Jim Phelps would have been impressed, especially when there were several times that I thought the cat had been let out of the bag. As I walked up along side of her with two bags of wine, I knew that she wasn’t absorbing the scenario.  As Nick Charles was thinking about the wine, I had to watch Nora as she was still in a daze.  She first saw a coworker and friend for decades, and because she wasn’t supposed to be at the pool party, even the “surprise!!” was taking time to absorb.  Then right behind her, was Ms. Yoga who came in from North Carolina, and then The Wine Raconteur, Jr. and his family followed.  After that, the family members that she expected, along with family members that she didn’t expect to see that day.  It was wonderful to observe.

 The first bottle of wine that I opened evaporated, and the second one of the same almost did as well.  I do think that the wine helped her get over the shock and then she was working the “room” in all of her glory.  She didn’t even think of noshes or nibbling, but she was laughing and just totally letting loose, as she really didn’t expect this.  I then opened up Black Star Farms Arcturos Sur Lie Chardonnay Michigan 2020.  There is no explanation of where the fruit was harvested, and it could actually be from two of their own vineyards which are located in different AVA designations, but it is not stated.  This is a non-oaked style wine, which I presume to mean that it is Stainless Steel.  The wine had a beautiful soft-gold color with lush floral notes.  On the palate tones of citrus, apple and pear in a medium bodied wine with a short finish with a subtle mineral tinge.

Finally, she was back to herself, and relaxing.  Even though she retired, she had been quite intense with other affairs, so this was a great day for her.  The amazing thing and the common theme of all three of her parties was that there was a taco station at each one and I had brought Margaritas, as the host had a frozen drink maker, and on a summer day, for those that needed it, a Frozen Margarita could really hit the spot, especially if you weren’t using the pool.  While I was doing beef, I am sure that my Bride was doing chicken in her tacos, and we were both enjoying the Guacamole, and all of the other stuff.  I didn’t know the menu, so the wine I brought for the main course was over kill, but what the hell. We were enjoying Blason D’Issan Margaux 2015 from Chateau D’Issan, one of the Third Growths from the legendary Classification of the Medoc in 1855.  Blason is a French word for “coat of arms” and I guess that is a nice way for them to list their second label.  Chateau D’Issan is from the commune of Margaux and it is one of the districts that I totally enjoy, encountered the most and probably drank the most or it may be tied with Pauillac.  The Chateaux is rather legendary and has been recorded in history as the wine served in 1152 at the marriage between Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England. The best word in my mind to describe the great wines of Margaux is silky, I know it is a rather ethereal word, but it just seems like the perfect word when describing certain beverages.  The major difference between the first and second label, since all the fruit is from the same estate, is that the fruit harvest for Blason is from the younger vines, and since they started making this wine in 1995, as an alternative wine that is more fruit forward and drinkable much earlier.  One hears of some of the leading Margaux wines still being in their prime from the earliest years of the last century.  This wine is sixty percent Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance is Merlot.  The Blason is aged for fourteen to sixteen months in oak, of which a third is new, the blending and the aging is slightly different compared to the first label.  She fell in love with this wine from the first sip, so she made sure that we had a six-pack before we left that tasting.  The party was a success, and all the while as I drove home, Nora Charles was upset that she had missed some of the obvious blunders and some of the minor ones as well from people concerning this party.