Yesterday, Jean received word that her elderly mother had died peacefully in her sleep. The family had known for weeks that the end was near, but still the news was sad.
To toast her life, I cooked a dinner of broiled d'Artganan vension chops with roasted potatoes and sauteed baby bok choy. As accompaniment, I opened a bottle of 2009 Gonon St. Joseph (regular issue, not the VV unicorn bottling). From the start, it leapt from the glass in an intoxicating mix of boysenberry fruit, green olives and leather. Medium bodied in weight, it was framed by vivid acidity and was an excellent accompaniment to the venison. We toasted Jean's mother's memory and that of her father, a man who loved food and wine (and beer) who had died during the pandemic. By the end of the meal, the wine's acidity had begun to take the foreground, but even hours later the bottle had a bouquet that would put most wines to shame.
Mark Lipton