Monday, August 31, 2020

Wine of Le Tour 2020: Stage 3

Traveling out of Nice on a day that may very well be for the sprinters. Today's destination, Sisteron, is both an alpine and a provençale city. It is protected by its medieval citadel that made it a stronghold of the area. 

Le Tour's regional specialities are:  lamb, pieds et paquets (lamb feet and tripes), Banon (goat cheese), Alps golden apples, calissons.
Last time they were in the area, I had Beaufort cheese.
CHRISTIAN PRUDHOMME'S COMMENT
The riders might be inspired by the perfumes of Grasse as they leave the Nice area. They will then ride along the Route Napoléon with far less obstacles than the ones witnessed by the Emperor after returning from exile on the Island of Elba. The flat final part as we get closer to the Sisteron Citadel shouldn’t trouble the plans of the sprinters’ teams.


The stage: Our rainy day breakaway consists of Anthony Perez, Jérôme Cousin and Benoît Cosnefroy. By At kilometer 71, Jérôme Cousin was solo in the lead with a gap of almost four minutes as the others sat up. With about one hundred kilometers to go, his gap was under three minutes.
Thanks to the Podium Cafe stage chat, I have learned something: The Tour is going to pass a "Clue" soon. A "Clue" (south French Alps) or "Cluse" (north French Alps) is a gap/valley, a perpendicular cut through a mountain usually with a river. It allows one to pass from one valley to another without going over a col. Usually a cool cliff lined Gorge road. Near summit of Col des Lèques is the Clue de Taulanne.
Even on a quiet day, things can change suddenly as Radio-Tour announced the withdrawal of Anthony Perez, the virtual leader of the KOM competition who crashed on a descent and broke his collarbone. An update from Le Tour: Precision about Anthony Perez’ crash. He first had a puncture in the downhill of col des Lèques, then he hit a Cofidis team car and crash. His left collarbone is broken.
With 50 kilometers to go and the gap was 1:50.
With an acceleration at the intermediate sprint point, with Sagan taking maximum points from the field, the gap went under one minute.
Word from the tv team that there would be a headwind for the sprint ahead. 
Twenty two kilometers to go and the gap was down to thirty seconds.
Sixteen kilometers to go and there was the expected catch after a break of 182 kilometers. It was time for the sprint trains to form.
Small crash as they closed in, with most riders making it through.
That was an entertaining sprint, with a long enough straightaway for one rider to look like the clear winner before being overtaken. 
Our winner: Caleb Ewan!
Alahilippe retains yellow.

The wine: Originally I thought I would drink a Tempier rosé for one of these stages. I was lucky enough to visit there twice and it seemed the perfect sentimental choice. But then I remembered I had a few older vintages of the red in my closet. Not knowing which vintage to open, I consulted my go-to Tour wine advisors. Both suggested that 2003 had been a warm here and that of the four, I should try it first. To my relief, there was plenty of fruit left and the wine was still quite enjoyable.

From the importer: When Lucie “Lulu” Tempier married Lucien Peyraud in 1936, her father gave them Domaine Tempier, an active farm that had been in the family since 1834, near Le Plan du Castellet, just outside the Mediterranean seaport village of Bandol. Tasting a pre-phylloxera bottle of Domaine Tempier Bandol (a wedding gift from his father-in-law) inspired Lucien to research the terroir of Bandol extensively.  Up until that point, old vineyards planted with Mourvèdre had been systematically replanted to higher-yielding varietals. However, more research not only showed its historical roots to the area, but the grape proved to be more resistant to oxidation, producing wines with great aging potential. By 1941, with the assistance of neighboring vignerons, Lucien worked with the I.N.A.O. (Institut National des Appellations d’Origines) to establish Bandol as its own A.O.C. Needless to say, large-scale replanting of Mourvèdre ensued, and Bandol now requires a fifty percent minimum in all reds. Lucien will forever be celebrated as the Godfather of Bandol, but also as the man who revived Mourvèdre to its former glory. Raising deep and structured wines of such refinement and longevity has made Domaine Tempier truly a grand cru de Provence.  
Lulu and Lucien raised seven children, and nourishing family, friends, and wine lovers at table is a regularly celebrated tradition at the domaine. Much of that is attributed to Lulu, the beautiful, Marseillaise materfamilias who has carried on the great Tempier family ritual of serving guests fresh, cool rosé, hearty, soulful reds, and copious amounts of delicious homemade Provençal cuisine. Her traditional hearth cooking has attracted attention throughout France, even bringing Alice Waters over from California to learn in Lulu’s kitchen. When Lucien retired, sons François and Jean-Marie shared management of the domaine with François in the vineyards and Jean-Marie in the cellars. The two made a formidable team. Though Lucien passed away in 1996, and his sons have now since retired, the torch has been passed to the young, energetic, and talented Daniel Ravier, who has just the right savoir faire to carry on the great tradition and style of the domaine.
Beyond our affection and the enduring bonds of our friendship, objectively the celebrity of Domaine Tempier also lies deep in the soils of Bandol. Variations of clay and limestone soils between the vineyards produce wines that are undeniably world class. Whether it is the cult following they have established through their refreshing, age-worthy rosé (once praised by Robert Parker as the greatest rosé in the world), their Bandol Blanc, or the distinctive cuvées of Bandol rouge, the wines of Domaine Tempier stand as the proud benchmark when talking about Provençal wines. Through their passion, pioneering, and advocacy for Bandol, the Peyrauds have become legendary. We are fortunate to have their wines serve as the flagship of our portfolio, and even more grateful to have the Peyrauds and their extended family as cherished friends. If any wine can be said to have soul, it’s Tempier.
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