Bordeaux Wines

While I was cavorting around the French coutryside I managed to visit with a few vintners.  I was happy to know the best years for Bordeaux wines and I thought you might be happy to have that information, too.  So, the best year for these wines in the past 20 years was 2000, hands down.  The years of 2003 and 2005 were pretty good, too.  The other years were o.k., except for the years of 2002, 2004 and 2007, which were definately not good years.  In summary, it's good to buy 2000, 2003 and 2005 but be wary of any other year.  I hope that this adds to your wine knowledge.  Malama pono.

Grand Barrail, Saint Emilion, France

Upon departing the Spartan life of the spiritually enriching Plum Village, I arrived at the exact opposite end of life's spectrum, the sensually enriching Grand Barrail. The opulence of this wonderful place was in such stark contrast to Le Village du Pruniers that my smiling countenance actually increased. Nirvana has many dimensions.

The staff was so gracious, a warm, smiling graciousness. The spa was so inviting. The restaurant was so delicious. For me, a simple farmer with a life firmly entrenched in the middle of these two extremes, I deeply enjoyed each experience for itself and look forward to a return to each.

I'm sending this to encourage you, should you find that travel brings you to southwestern France, to experience this tremendous place, the Grand Barrail Hotel and Spa.

It's Monday, this must be Spain.

I arose very early, beginning my voyage in the dark. My long drive skirted Bordeaux, headed across a plain full of tree farms, and into the Pyrennes. As I drive I'm focussed on the road because it is a very rainy, very windy day. Entering the small mountains I realize that I do not understand the road signs. They're no longer in French, but Spanish. Sure, I realized it would happen but the sudden realization of how ignorant I was became sobering. I don't speak nor understand Spanish. Encore, c'est la vie.

My destination is San Sebastian, Spain, which is rumored to be a culinary hot spot. I'm scouting a possible future eating destination. I've become a bit overdosed on French food. Being very poorly prepared for this last minute adventure, arrival in San Sebastian finds me with no map and in a pretty busy small city dissected by a river. What is where? Wandering around into wrong turn after wrong turn, I finally locate a hotel. After a few more erroneous turns, I find my way to the front of the hotel. Inside they are kind enough to speak English and to give me a map of the city. They point me in the correct direction (the old city with many restaurants) and I'm off.

Driving about, looking for a place to park, I see the majority of the old city and the commercial district. Finally, I find a parking spot. One thing I did accomplish prior to my beginning this trip, I amassed a list of five very good restaurants in the area of San Sebastian. So, I began wandering about the core city looking for just one of these fine eating places. I had no luck. So, I began watching what the people were doing for food (by now it was lunch time-1p here). What I noticed was that every bar had its counter filled with plates of food with people standing around, talking, eating, drinking. It looked like a good idea.

It situated myself outside a small bar that was full of very chatty folks who looked so happy, despite the bad weather. I watched for awhile to see how things worked. It was a bit difficult to determine. Everyone seemed to be going in every direction. What were they doing? Finally, two people left and I moved into their place. I ordered a beer and asked the bartender if he spoke English. He did not. I motioned at the food and he gave me a plate. I moved along the bar, trying to determine what was what. These were what they call Pintxos (sp?) and we call Pupus in Hawaii.

I selected from the dishes which had the fewest pieces remaining, assuming that the diners who knew what they were eating liked those the best. I, in general, didn't have a clue what I was eating but each tasted really good. One portion had salmon, another had peppers with anchovies, the next had fish of some sort with olives, a sausage came next, then another and another. Suddenly, everyone left. I was the only person there and my beer was gone. Interesting. I went to the cash register. They asked my something in Spanish. I assumed they wanted to know how much I had eaten. I held up fingers. They punched the keys on the cash register. I paid and moved on. Thankfully, the food was good and I was full. I walked around the old city for another hour or so, looking for one of my recommended restaurants. Again, no luck and I wasn't really attracted to any of the places. So, back to the car and back on the road.

I may not have found what I came in search of but this is a place to which I will definitely return. It's full of happy people and I'm interested in discovering this cuisine which is new to me. Maybe next spring when I return to Plum Village. Maybe I should learn some Spanish. Now, it's time to prepare for my trip home.

Lazy Sunday

It's Sunday and I'm very weary of traveling so, a day off is in order. After a light breakfast I head for a steam and a bit of conversation with a nice French couple. A late lunch followed by another spa treatment from Celine, a beautiful Cambodian girl, and this day is over.
Regarding Celine, after our first session I openly professed my love for her and asked that she come home with me. I have never been so relaxed. She flashed a big smile and I scheduled another session. What's an old man to do?
Jump ahead and I've just finished my session. Not to belabor this spa treatment business, but, I would just tell you that, as I retire to my room from my last time with her, I say to Celine, "I hope that you have someone in your life who gives you as much pleasure as you have given me." (it sounded great in French).
Tomorrow I'm going to have a new adventure. How will it go? Qui vivra verra!

L'Envers, the dessert

It's the middle of the night here but I just couldn't get this off my mind. I did not do my dessert at this restaurant justice. To remind you, the dessert was an encrusted chocolate mousse placed in a pool of dark chocolate and accompanied by a large scoop of mint ice cream. The mousse portion was shaped like and about twice as large as a hockey puck.

What I would do was dip my spoon into the hockey puck and then slide it across the chocolate pond. I would allow each bite to slowly dissolve in my mouth before chasing it with a bit of mint ice cream. After each bite I would place my cleanly licked spoon next to my plate. I'd look down, staring at what remained. Over and over, ever so deliberately, I went through this same process until the plate was nearly licked clean. Yes, I really enjoyed this dessert.

Sorry, but, I had to share that...I couldn't sleep for remembering the entire experience.

L'Envers du Decor au Saint Emilion

I asked the concierge for the recommendation of a local restaurant and this was his choice. I'd been eating in too many "fancy" places. It was time to get some local flavor. While it was in the center of one of the biggest tourist places in southwestern France, it was definitely a place where the locals ate. There were a few tourists but there were mostly families and young couples out for the evening. The ambiance was quaint and rustic, the service was like being at a local bar but everyone was friendly and the food was good.

I selected a 2005 Chateau Cadet Bon Grand Cru of Saint Emilion, which was quite dry but excellent with my food. My first course was Escargot (Cagouille) a la Bordelaise, which was nicely presented by the guy in the tee shirt. The snails were lightly fried and very nicely seasoned. The greens were fresh, as were the tomatoes. The snails were wrapped in a very light and buttery crust. The taste combination in each bite was a fine compliment to the wine.

Second course was a Magret de Canard aux Cerise Noires. This was truly family fare. The quite large duck breast was prepared in black cherry sauce and was very tasty. The accompanying fried potatoes with carrots and squash were a bit over cooked, you might say mushy. Overall, not a bad course but too much food.

Next came three excellent cheeses. There was a firm and quite strong sheep cheese, a soft and very tasty Brie-type cheese, and an aged goat cheese which was too good. They formed an excellent pairing as I moved from cheese to cheese, sipping wine between small tastes.

Lastly, the Chocolatherapie. It took awhile to come because the restaurant had become quite busy, but it was worth the wait. There was an encrusted disk of light chocolate mousse surrounded by a pool of dark chocolate. Next to the dark brown pool was a large scoop of delicious mint ice cream. Maybe it wasn't as dramatic as the chocolate sphere in Amboise but it was certainly an excellent way to end the evening.

Well, I've been on a culinary roller coaster. I might need a day to recover. We'll see.

La Restaurant at Hotel Grand Barrail

To begin, the place is spectacular. Situated amidst acres, no, hectares of vineyards, this former grand chateau has had a welcoming area and a spa added to create a total satisfaction destination. So, walk through the reception area, up a marble staircase and into a dining salon encased in ornate stained glass.

Taking a seat in the waiting area, I have my usual Campari and soda, watching the others arriving for dinner. After I've finished my drink, I'm escorted into the salon and seated at a corner table for one. It's an excellent spot to dine and watch. I make my selections, in French no less, and select a wine. The wine for tonight will be a 1998 Chateau Villemaurine, a Saint Emilion Grand Cru.

Now, Chef Romain Gondras takes charge. The starter is a quite delicious salmon set in a purée of tomato and onion. The first course is a Crevettes Tigrees, bouillon de tetes, avec Ravioles de Boeuf Croustillantes. The shrimp are excellent, the raviolis are rich and crispy, and the bouillon was so good that I wanted to lick the bowl.

Next we'll have a Carre de Cochon Basque, Poitrine Braisse, et une Puree de Lentilles Roses. This course was not quite as good as I would've hoped. The lentil purée was outstanding and the Poitrine was deliciously rich, but the pork, fixed in Basque style, was just o.k. C'est la vie.

The cheese course brought the meal back famously. Le Classique "Ossau-Fraty" et sa Confiture de Cerises Noires produced a perfect combination of tastes. The sweet black cherry jam combined with the firm, stout sheep's cheese made each taste a treat.

Lastly, how could I not have the soufflé? Now we'll be moving from wine to Armagnac. It was a Souffle au Patxaran, which is created by combining Les Prunelle (baby prunes) with Alcool d'Asise. It was so soft and so sweet. The Armagnac tasted perfect with the soufflé.

It's now time for a coffee and an opportunity to sit back and reflect on the evening. Well, the service was excellent and the viewing was entertaining. Across the room was a Chinese couple who spoke no French. Watching them order and select a wine was bordering on funny. A little further over were six young American who had a dynamic going on that's hard to describe. They were there for a wedding. They were interesting to watch because it was obvious that they didn't know each other well and didn't like each other very much. Watching them select wine, the cost of which they'd share, produced an interesting group struggle. Also, there were three separate young French couples who were obviously uncomfortable with the restaurant prices. It seemed that they were each trying, after perusing the menu, to get out of this place without spending next month's grocery money. All in all, an excellent group to entertain me between courses. Of course, my characterization are all speculative but it's fun to play that game very quietly. So, I sat, listened to the light jazz, watched a bit longer, then wandered up to my room. The dinner wasn't great but I had a fine time.