“Springtime for Hitler and Germany”

With apologies to Mel Brooks, a movie, a play, and then another movie.  A farce based on the concept of staging a theatrical production on one of the worst parts of the history of mankind and the ugliness of when you give petty people places of prominence.  One could substitute perfectly the name of a governor that wishes to be a vice-president consideration by using hob-nail boots to keep the populace locked down and then substitute the proper state in place of a country.  I am rewriting this introduction, because last night after business hours this harridan who is trying to compete with other governors extended our lock down, as everyone in the state was counting the days for some additional breathing room.  Then she had the audacity to leave to her cottage which just so happens to be in the part of the state, where she had just loosened up, she also has allowed doctors and dentists to begin practicing their profession; as I am sure that her husband will be glad to get out of the house with her and start working, just like everyone else in the state would like to.  She also has kept a clamp on barbers and hair salons, but dog groomers are allowed to open, and I guess she needed to get a trim.  Felons are being let out of prison, but citizens are being threatened with jail time, if they try to help themselves   

I guess we have been very fortunate that no one that I know has gotten this cold virus that originated in Wuhan, China. I am also glad that we have had the good fortune to be able to pay our bills, eat and drink while we are in lock-down mode.  I do miss the restaurants, and to be frank, even after the governor claims victory over smiting and vanquishing the virus, we may be hesitant about venturing out, but that is our right to decide.  We started off one meal the other day after having a nice tossed salad, and had Center-cut Pork Chops with Potatoes and Onions and Corn on the Cob.  My Bride has really been trying to mix up the menus, so that we don’t get tired of any particular entrée, especially since we will be enjoying it again as left-overs on the next day or so. 

I have progressively been moving the whites from the cellar into a wine vault, so that we will make sure that the white wines are drank in a timelier manner.  I was able to make room and get a couple of bottles in the refrigerator.  I was really looking forward to trying this one white wine that I found, that I don’t remember buying or getting as a gift, so I am going to have to watch myself.  I opened up a bottle of Pierre Boniface Domaine les Rocailles Apremont Vin de Savoie 2004.  Savoie is a wine region all by itself and seldom seen here, especially in Michigan, the region is the eastern edge of France near Lake Geneva and bordering Switzerland.  The white cross on a red background is both the flag of Switzerland and Savoie.  Three quarters of the region is planted with white grapes, because of the unique soil and growing cycle, three grapes are most successful.  The Jacquere which is planted the most, the Altesse known locally as Roussette and Roussanne locally known as Bergeron. The Vin de Savoie AOC was created in 1973 and is the core value of the region and can be used for all types of wine produced.  The terroir of the region, and most of the vineyards are planted on steep, south facing slopes and the ground is basically limestone, which retains the heat of the sun for longer periods of warmth each day, as there is very little water retention in the soil, so the grape production is small, but the quality is up for the struggling vines. The village of Apremont is the most known of the region and is predominately planted with Jacquere.  Its name means Bitter Mountain and that is because there was a terrible landslide in the mid-13^th Century killing thousands and it wasn’t until the 18^th Century that the area was begun cultivating vineyards. The wines are known for being typically light and dry with floral, mineral characters.  Alas, this was the first wine since I began raiding the cellar that had not cellared.  It had a synthetic solid cork that was a bear to remove, but the wine had totally oxidized and it had neither a complimentary nose or taste and it was relegated to the sink for proper disposal and I was really looking forward to it.  I did have a backup in the refrigerator.  I opened up a Mission Trail Vineyards Friars’ Reserve Chardonnay Paraiso Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands 2008.  There was very little about this wine, when it was issued and the winery used the “Champagne” method of pressing the grapes to lessen the potential bitterness and aged in mixed types of French Oak barrels, both new and used for a creamy blend.  This wine had a very small production, as the 2015 only produced one-hundred-fifty cases.  What an awesome bottle of wine, for a twelve-year-old there was still floral notes, with a nice buttery, oaky taste that was very mellow with a finish that had some vanilla spice and terroir.  It was delightful, and my Bride threw caution to the wind, as she is counting points with the Weight Watcher regimen, an had a second glass, it was that notable.  There has to be some good news to offset the bad.