They're dropping like flies.
The spies in France tell me that Guy Bossard, one of the great masters of Muscadet has put his domaine up for sale.
Guy sat at the head of the communal table, eating oysters and drinking muscadeet at La Dive 2007.
Hearing the news reminded me of this story, two years ago, when I traveled to Le Havre for the Dive.
+++++
Because Le Havre is shuttered on Sunday night, we settled on dinner next door, the one with the sepia signage of a bubbie-like-creature ostensibly the restaurant's inspiration. Though we all knew it to be false advertising, our only other choice was Doner Kebab, which might have been the better option. As it turned out the carrots were sawdust, the beets were filmy, the marinated mackeral was a terrifying mistake, the fries were limp and it was a blessing that Dressner didn't go for the tartare.
The wine situation was just as dicey. We pointed to a Loire pinot gris rosé from Reuilly hoping it would be the safest wine on the list. Dressner bowed to the pressure to taste it. He made a face as if the pink stuff was liquid tetracycline. Shawn and I, desperate to drink suspended our ethics and palate and just deal with it. Just then, with glass to lip, one of the Muscadet Gods, Guy Bossard walked into the restaurant. Dapper in his fly fisherman’s vest, he came over to our table to say hello, picked the bottle out of the ice bucked and raised an eyebrow in disbelief which surely said, "Such crap on your table?"
When he sat down to have his way way with the menu and wine list he didn’t do much better. Neither one of our parties polished off the bottle. But then Shawn and I made saved the night with some Calvados, 8-year old Roger Groult. +++++
Sometimes you do what you have to do.
Bossard was one of the earliest committed to sane growing in the Nantes. The estate became organic in 1975, and biodynamic in 1986. The wines are long-lived (like nearly all great Muscadet) steely, austere complex. And the fact that he has had enough, and wants to spend the stretch of decades in front of him fishing, makes me sad. But, winemaking is a very physical and taxing life. Who can blame him
I am just hoping one of the other gods of muscadet will take over the property.
Meanwhile, maybe SFJoe might consider a Loire purchase?
Guy sat at the head of the communal table, eating oysters and drinking muscadeet at La Dive 2007.
Hearing the news reminded me of this story, two years ago, when I traveled to Le Havre for the Dive.
+++++
Because Le Havre is shuttered on Sunday night, we settled on dinner next door, the one with the sepia signage of a bubbie-like-creature ostensibly the restaurant's inspiration. Though we all knew it to be false advertising, our only other choice was Doner Kebab, which might have been the better option. As it turned out the carrots were sawdust, the beets were filmy, the marinated mackeral was a terrifying mistake, the fries were limp and it was a blessing that Dressner didn't go for the tartare.
The wine situation was just as dicey. We pointed to a Loire pinot gris rosé from Reuilly hoping it would be the safest wine on the list. Dressner bowed to the pressure to taste it. He made a face as if the pink stuff was liquid tetracycline. Shawn and I, desperate to drink suspended our ethics and palate and just deal with it. Just then, with glass to lip, one of the Muscadet Gods, Guy Bossard walked into the restaurant. Dapper in his fly fisherman’s vest, he came over to our table to say hello, picked the bottle out of the ice bucked and raised an eyebrow in disbelief which surely said, "Such crap on your table?"
When he sat down to have his way way with the menu and wine list he didn’t do much better. Neither one of our parties polished off the bottle. But then Shawn and I made saved the night with some Calvados, 8-year old Roger Groult. +++++
Sometimes you do what you have to do.
Bossard was one of the earliest committed to sane growing in the Nantes. The estate became organic in 1975, and biodynamic in 1986. The wines are long-lived (like nearly all great Muscadet) steely, austere complex. And the fact that he has had enough, and wants to spend the stretch of decades in front of him fishing, makes me sad. But, winemaking is a very physical and taxing life. Who can blame him
I am just hoping one of the other gods of muscadet will take over the property.
Meanwhile, maybe SFJoe might consider a Loire purchase?
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