Off to the Loire Valley! Denyse and I are feverishly packing and are off to the Loire Valley today. We'll be back in a week after touring some of our old favorites and some of the new estates we've added over the past year. Unfortunately, we have a very short summer here in France and will not be able to see everyone. We had a fabulous meal the other day at La Table de Chaintré in the Mâconnais. Gérard et Josette Alonso have a fixed menu for the evening with delicious, fresh and innovative food and one of the greatest wine lists in France. We drank a 1987 Savignin from Overnoy which was made like a Vin Jaune but bottled only two years ago. This was one of the most delicious wines I've had in years. Next a 2000 Morgon from Marcel Lapierre which was all groseilles, animal, gamey, in evolution and complete. Last, a 2002 Longues Vignes from Domaine le Briseau which was bordering on refermentation but which was still intact, lively (if not over-lively) and steely Chenin throughout. A great mean and stategically located near Poil Rouge. Other highlights of our stay in the Mâconnais include suffering unbearable heat, watching Floyd Landis win the Tour de France, reading novels from obscure Albanian writers, suffering unbearable heat and receiving the latest issue of The Art of Eating. Ed Behr's coverage of the Jura is so intelligent, well-writen, observant and spot-on that it is almost embarassing. This journal continues to put out some of the best material on wine and food in the English language. Call me on my French cell phone if you want to stay in touch! See you soon! I am ha ving technical problems with my comments section and hopefully it will be fixed soon. My apologies to all you commentors.
Is it true that the lazy staff at LDM made Marc Ollivier put varietal designations on each of his wines to spare them answering queries from the trade? |