TDF Stage 2

I interrupt my writing on my German trip (really, coming soon!) for today's Tour de France update. 
Today, my beloved team tine trial. I have found that people either love the TTT or hate it. Unlike most stages, it is clear, even to an inexperienced viewer, that it is all about the team. The entire team starts out together and in most cases riders are shed gradually. The time is given after the fifth rider crosses the finish line. It is a discipline that favors, obviously, the strongest teams. However, it can hurt strong riders on less talented teams.
Today's stage went almost as one would have predicted. The expected teams Garmin and Sky were joined in the top 5 by BMC, HTC and in an amazing performance by Fabian Cancellara, Leopard Trek. These top 5 teams were separated by all of 5 seconds. This is the first stage win by Garmin in the tour. I'm not a Garmin fan, although I like some of their riders quite a bit. As a friend said when transfers were announced last year, "So, Amy, will you still cheer for Thor?" It turns out that yes, I will also cheer for Dave Zabriskie and Christian Van de Velde. So I say with great delight that the yellow jersey now belongs to Thor Hushovd. 


Stage: Garmin
Yellow: Thor!!!!






Wine: Well, as I have said off-line, this is really not a very wine friendly tour.  I expect riesling soon. So tonight:
Frantz Saumon, 2009 Un Saumon dans la Loire Gamay Moelleux: $13.89 from the fine folks at Selection Massale and Greg Borden at Cheese Plus. 


What is it like? Well, as Cory says: The 2009 Gamay Moelleux is a rather unique expression of that grape, being sweet instead of dry.  The fruit comes from the late Stéphane Cossais, another Montlouis producer who tragically passed last year at age 42.  Frantz decided that since the vintage was looking too ripe to make the style of Gamay he wanted and given the particular exposure of the vines he instead chose to harvest late and create a slightly sweet red, which Stéphane had done before with the same fruit when he felt it was the best way to vinify the wine.