Happy Monday...

I'm not one for anniversaries...now hang on, Christine...hang on...not the kind we mean here in the states, per se, but more generally, like how in France you wish someone a happy day of popping outta' the womb by using the word anniversaire...the words associated with the yearly cycles of rebirth and remembrance...sometimes you celebrate those recurrences and sometimes they cause a more somber recollection. And I...I was never one for it. Not that I don't appreciate why it is important..it's just that my brain doesn't tend to work that way. My recollection of events is simply not calendar-based, that's all. Even the births of my children, as life-changing as those events were...I don't process them as days on a chart. For certain, glimpses of those special moments flit through my grey matter all the time and I relive them with...well...depends...usually profound joy. Usually. Depends if I've recently stepped on a Lego. But I simply don't think of upcoming boxes on a calendar as monuments.

There is, however, a different way the brain works, and indeed, how mine works. It is the tendency to look at the depth of time since a certain event. For example, on our recent trip to France, in particular our time in Avignon, where my mind kept stealing back to the days in which the massive city walls were built and how different (and similar) life is now. Tourists clambering up and down the ramparts, instead of armed guards with pikes or crossbows, for instance.

Now...cheekily I might segue into the bit where I mention that my parents will celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary this week, and that perhaps...just perhaps...crossbowmen paraded the city walls when they tied the knot. But that would be to admit that the progeny of that blessed union was born under the watch of the same guards, or perhaps their next-of-kin, and I shan't go there. I will, however...mention my Dad's near mutton-chops and large hair that he rocked in those days of yore. Talk about a forgettable phase of men's follicle styling.

We all have seen the passage of many days, and to trumpet that Eric and Betsy have survived eighteen thousand two hundred and fifty days as a married couple is tremendous, no matter how my brain works. Happy 50th Anniversary!



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Wine Of The Week
Jose Michel & Fils
Brut "Tradition" Champagne

"José Michel made his first vintage in 1955 and thanks in part to his cellar of very old bottles of Pinot Meunier, he developed a cult following for his Champagnes. José passed away in 2019 and this “Maison de Tradition” which began in 1847 is now, seven generations later, run by José and Nicole’s grandson, Antonin. Antonin is brilliantly refining the work that José accomplished over six decades and developing his own ideas. As he says, “José and I agreed on practically everything”.

The Champagne house is located in Moussy, a small village just south of Epernay. The 7 hectares of vineyards are spread throughout a number of villages, both in the Cotes D’Epernay and in the Vallée de la Marne. The vineyard sights with a richer clay soil are planted to Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The slopes which have a calcareous soil are planted to Chardonnay. José Michel was the first in his family to plant Chardonnay which he did beginning in 1958. Fermentations are carried out in old oak casks or enameled steel vats and the wines go through a malolactic fermentation. José Michel is certified “Level 3” the top level of certification in Haute Valeur Environmentale. The Michels are a founding member of the group, “Tresors de Champagne” known as the “Special Club."

The non-vintage Brut is a blend in which the 70% Pinot Meunier forms the base, and 30% Chardonnay adds complexity and finesse. In addition to the base vintage (typically 2 years old), the NV Brut benefits from being blended with 30% reserve wines that are often 4 or 5 years old including a 20+ year old “perpetual reserve."
- Ed & Barb, Wine Traditions, Importers

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Jose in 2014, tasting through his wines alongside his extraordinarily kind wife, Nicole (including some very old bottles that still sang sweetly) and then dining with Jose and several Maine wine luminaries at a private club that only can be described as "shi shi" on a James Bondian level. Helipads and gardens and old-school glamour. I have no recollection of what we ate, though I do recall it was delicious. I just remember thinking it all seemed right...a master of a famed region, refined luxury all around. And the wines...oh the wines.

Now...let's talk the here and now. I bought deep awhile ago on some bubbles, given all the craziness. I will be doing a pre-order soon on these same wines. I have no idea what they will cost, but you know how the economy has been going. All that said, I have not raised the price on the wines I bought before inflation hit, so this is perhaps a last chance to get some of the best bubbles in the world at a price under 50 bills. Grab some!
Jose Michel & Fils Brut "Tradition" Champagne
W.O.W. Price: $46.79
Bangor Wine And Cheese
86 Hammond Street,
Bangor, ME 04401
(207) 942 3338