Lyon, France. Accept no substitute. The pastry shops alone are enough to make me want to retire here. If it’s true that “you are what you eat,” then I’m a crepe. A great big petite fore, custard pie, cream puff, espresso mousse stuffed crepe. I have no idea what the majority of Lyon looks like because I never made it out of Vieux or “Old” Lyon. How dare they hold me captive in pastry paradise. Regarding my lack of self control when confronted with chocolate covered baked goods, can I sue someone?
We scheduled our end of tour dinner here. And as a little educational bonus, I gathered a few of the crew wine geeks together for a blind tasting just prior. We’d spent the last few days in Eastern Germany, so gathering together a mixed case of quality international juice was a bit of a challenge. But I managed to grab 3 bottles each of various Pinot’s, Cab’s, Tempranillo’s, and Sangiovese’s. 3 flights with a rep from each grape. It’s a great exercise for a novice such as myself. The contrast is very revealing and helps to establish a sense memory. Although quality wasn’t the point of the exercise, the standouts were the 01 Teofilo Reyes (Ribera Del Duero), the 99 Penfold’s Bin 707, and the 94 Leoville Las Cases. As far as grapes go, the overall favorite for the event was the Tempranillo.