Marie de Berry

The possibilities for political action were greatest when the mother succeeded in taking over as regent. Marie de Berry was married to Jean I, duke of Bourbon, in 1400. The duke was taken prisoner at the battle of Azincourt, and died in prison in 1434. Marie attempted to negotiate his release and the dauphin provided money for his ransom. However, the duke's acceptance of the treaty of Troyes and of Henry VI in 1429 precluded his return home. Their son was only aged twelve in 1415 and Marie assumed his guardianship and the rule of the duchy in order to try to safeguard its territory. Her husband gave her formal permission to exercise power only in his absence in 1417. Over the years that followed, Marie faced considerable problems arising out of the conflict of Armagnacs and Burgundians. Difficulties also arose over the duchy of Auvergne which her father, John, duke of Berry, in 1386 had declared would revert to the Crown if he died without a male heir, but which Charles VI had agreed at the time could pass to Marie and her husband. On her father's death in 1416 Marie occupied the two main strongholds of the duchy, but she was only allowed to do homage two years later, and it was not until 1425 that Auvergne was handed over by Charles VII at the time of her son's marriage to Agnes of Burgundy. Marie retired from power in 1427 when her husband gave his son the right to administer the duchy.

Jennifer C. Ward- Noblewomen, Family, and Identity in Late Medieval Europe- in Nobles and Nobility in Medieval Europe

The 'Moretta' or 'Servetta Muta' Mask Research

from left to right: 'La Moretta' oil painting by Felice Boscaratti (Italy, 1721-1807), detail from 'Moretta, Venetian Mask' watercolour by Giovanni Grevembroch (Venice, Italy, 1731-1807), 'Young Girl Holding a Mask' oil painting by Charles-Antoine Coypel (France, 1694-1752)

above: 'The Ridotto in Venice with Masked Figures Conversing' by Francesco Guardi (Venice, Italy, 1712-1793). Women can be seen wearing both servetta muta and bauta masks.

The servetta muta was a small black mask worn by commonly worn by patrician women in Venice, as well as masquerade dress in other parts of Europe, in the early modern period. The name moretta means "little dark one" and the name servetta muta means "mute servant girl".

In an article on her website Ex Urbe, historian and novelist Ada Palmer describes the servetta muta as follows:

It is a small oval-shaped mask which covers only the center of the face, leaving about an inch of skin visible all the way around.  It has round eye holes but no nostril holes and no mouth hole, and fits tightly to the face. The curve of the mask largely conceals the shape of the nose, leaving a sense of complete blankness.  The effect of the completely formless, inhuman hole in the middle of the face, with nothing but the staring eyes, is distinctly eerie to behold. A true Muta also has no straps. Instead, a small button is sewn on the inside of the mask just where the lips are, and the wearer holds the mask on by gripping the button between her teeth. This renders the wearer unable to speak.

She continues by saying that "[so] prevalent was the Muta that, in parts of the 17th and 18th centuries, if a lady dressed in the finery of the upper classes went out without one, it was considered a declaration that she was a courtesan."

According to the Ca' Macana website, Giovanni Grevembroch wrote in the 18th century:

The heads of the family and the husbands led the wives and the sons to the Piazza [S. Marco], […] had her face covered by a black moretta, which created such contrast to the whiteness of the flesh that it shone, making it highly visible.

Left: 'Henrietta Hobart, The Hon. Mrs Howard, later Countess of Suffolk, in a masquerade dress' attributed to Thomas Gibson (England, ca. 1720). Right: 'Portrait of a lady said to be Marie Adelaide de Savoie, Duchesse de Bourgogne' by the studio of Jean-Baptiste Santerre (France, 1651-1717)

I understand the functions of the mask to be as follows: to preserve the wearer's anonymity; to render the wearer mute; to display the wearer's pale skin in contrast to the dark material of the mask; to protect a large portion of the wearer's skin from sun damage; and to display the wearer's wealth by the fine materials used to make the mask. The mask evolved from the 16th century visard or vizard, a facial covering worn by wealthy women while travelling to protect the paleness of their skin.

Why is it black? Because black dye was expensive, and materials like silk velvet were also expensive. Having a mask of black silk velvet was a convenient way of flaunting your wealth without having to buy enough fabric for a gown. It also provided a strong contrast to the pale skin prized by white nobility in the early modern period. There are mentions of green visards bought for children in 1620s England, but I have only ever seen servetta muta masks in black.

What was it made of? In a blog post last updated in 2007 on her website Une Robe Magnifique: A Renaissance Fashion Webpage, Society for Creative Anachronism member Laura Martinez describes the construction of a 16th century visard mask:

Choosing materials and techniques for a foundation proved a little trickier.  While there are period description on what would have been used to cover and line masks (velvet and “sweet” or perfumed leathers), I have yet to find descriptions of actual foundations.  Therefore, I had to do some detective work on available period materials that would be light enough and malleable enough to serve my purpose.  I came up with three choices:  Papier maché,  cardboard, and buckram. 

In 2010, a visard now known as the Daventry mask was found in a 16th century wall near Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. Finds.org.uk describes the contruction of the mask as follows:

The outer fabric is black velvet. The lining is silk. The inside is strengthened by a pressed-paper inner. The three layers are stitched together by a black cotton thread. On the lining, just below the centre of the mouth, is a loose thread of white cotton. This cotton would have held the black glass bead (found in association with the mask). The bead is 10mm in diameter and weighs 1.42g. There is some wear at the hole, which is 3mm in diameter. The black glass bead was used to hold the mask in place. With a lack of holes to allow string or elastic to be put around the head, the mask would have instead been held in place by the wearer holding the black bead in her mouth.

I think is is reasonable to assume that the servetta muta has a similar construction to the earlier visard when made with velvet-the variants that have smooth, shiny surfaces I cannot speak to, though I assume they are largely made with papier-mâché the same as a bauta or volto mask.

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

OLIVER JONES, SUR LES TRACES D’OSCAR PETERSON

“There was a lot of hullabaloo surrounding Charlie and myself. Anything pertaining to jazz, we were asked to do. I’d made my first recording. Truthfully, I was in a state of shock, because when you dream something for 30 years…”

- Oliver Jones

Né le 11 septembre 1934 dans le quartier ouvrier de la Petite-Bourgogne à Montréal, Oliver Theophilus Jones est le fils de parents originaires de la Barbade. Le père de Jones était mécanicien dans l’industrie des chemins de fer, et avait travaillé pour la Canadian Pacific Railways durant trente-sept ans. Au début, le père de Jones avait voulu que son fils devienne comptable, mais il n’avait vraiment aucune aptitude pour les mathématiques. Jones expliquait: ‘’For some reason, my dad wanted me to be an accountant. However, I was so poor at math that my parents had to hire a tutor for me. So my future as an accountant didn’t look very bright.’’

Jones avait commencé à apprendre le piano classique à l’âge de cinq ans. Le père de Jones était d’ailleurs un grand amateur du répertoire religieux de Jean-Sébastien Bach. Même si le père de Jones avait échoué dans sa tentative de faire de son fils un comptable, il était très fier de sa réussite comme pianiste. Jones précisait: ‘’My father liked to take credit for my musical ability, although it was my mother and her two sisters who travelled around the Carribean, performing as singers with their father. My grandfather was also a high school principal and a minister.’’

Même si Jones n’avait peut-être pas choisi un métier très lucratif, cela n’avait pas empêché son père de lui avoir inculqué une solide éthique de travail. Jones poursuivait: ‘’When I quit high school, my father insisted that I work during the week - even though I was playing music on the week-ends. I’d made $16 - $17 for five days’ work during the week in a dress factory, and then go {to} make 100$ playing in a club on the weekend. When I first started playing in the clubs - the first person I saw in the audience was my father.’’

Jones avait d’abord étudié le piano avec une certaine Mme Bonner de la Union United Church, une église rendue célèbre par la Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir de Trevor W. Payne. À partir de l’âge de huit ans, Jones avait poursuivi ses études musicales avec la soeur d’Oscar Peterson, Daisy Peterson Sweeney, qui lui avait enseigné la théorie et la composition de 1959 à 1960. Au début, Jones, qui adorait le baseball comme tous les jeunes de son âge, n’avait pas pris ses études musicales très sérieux. C’est alors qu’il avait été sévèrement réprimandé par son ami Oscar. Comme Jones l’avait expliqué plus tard, ‘’I liked to play baseball with the other neighbourhood kids, and one day I was a little late for my lesson. Oscar admonished me - saying that I’d have to take my lessons and practice time more seriously if I hoped to be successful in music.’’

Jones, qui avait grandi à quelques pâtés de maison de Peterson, était également devenu son protégé et ami. Enfant prodige, Jones était si doué que dès l’âge de trois ans, il pouvait interpréter les airs qu’il avait entendus une seule fois à la radio. Comme plusieurs musiciens de jazz, Jones avait fait ses débuts à l’église, notamment en se produisant aus côtés de ses parents à l’Union United Church. Il avait également joué dans les hôpitaux, les danses et les spectacles de variétés. Jones confirmait: "I did a lot of that, I won a lot of insignificant prizes doing that."

À l’âge de seulement neuf ans, Jones avait fait sa première performance publique dans un club dans le cadre d’une prestation en solo au Café Saint-Michel. Jones expliquait: "I had a trick piano act, dancing, doing the splits, playing from underneath the piano, or with a sheet over the keys." Durant cette période, Jones s’était également produit dans d’autres clubs et théâtres de la région de Montréal comme le Rockhead’s Paradise (1963). Dans une autre entrevue, Jones avait commenté: "It was fun, it was amusing and I had done it for quite a few years. But up until the time that I was 17 or 18, I really didn't take it seriously. I didn't think of it as being a step to becoming a pro musician, and especially a jazz musician. That was unheard of, other than Oscar and a few others who really had the talent."

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Jones avait amorcé sa carrière professionnelle en participant à une tournée au Vermont et au Québec avec le groupe Bandwagon. De 1953 à 1963, Jones s’était produit principalement dans la région de Montréal, tout en faisant des tournées un peu partout au Québec avec des artistes comme Richard Parris, Al Cowans et Allan Wellman. C’est dans le cadre de son séjour au Rockhead’s Paradise en 1963 que Jones avait été découvert par le chanteur de calypso jamaïcain Kenny Hamilton, qui l’avait engagé comme directeur musical. Au début, le groupe de Hamilton avait obtenu un contrat d’une durée de quatre mois au Americana Hotel de San Juan, à Puerto Rico. Après la Révolution cubaine, les clubs et les casinos de l’île avaient été relocalisés à Puerto Rico, qui avait alors connu une sorte de renaissance. Jones  précisait: "It was a wonderful time. Puerto Rico was really starting to flourish, so I was there during that heyday." Le groupe avait même fait des tournées internationales avec Bob Hope.

Jones s’était finalement installé à Puerto Rico avec sa femme et son jeune fils en 1964. Le groupe de Hamilton se produisait principalement dans les Caraïbes, mais faisait aussi de nombreuses tournées aux États-Unis, ce qui avait permis à Jones de travailler avec plusieurs chanteurs et de rencontrer de nombreux musiciens. Il avait également commencer à écrire des arrangements pour des chanteurs et des danseurs. En fait, Jones faisait tellement d’argent à l’époque qu’il avait pu s’acheter une maison à Puerto Rico. Tout en interprétant principalement des chansons du Hit Parade, Jones avait aussi commencé à développer un grand intérêt pour le jazz. Après le travail, Jones se rendait d’ailleurs régulièrement dans les clubs de jazz pour écouter les plus grands noms de l’époque.

Retourné à Montréal en 1980, Jones se remettait d’une opération à l’oeil droit lorsqu’il avait été visité dans sa chambre d’hôpital par le contrebassiste montréalais Charles Biddle qui lui avait proposé de former un duo. Jones expliquait: ‘’During that visit, Charlie told me that he needed a pianist, because my friend, the late Sean Patrick, was going back to teaching.’’ Après avoir hésité un long moment car il n’avait pas joué de jazz depuis un certain temps, Jones a finalement a ccepté l’offre de Biddle et avait commencé à se produiredans les clubs locaux et les hôtels de Montréal.

Jones se produisait avec Biddle depuis environ un an lorsque ce dernier avait décidé d’ouvrir un club sur la rue Aylmer, le Biddle’s Jazz and Ribs. Devenu très populaire, le club (devenu aujourd’hui la House of Jazz) attirait de nombreux amateurs. Décrivant cette période de sa carrière, Jones avait commenté: "It was the first time that I really had the opportunity to play jazz on a regular basis." De 1981 à 1986, Jones était d’ailleurs devenu le pianiste attitré du club. En 1981, Jones s’était également produit dans le cadre de la seconde édition du Festival international de jazz de Montréal, qui comprenait notamment des artistes comme Tom Waits, Dizzy Gillespie et Dave Brubeck. Très attaché à Montréal, Jones s’était produit au festival à chaque année jusqu’en 1999, se permettant même de participer à l’ouverture et à la clôture de l’événement à sept occasions ou de jouer en première partie de grandes vedettes comme Sarah Vaughan et Art Blakey. En 1985, Jones a d’ailleurs enregistré un album en duo avec Biddle dans le cadre du même festival.

C’est en se produisant dans le club de Biddle que Jones fut finalement remarqué par le producteur Jim West, qui était sur le point de fonder les disques Justin Time. Décrivant sa réaction lorsqu’il avait entendu Jones jouer, West avait déclaré: "I went to have dinner at Biddle's, and I was with my wife and another couple, but I wasn't paying attention to them at the table. I was listening to the music. I was fascinated. I couldn't believe how good it was."

West avait d’abord proposé à Jones d’enregistrer un album solo, mais ce dernier n’étant pas encore tout à fait prêt à prendre toute la place, il a plutôt proposé d’enregistrer un album en trio avec Biddle et le batteur Bernard Primeau. Jones poursuivait: “There was a lot of hullabaloo surrounding Charlie and myself. Anything pertaining to jazz, we were asked to do. I’d made my first recording. Truthfully, I was in a state of shock, because when you dream something for 30 years…”

C’est d’ailleurs Jones qui avait enregistré le premier album publiéde la nouvelle étiquette Justin Time en 1983. Intitulé ‘’Live at Biddle’s Jazz and Ribs’’, l’album qui était le premier enregistrement de Jones comme leader, mettait également en vedette Biddle à la contrebasse et Bernard Primeau à la batterie. C’est également dans le cadre de cet album que Jones avait expérimenté pour la première fois le jeu en trio qui était devenu par la suite son format de prédilection. Accédant enfin à la requête de West, Jones avait enchaîné l’année suivante avec un premier album solo intitulé ‘’The Many Moods of Oliver Jones.’’ Fort du succès de ces deux premiers albums, Jones avait énormément voyagé autour du monde, parcourant jusqu’à 200 000 miles par année et se rendant aussi loin qu’en Espagne, en Nouvelle-Zélande, en Australie, en Chine, au Portugal et en France.

Devenu de plus en plus populaire tant sur la scène nationale qu’internationale, Jones avait dû de plus en plus espacer ses apparitions au club Biddle. Devenu l’étoile montante du jazz canadien dans les années 1980, Jones avait même devancé le populaire groupe Shuffle Demons. En 1985, Jones avait traversé tout le Canada, faisant des apparitions dans les festivals et les clubs, que ce soit en solo ou en trio avec des musiciens comme Skip Bey, Bernard Primeau, Michel Donato, Skip Beckwith, Dave Young, Steve Wallace, Bernard Primeau, Jim Hillman, Nasyr Abdul Al-Khabyyret Archie Alleyne. Il s’était également produit en Europe. L’année suivante, Jones avait fait une tournée en Australie, en Nouvelle-Zélande et aux îles Fiji. Il a également présenté ses premiers concerts aux États-Unis, notamment au festival de jazz de Newport et dans le cadre d’apparitions au célèbre Greenwich Village de New York.

ÉVOLUTION RÉCENTE

En 1987, Jones a participé à une première tournée européenne d’envergure, notamment dans le cadre de prestations en Grande-Bretagne, en France, en Espagne, en Irlande, en Écosse, au Portugal, en Allemagne et en Suisse. Au cours de cette période, Jones avait également fait des apparitions dans de nombreux festivals de jazz, comme ceux de La Haye et de North Sea en Hollande (1987) de Monterey, en Californie (1988), et au festival JVC de New York (1989). De 1987 à 1989, Jones avait aussi collaboré avec des orchestres prestigieux comme le Symphony Nova Scotia, l’Orchestre métropolitain de Montréal, l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, l’Orchestre symphonique de Kitchener-Waterloo ainsi que l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal dans le cadre du Festival international de jazz de Montréal. Poursuivant sa carrière internationale, Jones s’était produit à Cuba et au Brésil en 1988, puis en Égypte, en Côte d’Ivoire et au Nigéria l’année suivante. L’Office national du film du Canada avait éventuellement immortalisé la tournée dans le cadre du documentaire ‘’Oliver Jones in Africa’’ publié l’année suivante. Le film s’était d’ailleurs mérité en 1990 le prix Golden Dukat décerné dans le cadre du Festival du film de Mannheim en Allemagne. La musique de Jones était également en vedette dans le court-métrage ‘’Season of Change’’, qui évoquait la saison que Jackie Robinson avait passée avec les Royaux de Montréal en 1946.  Jones s’était également rendu en Namibie en 1990.

En 1993, Jones avait enregistré un second album solo intitulé ‘’Just 88.’’ Parmi les pièces de l’album, on remarquait deux compositions originales de Jones, ‘’Blues for Laurentian U’’ et ‘’Dizzy-Nest.’’ L’album s’est d’ailleurs mérité un prix Félix en 1994. La même année, à l’invitation du gouvernement canadien, Jones avait présenté une série de concerts en Chine. En 1995, Jones avait publié un premier enregistrement avec grand orchestre intitulé ‘’From Lush to Lively.’’ En 1997, Jones avait enregistré un album en trio intitulé ‘’Have Fingers, Will Travel’’. Enregistré aux studios Capitol de Los Angeles, l’album, qui mettait en vedette le légendaire contrebassiste Ray Brown et le batteur Jeff Hamilton, comprenait des pièces comme MMStreet Of Dreams", "If I Were A Bell" et "My Romance".

Même si Jones avait officiellement annoncé sa retraite le 1er janvier 2000, sa passion pour la musique était demeurée la plus forte. Décrivant les quatre années de sa retraite comme les plus intéressantes de son existence, Jones avait ajouté que cela lui avait laissé de temps d’enseigner à l’Université McGill et au Collège Vanier, en plus d’avoir travaillé comme directeur du Conseil des Arts du Maurier, qui soutenait le développement des arts un peu partout au Canada. Jones expliquait: ‘’I was truly enjoying my retirement. I took up golf at 65, and today I shoot 82-84, and on a good day I can break 80. I bought a house that backs onto a golf course in Florida, and I play at least three times a week. I generally shoot in the low 80s, and on a good day I can break 80. I have a great sense of joy in sharing the game with my son Richard. It’s odd; I lived all those years in Puerto Rico, and never took up golf.’’

C’est finalement André Ménard, le directeur artistique du Festival international de jazz de Montréal, qui avait sorti Jones de sa retraite en 2004. À l’époque, le festival était sur le point de célébrer son 25e anniversaire, et Ménard avait eu l’idée de célébrer l’événement dans le cadre d’un concert en duo à la Place des Arts mettant en vedette Jones et son mentor Oscar Peterson. Reconnaissant envers tout ce que le festival avait fait pour faire avancer sa carrière, Jones n’avait pu refuser. Il expliquait: ‘’The Jazz Festival has been very good to me, and really helped to put Oliver Jones on the map. Even though Oscar and I had been good friends since we grew up a few blocks from each other, we had never performed together.’’ Finalement, le concert avait remporté un tel succès que le carnet de commandes de Jones s’était rempli comme jamais auparavant. Jones poursuivait: ‘’Well... I started getting calls the day after the jazz festival concert. I figured that it might be nice to play 15 to 20 concerts a year. I called my agent, and he called back in a week with 59 different offers, including 40 dates in 2006.’’ Jones avait conclu en riant: ‘’Since then, retirement went out the window.’’ Très satisfait du concert, Ménard avait décrit la performance du duo de la façon suivante: ‘’It was very emotional. Oliver was relieved that it would finally happen, that he would share the stage with Oscar, and he said something very funny. He said, ‘Well, to be on the same stage as Oscar Peterson, for me, is a great feeling, but I wish I had his money.’’

Deux ans après le concert, Jones avait décidé de retourner en studio avec le contrebassiste Skip Bey pour terminer l’album ’’Then and Now’’, qui était resté inachevé en 1986. La même année, Jones était aussi devenu directeur artistique de la section jazz du Festival de musique de chambre de Montréal. En 2005, Jones a enregistré avec sa compagne, la chanteuse Ranee Lee, l’album ‘’Just You, Just Me’’, qui s’était mérité l’éloge du public et de la critique. En 2006, Jones a été en vedette dans le cadre du Festival de musique de chambre d’Ottawa. La même année, il avait aussi été nommé directeur artistique de la House of Jazz (anciennement le club de jazz Biddle’s) à Montréal. Toujours en 2006, Jones avait publié trois nouveaux enregistrements: ‘’One More Time’’ (avec le bassiste Dave Young et le batteur Jim Doxas), ’’From Lush to Lively’’ (avec un ‘’big band’’ et un orchestre à cordes) et ’’Serenade’’ (DVD). Jones a publié son dernier album intitulé ‘’Just for my Lady’’ en 2013. Continuant toujours de se produire sur scène, Jones avait été un des principaux invités du P.E.I. Jazz and Blues Festival de Charlottetown, à l’Ile du Prince-Édouard en 2011. Jones avait également été en vedette au Festival de jazz de Sudbury, en Ontario, tenu du 6 au 8 septembre 2013.

Victime de problèmes de santé en 2015, Jones avait annoncé officiellement sa retraite en janvier 2016 dans le cadre de la 10e édition du Festival international de jazz de Port-au-Prince. Jones avait présenté son dernier concert à la Barbade, le lieu de naissance de ses parents.

Très prolifique, Jones avait enregistré plus de quinze albums de 1982 à 1999, dont ‘’Lights of Burgundy’’ (1985), ‘’Cookin’ at Sweet Basil’’ (enregistré en 1988 au célèbre club Sweet Basil de New York) et ’’Just in Time’’ (enregistré au Montreal Bistro avec Dave Young et Norm Villeneuve en1998). Durant la décennie 1990, Jones se produisait plus de 130 fois par année. En 1992, Jones avait participé aux festivités entourant le 350 anniversaire de la fondation de la ville de Montréal aux côtés du big band de Vic Vogel et du Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir dans le cadre de la soirée de clôture du Festival de jazz.

Jones, qui avait aussi entrepris une carrière de professeur, avait enseigné la musique à l’Université Laurentienne de 1987 à 1995. De 1988 à 1995, il avait été professeur à l’Université McGill. En 2009, Jones avait également parrainé la chanteuse Dione Taylor dans le cadre du Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) Mentorship Program du Gouverneur-Général du Canada.

Jones avait remporté de nombreux honneurs au cours de sa carrière, dont le prix Procan qui lui avait été décerné en 1984 pour souligner sa contribution au développement du jazz. En 1992, Jones avait également remporté le prix Martin Luther King Jr. pour souligner sa contribution à la communauté noire du Canada et à sa ville natale, Montréal. Décoré de l’Ordre du Canada en 1993, Jones avait été intronisé chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec l’année suivante. Jones était particulièrement fier d’avoir été le second musicien de jazz à avoir remporté l’Ordre du Canada après Oscar Peterson. Il précisait: ‘’Oscar was the first, and I was the second jazz musician to receive the Order of Canada. This legitimizes our particular type of music - that was relegated to the cellars for so long. So many other great musicians have also been honoured, including Phil Nimmons, Rob McConnell, and Moe Kaufman. I did to think that Oscar and I led the way.’’

En 1997-98, Jones avait aussi été le récipiendaire d’un prix Hommage du Conseil québécois de la musique. En 1999, Jones avait également été lauréat d’un Special Achievement Award décerné dans le cadre du gala de la Socan à Toronto. En 2005, Jones avait également été lauréat du Performing Arts Award décerné par le Gouverneur-Général du Canada. L’année suivante, Jones avait également été élu claviériste de l’année dans le cadre des National Jazz Awards. En 2012, le Festival international de jazz de Montréal a décerné à Jones le Prix Oscar Peterson. Le prix lui avait été remis par le directeur artistique de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit, dans le cadre d’un concert présenté le 5 juillet au Théâtre Maisonneuve de la Place des Arts lors de la 33e édition du festival.  

Jones avait remporté deux prix Juno: le premier pour son album ‘’Lights of Burgundy’’ en 1986, et le second pour son album de 2009 ‘’Second Time around.’’ Jones avait été mis en nomination neuf autres fois pour un prix Juno, y compris pour son album de 2012 Live in Baden.  Jones était aussi récipiendaire de quatre prix Félix, décernés respectivement en 1989, 1994, 2007 et 2008. 

En 2006, Jones s’est également vu remettre le prix de l’album de l’année dans le cadre des National Jazz Awards pour son album ‘’Just You, Just Me.’’ En 2010, l’arrondissement de Montréal-Nord a également rendu hommage à Jones en donnant son nom à la salle de spectacle de sa Maison culturelle et communautaire.

Le Service canadien des Postes a aussi émis un timbre en l’honneur de Jones dans le cadre du mois de l’histoire des Noirs en 2013. En 2017, l’ancienne athlète Rosey Ugo Edeh a rendu hommage à Jones dans un documentaire biographique de 48 minutes intitulé ‘’Oliver Jones Mind Hands Heart.’’ Le film a été présenté en grande première au Montreal International Black Film Festival la même année.

En 2015, Jones a également été nommé ‘’Grand Montréalais’’ par la Chambre de commerce du Grand Montréal. Il a aussi remporté le prix RIDEAU Hommage 2015 du Réseau indépendant des diffuseurs d’événements artistiques unis pour sa présence assidue sur les scènes du Québec. Jones est également titulaire de plusieurs doctorats honorifiques (Université Laurentienne, 1992; Université McGill, 1995; Université St. Francis Xavier, 1996; Université Windsor, 1999).

Considéré comme un des plus grands pianistes de jazz canadiens aux côtés d’Oscar Peterson et Paul Bley, Jones est caractérisé par un style lyrique et très mélodique alliant dextérité technique à un indéniable sens du swing. En dehors de sa carrière de musicien de jazz, Jones avait aussi accompagné plusieurs vedettes de la musique populaire. Souvent comparé à son mentor Oscar Peterson, Jones avait toujours été un peu flatté par la comparaison. Il s’était même souvent produit avec d’anciens collaborateurs de Peterson, comme Ray Brown, Clark Terry, Herb Ellis et Ed Thigpen. Dans une entrevue qu’il avait accordée en 2004, Jones avait d’ailleurs reconnu Peterson comme sa ‘’plus grande source d’inspiration.’’

Très influencé par Bach et Chopin, Jones avait toujours entretenu une certaine prédilection pour les ballades. La musique classique avait toujours occupé une grande place dans la vie de Jones. Même s’il possédait une importante collection de disques de jazz, Jones avait toujours préféré écouter de la musique classique pour se divertir.

Même si Jones trouvait souvent le bebop un peu répétitif, cela ne l’avait jamais empêché d’exprimer énormément de nynamisme et de vitalité dans ses pièces plus rythmées. Faisant état d’un concert de Jones au club Positano de New York en 1987, le critique John S. Wilson du New York Times écrivait: ‘’On remarque une légèreté de touche évoquant la facilité de [Art] Tatum et de [Oscar] Peterson, mais dans un contexte qui rappelle les grandes structures mélodiques et exubérantes d’Erroll Garner.’’ Compositeur prolifique, Jones avait dédié plusieurs de ses oeuvres à des amis et collègues, dont ‘’Blues for Chuck’’ et ‘’Big Pete’’, qui avaient été écrites en hommage à Chuck et Oscar Peterson respectivement. Parmi les autres compositions de Jones, on remarquait ‘’Gros Bois Blues’’, ‘’Lights of Burgundy’’, ‘’Snuggles’’, ‘’Fulford Street Stomp’’, ‘’Here Comes Summer Again’’, ‘’Dumpcake Blues’’, ‘’Hilly’’, ‘’The Sweetness of You’’, ‘’Looking for Lou’’, ‘’Bossa for CC’’, ‘’Stay Young’’, ‘’Blues for Hélène’’, ‘’Last Night in Rio’’, ‘’Sophie’’, ‘’Abunchafunk’’, ‘’What a Beautiful Sight’’, ‘’Jordio’’, ‘’Katatura’’, ‘’Mark My Time’’, ‘’Tippin’ Home from Sunday School’’, ‘’Stan Pat’’ et ‘’Peaceful Time’’. En 2012, Jones avait d’ailleurs interprété un répertoire composé exclusivement de ses propres compositions dans le cadre du Festival international de jazz de Montréal.

Oliver Jones avait enregistré vingt-cinq albums sous son nom au cours de sa carrière. Très apprécié sur la scène internationale, Jones avait fait plusieurs tournées à travers le monde, tant aux États-Unis qu’en Europe, en Nouvelle-Zélande, en Australie, au Japon, en Chine et en Afrique. Un des derniers trios de Jones mettait en vedette le contrebassiste Éric Lagacé et le batteur Jim Doxas. Jones appréciait d’ailleurs particulièrement de se produire avec de jeunes musiciens. Une semaine avant la présentation de son concert en duo avec Oscar Peterson en 2004, Jones avait évoqué son avenir en ces termes: "I know that I'll try to stick around for another couple of years. But after that, if I do anything at all, it won't be teaching but perhaps to motivate young musicians and artists and try to make sure that they get the opportunity to be heard and seen and get the exposure — which was very elusive in my era."

Commentant l’implication de Jones auprès des jeunes musiciens, Doxas avait expliqué: "My particular case is very explanatory. He wanted some younger musicians to 'burn the fire under his butt,' that's what he always said. Wherever we go, [Jones] always takes the time to give master classes, to listen to young musicians play, to get their CDs, to listen to their CDs." Commentant la contribution de Jones au développement des arts au Canada, Doxas l’avait décrit comme un des grands ambassadeurs de la musique et du pays tout entier.

Une des plus grandes satisfactions de Jones avait été que sa mère, qui avait vécu jusqu’à l’âge avancé de 102 ans, avait pu le voir connaître du succès dans le domaine qu’il avait choisi. Mais malgré tous ses succès, Jones n’avais jamais remporté le même succès que son idole et mentor Oscar Peterson. Né neuf ans après Peterson, Jones avait commencé sa carrière de musicien de jazz professionnel relativement tard. Le fait que Jones et Peterson aient joué à peu près le même style de musique était probablement une autre raison de cette situation.

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

SOURCES:

KASSEL, Matthew. ‘’Back Home With Canada’s Greatest Living Jazz Musician.’’ NPR, 12 juillet 2012.

‘’Oliver Jones.’’ Wikipedia, 2023.

‘’Oliver Jones.’’ All About Jazz, 2023.

‘’Oliver Jones.’’ Encyclopédie canadienne, 2023.

‘’Oliver Jones.’’ The Montrealer, 1er mai 2012.

PINCOMBE, C. Alexander. ‘’Jones, Oliver.’’ Dictionnaire biographique du Canada, 2023.

French cities I have definitely set foot in (61):

Paris Rouen Giverny Vernon Versailles Chantilly Chartres Nice Lyon Menton Cannes Antibes Marseilles Marignane Toulouse Avignon Le Pontet Anglet Bayonne Biarritz Bordeaux Nantes Pornic Rezé Saint-Herblain Bouguenais Clisson Les Sables d'Olonne Le Croisic Le Pouliguen La Baule-Escoublac Rennes Saumur Angers Ancenis Luçon La Rochelle Saintes Saint-Jean-d'Angély Niort Lagord Rochefort Châtelaillon-Plage Angoulins Aytré Puilboreau Saint-Martin-de-Ré La Flotte Saint-Nazaire Saint-Brevin-les-Pins - 50 Dijon Chalon-sur-Saône Beaune Besançon Dole Auxonne Genlis Gilly-lès-Citeaux Vougeot Vosne-Romanée Nuits-Saint-Georges I feel like there must be two or three more, but the catch is that if I don't remember it, it doesn't count.

The four regions of France I'm living in:

Pays de la Loire Nouvelle Aquitaine Rhône-Alpes / Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Burgundy / Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

a little confusing because France merged a couple of 'em.

Le Triomphe d'Amphitrite (1780) de Jean-Hugues Taraval (1729-1785) LES LUMIÈRES DE VERSAILLES #leslumièresdeversailles "- Vous aurez beau faire, Monsieur, dit la jolie Marquise, vous n'aurez jamais mon cœur. - Je ne visais pas si haut. " MOLIÈRE UNE MUSIQUE D'UN BONHEUR CONTAGIEUX Marin Marais -〈Alcyone〉 Marche pour les Matelots & Airs des Matelots I - II - III https://youtu.be/W--OjtoAV0w Marin Marais (31 mai 1656-15 août 1728) était un violiste ou gambiste (musicien jouant de la viole de gambe) et compositeur français de la période baroque. Après la mort de Jean-Baptiste Lully, qui donne aux compositeurs une plus grande liberté pour faire jouer leurs ouvres, Marais écrit Alcide (livret de Jean-Galbert de Campistron), en collaboration avec Louis Lully (fils aîné de Jean-Baptiste) qui sera représenté en 1693 avec un grand succès. Il se produit parallèlement comme violiste avec d'autres musiciens de la cour auprès de Louis XIV mais aussi de son entourage (duc de Bourgogne, Madame de Montespan ; Mme de Maintenon, etc.). C'est dans ces termes que Madame de Sévigné rendait compte à sa fille dans une lettre de 1696 d'une telle séance de musique: « Les jeunes gens, pour s'amuser dansèrent aux chansons, ce qui est présentement fort en usage à la Cour. Joua qui voulut, et qui voulut aussi prêta l'oreille au joli concert de Vizé, Marais, Descoteaux et Philibert. Après cela on attrapa minuit et le mariage fut célébré dans la chapelle de l'hôtel de Créquy. » Un livre publié en 1692, Pièces en trio pour les flûtes, violons et dessus de viole, montre le répertoire utilisé par Marais pour ces concerts à la cour. https://www.facebook.com/groups/716146568740323/?ref=share_group_link https://www.instagram.com/p/CebgOFxq8Y1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Callout post for Jean de Bourgogne @jeansanspeur

Hi everyone, some of you may remember me from my former discourse blog (I was mod B on catboys-against-free-companies). This post isn’t about what happened back then and I wasn’t planning on coming back to Tumblr, but when I heard from a friend who is still here that Jean not only kept posting as if nothing had happened, but participated in negociations with the popes (this post isn’t about that either, send me schiscourse and you’ll be blocked, fair warning) despite himself being a public sinner, I couldn’t stay silent.

The list under the readmore is just what I witnessed myself or was given solid proof of. I’ve heard about the perjury, and after all of this I have no trouble believing it lol, but haven’t found evidence yet. If you have receipts, please DM me.

- Jean has been complicit in Henry @andouillesansmoutarde’s takeover of my cousin Charles’ discord server and made it a toxic environment for me and everyone else he doesn’t like (more on that later). 

As some of you already know, Charles took a break from moderating his discord server for mental health reasons. According to Henry, he left him in charge of the server (even though Henry wasn’t even a mod before...) but there was never any proof of that and he banned anyone who questioned it. He made Jean a mod and, from then on, Jean supported his claim on the server and participated in the bullying of former members who didn’t approve of it.

Shortly after, they banned Charles’ son Charles from the server and kept making fun of him. Charles has since turned 14 but was a minor at the time.

Here is what Henry (monmouth on discord) had to say when another member (who requested not to be identified) asked about it : 

[ID : screencap of a message from a censored user reading “aw why did you ban charles :(” and the answer from monmouth “For being a bastard” with a laughing emoji reaction. End ID]

The reaction is Jean’s, btw.

- Changed his profile pic to a hand plane to antagonize my cousin Louis, then a mod (idk the exact meaning because I can’t ask Louis, more on that later), then banned him for no reason.

- Lied about unfollowing Henry (as part of an attempt to convince Charles jr, who had since started his own discord, to make him a mod there too) or followed him back and still was recently. Here is a screencap taken minutes after Henry posted yesterday : 

[ID: Screencap of the notes on a Tumblr post by user andouillesansmoutarde, with one like by user jeansanspeur. end ID]

(They both blocked me since but jsyk the post was Henry talking shit about Sigismund @supergrammaticam... yeah)

-  After Charles jr was banned from Charles’ server, Jean sent or made his followers send hostile anons to his personal blog (even though his carrd clearly stated “DNI if you are English, support the English or are pro-tax evasion”.) Again, Charles was a literal child at the time.

- Jean ordered the assassination of my cousin Louis d’Orléans.

- Jean not only thinks regicide is OK, but actually went so far as to commission a theologian to justify it (calling it “tyrannicide” as if that was going to fool anyone). Full text here at the end (I’ve been told Gerson had made a good post calling out Jean Petit, the author, but he has me blocked). 

Jean has apologized for none of these things and never acknowledged his wrongdoings. He should be blocked and imo would have been excommunicated a long time ago if not for the sorry state of the world, Christ’s tunic being parted and all that.

2x3 rewatch

I keep forgetting that Brach is still in S2.  Oops.  Also, I apparently went to check something in S6 last time I watched something, so it started at 6x2 instead of 2x3 and I yelled.  But anyway, on with this mess.  “Death Came in Like Thunder” apparently.  It sure did.

Ah yes, let us not forget that Branch is MANLEH.  This shall be proven to us by him murdering his cousin, Trunk, with big ax.  Chop chop, Branch, kill Trunk.  But oh no, must also show that he is People Smart, so must also lose because this makes him likable.  And many white people clap.  Yaaaay.  But be sure to say, “I let him win, Ferg,” while your competitor is right next to you, so he almost surely heard you.  Good good.

Oh Ferg.  Could you look more gormless if you tried?  (I mean, probably not, since presumably that was the goal of the actor, so he would have been trying.  But still.)  Bb.

Heh, nice thematic cut to Walt also chopping wood.  And YAY, Henry’s gorgeous truck (and gorgeous self).  I’m just going to take a moment to appreciate the fact that Henry rolls up and just helps himself to some of Walt’s thermos of coffee.  Because of course he does.  But I do so love these touches that they put in that do underline the fact that they are married have been besties for going on 40 years.  Also, I love this jacket of Henry’s.  The woven top, jean jacket sort of one?  Yeah, top 5 costume pieces of his for me.  (Also on that list, all basically tied with each other, basically any pants he wears.  I am reminded, when they cut back out to a full body shot.  Because I am very shallow, and he is very pretty.)

Haaaaaa.  And of course Cady talked to Henry before she talked to Walt.  Walt is a butthead.  And, yeah yeah, she just found out that he’d been lying to her for over a year, but that just proves my point that Walt is a butthead.  And we’re back to this whole idea that she left her phone, which just... ugh.  No.  But Henry’s face when he says that she said that she is safe, and he’s so worried, but still willing to respect her boundaries.

“She is an adult, Walt.”  “She’s my daughter.”  For fuck’s sake, you jackass, your ADULT daughter; that’s the whole flipping point!  Also, that little emphasis on my daughter, pfft.  If you didn’t want to feel like she preferred her cool dad to you, maybe try being less of an AAAAAAASSHOLE.  And, like, respecting her.  Even a weensy little bit.

“Etta Place”  I don’t remember if we find out why that’s the ‘assumed name’ that Cady chose, but I’m intrigued.  Wait, I just googled.  Looooool.  She spent years with Butch and Sundance.  Nice.

Walt is such a soft touch with teens.  *snack crackle pop* that kneecap back into place.  Vic starts this scene saying, “The 911 operator,” though, which is interesting, because I was kind of under the impression that Ruby was the main dispatcher, so it would be kind of heartening if she actually had back up with that.  ...Or maybe they’re just far enough out that a cell call made would be picked up by a tower farther out and have to be routed back in to the station/them.  I have no idea how that actually works.  Another rabbit hole for me to totally not go down.  Hopefully.  Shit.  They’ve apparently upped the fine for trespass since the show, though, because it’s $750 (or 6 months in jail) now and Walt says it’s $500.

And once again, we see Vic actually wearing gloves while investigating a suspicious death, and Walt just squinting into the distance helpfully.  I suppose “things got bad” in Basque country around WWII, but there has been friction there that dates back before the Spanish Civil War, or even the Carlist Wars the previous century.  It did get gnarly with the dictatorship of Franco, and the formation of the ETA in retaliation, though, so yeah.  (Francisco Franco is also on the list of people who anybody with a time machine should go back and beat the shit out of.)

Shit, I forgot about the animal death.

Knock knock, no answer.  Better just wander in without a warrant.  I know that the guy who they know lives there is dead, but still, no fricking warrant; I suppose the worry of a poisoning could count as probably cause?  

Gods, but there are moments when I do absolutely adore Vic, and they are usually when she’s taking the piss out of Walt.  “Reclusive bachelor chic; you and Marco have the same decorator.”  Looool.  But also, sad, because Martha has only been gone for a little over a year, and Walt is not the kind of person who would, like, change stuff and get rid of her things, so that’s kind of odd.  Maybe Henry and/or Cady went though and put away some of her things to try to help Walt move on?  But damn, the ‘excuse you’ look on Walt’s face when she does say it, pffft.

AND AGAIN, Vic wearing gloves, Walt with his bare ass hands picking up the picture of Picasso’s Guernica; can you at least *pretend* you’re a cop, *some* of the time, buddy?

Lol at the barrabilak; they are pretty well by the Rocky Mountains, so it’s probably not all that surprising that Walt’s had some “Rocky Mountain oysters” before.

I had forgotten that Vic had four brothers.  But her comment about Sal going off to look after the sheep and how if someone had told her that one of her brothers were dead she “wouldn’t care about any damn sheep,” I don’t know.  It kind of annoys me.  It’s totally in character for her, which is good, but I think it’s part of what can annoy me about her character.  Different people grieve differently, but also, I know she’s only been in Wyoming for a year or two, tops, but how is it so hard to fathom that someone one would be concerned about their livelihood, even in the face of personal tragedy?  Just, seeing beyond her own very narrow experience doesn’t seem like something she’s very good at.  It would be one thing if she’d framed it as “this is suspicious, and here’s why I think so as a cop,” but it was, “I wouldn’t react that way personally, so it’s sus.”  

Sure, be suspicious because there’s a suspicious death and family members are always suspects until ruled out, but approach it like a cop.  Or at least think about it from more angles than just your own, not terribly similar experience.  You’re a white city cop who can’t (or won’t) adjust to being in BF rural-ville, but these are immigrant shepherds whose family come from a homeland where the cops were just as likely to kill you as answer questions, and you’re side-eying a guy for going to make sure that their meal ticket doesn’t get obliterated?

I need to keep reminding myself that I really did want to like Vic.  I really did.  She just... they don’t make it easy for me.  Maybe she’s serving as an avatar for audience who don’t know about some of the culture stuff, and the audience get answers from her ignorance?  But honestly, I wish they’d picked a different way to handle that, if that’s what they were trying to do.  Her response to Henry being salty about Thanksgiving still really pisses me off.  Because it was shitty and racist, and... do we really need a character basically rolling their eyes and saying, “It was so long ago, why don’t you just get over it,” about something that is intrinsically tied to the genocide of so many people?  Why are Indigenous people just supposed to “get over it” but “Remember the Alamo” and “Southern Pride,” and shit?  Fuck’s sake.  Honestly, that might have been the moment when they lost me on her character.  She has moments where she’s awesome, but they never really address her being fucking racist or give her a chance to grow into a better person.  Which sucks a lot.  Fuck.  Ok, that was a lot.  Sorry.  Back to the actual ep.

AH, nice of you to beam in from the campaign trail, Brancheroo!

Uh, so I paused it to look at pic in the newspaper, and then being me, started to look at the articles surrounding the pic.  And the one with the headline “Fans Injured At Local Game” is actually about the Stewart case?  From 1x3?  I’m guessing that somebody went to the trouble of writing up an article for that for some S1 ep after it and they just plugged it in because when not paused, you might catch “Sheriff Longmire” there and that’s all they need.  Especially since the text starts to repeat after the first paragraph.  (I am the worst pedantic little shit.)  Ooooor, maybe even though it’s S2, it’s hardly been any time since 1x3?  The date on the newspaper is March 31, 2012, so there’s a timeline hint. 

Awwwwww, once Walt points out the bird, Ferg knows exactly what it is.  Occasional twitcher, are we, my lad?  “A red-tip meadowlark,” indeed.  Oh bb; Ferg’s face when he sees Walt looking at the pic of him with Branch in the paper.

“You go too fast, you miss the little things.”  Every once in a while, he actually sort of mentors Ferg.  I wish he did more of that, especially since we see later how capable Ferg can be.

Go suck an egg, Branch.  Why does she get all the “good” assignments?  Maybe because she was actually on the job when they found the body, not campaigning.

OPE.  Lizzie’s gift.  Yeah, I’d probably choke on that coffee if I were you, too, girl.  Better hope that there wasn’t perishable food stuffs in that gift, because that has been in there for a whiiiiiile, hasn’t it.  Wait, was Ferg in the office when Lizzie dropped off the gift?  Because his face said more than just “Did somebody give Vic a present?”  Suuuuper subtle with that whole pushing the drawer closed with your foot there, Vic.  Pfffft.

“Cyrano Caballero”  How daaaare that skeeve take Cyrano’s name in vain?!?!  (I have a thing about Cyrano de Bergerac.  It’s quite possibly my favourite play, and I adore the character, and have exactly 0 chill about it at all.  I find Brian Hooker’s translation of “The Ballade of the duel at the Hotel Bourgogne Between de Bergerac and a Boeotian” with “Then, as I end the refrian, thrust home,” vastly superior to any other translation that I’ve heard or read, though for the rest of it, I will grant that there are others to be preferred.  But that version of his Ballade is exquisite, and I will not be swayed.  Holy shit, FOCUS.  That is so very much not the point.)  It’s not even a throw away line in this ep, it’s just a random, very well chosen, if utterly appallingly insulting, company name.  It’s actually incredibly clever for what the business is, and if it didn’t make me so stomping mad, I would applaud whoever came up with it heartily.

Vic’s face listening to this jackass’ spiel is a thing of beauty.  “A good woman goes a long way of easing the obvious stresses of your daily life,” the jackass says, cutting his eyes at Vic when he says “obvious stresses,” and I caaaackle.

What is it about this guys’ horrible glasses that just makes him so much more hate-able?  I’m not entirely sure, but kudos to whatever costumer put those on him, because they are perfect.  In the ‘I want to punch him’ way of perfection.

And after all of that about Walt’s “lady friend,” Vic brings Lizzie’s present.  Womp womp.  That went super well.  Yuuuup, run while you can.

Poor Ferg.  Branch manipulates him, Vic ignores him, Walt shuts him down...  Poor guy just can’t get a break.

I actually kind of like this motel manager--the one who “doesn’t judge people” and is a stickler for warrants?  At least somebody in this county cares about warrants.  Also, those doors are actually really pretty.  Nice colour, and the carved scrollwork designs are nice.

What an odd shot: the one when they’re coming out of Walt’s office after talking to Skeevy McGrossFace and Rosa.  It’s a weird sort of shaky-cam stepping back, just preceding Branch walking, and then turns to follow him when he sit’s on his desk.  But it’s a really different style of shot than I can remember, so much so that it’s a bit jarring, especially after the series of nearly stationary close ups that we just had.  Weird. [18:42-18-50]

Cady!  I haven’t made much note of her costuming before this, but it seems notable that’s she’s only in monocromatics.  Especially next to Fales in muted tones, but still some colour, and surrounded by the colourful grafitti of the alley where her mother was stabbed.  Nice way of setting her apart from everything.

SHEEPIES!  Ooooo, that wagon is so cool.  Ah dang, the way that Sal corrects Walt’s pronunciation of his brother’s name is so gloriously passive aggressive.  Good for you, my dude.  Names are important, and people should have the respect to make the effort to get them right.

Aaaaaand Walt, the definition of Do, Don’t Tell, just shoves the guy to keep him from drinking the possibly dangerous water, rather than, like, using his words.  Walt’s gonna Walt.

Iiiiiiiii am a mess, truly.  It cuts to an architectural model and I start giggling like a 6th grader, because I know it’s going to be a Jacob scene.  He’s not even on screen yet, ffs.  HANDS.  I’m fine.  Totally fine.  (That’s totally a lie.  I just rewound to the beginning of the scene because I kept giggling too much to pay attention.  What the hell.)  First time we’ve seen one of the chips, which at this point must be a marketing mock-up, since nothing is built yet.  And he actually types, not just doing the hunt-and-peck thing that is sometimes easier on a tablet.

Looking at the weaving that is up on his wall (maybe a rug?) I’m hoping that the prop people actually did buy from Northern Cheyenne artisans.  They apparently did most of their filming in New Mexico, so I hope they made the effort to get the patterns right, and buy from the actual tribe they’re supposed to be portraying, I guess?  And now I’m distracted by the fact that the random hanging light behind Jacob is at a weird angle?  

Look, ever since I realized that the “Hey,” that Jacob does is apparently just A (thanks to it also happening in That Damned Xmas Movie) I am endlessly amused (and charmed) whenever Jacob does it.  I don’t know why it makes me so happy, but it does.  (This is legitimately embarrassing.  How much trouble I am having focusing.  Beyond my normal focus issues, which, as shown above, are already impressive.  Because thiiiiirst.)

“My boys at the lumber yard did just throw you a campaign rally.”  I love how Jacob is basically apparently not just his secret angel-investor, but also a sneaky campaign manager.  Did Branch just think shit like the rally just happened?  He’s not fricking Ferris Bueller; somebody organizes those.  And apparently it’s either Jacob himself, or someone who Jacob appointed to do so.

“I thought you were just a casino developer.”  You have noooo clue, Brancheroo.  “I prefer to remain a silent partner.  White people get nervous when Indians start taking back their land.”  Oooooope.  Especially interesting because there are previsions for the Tribal Council to purchase land to be Tribal land (Section 6 of Article IX of the Tribal Constitution), but this seems more along the lines of personal acquisition.  Though maybe not, because “on the board” doesn’t necessarily equate to being the owner.

The set up of Jacob’s office is so interesting.  Functionally for the show, it’s probably for better shooting angles, so that we can see more of Jacob behind the desk while Branch is sitting in front of it, but from an in-the-verse decorating standpoint, bit’s fascinating.  He has this focal wall with the gorgeous wall hanging, flanked by floor to ceiling window, but instead of having his desk centered on that wall and directly facing the bulk of the room, it’s at an almost 45 degree angle on a huge rug, and it’s so unexpected.  I kind of love it, and want to analyze it for days.  Also worth noting is that pride of place is given to the  Hotamétaneo’o headdress which is on a stand centered in front of the wall hanging.

How fucking tired must Jacob be.  He’s used to Walt... Walting, but then Branch comes in, who he is literally spending his own money to support in his bid for sheriff, and he pulls the same shit of assuming that he’s behind Bad Shit.  And then Branch frames it as “bad P.R,” so he’s there to “discuss it with [him] privately.”  And then basically threatens him with Walt.  I swear.  ...there is something a little amusing about Walt being used as the stick in the carrot and a stick method of negotiating.  He certainly is enough of a blunt object most of the time.

Oh fuck you so much, Branch.  Playing the “can’t give you details about an ongoing investigation” card as though you have some professional or moral leg to stand on after basically blackmailing Jacob with Walt’s vendetta is just such shit.  You don’t get to look down your nose at Jacob’s quid pro quo pragmatism when you were the one who came to him for financial backing.  You sanctimonious little shitheel.  If you didn’t want to deal with Jacob, you shouldn’t have taken his $100k.  He’s a business man, and you’re an investment, and not a quixotic one.

“He’s probably the only person to have died from [hemlock] since Socrates.”  And then Walt’s incredulous look and her, “Alright, I googled it,” were subtle comedic gold.

Ooooooo, that was a nice little shot.  Not quite foreshadowing, but showing Branch’s suspicions and sort of inviting the audience to share them.  Walt says his bit about the Army poisoning “Indian wells” to kill them off and get their land, and then we see Branch fiddling with the Four Arrows chip and narrow his eyes considering and slip the chip into his pocket, looking suspicious.  It’s a really neat little moment of visual storytelling, no lines, literally three seconds long, just sort of snuck in there, but super effective.  Really nicely done.

And again, Cady is in monochromatics.  And, shit, just gave Fales Henry’s name.  Aaaaaand right after, she realizes that the junkie was killed and realizes that it had to have been one of her dads (or so she thinks).

Sal’s monologue in the cell is a good emotional payoff that plays off of Vic’s comments towards the beginning of the episode.  I see the narrative worth of her making them, and how the structure of the episode benefits from it; but seeing those writing elements from the outside of the show doesn’t make me able to like her as a character who said them in-universe.  And then the threat Sal makes of vengeance on someone who killed one he loves also underscores the stuff with Cady’s investigation into her mother’s death very well.  As much as I gripe about the writing *cough S6 cough finale cough* there really is some damn good writing in this show, and I don’t show enough appreciation for it.

Huh, and now there’s a sort of inverse of that weird shot preceding Branch from earlier, but this one is much more effective and less off-putting.  This one [33:00] precedes Walt as he walks back into his office, still a medium close up, but it’s much steadier, and the way it is framed, it does quite a bit to convey his mindset, and he walks out of the shot and we see the three deputies following him in like baffled ducklings, making the shot serve another purpose, too.  Which honestly makes that earlier shaky follow shot of Branch even weirder, because this one was so much better.

And then Walt has his creepy little speech about how someone would want to watch the light go out of their eyes and not caring if you get caught.  I do appreciate that when he’s talking about the psychology of killing with poison he doesn’t just call it a “woman’s method” which media so often does.  It might have been the writers keeping who the killer was abstruse, but it was still more gender neutral.  Especially since according to The U. S. Department of Justice's report on Homicide Trends in the United States (1980 to 2008) of all poison killers in that time period, 60.5 percent were male and 39.5 percent female.  (Table 5 on page 10.)  So that long held idea that even Sherlock Holmes was written to have that poison is “of course” a woman’s weapon is pretty crap.

Awwww, the good old days when Walt paid attention to animals.  ...I am still bizarrely salty about the fact that he never named his horse.  What a good pupper!  

And then we have a classic example of Sneaky!Walt, which always takes people quite by surprise, because he’s usually as subtle as Miley Cyrus.

Also because when he does this, it tends to be pretty fucked up, in a Make Someone Think They’re About To Die way.  And then he does His Thing, where he just lays out all of his suppositions, with no proof, only the terror of her thinking that she’s been poisoned and you’re withholding medical intervention to get her to confess.  And is, irritatingly, correct about his theories.  But I’m pretty sure this qualifies as coercing a confession?  She thinks she’s fucking dying.  Even Vic looks at him like it’s fucked up, and her moral compass where he’s concerned is... skewed.

They way this reveal was played out, (”How’d they find her so fast?”  “Hard to say...”) is somewhat ambiguous as to whether it’s supposed to be that Branch went there to tell Jacob or not, but I kind of doubt it?  I kind of figure that the meeting that Jacob was having when Branch rambled in was already with Rosa signing the paperwork.  Jacob is smart.  So, HAH.  Little good your “can’t comment on an ongoing investigation” schtick did.

And then the news that someone in law enforcement has been asking after Henry.

“Lizzie was waiting for you here tonight.  You should talk to her, Walt.  She seems to think she is in a relationship with you.”  ....omgs.  The tone.  I mean, yes, the blisteringly glorious SASS, but how does one not read that as incredibly shippy?  Howwwww?

“You are an honest man, Walt.  I would like you to stay that way.”  Oh Henry.  When did you decide that you weren’t?  Was it when you hired Hector?  Or was there something before?  ...I feel like there were things before that.  Hello darkness my old friend.

“It is not your job to protect me.”  “It is my job...”  THOSE WERE THE DAYS.  Those were the fucking daaaaaays.  And the emotions on Henry’s face after Walt says, “That was my right,” as though Henry cheated him of something.  I am so deep in OT3 feels I cannot even see daylight here.  The feels of them having been an OT3 and then Walt pulling this shit, and Henry having to defend his own “right” to avenge Martha?  It wrecks me.  “A good woman was murdered.  A bad man is dead.  End of story.”  

How was French cuisine toppled as the king of fine dining?  

October 20, 2016

In the food world, one of the biggest stories of the last 50 years has been the waning of French culinary authority, the end of a 300-year reign.

In last year’s ranking of “The World’s Fifty Best Restaurants,” only one French restaurant, Mirazur, appears in the top 10. And its menu reflects modernist (“molecular”) gastronomy – a recent trend of using chemistry in the kitchen – rather than anything associated with traditional French cuisine.

Since the 18th century, France had been equated with gastronomic prestige. The focus of its cuisine has been simplicity, developed as a reaction against medieval reliance on spices; instead of possessing a sharp or sugary taste, its dishes contained butter, herbs and sauces based on meat juices to create a rich, smooth flavor.

The first elegant restaurant in America, Delmonico’s, was founded in New York in 1830 with a French chef, Charles Ranhofer, whose food was considered an exemplar of French tastes and standards. Until the end of the 20th century, the most prestigious restaurants around the world were French, from London’s La Mirabelle to San Francisco’s La Bourgogne.

In 1964, the first New York Times “Guide to Dining Out in New York” listed eight restaurants in its top three-star category. Seven were French. Meanwhile, beginning in 1963, Julia Child’s hugely popular television show “The French Chef” taught Americans how to replicate French dishes in their own kitchens.

So what happened?

In my recently published book, “Ten Restaurants that Changed America,” I show how one restaurant, Le Pavillon, came to epitomize the rise and fall of French cuisine.

Food ‘fit for the gods’

Four of the 10 restaurants featured in my book offer some version of French food. Delmonico’s described itself as French, but it also offered American game and seafood, while inventing dishes such as Lobster Newberg and Baked Alaska. Antoine’s, a New Orleans restaurant that opened in 1840, now portrays its cuisine as “haute Creole,” but it, too, presented itself as French for most of its history.

Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California – the  original inspiration for the current farm-to-table vogue – initially tried to imitate a rural French inn before becoming one of the first restaurants in America to promote local food with high-quality, basic ingredients.

But while these restaurants reflect French influence, only one consistently and deliberately imitated Parisian orthodoxy: New York City’s Le Pavillon.

It began as a pop-up-style eatery called “Le Restaurant Français” at the French Pavilion during the New York World’s Fair of 1939-1940. But the sudden German conquest of France in the late spring of 1940 left the staff with a choice: Return to Nazi-occupied France or stay in the U.S. as refugees.

Maître d’hôtel Henri Soulé, together with those who stayed, found permanent quarters in midtown Manhattan and rebranded it “Le Pavillon.” With a preexisting reputation for excellence from the fair, the restaurant was an instant success.

Le Pavillon and Soulé soon ruled over the city’s restaurant scene, rising to become the undisputed top-ranked establishment in America, with exacting culinary standards that surpassed its Francophile competition. French writer Ludwig Bemelmans thought that Soulé provided not only the finest meals in Manhattan but also eclipsed those in France. In his memoirs, famous food critic Craig Claiborne recalled the food as “fit for the gods,” and a throng of celebrities passed through, from the duke and duchess of Windsor to the Kennedy clan (well, until they quarreled with the irascible Soulé during John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign).

Alongside excellence, a reputation for snobbery

Most high-end American restaurants at the time were opulent but served either French standards such as duck a l'orange or dishes that weren’t particularly French, such as lamb chops.

Le Pavillon’s cuisine, however, was unabashedly pretentious. The more elaborate presentations sent the food writers into raptures: Mousse de Sole “Tout Paris” (sole stuffed with truffles, served with a Champagne sauce and a lobster sauce) or lobster Pavillon (lobster with a complicated tomato, white wine and Cognac sauce).

Some of the restaurant’s famous dishes seem rather ordinary by today’s standards. Beluga caviar was (and remains) an expensive delicacy but takes no talent to prepare. Chateaubriand steaks – a tenderloin filet usually served with a red wine reduction or a Bearnaise sauce – routinely exceeded US$100 in today’s dollars. But it takes more skill to select the cut of meat than to prepare and cook it.

Soulé himself missed the bourgeois fare of his homeland such as blanquette de veau or sausages with lentil and, paradoxically, prepared these ordinary dishes as off-menu items for customers who, he felt, could appreciate the real culinary soul of France.

Those special customers were conspicuously favored, and this is an unattractive aspect of Soulé’s legacy. To the extent that French restaurants in America, to this day, retain a reputation for snobbery and annoying social discrimination, it’s largely traceable to Soulé. He didn’t invent “Siberia,” the part of the restaurant that nobodies are exiled to, where service is slack and borderline contemptuous, but he perfected it. He was an exacting proprietor not just to his harried cooks and waiters but to customers as well, disciplining them with a look or, if necessary, harsh words if they questioned his decisions on where they were seated.

The competition for status was not all Soulé’s fault. Joseph Wechsberg, author of a book on Le Pavillon published in 1962, attributed the jockeying for position not to Soulé but rather to a preexisting “battle for survival in the status jungles of Manhattan around the middle of the 20th century.” Even in the supposedly less formal and certainly un-French restaurant scene of today, there is no evidence that sparsely decorated farm-to-table restaurants treat their customers any better than the dictatorial Soulé. Just try getting a reservation at David Chang’s Momofuku Ko in Manhattan’s East Village.

The difference was that the short, stout, charming but awe-inspiring Soulé, whom restaurant critic Gael Greene described as a “flirtatious, five-foot-five cube of amiability,” never pretended to be anything but confidently elitist in running his operation. He routinely referred to himself in the third person and treated his staff in a dictatorial, patronizing fashion. Soulé even defied his landlord’s demand for a better table. When, in response, the rent was exponentially raised, he preferred to move the restaurant rather than give in.

Soulé’s death from a heart attack at the age of 62 in 1966 was marked by adulatory obituaries. Claiborne memorialized him as “the Michelangelo, the Mozart and the Leonardo of the French restaurant in America.” The restaurant staggered on after Soulé, before shutting its doors in 1971.

Today it’s all about globalization and innovation

Following the sudden closing of Le Pavillon, spin-offs – Le Veau d’Or and La Caravalle – would flourish. But if Le Pavillon is now largely underappreciated or even unknown, it is because of the demise of the French model it established: formality and elegance that veered on intimidation.

Even before Soulé’s death, a hint of the new competition had emerged in New York’s Four Seasons. The restaurant, which recently closed, opened in 1959 as a daring anomaly: an elegant, expensive restaurant that was not French but rather international and eclectic in its menu offerings.

Today, grand French cuisine has yielded to Asian and Latin American influence, the rise of Italian cuisine, the cult of local ingredients and the farm-to-table model.

From the 1970s to the 1990s, we witnessed the growing influence of Asian tastes: both specific cuisine (Thai, high-end Japanese) and Asian-European fusions (promoted by chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten). There was also  the Italian challenge to French hegemony. Italian cuisine in its American “Mediterranean” form offered simpler, more lightly treated preparations: grilled meat or salads, rather than elaborate, rich sauces.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen the rise of new centers of culinary innovation, whether it’s Catalonia, Spain (where molecular gastronomy was pioneered in the 1990s), or Denmark, where foraging for food and new Nordic cuisine is in vogue.

These days French cuisine seems traditional – and not in a particularly good way. Unfortunately, its association with snobbery only contributed to its demise – a reputation that Henri Soulé did nothing to discourage.

https://theconversation.com/how-was-french-cuisine-toppled-as-the-king-of-fine-dining-66667

Hundred Years’ War (Edwardian phase) + The Onion headlines

Le Jeans consigné

Ce jean est recyclé, recyclable et consigné

La marque française 1083 vient de lancer une collection de jeans fabriqués à partir de déchets plastique recyclés. Les clients pourront les renvoyer en fin de vie. Ils seront alors transformés en nouveaux pantalons.

Par Sofia Colla

I Publié le 1 Août 2019

source: https://www.wedemain.fr/Ce-jean-est-recycle-recyclable-et-consigne_a4209.html

Le Jeans Infini est éco-conçu : son design simple et sa monomatière lui permettent d'être 100 % recyclable. (Crédit : Alison Bounce Underwater)La consigne revient à la mode, et cherche même à monter sur les podiums.

Alors que le projet de loi antigaspi

prévoit le retour de la consigne pour les bouteilles plastique - le système se transpose dans le prêt-à-porter.

La marque française 1083

vient ainsi de lancer une collection de jeans "Infinie" qui sera consignée.

Le système est simple. Lorsqu'un pantalon arrive en fin de vie, l'acheteur peut le renvoyer gratuitement à la marque. Ce dernier est alors broyé, retransformé en fils puis en jean. Le consommateur quant à lui se fait rembourser la somme de la consigne, soit 20 euros.  

"C'est ça l'économie circulaire idéale : concevoir et fabriquer un produit de telle sorte à ce qu’en fin de vie, il soit la matière première du même produit neuf ! Une boucle vertueuse dans laquelle on transforme les déchets en ressources", écrit Thomas Huriez, fondateur de la marque, sur la page de la campagne de crowdfundingdédiée à cette nouvelle collection.

UN JEAN 100 % RECYCLABLE

L’objectif principal de la marque 1083 est de relocaliser toutes les étapes de la fabrication des jeans en France. D’où son nom : tous les pantalons sont fabriqués à moins de 1083 kilomètres "de chez-vous", promet-elle, alors qu’un "jean conventionnel parcourt jusqu’à

65 000 km lors de sa fabrication

".

Le fil utilisé est fait à partir de déchets recyclés, notamment de bouteilles plastique et autres déchets plastique marins, en collaboration avec la société Antex, basée en Espagne. Les jeans sont ensuite teints à Pont-de-Labeaume, dans l’Ardèche, puis tissés à Coublanc, en Bourgogne, et enfin confectionnés à Marseille.

La collection est pour le moment composée de quatre modèles, deux pour femmes et deux pour hommes, ajustés ou amples. Tous sont 100 % polyester, boutons et étiquette compris, ce qui permet un recyclage complet.

Un projet financé via une campagne de crowfunding lancée fin juin. Avec succès, puisqu’elle s'est soldée par 847 préventes, sur un objectif de 100. Les premières commandes devraient être livrées à partir du mois de septembre.  

"Vos précommandes nous ont également permis de recycler 425 kg de déchets en plastique des océans pour les transformer en jeans consignés, 100 % recyclables !", se réjouit le fondateur sur la page Ulule.

DES MAILLOTS DE BAIN CONSIGNÉS ?

Les prix de ces jeans restent toutefois assez élevés : entre 119 à 129 euros.  

Autre bémol :

les matières synthétique délivrent des microparticules dans l'eau

lors de leur passage à la machine à laver... La marque assure que la libération de microplastiques est limitée, sans pour autant avancer de chiffres précis.

Pour ceux qui préfèrent les matières naturelles, sachez qu'il existe des jeans en

lin

, une fibre cultivée en France, sans pesticide et qui nécessite peu d'eau. La marque 1083 propose pour sa part des jeans en coton bio. Et promet sur son site de lancer une collection en coton recyclé.

Le principe de la consigne semble toutefois intéresser d'autres marques :  1083 entend développer un "Costume infini" avec Smuggler, une "Veste infinie" en collaboration avec Hopaal, ainsi qu’un maillot de bain avec Le Slip Français.

Demain, notre garde-robe sera-t-elle entièrement consignée ?

"In your life you have never seen the like"

We have many reasons to distrust what Louis Racine has said about his father. Only 6 when his father died, he could have had few personal memories of him, and no memories at all of his life as working playwright- which ended long before Louis was born. Being himself excessively pious and a convinced Jansenist, he was extremely touchy on the subject of his father's relationships with women, preferring to believe that his father "never was the slave of love", was never in love with Mlle Champmeslé, never wrote his tragedies "conforming to the style of declamation of his actress." Although it is easy to dismiss the sanctimonious Louis as a hagiographer, perhaps there is something to be learned from his insistence that Jean Racine felt obliged to give his actresses lessons in how to declaim his verses […]

According to Boileau, Racine also taught Mlle Du Parc the role of Andromaque and "had her repeat it like a pupil." Perhaps what these anecdotes reflect is Racine's desire to create a new style of tragic acting for plays that depended far more for their emotional affectivity on the appropriate inflection and melodious intonation of his carefully crafted verse than did the action-centered tragedies of Corneille and those who followed his prescription. The actor Jean Poisson supports this possibility when he notes that Mlle Champmeslé "sang a little" when she enchanted the court as Racine's heroines, but that "elsewhere she recited the Tragedies of the Celebrated M. de Corneille excellently & in a totally different manner."

If Racine took it upon himself to reform acting, this could have made him unpopular with some actors. Raymond Poisson may have had Racine in mind when he created his Poète basque in 1668, a few months after the great success of Andromaque. Among Poisson's provincial poetaster's ideas for improving the Hôtel de Bourgogne is the following:

I am going to read it [his play La Seigneuresse] to you presently, And this reading will be like your musical score. I will mark there all the tones and the mutations, The facial expressions and the actions: When I’m not speaking observe my face, You will see me pass from love to fury, Then, by marvelous art, in a surprising return, I will pass from fury to love. In brief, I am going to show the right way to satisfy, And what a great actor must do to be great. Don’t miss my least movement, For even the least is worth applause.

Of course, Racine may not have been the only playwright who thought he was a better actor than the actors.

From the audience's point of view, there seems little doubt that Mlle Champmeslé, whether because of or in spite of Racine's tuition, was considered the finest actress of her day even by those, like Mme de Sévigné, who preferred Corneille's plays to Racine's. In January 1672 she wrote to her daughter that Mlle Champmeslé:

"seemed the most marvelous actress that I have ever seen. She surpasses la Des Œillets by the distance of a hundred leagues; and I, who am thought rather good on the stage, I am not worthy to light the candles when she appears. She is nearly ugly, and I am not astonished that my son was suffocated by her presence; but when she speaks, she is adorable."

She is speaking of Mlle Champmeslé’s performance as Atalide in Racine’s Bajazet. Giving the lie, however, to Louis Racine’s remark that the actress was never as good in other playwrights’ plays, Mme de ́Sévigné reserves her most effusive praise for Mlle Champmeslé's appearance in the title role in Thomas Corneille’s Ariane. The actress is “so extraordinary that in your life you have never seen the like; it is the actress one goes to see and not the play; I saw Ariane only for her: that play is insipid, the actors are damnable; but when Champmeslé enters, there’s a murmur; everyone is transported, and we weep at her despair.”

We also owe Mme de Sévigné for our reasonable assurance that Racine was in love with Mlle Champmeslé. Writing about Bajazet, which she liked, although not very much, she added: “Racine writes plays for la Champmeslé; it is not for the centuries to come. If ever he is no longer young, and ceases to be in love, it will not be the same thing.” If fact, she was absolutely right. He grew older, grew disenchanted with the theatre, lost Mlle Champmeslé to other lovers, and reinvented himself, but not before he had written for her Monime in Mithridate and the title roles in Iphigénie and Phèdre.

By “for her” I do not mean to suggest that Racine wrote these plays either because he was in love with her or because he wanted her to love him. Rather, I want to underscore once more the likelihood that because he knew what she could bring to a role, both as an artist and as a stage persona, he chose certain stories and developed them in certain ways. This might be especially true of Iphigénie and Phèdre.

From the beginning of her career as Racine's leading actress, Mlle Champmeslé was known for her ability fo bring an audience to tears. Forestier quotes a British diplomat, Francis Vernon, who wrote that "all the entertainment of the town are the two new plays, both of them called Bérénice… of which that of Racine seems to take much, and the ladies melt away at it and proclaim them hardhearted who do not cry, so much they are concerned for the unfortunate Bérénice." This ability was nowhere more famously employed than in Iphigénie […]

As Boileau later reminds his readers, it was with the help of the actress that Racine achieved his effects on the audience:

How well you know, Racine, with the help of an Actor, How to move, astonish, delight a Spectator! Never did Iphigénie sacrificed in Aulis, Cause as many tears to flow in the assembled Greece, As were at the hapy spectacle to our eyes unfolded Caused to flow by la Champmeslé…

Even when Ariane was reprised at the Guénégaud in 1679, Donneau de Visé was moved to write in the Mercure Galant that "Mademoiselle Champmeslé, that inimitable actress who haas transferred to the Faubourg Saint-Germain troupe, on several occasions drew tears from many of her spectators."

Virginia Scott- Women on the Stage in Early Modern France: 1540-1750.

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THURSDAY NIGHT TASTING 6-8PM BONNE ANNÉE!!!

DANDELION WINE’S 6TH ANNUAL

SPARKLING WINE TASTING

WITH ALEXA OF BONHOMIE WINE IMPORTS!!!

Come join us for pre-NYE bubbles please! Everyone needs to buy a bottle or three for New Year’s and here’s your chance to come taste a few beforehand. Killer snacks and bumpin’ tracks as always.  Goodbye 2018! Welcome 2019! Bubbs up! XOXO

Moissenet-Bonnard, Crémant de Bourgogne NV

Emmanuelle-Sophie officially took over the estate with the 2014 vintage after working alongside her father Jean-Louis for many years and the wines at this esteemed Pommard domaine have never been better. They are primarily known for their red burgundy but tonight we’ll be tasting their Cremant, which has recently returned to our fridge. It’s always a lot of fun to introduce someone to Cremant de Bourgogne – I don’t think there’s a better value sparkling wine in the world. 100% Pinot, this Blanc de Noirs beauty is rich, toasty and deep. Organic and unfiltered, easy-drinking and easy on the wallet! $25

Franck Besson, Sparkling Rosé Granit NV

Frank Besson is a true iconoclast. There is no legal designation for method Champenoise Gamay made in Beaujolais, or anywhere else for that matter. Go ahead, Google it! Franck's very independent vision sprang from his frustration that the extremely high quality of his grapes was being overlooked simply because his vines are not within a Cru appellation of Beaujolais. Farmed Organically, hand harvested on slopes of dense granite and located near the town of Jullié at the foothill of the Cru Juliénas and on the terroir of Beaujolais-Villages, Franck decided that he must do something completely different to call attention to the quality and he did. More than one person who works for another wine importer stops by Dandelion to pickup bottles of this beauty. $27

Henriet-Bazin, Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Brut

And now for CHAMPAGNE, this Blanc de Blancs (made from entirely white grapes, in this case Chardonnay) is repeatedly one of our favorite Champagnes to pop and drink. It's so good! In 1890, when the vast majority of the Champagne grapes were bought by the big houses, three wine-growing friends in Verzenay decided to retain part of their harvest to start their own winemaking. One of them was Gaston Henriet, and voilà Henriet Champagne was born and making Gaston an OG "Grower Champagne". His great grand daughter Marie-Noëlle is now at the reins making this Blanc de Blancs as an homage to the exceptional Chardonnays grown on pure chalk from the Montagne de Reims. "Fresh citrus, minerals, green almond, floral-accented, silky, broad, spicy, rich, vivacious." Delicious! $54

GAY-o

Alors que l'univers de Game of Chess était entrain de prendre forme, d'autres préparaient le Gayo Daejun... Parmis eux, Elrick, Malia, Ewan et Lucie. Si il avait été convenu qu'Elrick chanterait en Duo avec Minho, la chanson restait de leur choix, Malia avait opté pour un pianovoix assez doux, Ewan lui avait eu la surprise de chanter avec Jungkook et Lucie avait la scène pour elle.

« Biiiien je galère un peu ... » soupira Morganna « Alors à partir de maintenant ... C'est Zazou qui gère le Gayo. » fit-elle en sortant de la salle.

« Zazou... » Ewan soupira en riant « Un jour Miss Holmes daignera l'appeller Zhen »

« Ou pas mon gars, ou pas. » Fit Elrick hilare  

« Comment tu gères le fait de faire Game of Chess et le Gayo ? » demanda Malia

« Game of Chess est encore en développement mais Morganna a rêver de cet univers depuis longtemps. » dit Elrick « Et puis j'ai pas encore reçu la chanson donc je peux tranquillement attendre et me préparer à ce Gayo Daejun avec le sourire » dit-il en souriant

« C'est cool comme univers Game of Chess » fit Minho

« L'univers des contes inventés par Ian est très vaste. » dit Ewan calmement

« Qui c'est Ian ? » demanda Minho

« Le père de Morganna » Fit la voix grave du ténor qu'était Zhen « C'était un militaire avec l'âme d'un écrivain. »

« Oh » Minho comprit à l'usage du passé qu'il n'était plus des leurs

« Mais assez parler de Game of Chess. » dit Zhen « On a du boulot ne pensez-vous pas ? »

« Minho et moi on cover Love line de DBSK » fit Elrick « Allez belle gueule on va bosser » dit-il en caressant les cheveux de Minho

« Tu peux pas m’appeler Minho comme tout le monde ? » demanda-t-il

« Nan. Parce que je suis pas tout le monde mon cœur. » fit Elrick en ricanant

« I ship it. » fit Malia

« I do too » dit Lucie

« I approve it. » dit Ewan en souriant

« What the fuck ? » fit Zhen...

Et àa côté Minho rougissait alors qu'Elrick enlevait son pull pour commencer à répéter la danse .... Elrick se tourna vers le coréen puis le filles ... S'approcha à pas de félin du plus jeune et vint l'embrasser avec tendresse. Minho se laissa faire approfondissant le baiser. Oh ça faisait quelques semaines qu'il draguait le blond alors quand il l'avait clamer comme sien, Minho l'avait laisser faire. Elrick l'avait rendu accroc à lui en peu de temps et il regardait son amant avec un regard amoureux.

« Please don't show any of your relationship on scene. » soupira Zhen

« The only guy I kissed on scene has red hair ... and it was needed. » dit Elrick

« Cause we played a gay couple in high school yeaaaars ago. » soupira Ewan

« You kissed Elrick ? » fit Malia hilare

« Once. » soupira Ewan « Can we move on ? I still need a duo to sing with Jungkook. » fit Ewan

« Well how about some DBSK too ? With Jungkook you can step it up. » dit Zhen

« I don't really know... » fit Ewan

« Maybe i can suggest you a song ? » fit Lucie

« Go ahead ? » fit Ewan

« How about 'Baby Don't Stop ?' » demanda Lucie

« J'aime bien ! » fit Jungkook en entrant « Mais euh... Ewan ? Tu sais danser ? » demanda-t-il

« Il a fait du ballet. » balança sans gêne Elrick « Il a jouer Billy Elliot a 15 ans. »

« Je te hais. » siffla Ewan

« Oh you don't. » Fit Elrick en riant

« Oh sometimes I do... » soupira Ewan

« Du ballet ? Donc t'es souple... » fit Jungkook en souriant

« Très. » fit Zhen « DONC ! On ne flirt pas sur scène je veux pas de Scandale. Lucie tu te démerdes. » Et voilà que Zhen s'en alla blasé.  

Ewan rougit violemment et enleva sa cravate pour se préparer... Il s'en alla se changer et revint en jogging et marcel... il était fin le Lord... très fin mais musclé. Jungkook avala de travers. C'était rare. Très rare qu'il voit Ewan comme ça. Le Lord lui était concentrer et répétait avec diligence, comme Minho, alors que Jungkook matait son cul, comme Elrick matait celui de Minho. Lucie elle entra dans la salle et fixa les deux couples... avant de rire doucement. Elle avait déjà prévue sa performance, quand a Malia elle regardait sa partition avec un sourire doux aux lèvres.

« Tu nous fais quoi toi ? » demanda Lucie

« Eh-bien .... Love Shot » dit-elle doucement

« Oh-ho... A confession ? » demanda Lucie

« Yes. » Malia sourit doucement « Et toi ? Gri ? »

« Oh il s'attend à une de ses chansons, mais je pense qu'un peu de modestie ne peut lui faire de tort. » dit Lucie doucement « Zhen m'a donner les moyens alors je vais faire une performance digne de mon sang mais sur une chanson d'un de nos amis qu'on a en commun. » dit-elle doucement « Taeyang m'a proposer de lui apprendre cette leçon tout en douceur » dit Lucie « CL m'a proposer une façon chaude... » Lucie rit « J'ai décider de mélanger le tout. »

« Je doute que tu lui apprendras surtout l’abstinence ou la frustration. » dit Malia en souriant « Si c'est du Samael que tu chantes... »

« il a des textes géniaux ton frère » dit Lucie

« Je sais, c'est moi qui les écrits. » dit Malia en riant.

-

Les premiers à ouvrir le bal du Gayo Daejun c'était Elrick et Minho. Minho portait une chemise en jeans à manches courtes et ses cheveux avaient été brosser en arrière, Elrick portait un jeans et une chemise blanche entrouverte sur son torse. Le blond avait les cheveux brossé en arrière comme Minho et le duo commença a chanter Love Line de DBSK sans soucis. Elrick s'amusait et Minho gardait le sourire. Après la performance ils eurent un bon brohug et sortirent de scène. Ensuite ce fut à Malia de monter. Elle portait une sublime robe  bourgogne, des longs gants en soie noire et ses cheveux remontés en chignon agrémentés de fleurs. Elle s'installa au piano et commença une version piano-voix de Love Shot. Kyungsoo l'observait en se mordant la lèvre. Il était fou d'elle et Baekhyun murmura doucement a Kyungsoo que si Malia existait en double il en prendrait bien. Bien hélas pour Baekhyun et heureusement pour Kyungsoo, Malia était un exemplaire unique qui lui appartenait. Elle termina la chanson en douceur et retourna s'asseoir à sa table entre les filles de SNSD. Yoona lui murmura qu'elle avait un talent et des couilles de faire un piano-voix live. Vint ensuite Lucie. Elle arriva dans un superbe ensemble de Madame loyale Sexy, des énormes cuissardes en cuir noire aux jambes. Elle montait sur la scène avec une bonne musique electro et des danseurs. Elle dansait comme les plus grandes danseuse de Kpop. Son regard d'or souligné d'un maquillage charbonneux. Sa façon de bouger, sa façon de chanter. Sa souplesse quand elle glissait lentement en grand écart .... Seungri serrait très très fort son fauteuil alors que Mino se foutait de sa gueule. La version de Lucie de Can't be tamed.... était bandante et Seungri gémissait... Parce qu'elle faisait exprès ... elle avait fait un grand écart glissé devant lui. Cette française voulait sa mort. Vinrent enfin Jungkook et Ewan. Ewan portait un jeans blanc et une chemise blanche, ses cheveux replié avec classe vers l'arrière quand à Jungkook il portait un pantalon en cuir noir et une chemise noire a manche courte. Leurs version de Baby don't Stop impressionnait. D'autant par la justesse des pas que par la dévotion des deux danseurs. Jungkook regardait Ewan avec un regard brûlant et le regard indulgent et doux d'Ewan pour son cadet était tellement visible. Ils terminèrent leur préstation sous les applaudissements et les hurlements.

--

« YET ANOTHER GAYO passed ... and for debriefing this one, I have non other than the GREAT RM to join me this evening » fit Miyuki « But first... let me tell you. There are some ships sailing... and one ship took off yesterday. » fit Miyuki « Sooo RM are you aware of Shipping ? »

« I am... I know internet. » fit Namjoon en souriant

« Know that after this, you'll be shipped with me. » dit Miyuki en riant « But let's talk about one performance that got me in complete awe. » Miyuki sourit « Elrick and Minho showed us something sweet ... and for fucks sake... have you seen Elrick being that sweet ? »

« He has stepped up his act. » dit RM doucement

« True. But Lucie... ooohhh Lucie... she showed us what some french skilled performer looks like. » dit Miyuki

« Hands down one of the best female performers... but I have a sweet spot for Malia. » dit RM

« Boi Hands off, SM confirmed !!! KyungLia is sailing guys. And oh boi... Love shot on the piano.... I was just completely speachless »

« She has some talent, I wonder if she would love too colaborate. » dit RM

« If she's not available... you can always ask our Lord and savior ... Winchester-Sama... FOR FUCKS SAKE !! I loved him at his Billy Elliot Years ago but with Jungkook he stepped up A LOT... 10 points for the perfomance 10 for the eye sex... I'm convinced of one thing. JungWan is my new OTP fight me. And if you don't ship it ... honey are you blind ?  »

Beaujolais

https://j.mp/2UwOBhl Beaujolais - Keith Wallace - Beaujolais is a convivial region of Burgundy with a refocused attention to style. It is a place where light-hearted wines and creativity are allowed to thrive. Although nouveau is a popular and lively tradition, the region continues to prove it can produce much more than a harvest revelry and has worked diligently, innovatively, and eagerly engaged in legal disputes to protect its reputation. Table of contentsWhy Beaujolais MattersThe GrapesBurgundy?History of BeaujolaisPinot Noir ClimateBeaujolais NouveauEnd of an EraBeaujolais ClassificationsThree Categories of BeaujolaisTen Crus of Beaujolais Cru ClimateAOC VillagesCote de BrouillyMorgonCote du PyWinemaking StylesCarbonic MacerationBiodynamic Farming Why Beaujolais Matters Celebrated winemakers and negociants produce quality vintages with a price tag unparalleled for the same level of quality in the rest of Burgundy. In addition, this region has a long history of independent thought and a collective passion for agricultural sustainability. The Grapes Although outlawed by the Dukes of Burgundy for a hundred years, Gamay Noir stubbornly remained the varietal of choice. Grown over a graphite-influenced geological landscape, this hearty grape prevailed over conditions unsuited for the more delicate Pinot Noir varietal favored in the rest of the region. This thriving grape has become the overwhelming choice, with only Chardonnay being produced otherwise and in tiny quantities. So Gamay found a home to produce stronger vines that contrived quality and cultivated unique expressions amongst each appellation. Burgundy? Although administratively and politically a part of Burgundy, Beaujolais has a decidedly different approach to wine and is generally set apart from the rest of the district. Beaujolais is a compelling domain that simultaneously identifies itself as an independent entity while also recognizing its Burgundian designation’s economic importance. Burgundy and Beaujolais History of Beaujolais The panoramic vineyards along the Saone River have cultivated grapes since the days of ancient Rome. Still, arguably the beginning of modern winemaking in Beaujolais began in 1395 when Duke of Burgundy Phillippe the Bold outlawed Gamay Noir. Pinot Noir At that time, the French upper class believed that Pinot Noir was the superior varietal and that the region’s reputation was put at risk by allowing them more prolific Gamay to grow in the region. As a result, the regulation remained unenforced in the more distant and independent Beaujolais, where farmers propagated the varietal. Climate The semi-continental climate with Mediterranean influences and granite prolific soil proved the winning combination for Gamay wine with supple fruit, refreshing acidity, and excellent structure. By the 15th Century, Gamay was once again legally permitted to cultivate. Beaujolais Nouveau Most of the wine was consumed locally until the 19th Century, when railroads allowed Beaujolais’s popularity to spread. It was during this time that the concept of Nouveau and the celebration it entailed came into play. These quick fermenting wines took a mere two months from harvest to bottle. The release turned from a national celebration into a worldwide frenzy under master businessman Georges Duboeuf. End of an Era Unfortunately, by the mid-1980s, the craze had faded. By the early 1990s, France was left with over 1.1 million cases of unwanted Nouveau to discard. In addition, it became difficult to sell any bottle of Beaujolais as the public associated the region with inexpensive, deficient wine that lacked the ability to age. With the sharp decline in demand, illegal chaptalization, and doctored wine scandals, Beaujolais’s plummeting prices left many vineyards in or near bankruptcy. However, with standout vintages such as ’05, 12’ and 14’ meaningful, Beaujolais is once again beginning to resurface. Beaujolais Classifications Three Categories of Beaujolais By law, Beaujolais is divided into three categories of quality, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and Beaujolais Cru. The entire region has approximately 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares) under vine. To the west is the Monts de Beaujolais, and the Saone River valley borders the east. Ten Crus of Beaujolais The ten crus of Beaujolais produce serious Gamay with gentle tannins, juicy and expressive fruit with a light to medium body that at times shows an intense minerality and charming notes of spice. Investors, new talent, and reinvigorated winemakers are beginning to remind the world what Beaujolais is capable of. Cru Climate The climate is continental with slight Mediterranean influences from the south. The summers are hot and dry, and the winters are cold. However, one region is geographically dividing from north to south. The northern (Haut) region contains desirable granite soils that house all of the Beaujolais Cru. The southern (Bas) region is flat and composed primarily of clay and sedimentary rock. The most basic versions (including Nouveau) are grown here. In other regions of France, ‘cru’ indicates a particular vineyard, but in Beaujolais, ‘cru’ refers to the ten distinguished villages providing first-rate wines, all located on granite hills in the northern (Haut) region. The steep granite-based soils produce denser, richer, and more expressive Gamay with the ability to age. AOC Villages These wines will be labeled under their own AOC’s, so it is worth becoming familiar with their names and styles to know what to buy. The ten Beaujolais crus are; Brouilly, Chenas, Chiroubles, Cote de Brouilly, Fleurie, Julienas, Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent, Regnie and St. Armour. Two crus that stand out, in particular, are Cote de Brouilly and Morgon. Cote de Brouilly The vineyards of Cote de Brouilly cover the slopes of the ancient dormant Mont Brouilly volcano located in the heart of Beaujolais and are surrounded by the much larger Brouilly appellation. Although covering one of the smallest areas, just 751 acres (304 ha), the simultaneously meaty and elegant wines of Cote de Brouilly pack a big flavorful punch with an aging potential of four to six years. Brouilly is named for ancient Roman lieutenant Brulius, the first to plant vines over 2,000 years ago. Mythology According to local French mythology, the giant Garangtua has deepened the Saone river by removing rocks from the river bed and stacking them to form Mont Brouilly (there is also a version that describes him accidentally dropping the stones and not deliberating placing them there). The top of Mont Brouilly is considered an important spiritual place for growers from all parts of the region. Notre Dame du Raisin After devastating hail, mildew, frost, and on top of that, the phylloxera epidemic, Notre Dame du Raisin was built to protect the vineyards from future disasters. On September 8th, the locals make an annual pilgrimage to the church to pray against crop damage. The alter is inscribed ‘A Marie protectrice du Beaujolais.’ The majority of the vineyards are located on the higher south end of Mont Brouilly and face east. Terroir This location lends the protection of the vines from winds, places them on the steepest slopes, and gives the vines the advantage of early morning sunlight. The geographical fingerprint is distinguished by the presence of ancient volcanic activity, in particular, the blue freckled stone diorite. The soils are made up of diorite, granite, and schist with a bit of clay. This soil is so well-drained, which leads to the lack of water and nutrients optimal for growing vigorous vines that, while lessening the yield, produce Gamay grapes with a higher flavor concentration. Grapes Although appellation laws allow for a small percentage of Chardonnay, Aligote, and Melon de Bourgogne to be added to wines labeled Cote de Brouilly, Gamay dominates, making up 99% of all vineyards. Gamay from this region is regarded as the most intense of Beaujolais. Tasting Notes Cote de Brouilly can be described as bright crimson to deep purple with a medium to medium-plus body, lively iris, and fresh fruit aroma. A little cellaring adds to their elegance bringing forth more serious structure, minerality, and touches of spice. Standout producers include: Chateau Thivin, Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu, Domaine de la Voute des Crozes, Domain des Terres Dorees and Potel Aviron. Morgon Situated on the south and southwest facing Beaujolais hills to the west of the Saone River is Morgon, the second-largest cru in the region at 2,745 acres (1,111 ha). The region comprises distinctive and vine challenging soil, including decomposing schist and granite with Paleolithic volcanic influence. Terroir Pockets of heavy clay, sandy loams, and rich iron oxide with traces of manganese deposits contribute to a depth and aging capability so distinctive; it has been given its own verbiage “il Morganne.” The region is protected from the cold northern winds by the rolling hills to the west and benefits from the warm, arid winds of the east that aid in drying the soils after rain which helps protects the vines from various fungal diseases. Abundant sunshine moderated by the cooling Mediterranean influences develops the sugars and phenols while retaining acidity. Tasting Notes Morgon wine often features ripe fruit aromas, fleshy and rustic texture with spicy notes, and a firm mineral-laden backbone. Notable producers include Domaine de Terres Dorees, Chamonard, Domaine Marcel Lapierre, Georges Descombes, Jules Chauvet, Jean-Paul Thevenet and Guy Breton Cote du Py On the southern border of Morgon is the famous hill Cote du Py. This area is known to impart earthy complexity and powerful structure that develops and softens with age, a feature reminiscent of the more celebrated regions of Burgundy. An exceptional assemblage of producers with a passion for old viticulture practices yields Gamay much denser than the Beaujolais region. Winemaking Styles Carbonic Maceration Winemakers in Beaujolais use a style unique to the region, carbonic maceration or whole cluster fermentation. Whole grapes are placed into fermentation tanks where those on top crush the grapes on the bottom. The juices released start to ferment, and the sealed tank is filled with carbon dioxide. The CO2 permeates the skin of the fruit, which starts the fermentation process inside the uncrushed berries. This method produces wines with explosive fresh fruit, minimal tannins, and a whole lot of color. Beaujolais Nouveau winemakers add the cultured yeast 71B, sugars to pump up alcohol levels, and thermovinification to make vast quantities of cheap, artificial tasting wines for the popular November release. After the fall of Beaujolais Nouveau and the subsequent years of tormented sales and tarnished reputation, Biodynamic Farming Fabulous 2009 vintages nearly single-handedly rescued Beaujolais from the infamous ‘Gang of Four,’ including Lapierre, Thevenet, Foillard, and Brenton. These stalwarts for biodynamic farming faced the challenge of producing world-class wines and changing long-held dismissive opinions. Chaptalization and filtration practices are discarded as well. As a result, winemakers in the region are ‘green’ in many ways, focusing on protecting ecosystems and actively contending with soil erosion. Natural wine production concept. Fresh ripe bunch of grapes with metal corkscrew on the textured blue table. Creative image, top view Jules Chauvet These winemakers set higher standards, starting with old vines, late harvesting, and meticulous sorting practices inspired by Jules Chauvet, who many consider the father of the natural winemaking movement in France. Chauvet, a gifted winemaker, taster, and chemist, dedicated his life to natural winemaking. He contended that to make the best expression of wine, you must let nature take its course with little interference. Thus, synthetic herbicides and pesticides are never used, and there is little to no dosing of sulfur dioxide. Wine Courses L1 Online Wine Certification Core (L2/L3) wine Courses Advanced (L4) wine Programs Wine Region Articles Major Wine Regions Wine Regions of the World Italian Wine Regions Spanish Wine Regions Portuguese Wine Regions East Coast Wine Regions The Best East Coast Wineries Terroir of East Coast Wines Best Wineries Near Philadelphia International Wine Regions Austrian Wine REgions Israeli Wine Regions Beaujolais Turkish Wine Regions Swiss Wine Regions Texas Hill Country Vinho Verde The Story of Champagne - https://j.mp/2UwOBhl

We Asked 10 Sommeliers: What’s the Best Old-Vine Wine You’ve Ever Tasted?

This month, VinePair is exploring how drinks pros are taking on old trends with modern innovations. In Old Skills, New Tricks, we examine contemporary approaches to classic cocktails and clever techniques behind the bar — plus convention-breaking practices in wine, beer, whiskey, and more.

Who says you can’t teach an old vine new tricks? There’s no official definition, but old vines are typically those that are older than 50 years. Some vineyards have vines that are up to or even more than 100 years old. Because older vines don’t produce as many bunches of grapes, the fruit they do produce bears a more concentrated fruit flavor and tannin, plus balanced acidity. It all adds up to unusual wines that, when produced solely or mostly with these grapes (rather than blended with mostly younger fruit) boast exceptionally nuanced flavor profiles with surprising aromas and tastes.

All wine represents where it comes from, as well as a winemaker’s touch. But many somms appreciate old-vine wines’ ability to reflect a place’s history, whether it’s an iconic winemaker who resurrected old vines in Mt. Etna or a next-generation winemaker carrying on California’s Zinfandel legacy. Old-vine wines are associated with high quality — though this doesn’t always translate to being expensive — and they are often a source of pride for winemakers. So, when somms visit wineries and get to taste these old-vine wines with the vintners themselves, it creates a next-level experience that makes a wine truly unforgettable.

With all that potential for excellence in flavor, we polled sommeliers on the best old-vine wines they’ve ever tasted. Above all, the most memorable are those that surprised and delighted sommeliers with the kind of haunting palate and lingering finish that permanently sears a taste memory in their minds. From a fall-out-of-your-chair-good Sicilian wine to a Georgian wine that sent one somm’s taste buds into a frenzy, here are the expert picks.

The Best Old-Vine Vines Recommended by Sommeliers:

The Steeple Shiraz 2016

Bernard-Bonin Meursault ‘Les Genevrières’

Giodo Nerello Mascalese 2016

Ravenswood ‘Old Hill Ranch’ 1993

Orgo Rkatsiteli 2014

Martha Stoumen Wines Venturi Vineyard Carignan 2018

Domaine Rougeot Bourgogne Rouge ‘Les Vaux’ 2018

Samuel Tinon, Dry Szamorodni, Tokaj, Hungary 2009

I Vigneri ‘Aurora’ Etna Bianco

Jean-Michel Stéphan Côteaux de Tupin Côte-Rôtie 2009

Keep reading for details about all of the recommended bottles!

“Recently I tasted The Steeple Shiraz 2016 made from a 100-plus-year old-vine Shiraz from the Barossa Valley. I’m not the biggest Shiraz fan but the old vines tasted significantly different. You can really tell the difference between a quality wine made from more concentrated, complex grapes. It’s medium purple with notes of blueberries, plums, cranberries, and spice. It has a full body with velvety tannins and texture, and a lingering finish.” —Carolyn Pifer, Wine Educator and Lead Sommelier, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, Charlottesville, Va.

“Bernard-Bonin Meursault ‘Les Genevrières.’ As soon as you put your nose to the glass it is bursting with personality. It was reminiscent of Roulot or Coche-Dury — I fell in love immediately. The purity and honesty of this wine is astounding and haunting in the way that great Burgundy can be. It is bright gold in color with an intense flintiness on the nose along with toasted hazelnut and lemon zest. On the palate the layers of earth, fresh mushroom, and honeyed stone fruit [are] laced with a salty, stony minerality. This wine is medium-plus in body with a long finish driven by the energetic acidity.” —Megan Mina, Sommelier, Zero Restaurant + Bar, Charleston, S.C.

“Giodo Nerello Mascalese 2016. We were at their quaint facility outside of Montalcino, walking the vineyards and tasting the wines. I didn’t realize they made a Sicilian wine, and it was so good, I almost fell out of [my] chair. Tasting a wine I’ve never had, while bringing dear friends to the facility itself and tasting wines created by the maestro winemaker, Carlo Ferrini, was unforgettable. This wine has a light red color. On the nose, I remember it having strawberry, floral, and herbaceous notes. What stands out most is the fine line it walks between being both linear and powerful at the same time. It has a distinct minerality and a strong structure that helps achieve this. It’s a vibrant wine with wild berry, mountain herbs, and volcanic minerality. It’s also a great food wine.” —Jeremy Walker, Sommelier, General Manager and Wine Buyer, Bin 22, Jackson Hole, Wyo.

“I love old-vine wines because they represent the history of a place so well. The heritage vineyards of Sonoma County, Calif., offer some of the best examples. The 1993 Ravenswood ‘Old Hill Ranch’ is like nothing I’ve tasted before or since, with velvety structure and vibrant acidity, leather, and tobacco, but also with Zinfandel’s trademark peachy aromas. There is a reason it holds up as a standard-bearer in California’s old-vine repertoire. I got the chance to open this at Lazy Bear in San Francisco and tasted that and more California history with their sommelier team. The thing that made that experience unforgettable was seeing the future of this vineyard in such capable hands. Ravenswood is no longer under Joel Peterson’s watchful eye, but his son Morgan Twain Peterson just released a bottling of Old Hill Ranch under his label Bedrock Wine Co. We were so fortunate to taste the new release at Bedrock earlier the same day.” —Austin Farina, Sommelier/Captain, March, Houston

“Orgo Rkatsiteli ’14 from Kakheti, Georgia. Having learned about the rich history of Georgian winemaking and use of qvevris [large earthenware vessels used for fermentation], I was excited to try my first Georgian wine. Branched out from the prominent Georgian producer Dakishvili, Orgo produces wines made from old vines of at least 70 to 80 years of age. Not only was this wine well balanced, fresh, complex, and easy to drink, but it also sent my taste buds into a frenzy. Although this was not my first skin-contact white, this wine exceeded my expectations and set a high benchmark for other orange/amber wines out there. This wine had great acidity, complexity, and tannin. Aromas of pineapple, fresh and dried apricot, bruised apple, preserved lemon, dried shiitake mushroom, underbrush, honeysuckle, and chamomile tea jump from the glass.” —Tiffany Bulow, Sommelier, Oste, Los Angeles

“Martha Stoumen’s 2018 Venturi Vineyard Carignan from Mendocino County, Calif. My wife and I visited Pax Wines in Sebastopol, Calif., and were introduced to one of Pax’s winemakers, Rosalind Reynolds. Rosalind proceeded to pour a spread of Pax, Martha Stoumen, and Emma Wines for us while going into the history of Carignan as a once-dominant grape in California, and its triumphant return to the spotlight. Like many memorable bottles of wine, this one had a lot to do with the people I drank it with, and the evening’s conversation. This light-bodied red remains synonymous with dusk in my mind — a deep lingonberry on the palate, floral notes, and medium tannins.” —Clara Kann, Partner and Sommelier, Rooftop Reds, Brooklyn

“2018 Domaine Rougeot Bourgogne Rouge ‘Les Vaux.‘ I poured this wine at my wedding! We got married during Covid, so we had a small get-together at my mom’s house in Laguna Beach. We had steak frites and shared several bottles with family. It’s such a beautiful bottle of wine, in part due to the age of these vines. The vines are up to 70 years old! It’s an approachable wine now but can continue to age. Classic structure, with bright fruit from the whole-cluster fermentation. Hints of plum skins, red cherry, sweet violet, and limestone minerality. This wine is aged in oak barrels for eight to 10 months on the fine lees. The tannins are smooth and approachable in their youth.”—Arden Montgomery, Co-founder, Argaux, Costa Mesa, Calif.

“Samuel Tinon Dry Szamorodni, Tokaj, Hungary 2009. The winemaking technique here is super cool. And Samuel Tinon is iconic. The Szamorodni comes from the Határi vineyard, which has 90-plus-year-old bush-trained vines. The volcanic soils here in Hungary have a 15-million-year-old base and the wines produced are aged under floor in a similar style to sherry. This is a grand cru and is exquisite. It’s not as nutty or oxidized as sherry, but it has a super-unctuous texture full of dried apricot, dried orange peel, honey, and almond. With all that going on, it’s still, like sherry, very versatile. I’d sip on this with pork with sage or fennel, or a platter of ALL the cheeses.” —Zwann Grays, Sommelier and Wine Director, Olmsted and Maison Yaki, Brooklyn

“One that stands out as a favorite is the I Vigneri ‘Aurora’ Etna Bianco from the volcano Mt. Etna, Sicily. It’s a blend of about 90 percent Carricante and 10 percent Minella and comes from very old vines, some over 100 years old, that had been abandoned and were revived by winemaker and key proponent in the wine appellation’s renaissance, Salvo Foti. The vineyard is at over 1,200 meters above sea level, in the village of Milo, the one demarcated grand cru for the white wines of the region. What made it so memorable was just how hauntingly delicious it was. I can still taste it when I think of it. It had a vibrant light-golden hue, aromas of lemon, quince, flinty stone, and honeycomb. The palate was textured, creamy but incredibly lifted, with a striking purity and freshness of fruit, a mineral backbone, and a long, elegant finish.” —Iris Rowlee, Wine Director, Octavia, San Francisco

“Tasting across 17-plus years professionally, the old-vine wines always stand out. The best are light on their feet and powerful. I find the very best old vine wines are left on their own with very little cosmetic winemaking. I love the whole-cluster old vine Gamay, Syrah, and Mencia. I seek out Jean-Michel Stéphan Côteaux de Tupin Côte-Rôtie 2009. I’ve had this amazing wine many times over the years, most recently during my stint as sommelier at Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn in May. The wine is elegant and deep. The attack is spicy, slightly sour, full of sweet herbs, meat, and ripe plums. Mid- palate deepens these flavors, and the finish is lightning — everything brightens, and black pepper and crushed stone cleans the palate. The finish here is technically short, but you’ll think about this damn wine forever.” —Ted Glennon, Advanced Sommelier, Asilomar Fine Wine, Salinas, Calif.

The article We Asked 10 Sommeliers: What’s the Best Old-Vine Wine You’ve Ever Tasted? appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/wa-10-best-old-vine-wine/