Wines of Northern California: A Top Sommelier's Guide

Last night I went to a Northern California wine tasting.  Oh, alright, it was a virtual trip through Smithsonian Associates.  The day before Louisa picked up the tasting kits, shown above, from a local wine bar.  The six wines we tasted were:

1.  Bee Hunter Semillion from Yorkville Highlands 2017

2.  Ancient Oak Cellars Chardonnay from Russian River Valley 2017

3.  Paul Hobbs "Crossbarn" Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2018

4.  Bee Hunter GSM (50% Grenache/25% Syrah/25% Mourverde) Sonoma County 2015

5.  Far Niente "Post & Beam" Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

6.  Ancient Oak Cellars "Pagnano Vineyard" Zinfandel Russian River Valley 2016

It was so much fun because the SOMLYAY (that's how he spells it) Erk Segelbaum really knows wine and has a fun presentation style.  He talked about elevation and how that affects the grapes, why the fog is part of the process for some of the wines, and much more including the impact of prohibition on the wineries and the role Robert Mondavi played in California wine marketing.  It was a memorable experience.  Louisa and Chantel both also "went" to the tasting.

Of course, it made me a little homesick for Northern California as many of the places were familiar to me.  These wines weren't, though, so it was a pleasure to learn something new.

SIENA!!!!

 

Yes, THAT Siena.  The one in Italy!  I recently went there (virtually) with Smithsonian Associates.  Louisa went with me.  We were only there a little over an hour, but it was a wonderful escape.  The tour guide, Elaine Ruffolo, knows a lot about Italian history and so we learned a lot.

Siena was an Etruscan village and not too important until about 1000 AD.  At that time, innovations in farming included how plows were used and oxen were yoked and those improvements led to agricultural surpluses.  Those surpluses created opportunities for trade and for banking.  The banks were successful enough that they even minted their own coins.  It also was a stop on the famous pilgrimage trail Via Francigena going to Rome so there was commerce related to those travelers.   

As Siena flourished, so did Florence and a rivalry developed between the two cities.  Siena was aligned at that time with the Holy Roman Empire and Florence was then aligned with the Papal State.  In 1260, there was a famous battle, Montaparte, between the two cities.  Going into that battle, the citizens of Siena appealed to the Virgin Mary for support and left keys to the city on the altar of the church for her.  They were at a disadvantage, but they won.  According to our guide, citizens of the two cities still bristle at that rivalry today.  The people of Sienna credited the Mary for their success and built a beautiful church in her honor, as shown in the photo above.   The tower was built a little later and is very distinctive as it is striped in black and white, which are the colors of the Siena flag:

The colors of black and white date back to the legend that Siena was founded by two brothers who were sons of Remus (of the Remus and Romulus who are purported to have founded Rome).  Part of the legend is that one brother rode in on a black horse and the other rode in on a white one.  

Another important and interesting building in Siena is the Palazzo Publico which was the seat of government.  I found it interesting that nine "good" men were selected by a drawing to serve two-month terms and were locked in during those terms.  There is a very elaborate work of art in the Palazzo showing an allegory of good and bad management.  Ms. Ruffolo had some good pictures of it, but I couldn't find any.  It is just interesting that they received such "guidance."

The Bubonic Plague was devasating for Siena and they lost 40% of their population.  Their commerce had been limited to banking, agriculture and support for pilgrims and was not very diverse.  Florence, in comparison, had a broader base to their economy and so had a stronger recovery/  

We also saw some film footage of the famous horse race, The Palio, which is a big attraction in Siena.  It is in July and August and both races were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.  I went on-line and saw that it is scheduled for July 2, 2021.  

 

In a week, Louisa and I will take the companion trip to Florence with the same tour guide.  I have actually been physically in Florence, though it was several years ago.  I had never been to Siena, but now I hope to actually travel there. 

 

VIRTUAL PARIS DAY THREE

The theme of the third day of the Road Scholar virtual trip covered Paris and the Revolutions.   My notes are not good, but I will forge on with this.  It seems like it was a pretty chaotic time.

Our guide Nettah described the circumstances leading to Bastille Day, July 14, 1789.  A major issue was that France was on the verge of bankruptcy, partly due to financial support for America.  The French supported us against Great Britain in the American Revolution.  Another major issue involved the Three Estates--the nobility (First Estate), the clergy (Second Estate) and everyone else (Third Estate).  The Third Estate was 98% of the country., but only 1/3 of the power.   Representatives of the three estates met at the Palace of Versailles.  The King was Louis XVI.  

At Versailles on May 28 1789 the Third Estate began meeting separately, as the Communes.  They declared they were a National Assembly, and would not be under the monarchy's supervision. That caused King Louis XVI to shut down the hall in which they were meeting, so they began meeting in June 1789 at an indoor tennis court at Versailles.  They vowed to work toward a new constitution.  The picture above is a depiction of how it might have looked at the tennis court.  I am not clear of the connection, but the storming of the Bastille took place in July and Louis XVI was forced to recognize the National Assembly.  In August, the Assembly met and voted to abolish aristocratic privileges.  The National Assembly continued to work toward their revolutionary goals and seized church property in November.  

The King and his family attempted to flee to Varennes in June 1791 but they were caught.  He was tried by the National Convention and found guilty of high treason.  He was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793.  Shortly after that, his wife, Marie Antoinette was also tried and also was guillotined.  Her spending had been one of the things that led the revolutionaries to revolt.

Robespierre was elected President of the Convention and presided over what is known as the Reign of Terror because there were many massacres and executions during that time.  It was portrayed as an attempt of republican government under his leadership, but people turned against him and he was beheaded in 1794.  

I am not sure, but it seems that there was a relatively peaceful time for a few years.  But Napoleon Bonaparte who staged a coup in November 1799.  He became more and more powerful and was crowned as Emperor in 1804.  He led France to become the dominant land power of Europe, while Britain dominated the seas.  He lead an army of 700,000 to invade Russia but had to retreat because of winter weather.  He was defeated in 1814 by a coalition of Russian, Austrian and Prussian forces and exiled to Elba but he took power back about a year later when he escaped and returned to Paris.  The French people welcomed him back and the King, Louis XVIII fled to Belgium.  A European coalition defeated him at Waterloo and he was again exiled; this time, to St Helena where he died.  He may have been poisoned.  

Louis XVIII was restored as King in July 1815

I am not going to post the next two days to this blog.  My notes are not that good, and I think it is enough to say it was worthwhile and fun for Louisa and I to do together.  

PARIS DAY TWO

 

On day two, we covered the Renaissance in Paris and the Age of Reason.  The most interesting thing I learned from this period is how the Mona Lisa ended up in France rather than in Italy.  King Francois I invited Leonardo da Vinci to France in 1516 and Da Vinci brought the Mona Lisa with him perhaps as a gift to the King.  When Da Vinci died in 1519, the painting remained in France, as part of the various kings' art collection (including Napoleon) and was eventually hung in the Louvre in 1804.  It was stolen in 1911 by an Italian living in Paris who returned it to Italy a couple of years later.  Although he claimed it was a patriotic act, he was caught when he tried to sell it.  It was returned to France.

The ideas that defined the Renaissance were proportionality, order, harmony, humanism and classicism.  Da Vinci's work is an example, especially the Vetruvian Man.  

As you can tell, I am a huge fan of DaVinci.  When I was in Paris and able to go into the Louvre in person,  I made a point of seeing the Mona Lisa.  I often say it was one of the most horrible experiences of my life.  Too crowded and it's so small!  Plus, tourists crowd around to take selfies with it even though it is under two pieces of bulletproof glass.  Seeing it virtually is actually better. 

The Enlightenment, or Les Lumieres, was also dominated by order and reason.  It was interesting to learn that the first coffee house, Le Cafe de Procope, was opened in 1686.  Coffee houses were places where men could talk about their ideas.  It is also rumored that the idea for an encyclopedia started at Le Cafe de Procope.  

We also took a virtual "field trip" to the Sorbonne and the College de France on the Left Bank where students could study and it wasn't tied to certificates or degrees or anything like that....just for learning.

PARIS!!!!!

 

Recently (November 16-20) Louisa and I went to Paris.  Well, of course it was virtual....but it was great fun and very Parisian.  We did it through Road Scholar with Nettah Yoeli-Remmer as our guide.  It was very different from actually being there, but we could do things in historical sequence instead of geographical so it made a lot of sense.  We missed stopping for pastries, though...and sketching in the streets of Paris or by the Eiffel Tower.  When we were actually in Paris a few years ago so we revisited some good memories.

We covered a lot and Nettah had a variety of slide decks, videos, handouts (we got by email) and his own rich knowledge.  He made the virtual experience seem very relevant.

Day 1 covered origins of Paris, Ile de la Cite, Sainte-Chappelle and Notre Dame.  The first thing we learned was that the name Paris does not come from the Greek god Paris, but instead from a Gaul tribe, the Parisii who were brought under Roman control in 52 BC.   We saw pictures of a Roman arena (part  of Arenes de Lutece and built in the first century AD), which is still in Paris and can be visited once travel resumes.  I had no idea it was there and that is one of the interesting revelations of this virtual tour.

Christianity came to the city in the 3rd Century and Saint Denis became the first Bishop.  He was eventually decapitated and the picture above is of a statue at the Notre Dame that shows him carrying his own head.  The story is that he continued his sermons carrying his head after the decapitation and that is why he became a Saint.

Germanic tribes sacked Paris in 270 AD and so it became under Frankish rule.  Clovis I became ruler in 481 AD at the age of 16 when his father died.  He united the Frankish tribes throughout the region.  He increased his authority with Rome by marrying a Christian wife and then he himself converted to Catholicism in 496 AD.  He became the first Bishop of Paris. 

We  went to Notre Dame (through a video narrated by Nettah) and saw pictures of it post fire.  A decision has been made to rebuild it as it was at the time of the fire.  Nettah led a great discussion of it as classic Gothic architecture (construction began in AD 1163) and how the flying buttresses stabilize the walls and allow for open spaces in the interior.  

We "toured" another church that is physically nearby--Sainte-Chapelle.  Sainte Chappelle is not a cathedral and was privately built by King Louis IX as a chapel and a place for relics he had acquired, such as the purported crown of thorns worn by Jesus and a fragment of the cross.  By the way, these relics were transferred to Notre Dame a few years ago and were saved from the 2019 fire at Notre Dame.  Louisa and I visited Sainte-Chappelle when we were in Paris a few years ago.  It is amazing with soaring panels of stained glass.  It was built in the 13th century.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  

There was more, but this is pretty long already for a blog post.  This was only day one of five, so I hope to do four more.

Revolutionary Love -fifth Installment

Revolutionary Love Fourth Installment

I am still writing about the second day of the virtual conference.  There were breaks built in for meditation and for dancing. I didn't think too much of the dancing ones, and used them as breaks from the program.  I loved the meditation, though, which was led by Anu Gupta.  He led meditation as a way to develop empathy and compassion for all beings.  One of the things he said as he started the first meditation was that breath has been with us from birth.  I had never thought of it that way.  The guided meditation asked participants to focus on someone for whom you have unconditional love--a beloved.  Imagine smiling at that person and having them smile back at you.  Then greet that person with what I will call a mantra;

• May you be happy and healthy
• May you be safe and protected
• May you be in peace
• May you live with ease

Anu then asked us to reflect on our five-year-old selves in the same way with the same mantra..
The next part was to reflect on those attending and then extending this to all beings.

It was very good for me, and Anu said he teaches it to help break bias.  He pointed out that bias is learned.  The picture above is how I like to imagine myself when meditating.