music. He plays bass, is a music critic and has authored a number of books about musicians in addition to his novel and short-story writing.

For more information about the authors, please visit their biography page on the Le French Book website.

— ♦ —

Nightmare in Burgundy
Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen
A Benjamin Cooker, Winemaker Detective Mystery

The Winemaker Detective leaves his native Bordeaux to go to Burgundy for a dream wine tasting trip to France's other key wine-making region. Between Beaune, Dijon and Nuits-Saint-Georges, it turns into a troubling nightmare when he stumbles upon a mystery revolving around messages from another era.

What do they mean? What dark secrets from the deep past are haunting the Clos de Vougeot? Does blood need to be shed to sharpen people's memory?