Is she hot?
In season five of “The Office” (Episode Prince Family Paper), the crew had a seriously intense debate/argument over the question: “Is Hilary Swank Hot?”
Jim leads the debate:
“Who thinks Hilary Swank is hot? (5 people raise their hands), Ok, and who thinks that Hilary Swank is not hot?” (5 other people raise their hands).
Like the Hilary Swank debate, Randall Grahms’ Le Cigare Volant has an identification crisis: what is it, a self-professed “vin d’effort” (Grahm defines this as a crafted wine from many places) or a “vin de terroir” which expresses a sense of place?
See the flying saucer behind the tree?
Randall Grahm, the driving force behind Bonny Doon for years would tell you the 2005 Le Cigare Volant (a pun on the french term for UFO) is a “vin d’effort” but that he is desiring, no craving with all his will to make a “vin d’terroir” and the ’05 is the “departure point” to making terroir wines.
So, like the Hilary Swank question, what exactly is this wine? Is it “Old” world or “New” world? Tasted blind could it be a Chateauneuf-du-Pape? If it’s not a “vin d’ terroir” that Randall Grahm says, yet is not an over the top fruit bomb is it good?
Identification Crisis
Kelly from the Office:
“No! No no no no no. She’s hot. Ok? Because if you are saying…that Hilary Swank isn’t hot then you’re saying I’m not hot because obviously I’m not as hot as Hilary Swank! [runs out of the room].
An identification crisis indeed!
The wine: I tasted over the course of three days, and experienced three different wines. On day one, hour one, strong tannins overpowered the fruit (Randall Grahm recommends decanting for a reason) and I immediately wanted to save the rest of the wine for the next day. Powerful bouquet, I kept wanted to smell the wine rather than taste it, as I smelled oregano and thought “Pizza!”
Day two: The tannis softened, dark fruits emerged, and the wine became very drinkable.
Day three: Perfect pairing with pork tenderloin stuffed with fruit and herbs, summarizing what I liked best about the wine- “Old” world herbs like oregano, herb d’ Provence and “New” world candied fruit. Is it “hot”???
Angela:
“Ok. I wasn’t going to dignify this discussion by getting involved, and I don’t even get the discussion. Hot, is a temperature, people. But Kevin, deserves to lose for what he said. So, yes. She’s hot. She’s hot as heck. She’s a female Boris Becker.” [Everyone on the Hot side claps]
While I don’t know what this wine “is” per se, I’m certainly looking forward to the 2006 Le Cigare Volant to compare the “vin d’effort” and the “vin de terroir”. The wine retails for around $30, so I do not call it a QPR wine, but it’s complex, interesting, pairs well with rustic food and very good.
Randall Grahm’s wine notes:
“The texture of the wine is slightly oily and velveteen and there is a finish that just doesn’t quit- it seems as if you’re getting 16 channels or tracks of information here, perhaps some being beamed in remotely from the Mother Ship, hovering overhead- undoubtedly, encoded secret messages. There is a “gathered” sense to the wine, and one apprehends that there is a certain core or nucleus to the wine- whether these are minerals or what, I couldn’t say. The wine is the embodiment of savoriness and I love it for the same reason I love Burgundy so much- infinitely mysterious and always beckoning one ever forward.”
I do not really know what Randall is talking about, but for some reason it makes sense, perhaps because I enjoy the wine or maybe due to Randall’s impeccable storytelling.
The Wine:
Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant, 2005
Price: $30
Available: Liner & Elsen
*All photos copywrite of NBC and The Office
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