L’Homme Cheval..

Having mostly written about classic American food whilst in Paris I’m going to break with recent tradition and actually talk about a wine.

L’Homme Cheval comes in a Burgundy bottle, it’s a Vin Francais (the lowest possible appellation status). It doesn’t have a vintage. There are clues though.

Vinifie et Recolte par un Girondin. LQY9, the 9 having a little 10 scribbled in biro on it, could we be circumventing labeling regulations relating to Vin Francais not being allowed to show a vintage? Hmmmm.

The wine is a 50/50 Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon from the Cotes de Blaye, the vineyard is 5100 vine density (pretty darn high), cultivation is organic and the ground is worked by horse.

Vinification is in concrete tanks and is pretty simple, there’s no oak related flim flummery and I’m guessing a very low pre bottling sulphur addition, as there was a very natural like funkiness on initial opening.

Initially a slightly muddy earthiness with some Cabernet herbaciousness, there was a definite gravelly old pencil case character, and a nice grittiness to the tannins, I liked this a lot, though stylistically it brought to mind more the earthy complexity of Domaine du Puech in Buzet than much I’ve had from Bordeaux, even Les Cotes.

Appendix relating to double entendres, lesbians and back passages:

On meeting the ex lesbian beauty queen Elena, who’s book launch the evening was in aid of I was momentarily put off guard when she asked where she knew me from.

Also I got to have a poke about in Springs tradesman’s entrance (see also innuendo relating to back passages) fnar fnar.