Monday, July 8, 2019

Wine & Food of LeTour 2019 Stage 3: Binche > Épernay

Where are we? Leaving Belgium and heading to France. 
BincheMichelin tells me that: An impressive fortified town perched on a steep slope, Binche is famed mainly for its carnival and particularly for its fascinating Gilles characters. But the town has another passion: gastronomy. Doubles, crêpes filled with cheese, and Binchoise, ale and lager made by the brewery of the same name, are the local specialities.
LeTour Specialties: PROVINCE OF HAINAUT (Belgium) prune and beer rabbit, Escavèche of Virelles, doubles of Binche (cheese pancakes), pork guts, péket (aperitif)

 Épernay:Champagne!  Michelin tells me that:
Épernay's flower-decked streets, which form an extension of the parks of the production houses, come to life in particular during the Habits de Lumière with festivities and champagne. The surrounding area is very charming, with its old buildings that have witnessed much history and their renowned sites such as the Côte des Blancs vineyards (Moët et Chandon, Mercier etc). Their cellars are open to visitors: the basement houses millions of bottles in 100km of galleries hewn out of the limestone!

Le Tour Specialties:  MARNE DEPARTMENT (51) champagne, Ardennes ham, Reims ham, Bouzy red (wine), vinegar, mustard, croquignoles, nonnettes, roses of Reims (cakes), potée champenoise (stew), lentillons, pied de cochon.  

The stage: LeTour twitter seems pretty pleased with the composition of today's break:


Their gap after 50 kilometers was 4:55. Behind, Tony Martin was dragging the peloton along. They would continue to hold the break under five minutes, with the main excitement coming from field art and punctures.
Along the went, went Tim Wellens eventually taking the lead:




He was looking good, but the teams behind were massing in a determined chase.



Speaking of the teams behind, that peloton was shrinking as riders fell off on the climbs. Among those struggling: our race leader. With the wind, they were apparently 20 minutes ahead of the fastest schedule. That schedule, by the way, is set by the race to give towns and fans estimated times of arrival. 
Wellens was really starting to struggle.



Flying past him, Alaphilippe. For the record, my pick for the day. Plus the great hope for my fantasy team. Watching him descend is both terrifying and thrilling. Yikes.



First day in France, first French win, plus yellow! A whole lot of joy today.




Yellow: 

1 JULIAN ALAPHILIPPE21DECEUNINCK - QUICK - STEP04H 40' 29''-B : 15''-
2 MICHAEL MATTHEWS141TEAM SUNWEB04H 40' 55''+ 00H 00' 26''B : 6''-
3 JASPER STUYVEN138TREK - SEGAFREDO04H 40' 55''+ 00H 00' 26''B : 4''-
4 GREG VAN AVERMAET111CCC TEAM04H 40' 55''+ 00H 00' 26''--
5 PETER SAGAN11BORA - HANSGROHE04H 40' 55''+ 00H 00' 26''--
6 MATTEO TRENTIN107MITCHELTON - SCOTT04H 40' 55''+ 00H 00' 26''--
7 SONNY COLBRELLI43BAHRAIN - MERIDA04H 40' 55''+ 00H 00' 26''--
8 XANDRO MEURISSE195WANTY - GOBERT CYCLING TEAM04H 40' 55''+ 00H 00' 26''--
9 WOUT VAN AERT88TEAM JUMBO - VISMA04H 40' 55''+ 00H 00' 26''--
10 THIBAUT PINOT51GROUPAMA - FDJ04H 40' 55''+ 00H 00' 26''



The wine: Georges Laval Champagne Brut Nature 1er Cru NV (Base 2013) from Copake Wine Works

From Peter Liem, www.champagneGuide.net
This tiny, impeccably-run estate in Cumières is known only to a select few connoisseurs of champagne. You could drive through the village a hundred times without knowing it was there, and in fact, aside from a well-worn, barely legible placard with the words “Champagne Georges Laval” written in about three millimeter-high script just above the doorbell, there is no marking whatsoever to indicate its presence. Behind these simple, unassuming wooden doors, however, lies one of Champagne’s great treasures.

While the Laval family has been growing vines for four generations, Georges Laval began producing estate-bottled champagne in 1971. His son Vincent (pictured) joined the estate after finishing his studies in 1991, and has been in charge of the cellars since 1996. Laval’s vineyard holdings comprise just 2.5 hectares, including a half-hectare of meunier in Chambrecy, in the Vallée de l’Ardre in the western Montagne de Reims, that is sold to the négoce. The other two hectares are all in the premier cru village of Cumières, spread over seven parcels. Average vine age is over 30 years, and the oldest vines of the estate are over 70 years of age.

Note: sharing here my Podium Cafe write up, just for fun: 
Champagne! How happy was I when the route map was announced and I had an excuse to drink Champagne for several stages and not just the final one? To start something geeky and fun. Georges Laval Champagne Brut Nature 1er Cru NV from Copake Wine Works.  What, you ask is brut nature? Eric Asimov says:" Most fascinating of all has been the rise of low-dosage Champagnes, those made with less than six grams of residual sugar. These can be labeled extra brut, and if the dosage is three grams or less, they can also be labeled “brut nature,” “brut zéro” or “non-dosé.” "
Laval is a tiny 2.5 hectare estate that has been farmed organically since the 1970s. Their Champagnes are hard to find and expensive. So why am I recommending them? Because they are also great. But if you can't find them, there are a lot of other great grower (produced by the same estate that owns the vineyards where the grapes are grown) Champagnes out there. Or, you know, find whatever bottle of bubbly you can and drown your Cav related sorrows along with me


The foodRoses of Reims 
The Pink Champagne Biscuit was born 300 years ago in Reims, the capital of the Champagne region. Since then it has kept all its authenticity. Its unique texture, tender rose color and delicate icing powder have charmed connoisseurs. The Biscuit Rose tradition is to dunk it in a glass of Champagne or wine. All offerings from Fossier are original recipes that stand out as great treats and could become your new favorites.  

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