Fotos: lookin' back@2014 (part 1)

 Millesimé Bio@Montpellier – 

innovation of the year: chien de dégustation

 Alastair Marshall and Robert Chase: 

Adnams veteran duo @MillésimeBio

 Quizzical Robert

 L'homme des amphores: 

Fred Niger Van Herck as Aristide Bruant 

Emmanuel Giboulot@Renaissance tasting, Angers

One of the 2014 causes célèbres

 Arnaud Bourgeois@Salon des Vins de Loire

Henri Bourgeois will not be at the 2015 Salon

March: visit to Saint Chinian – Thierry Navarre

 March: Olivier Cousin: another cause célèbre

Long drawn out case with Olivier as 

winner, although prosecution is appealing.

Olivier leaving court with his daughter

 Vincent Cuisinier de Campagne@Tours for annual Bourgueil 

invasion cooking lentils in Bourgueil 

Bourgueil invade Tours: chef with freshly cooked rillons

Bourgueil à Tours: Gillette would never 

have made a fortune with this trio!

March: sheep cropping a vineyard in the Côte Roannaise

part of my excellent visit to the Côte Roannaise/Côtes de Forez

 March 2014: municipal elections in France 

– the unopposed slate of candidates for Epeigné-les-Bois

 Christian Percevault: the new Maire of Epeigné-les-Bois

Christian replaced Michel Mergot who became the Premier Maire Adjoint

The new Conseil@Epeigné-les-Bois

3rd April: early budburst in Savennières

Leading to fears of an April frost 

fortunately that didn't happen

Part 2 of fotos lookin' back@2014

Château des Carrasses@40!

 Château des Carrasses, Quarante 

During our brief trip to Saint-Chinian at the beginning of March we stayed in the very comfortable Château des Carrasses.

My bathroom was in the round tower – spectacular but slightly chilly in early March!

 Views from the château (above and below)

Support Sally Easton's London leukemia marathon

Sally Easton MW@Domaine Navarre, Roquebrun

I was with Sally Easton MW in Saint-Chinian this week and was well impressed by her dedication in preparing for her first marathon – the London event on 21st April. Wednesday morning's weather was foul – driving heavy rain and high winds. No sign of the storm that had raged all night abating anytime soon. Despite this Sally was out running 5K before breakfast and the very full day of visits we had ahead of us. Incidentally as the Baumards consider my questions to be inquisitorial I would be fascinated to know how they would describe Sally's persistent and probing questioning!

Here's why Sally is raising money for Leukemia Care:

'I'm running to raise money for blood cancers. Not particularly high profile, apart from Leukaemia, probably, but dad died from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and mum is living with myeloma. The easy bit was choosing the charity for which I've taken up this physically challenging (hugely) and intellectually (surprisingly) driving project.

Target time 4 hours.

Forecast on current (Jan 1, 2013) training: > 5 hours.
Work to do...

I'm grateful for your sponsorship, as is Leukaemia Care.

I'm writing an occasional blog:http://purplerunning.wordpress.com/'

You can sponsor Sally here.  

Saint-Chinian: a long but interesting day

Château les Carrasses, Quarante

Long, full day yesterday in a very wet Saint-Chinian with lashing rain all day, which only abated in the late evening. It certainly wasn't a day for landscape photos, which was a shame as, with Thierry Navarre, we visited Roquebrun where the River Orb was overflowing and went up into the hillside vineyards of schist. 

Thierry Navarre

More to follow as we have another full day about to start.

Swapping sunny London for torrential Languedoc

Arnaud Bergasse, Château Viranel

Left bright, sunny London for stormy Saint-Chinian yesterday. Here it rained heavily all last night accompanied by high winds. It still has not abated. 

Last night at Château les Carrasses we had a tasting dinner with Arnaud Bergasse (Château Viranel), Xavier de Franssu (Mas de Cynarque), Didier from the Cave de Berlou and Nelly Belot, director of Saint-Chinian.

More to follow