The improbably named Storm Bert is set to sweep down from the North today. The weather forecast calls for blizzard conditions and occasional southeasterly gales which will be severe near coasts. This maybe a day for staying close to home.
On the radio this morning we learn that the childhood home of Matt Gaetz was where the movie The Truman Show was filmed. Both of us ponder this information in silence but are unsure what it means - although it surely means something profound. There then follows a segment on British v American roads. Potholes seem to figure prominently in the analysis :https://www.construction-physics.com/p/how-good-are-american-roads
Our highly touted restaurant experience in Edinburgh was so, so. 10/10 for service, 8/10 for ambience and 6/10 for the food. Angus started with duck liver pate but the Crostini were tooth shatteringly hard. Would I have even noticed this if I was younger ? The main courses were hearty and robust. These terms can be both a virtue ( when done well ) and a vice ( when not ), The lengthy and incoherent wine list hid an exceptional bottle of Margaux that seemed to have been priced as if a decade of inflation hadn't happened. This mispriced gem elevated the evening to the simply wonderful.
This weeks reading included this book on the Mueller Investigation which was well written and punchy although a little after the event.
I didn't want to read either of these two books but succumbed. They were perfect for taking on the train. How in heavens name did we allow these people to become Prime minister ?
Back in town the gloaming starts at around 3:30. An hour later it's dark. In the fading afternoon light the cathedral looks 'romantic' . The fibre optic cables that are being laid are progressing slowly. In fact that should read ' agonizingly' slowly. This might be due to the fact that where ever the builders dig they come across 15 centuries of human activity.
9 comments:
C'mon, Angus, you tease.... which resto?
Hari Om
I, too, would like the name - there are some decent (sounding) vego options there!!! Coming to you today from Froickheim, where I had already decided it was a day to stay put, the way The Grey was swinging and swaying in the 'breeze' first thing... YAM xx
Oh dear, these days pretentious menus make me laugh, I just can't take them seriously.
Truss, like May before her, was thrown to the lions. Neither should ever have been considered for Prime Minister, though as a female it pains me to say so. They were someone to catch the flack while the rest of the party squabbled and ducked!
"Gloaming" is a wonderful word.
Brigadoon...Heather on the Hil
There are many in the United States, including many Republicans, wondering, how did we let this happen?
Nice choice of wine,
Jean Marie Boyer - A Man Out of Time
Enter Jean Marie Boyer (think Jack Kerouac/Don Quixote and Robinson Crusoe all blended into one Frenchman) of the great and classic (indeed the most old school estate in all of Bordeaux) Bel Air Marquis di Aligre in Margaux. You may not have heard of this estate and it is an absurd thing that this estate is not more famous that it is. I've heard people in the know compare it to the estate August Clape in Cornas but after a visit some years back to Raymond Trollat, the legendary and retired St. Joseph producer I think the wines are more like Trollat's. No one in St. Joseph makes anything even remotely close to what Raymond Trollat was making. Nobody. That is the same way I feel about the wines of the Bel Air Marquis di Aligre. 2022 will be Jean-Pierre Boyer's 73rd vintage. Nothing has changed in 73 years. No critics taste the wines as he hates them and does not send samples. He is not classified because he was marginalized and did not want to do what was necessary. He does not care. He writes letters on a typewriter and hates smart phones and computers.
Margaux is floral and elegant and Jean-Pierre knows this and he does nothing to denature the wine. The assemblage takes place in the vines (yields are 20/30hl/ha and never more) and then they are kept in cement vats for a minimum of 2 years and likely more. More in bottle. He releases when he releases and it is on his own time. No futures. Many vintages are on sale at a time. Some are ready to drink some are not. It's also not what vintages you'd expect are ready and some are not. 1970 is still young. All Jean-Pierre's wines no matter what age need a minimum of 3-4 hours in a decanter he says. From my own experience the last sip is the best sip. Much like Martin Muellen or Christophe Walter's wines these wines defy time. Ageless wonders. The feminine side of Margaux is on full display here with amazing fruit clarity and wonderful floral aromas to contemplate for hours on end. Jean-Pierre is an artist to the highest degree and it is wonderful that he is keeping a tradition alive and sticking his nose up at it all. His wines are living history. The label says that in 1932 it was classified as "Grand Cru Exceptionnel" which shows this is not the 1855 classification but in a level of fame and prestige only reserved for this estate.
Thank you for this. The wine certainly made a chilly winters night in Edinburgh quite memorable and shows that if you read the wine list carefully enough there is usually a treasure to be found.
After a hectic day, your photo of the sun setting on the ancient cathedral brings a sense of calm. Just beautiful.
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