What a great way to celebrate our 29th Wedding Anniversary and Lana Jutzy’s, the wife of Robin’s favorite Doctor, 29th Birthday, again. And this all happened on Bastille Day! Thanks to Le Cafe de Paris in Boise for letting us totally celebrate in the Cafe. Thanks to Marnie, Mac, Patrick, Barbara, Dr Jutzy and Lana for participating in these celebrations with us. It was great. Just look at these photos and the wines we had from our cellar. Cheers!

And then there was the wine. Even the chardonnay from 1987 was fantastic! See, with care, one can “lay down” a chardonnay for a period of time, twenty five years in this case, and the wine still be awesome. But then, one must start with a good product. And as a note, the oldest chardonnay that we have had and it was still good, was a 1975 Swan Vineyards Chardonnay. My benchmark for chardonnay. But here is what we had tonight. Enjoy.

1990 Domaine de la Fontainerie Loire Chenin Blanc – Vouvray auction price $45
The vineyard management here is minimalist, in that the pruning is extremely short, and the treatments only when absolutely necessary. The goal here is to create wines which express the remarkable relationship that the chenin blanc has with the terroir of Vouvray. This can only be achieved with small concentrated crops of healthy fruit. Catherine Dhoye-Deruet is one of the producers leading the way back towards the production of true dry Vouvray. These were becoming lost as the market moved to more mass produced,

demi-sec wines made from chaptalised grape must. The demi-sec and moëlleux wines are only produced in exceptional vintages and are never chaptalised. Richly perfumed nose of honey, apricot, orange blossom, and a hint of rubber eraser. This impression carries through to the palate, which shows vigorous, bracing acidity, setting you up for a long, mouthwatering finish. The sweetness and sourness are impeccably balanced.
2004 Muscadet “Pierre de la Grange” ($35 auction price – 52 Euros) usually served with seafood, oysters or other shellfish. Pierre et Monique Luneau-Papin head this 50-hectare estate in Le Landreau, in the heart of Muscadet country, where small hamlets dot a landscape of vineyards on low hills. Their estate, also known as Domaine Pierre de la Grange, has been in existence since the early 18th century when it was already planted with Melon de Bourgogne, the Muscadet varietal. Pierre and Monique are the eighth generation of winemakers in the family. Delicious salty, fresh and citric, it is a great aperitif and a wonderful match for langoustines and all types of shellfish as well as sea and river fish and fresh goasts cheese.

Robin’s second favorite Burgundian style Chardonnay – Pinot Blanc is also amazing. #1 Swan 1975, #2 Chalone #3 Hanzell #4 Ravenswood Sangiacomo Chardonnay #5 Idaho … Kirby and Cheryl Vickers VY – Snake River AVA
1987 Chalone Chardonnay ~$35  – was founded by Richard Graff, whose career was determined by a fateful discovery in 1964. At the time, Graff, a Harvard graduate with a degree in music, was reacquainting himself with civilian life, having finished a stint with the U.S. Navy. He took a trip to Windsor Vineyard in Sonoma County, where he tasted the 1960 vintage of a Chalone Vineyard Pinot Blanc. The wine made a strong impression on the 27-year-old Graff, who had previously taken a wine appreciation class and was just beginning to develop a lifelong passion for wine. Few others, experts and novices alike, could have shared in Graff’s high appraisal of the 1960 Chalone Vineyard Pinot Blanc. Graff had tasted the first vintage adorned with the Chalone Vineyard label, and, as he would later discover, perhaps the last wine bearing the Chalone Vineyard label.

Despite the infancy of the Chalone Vineyard label, the Chalone Vineyard itself was the oldest commercial vineyard in Monterey County. The vineyard, located in a remote location near the town of Soledad, took its name from Chalone Peak, so named by the native Ohlone tribe who once occupied part of the land. The first ten acres of grapevine had been planted in 1919 by a French vintner named Curtis Tamm, but the first wine bearing the Chalone Vineyard label was not produced until 1960.

Domaine du Petit Paris which extends over 24 hectares of hillside north of Monbazillac, has been in the same family since 1892.
Patrick and Bénédicte GENESTE manage both the production and sale of their wine and export 80% of their bottles to Europe.

We are lucky to get any … 20% to places out of Europe.

This 1995 is auction valued at $65. The regions of Sauternes and Barsac are better known for botrytis dessert wines than Bergerac. Quality and tradition are the guiding principles of the Domaine du Petit Paris.