After taking 15 minutes to paste in the wine name
here, I’m actually getting down to business.

My first few sips leave me perplexed.

Oooooooh! A blended SB…

http://www.weygandtmetzler.com/domaine-lepicourchois/

From Loire/Cheverny.

Was I already drooling when we put this one in the basket?

I picked this this one today to have with asparagus and put a
splash of wine in the skillet to provide the steam since
the asparagus was not fresh out of the bath.

This is REALLY heaven.

Not trusting my ASSUMPTION that the Menu Pineau was the
wonderful SOFTENER in this wine, I consulted the big WINE
book.

Bingo.

Although I love the classic Bordeau blend, this blend softens
the SB without the “oiliness”.

I’m not saying oiliness is bad or that I don’t like it, it’s just
this wine is DIFFERENT and FREAKING good.

One memorable meal was at “40 Sardines” (Michael/Debbie)
when I noticed they had a straight Semillion on the wine menu.

I remember the wine.

Interestingly, in the period two days or so, a yearning for
Loire wine descended upon me and I didn’t even know that I
has this wine in the cooler.

Serendipity happens.

I’m having a hard time describing the wine. The color can
lead you away, if not totally astray.

I’m reminded of sweet old hay.

Maybe slightly mulled hard apple cider.

Imagine yourself in October, sitting on a spring-cut hay
bale, watching apples being pressed, while sipping on last
year’s hard cider stirred with a cinnamon swizzle.

The more I snort this one, the more I smell the hay.
Amazing.

Say goodnight Dick. Arbois.

I will have sweet dreams tonight since I can do this again
tomorrow.

We will soon have asparagus coming out of every unobstructed
orifice.

Post Script:

I blew IDing the grapes in this one. Here are Zach’s notes…

…the L’Epicourchois is Cour Cheverny, not just Cheverny, so it isn’t the blend, it is a much rarer straight Romorantin grape. And not just a paltry 60-year-old vine selection, but up to 110-year-old vines!

Cour Cheverny is the older location within the Appellation that is the last bastion of the almost extinct Romorantin grapevine, which is a sister of Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Aligote and about 20 other grapevines. Its parents are an ancient mutation of Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc…