Tour de France: France Saves the U.S.A.!!!

Not all lessons in wine come in a bottle...  Featuring the wines from France during the the Tour de France seems reasonable and even natural, some might even say obvious.  But, featuring French wines on July 4th!?!  Well that seems almost un-American!  Or, at least that is what I thought.  Looking a little further into it I learned that there would be NO Independence Day if it was not for FRANCE...

French involvement proved decisive, with a French naval victory in the Chesapeake leading to the surrender of a British army at Yorktown in 1781. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 ended the war and recognized the sovereignty of the United States over the territory bounded by what is now Canada to the north, Florida to the south, and the Mississippi River to the west.
The war of American independence could be summed up as a civil war fought on foreign soil, as opposing forces comprised both nations' residents. That said, it is a war that America could not have survived without French assistance. 

http://www.revolutionarywar101.com/ 

Like so many things in our world and in history; there is more to the story than what we might commonly know.  The French and American relationship goes much deeper than french fries and fresh bread.  There is a complexity and dynamic here that can be felt and tasted in a glass of wine; a glass of French wine.  Cheers!
Come see me for some excellent selections today.

Tour de France: Chardonnay, Chablis, DOMAINE LONG-DEPAQUIT Burgundy, France, 2011

This is the wine that made the world fall in love with Chardonnay! Crystalline beauty with pale yellow color and light green highlights hint that this is not a California Chardonnay; this is CHABLIS!   Bursting with mineral precision counterbalanced by finesse this is lovely and exciting; more than a glass should contain. 

• SUPPLE
• Melon
• Pear
• Apples
• White Flowers
• Flint
• White Almonds
• Sea Shell

Maison Albert Bichot, a traditional négociant houses of Burgundy, has been reborn.  The date for this rebirth was 2004 when Bichot was named Winemaker of the Year by magazines in both England and France.  This has occurred under the leadership of Albéric Bichot, the sixth generation to run the business, and he has expanded all areas of the operation and increased the quality throughout. While the Bichot portfolio is wide one of its best estates is DomaineLong-Depaquit in Chablis.

Tour de France: Pinot Noir, Bourgogne, LOUIS CHEVALLIER, Burgundy, France, 2010

Does this name sound familiar to you; Louis Chevallier?  It might, to students of history.   Louis Chevallier was the Mayor of Puligny, in Burgundy, who went on to become a great diplomat for France.  He is most famous for his participation in the sale of Louisiana to the United States.  The wine house, created by the Chevallier family over 200 years ago, produces fine wines from the best terroirs of the region from regional appellations to Premier Crus and Grand Crus.  In this wine, The Bourgogne Rouge we find an honest and good Pinot Noir; that is genuine Burgundy. 

• SOPHISTICATED
• Sweet Plum
• Cinnamon
• Red Cherry
• Dry Cranberry
• Smoky Oak
• Earthiness

The winemaker, Bruno Larmonica, is very talented and has won many awards for his wines. His hometown is Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy, so his greatest ambition is to make wines that express the soul of the terroir of Burgundy.  He works very closely with a small family of growers monitoring every step from the vineyard  to the harvest. The grower partners work with sustainable agriculture and are required to maintain the specificity and traditions of each appellation.  This provides the best quality grapes and Bruno is able to manage the vinification process and all the way to bottling. This enables Louis Chevallier produce quality wines without leaving behind the tradition of Burgundy.

Tour de France: Grenache, SHATTER, Maury, Roussillon, France, 2010

Dave Phinney, of Orin Swift (Prisoner fame) and Joel Gott, of Joel Gott (fame) partnered to make this wine, Shatter, in the south of France.  With its ancient vines struggling on rocky, hillsides of schist, making for amazingly concentrated fruit, capable of creating darker wines than anything else in France, and the terroir, different from anywhere else in California or France. It was an extraordinary opportunity for them to work together.  

• RAMBUNCTIOUS
• Dark Fruits
• Ripe Cherry
• Spicy French Oak
• Soft and Thick
• Mature Tannins
• Long Finish

The wine’s name, Shatter, is for a phenomenon in which grape clusters fail to develop all their berries after flowering. While this condition—called coulure in French—it is usually considered a viticultural hazard, Gott and Phinney boldly embraced it as the name for their new project. As Phinney explains, “This area of the Roussillon is very prone to shatter.  It actually decreases yield and intensifies the wines.”

To read and see some great pictures about Shatter from the Tasting Panel Magazine click here.  

Tour de France: France Saves the U.S.A.!!!

Not all lessons in wine come in a bottle...  Featuring the wines from France during the the Tour de France seems reasonable and even natural, some might even say obvious.  But, featuring French wines on July 4th!?!  Well that seems almost un-American!  Or, at least that is what I thought.  Looking a little further into it I learned that there would be NO Independence Day if it was not for FRANCE...

French involvement proved decisive, with a French naval victory in the Chesapeake leading to the surrender of a British army at Yorktown in 1781. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 ended the war and recognized the sovereignty of the United States over the territory bounded by what is now Canada to the north, Florida to the south, and the Mississippi River to the west.
The war of American independence could be summed up as a civil war fought on foreign soil, as opposing forces comprised both nations' residents. That said, it is a war that America could not have survived without French assistance. 

http://www.revolutionarywar101.com/ 

Like so many things in our world and in history; there is more to the story than what we might commonly know.  The French and American relationship goes much deeper than french fries and fresh bread.  There is a complexity and dynamic here that can be felt and tasted in a glass of wine; a glass of French wine.  Cheers!

Tour de France: What is in a name; Francesca's?

WAY back in the summer of 1999 we sat around the Boardroom Table in the The Grille at the The Resort Course of The Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort.  The Resort was sparkling new, just opened, and our fine dinning restaurant had yet to open.  Around the table were Westin executives, the Matre 'd, servers and our consulting Chef Mark Miller.  Yes, THE Mark Miller of Coyote Cafe fame.  I was one of the servers.  The hot topic was how are we going to pronounce the name of our restaurant.

We all agreed that it sounded best as "Fran-CHESS-kas."  It is just how most of us said it.  Then Chef Miller gave us a lesson in European pronunciations; the "Fran-CHESS-kas" we were saying was Italian and we wanted to stay away from being an Italian restaurant.  Since we have more Spanish influence in our cuisine, culture, and region he maintained that we should use the Spanish pronunciation .."Fran-ses-kas."  From there on we agreed, the Spanish pronunciation was the way to go.

Nowhere in all our discussion do I remember us talking about what the name meant. We all got that it was a girl's name, which is obvious, the legend that our name is honoring was the prettiest lady in the county who stole the heart of a young man that was destined to become a priest.

What I did not catch is that it was acknowledgment of France or French heritage which was itself a reference to freedom or "free one!"  

Many will agree that this French Spirit of freedom is vibrantly on display in the feats of the month long race that tours the country, called the Tour de France.

AND it can be tasted in the wines made from their land!  Which is why our wine list is featuring French wines during July.  Check out this wine list here.

Featured Red Wine:

• Grenache, SHATTER, Maury, Roussillon, France, 2010
• Pinot Noir, Bourgogne, LOUIS CHEVALLIER, Burgundy, France, 2010
• Merlot / Cabernet Blend, Graves, CHÂTEAU CABANNIEUX, Bordeaux, France, 2009
• Merlot/Cab. Sauvignon, CHASSE, Bordeaux, France, 2008

Featured White Wine:

• Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre, JEAN REVERDY "La Reine Blanche" Loire, France, 2011
• Chardonnay, Chablis, DOMAINE LONG-DEPAQUIT Burgundy, France, 2011
• Viognier,  CINQUANTE-CINQ, Vin de Pays d'Oc, Languedoc, France, 2012
• Melon de Bourgogne, Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine, Sur Lie, DOMAINES VINET, "DOMAINE ST. MARTIN" Loire, France, 2011