Stage 15--The Curious Chain Incident

Well, well, well. Turns out surprise does lurk around every corner or perhaps at the top of each hill. On the day we anticipated a showdown between Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador, we had instead endless internet discussions about cycling etiquette. What is clear, is that while attempting a move today, Andy Schleck dropped his chain. Why is for those who know more about bikes to explain.
What happened next will be debating for a long time as Contador, Samuel Sanchez and Dennis Menchov then took off up the hill rather than waiting for Andy to fix his bike. By many accounts, this breaks quite a few unwritten cycling rules. While Contador claims, despite evidence to the contrary, that he did not see what happened, I have yet read any comments from Sanchez or Menchov. What is clear is that Schleck failed to catch back on and lost his yellow jersey. The fall out remains to be seen, though I probably owe an apology to my neighbors for the profanities I screamed at the tv this morning.

Stage winner: Thomas Voeckler
Yellow: Alberto Contador
Green: Petacchi

Wine: 2008 Clot de l’Oum Compagnie des Papillons

Jon Bonné says:Made by Eric and Leia Monné. . . from numerous organically grown parcels near Maury in France’s Roussillon region, it’s a mix of equal parts Carignane and Grenache from approximately 60-year-old vines, with a bit of Syrah added in. That mix would tend to make you think bright and fruity, but it’s a dark beast to behold, aged in older oak and delivering its wares at 12.7 percent alcohol, further testament to the wonders of old vines. The Carignane hits you on first sniff: Wilting lilies crushed by dark stones, with a delicate plum fruit and that tart cherry. But then it’s astonishingly light on its feet, leathery in moments and salty in others, all about the promise of deep fruit rather than the delivery.

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/jonbonne/2010/05/20/in-my-glass-clot-de-loum/

I say: Read what Jon has to say. He is a professional after all. I'm amused that on a stage I did not consult with him, I have ended up with a wine he wrote about. This one came from Jason at Solano Cellars, who provided me with most of my Tour wines. That said, deep in color, both fruit and flowers on the nose, lighter in taste than I would have expected (had I not read the paragraph above). Nicely balanced, with more acid than I would have anticipated, it paired nicely with the bacon in my BLT.