France, Day 1

Travel days are really tough! But we soldiered through. Helped by a 1976 Châteauneuf Du Pape that Uncle Paulo had tucked away. Aroma of raisins, smoke, leather, loamy, earthy. Tasted nice – was definitely past it prime. The cork had dropped into the bottle and the wine was a good 3″ down in the bottle, but it was still quite nice. Raisins, stone fruit, leather, and a nice earthy aftertaste. Had it with some nice cheeses – Sainte Maure, a nice goat cheese from Touraine, an ok Pont l’Eveque (washed rind cow’s cheese from Normandy), and a Pyrenees cheese I hadn’t run into before called Tomme Noir. It’s a cow’s milk cheese from the St Girons area. Semi-soft, kind of a nutty flavor. Went well with the wine.

Tomorrow we’re going to the La Foire de Paris 2009, which Uncle Paulo says is a huge exposition of, well, here’s the website: http://www.foiredeparis.fr – we’re going for the wine and cheese exhibition and tasting! More on this one tomorrow!