Diary

Sipping with Bertrand Celce of Wine Terroirs in Angers, February 1, 2020

BAS 10/14/24




I finally learned my lesson and opened this two hours before we took our first sips, essential for the wine to sort it self out, and for it to reveal its more sensual side. It’s hard to describe in words something so substantial and elusive, ephemeral at the same time. Simultaneously head knocking and caressing, a magic potion so far from the norm, even in the Jura. There is such a lightness of touch here, and a salty complexity that reminds me of the more oxidative bottles from Selosse. Tasting notes don’t do the VSO justice, and the only thing we wished for was a bigger bottle.

BAS 10/12/24




A couple of bottles that we drank at Ernst in Berlin back in May. I didn’t take any photos of the 40 or so courses that were dropped in rapid succession because IRL was just so much better that evening. You know the meal isn’t actually that good if you want to pull your phone out and document every single dish that shows up. Well, maybe sometimes, but definitely not this particular night. While Dylan and crew exceeded my high expectations, the meal was hard to process, and I feel like it’s one of those restaurants one would have to return to over and over again to have a semblance of understanding of just what was actually going on—obviously a couple of barriers of entry there. We had a hard time deciding on a first bottle as the list (on ipad) was massive, and food started coming almost immediately after a welcome glass of La Parcelle. It felt like I was almost being shamed for not having arranged the bottles we would drink ahead of time over email. I understand this is the way in Japan a lot of times where lists aren’t so common, but when I know a place has a deep list I like to be a bit more spontaneous with my choices. Anyways, after a bottle of Morgane Turlier white that we couldn’t drink because of the insane amount of reduction, we decided on a beautiful 2015 Feneuil Meunier that we didn’t start enjoying until around course 10, and then moved onto dupif from Catherine and Manu, which besides being the most affordable bottle on the list was just so delicious and everything that made me fall in love with wild Gamays from the Auvergne in the first place. I had drank this bottle once before in Adelaide, Australia in 2018, and had dreamed about it since. It didn’t disappoint. And then finally a late harvest Barla from Case Corini, a winemaker I’ve learned to love from the Japanese. It was absolutely bonkers with the strawberry laden desserts. 

BAS 10/9/24






A day spent picking with Aurelien Lefort and friends, September 2022, Auvergne, France.

BAS 10/7/24






A few scenes from Food Wine Music, an event in which I took part in musically earlier this spring at Apollo Bar in Copenhagen. Many thanks to Frederik Bille Brahe, Anders Frederik Steen, Pierre Jancou, Gustav Klint, and Emil Broomé. I’m missing the late spring Scandinavian light so much.

BAS 10/7/24