Some people already think I am strange, and I probably am, but when I read the paper, periodical or social media and see someplace interesting, I file it away under a category that I call “Ideas.”  Now the term “flyleaf” might sound odd, but when I was at Woodrow Wilson Junior High School in Detroit, they had electives, and one of the courses I took was Graphic Arts, where you learned how to print using loose lead and wooden type, similar to what Gutenberg created; we  also learned how to make a book, using saddle stitching, attaching a hardbound cover and using endpapers and flyleaf pages.  A flyleaf is that blank page (leaf) at the beginning of a book.  It is also the name of a unique establishment that was listed in my “Idea” category.

Flyleaf is an independent bookshop, bistro and bar in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.  A three story structure that one can get noshes, coffee, wine, drinks and curl up with a good book near a fireplace.  Besides a well-curated collection of books, they also had several magnificent books that would make any bibliophile salivate, as they were the epitome of coffee-table books, with wooden clam-shell cases, that only the staff would take off of the shelf for you to admire, and they used white cotton gloves.  The books probably weighed about thirty pounds each, with the finest construction that I have ever saw, and I figured that I was going to forfeit my dictionary floor stand in the library for “Vatican A Private Visit to a Secret World” and she really thought hard and deep about it. At the moment she declined, but I am sure that we will be back there again.  She settled on a tray of spicy Deviled Eggs and a glass of Domaine Pichot Vouvray 2023.  Domaine Pichot has been rooted in the clay-limestone and clay-flint soils of the Loire since 1770.  In 1996, the Domaine put all of their acquisitions and united all the properties.  In 2020, they transitioned to organic and biodynamic agricultural technology.  The Chenin Blanc fruit for this wine came from a ten-hectare vineyard, with vines from twenty-five to sixty years of age.  The fruit was manually and mechanically harvested, pneumatically pressed, and cold settled for forty-eight hours.  The wine was aged for two months, eighty percent in Stainless Steel tanks, and twenty percent in large wooden vats.  A soft golden-yellow wine that offered notes of green apples, pear, melon, citrus and white florals.  On the palate this Semi-Dry wine displayed tones of white and green fruit, with a medium-count finish of fruit and a firm mineral terroir.

The shop was closing early that day, as it was hosting a party, and it was suggested that we go up to the third floor, as it was open and being set up for the party.  There was a full second bar and another fireplace on the patio of the roof.  My Bride kept saying that we have to go there again.  As I nibbled on one of the Deviled Eggs that she ordered, I enjoyed a glass of Joseph Mellot Quincy Les Rouesses 2023. Joseph Mellot is the only winery that owns vines and produces wines from the seven main appellations of the Central Loire region.  The estate was founded in 1513, and Cesar Mellot was King Louis XIV’s counsellor for his wine selection in 1698.  In 1969 Edmond and Joseph Mellot separated and Joseph Mellot takes over the winery and renames it.  The history of the vineyard Quincacius dates back the end of the First Century, and the vines from Quincy are some of the oldest in the region, and that is one of the reasons that Quincy was the first AOC of the Central Loire Region. The terroir of the region allows for quick draining under the topsoil of gravel and sand.  Sauvignon Blanc is the varietal of the region.  This pale yellow wine offered notes of white fruits, citron and lime and florals.  The medium-bodied wine displayed crisp tones of green apples, pears and lime zest, well-balanced and ending with a nice medium-count finish of fruit and minerals.