If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side
of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and
you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your
neutrality. -Desmond Tutu, clergyman (b. 7 Oct
1931)
Lady Dar was up at just after 7:40 am so I stole upstairs for a teabag for her and some zuccaro for me as I planned to make a mug of java using some high octane, lunar landing, freeze-dried Nescafé for myself, and didn't want to wake our hosts. Last night we planned to take a day trip to Crozes Hermitage to do some wine tasting and have lunch there.
Flamin' and Sarge, Lady Dar and Rosemarie had visited, back in 2010, but I didn't join them, staying at the house with Andre, he to work around the garden, me to go bike riding. They quite enjoyed themselves so I'm looking forward to exploring a bit of this region.
After a leisurely breakfast we readied ourselves and left the house around 10:30 am. Stopped first, in town, so that A/R could make an appointment with their lawyer and then we were headed north-west. For some reason I assumed we would be driving south. Anyway, it was most a interesting ride, on secondary roads, and as we approached Tain-l'Hermitage we could enjoy the vineyards covering the reasonably steep hillsides near the town and across the Rhone.
When we entered the village and parked near the wall running along the river bank I realized that we had actually been here before. The two bridges which cross the Rhone, [the older one is now for pedestrians and cyclists only], tickled my memory and I think we even parked in front of the the restaurant where we the six of us had eaten lunch that day.
Anyway, we strolled part way across the walking bridge and then turned around, mid-span, to wander the streets. Quite quiet, being a Monday, and many places, both restaurants and other businesses, were closed. After about fifteen minutes we stumbled upon Maison M. Chapoutier. I had never been here before, of that I'm pretty sure, but Rosemary thought otherwise.
What I do remember, from the trip in 2010, was that one of the wineries we visited then had its tasting room next to the production facility and it was on a hillside, definitely not in town. [I was confused about the day trip they took later in the week, in 2010, when I believe they visited Gigondas, about an hour south of Chabeuill.]
At any rate we had a simply wonderful tasting, of five of their higher-end, though not astronomically priced offerings. Of the two whites I preferred the 2017 Invitare, (Viognier, €34), but The Sisterhood liked Les Granilites, (Marsanne and two other varietals, €28).
We liked all the reds, all Syrah, (Les Granilite, €22; Les Arènes, €28 and Monier de la Sizeranne, €54), and then lovely young woman pouring brought out a special treat. There had been a private tasting the day before and since there was an open bottle left we each had drop of 2011 Le Pavillon, €531! While none of us have had such an expensive wine before, I think we all preferred the Sizeranne as Le Pavillon probably needed another ten years or so, according to our host. Looking around the shop I discovered two reds from their other operations, a 2014 Ribero del Douro, Crianza, 16%, from Spain, and a 2015 Tournon, [Grenache, Shiraz, Touriga], a mere 15%, from the Pyrenees, in Victoria, Australia!
These are some of our favourite regions in these countries so absolutely delighted to find such block-busters at such incredibly low prices, both around €10 or €12 apiece. Also bought a cheaper white than ones we tasted but am hoping this expression of Viognier will be tasty as well. Really looking forward to trying them all!
Decided to head home for lunch so did just that, stopping off at Lidl and Casino for a few groceries before we returned to Chateau Chabeuill. Another tasty lunch of overlefts plus three superb cheeses. While looking at wine in Lidl, while Andre found what he needed, I picked up a 2016 Saint-Emillion Grand Cru, 14% for what I though was €3 but misread shelf sticker so it cost all of €9! Hard, if not impossible, to buy any decent red, in Canada, for $15 so was pleased with my mistake. After lunch I did a load of laundry and while it was sloshing around I packed the large bag I'd left last year. Plan to check it when we fly home and it will be easier to move around getting to and in Paris, as it is on wheels.
By the time I'd packed all that I could and hung up the laundry to dry on the lines on their back deck I was able to digitate for a couple of hours, filling in the gaps for the last few days. Then a quick shower before dinner at 8:00 pm when Andre served chicken breasts with rice and an incredible mushroom sauce! The Sisterhood started with the Viognier from Chapoutier and it was more than quaffable. I opened the Douro and was on Cloud Nine as it was a jammy and fruit forward as any Zin from California that we favoured so much when we first started tasting there. The Victoria blend was also delectable but not as impressive as the Spanish red. Didn't have the fruit or the rounded flavours of the Crianza but we somehow managed to polish it off before we enjoyed a remarkable torte for dessert, conjured out of gluten-free flour for Lady Dar, made with molasses and corn syrup, with a dollop of sour cream atop.
By this time it was close to 10:00 pm so we decided we'd have a relatively early night, given train trip to Paris next morning, so thanked our ever generous hosts for the wonderful day and lovely meal and headed to the gite to ready ourselves for bed. I packed a few more things while listening to Jazz Club with Walter Love from Northern Ireland on BBC and then headed to bed to read a few pages before turning off my bedside lamp. Lady Dar was already fast asleep so I had to be quite careful not to make a sound and wake her, risking her wrath although she never, ever worries about how her reading light keeps me awake should the situation be reversed! Domestsic Bliss, indeed, Dear Reader!
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