Eugenia Keegan

It was time to head back to France and prepare for my return home.  This is always a bittersweet moment as I LOVE to be at home, and yet I LOVE to be in Europe.

My final day was to be spent with my wonderful French family, the Grangeons.  Of course Myriam invited me to lunch which is always so delicious and so en famille.

So I spent my last day exploring the AOC Banyuls/AC Collioure.  These wines are also made primarily from old vine grenache.  Banyuls is the sweet version, Collioure the dry.  We don’t see much Collioure in the states….but maybe, just maybe I should try to change that.  There is an incredible amount of acreage still supporting the old vines, and as usual on extreme slopes.

It doesn’t hurt that the area is near the town of Collioure which is absolutely off the charts lovely.  I guarantee that I will be staying there again SOON.  Truly heaven on earth.

New Territory?

In Sight of the Sea

South View of Collioure, Castle Above

Looking Northwest

Entering Town from the South

Climbing Along the Sea Wall

Art Along the Sea Wall

View from the Cafe, Final Evening, Final Glass of Rosé

What a difference a year makes!  I now had a very clear idea of the project and samples in hand for show and tell.

Of course leaving France is always difficult, but when the destination is Spain the task is not nearly so arduous. I enjoyed one last lunch on French time before crossing the border at Biarritz.  My destination was Navarra so I followed the signs to Pamplona.  There is so much mystic and lore about the place between Hemingway, the bulls, and the copious amounts of wine and sunshine that the town in known for that a sense of excitement was easy as hell to muster.  Then I drove over this high highway and wow, Spain.  Ten days of magic unfolded from here.

Final Lunch in France....For Now

View From the Cafe

First Breathtaking View on Road to Pamplona

Oh heavens, where to begin.  After two years of  Conception and Gestation, the Old Vine Grenache Project is a bone fide reality.  I started with some vague idea about old vine grenache and France but had no idea that it would become this.

Yesterday, the 12^th of March I bottled 629 cases of spectacular juice sporting a new label.  The beautiful design was created by Chris Noud from Head for Design and the exquisite printing was executed by CRUSH.

The wine is a collaboration of the Calvets et moi

When I arrived at the domaine yesterday I was as nervous as a school girl on her first date…with the one. For the first hour my heart was in my throat as I sweated each detail.  And incredible as it may seem the bottling went without a hitch.  After an hour I replaced Marie on the bottling line (truly, she had more important things to do in the office) and that mindless repetition finally calmed my nerves.

The Bottling Truck Arrives

The Whole Family at Work: Roger, the Father of Jean-Roger

Double Checking Every Detail

Double Blessed by Marie's Grandfather

And Finally: The Darling in Front of Her Childhood Home; the Concrete Tank

That evening I shared a simple dinner chez Calvet and I seemed quite in control of myself but when I finally reached the apartment I went emotionally ballistic. I was so overwhelmed by the reality of it all that I sat for a couple of hours listening to music and crying like I had lost my best friend.  The joy that I felt was fantastic.

In fact, there is a bit more to March 12, 2012.  I also bought (with my cool cousin Rock and his wife Marnie and David of course) two small vineyard parcels with approximately 1.37 ha of old vine grenache.  I am sure it is clear at this point that the day was filled with just so much joy that my poor old system just wept with gratitude.  Sadly, David was not here (someone has to bring in an income!) but with the miracle of the internet we talked and talked throughout the evening.  Thankfully one can type through the tears.  Of course none of this could have happened without his love, support, and constant consultation.

But before the Irish in me takes over and maudlin becomes a dirty word it is indeed time to refocus and to keep on moving. On Wednesday I leave for Navarre, Spain and have my first appointment at 11:00 am on Thursday.

The sun burst in the room early…..I know this only because breakfast service started at 7:00 and I could not smell the usual signs:  fresh coffee and toast.  I turned over and wasted an hour in dream land.  I was at breakfast by 8:00, enjoyed a final walk along the lakefront, and was on the road by 10:00.  The day was spectacular, spring on full display.

I had picked my route; due south through the spa town of Aix-les-Thermes and onto the foothills of the Pyrenees.  I am not a skier so am not familiar with the hot spots of the sport, but I can imagine that this area is robust during the winter months.  I wound my way through one small Alpine village after another.  I could have been in Switzerland and indeed expected to see the Von Trapp family traipsing over the hill at any minute.

I finally could not contain myself and while crossing a somewhat new bridge with a running brook on one side and a leisurely lake spread to the other I pulled over to stop, gaze, wonder, and take a photo or two.  I stepped out of the car, and no it wasn’t Mary Poppins herself, but indeed the music of the famous cow bells.  I glanced up and sure enough cows were grazing with their bells echoing off the surrounding hills.  There was not a cloud in the sky or another human being on the road to disturb the minute of quiet and contemplation.

Back in the car, I cut across the mountain top and turned north at Mont-Louis.  I then followed the D118 north through a most beautiful and isolated area.  I wanted to stop for lunch but could not find the right spot.  It was Sunday (and Mother’s Day) and many places were closed.   Those that were open were hosting large families and formal meals, neither of which was on my agenda.  As the kilometers wound before me I marveled at how quiet things were…..and then noticed the time.  To be sure, around 2:30-3:00 the roads were a bit more crowded and busy….the lunch crowd had dispersed.  But for about two hours I thought that time had stopped for tout le monde, except moi as I traveled through timeless, hushed beauty.

As I came out of the mountains the temperature was on the rise.  I arrived in Maury around 4:00 in the afternoon with strong sun and temperatures hovering around 30.  The light breeze saved the air from any signs of oppression.  The town was on fire with activity and I soon understood that I had arrived right in the middle of a new (second year) tasting of AOC Maury wines hosted by the village of Maury.  There were around 25 wineries each with two or three wines in 5 separate locations around town, all walkable.  At each station a restaurant offered food.  There was music in the center of town at the community play yard.  I love arrival parties!!  I caught up with Jean-Roger Calvet and his wife, Marie at their winery station , picked up the key to “my” apartment (my third stay!!), and made arrangements to meet at the winery the next morning at 10:00.  The Calvets are my Roussillon winegrowing associates.  I can’t wait to introduce you to them.

Our plan for the next day was to work on a series of blends for the 2010 K2 grenache, Côtes Catalanes.  I couldn’t sleep a wink that night……

Not a Cloud in the Sky, Perfect Day for Handgliding

Welcome to the Neighborhood

Spring Arrives Late in Alpine Towns

Ring them Bells.....

Springtime in the French Mountains