Gray complexity

*Written August 26, but no time to post!*

As Burgundy’s grapes are fighting the acid vs. sugar tug of war, I am mentally preparing myself for harvest 2011.  I find myself as nervous as ever.  Have I fallen out of shape, sitting on my butt and eating Russell’s yummy baked tarts at the office every day?  Have I already lost my grasp on all those small yet crucial enological facts I learned in the past year?  Have I become a comfy, cozy office chick?

But maybe we don’t have to make that division between working inside or out in nature.  As I rediscovered after spending another lovely weekend chez les Texiers, the world is not black or white.

Eric, Jane, and I entered this philosophical debate after reading Marcassin’s outrageous newsletter article, claiming that the Domaine de la Romanée Conti wines are simply terrible because the grapes harvested are “unripe”.  This conclusion was deducted after a tasting organized by and among the Marcassin team (completely unbiased, you see), who unsurprisingly decided their own wines were “ripe” and thus, delicious.  Us versus them.  I’ll refrain from opening that can of worms any further and instead just tell you that we all had a great laugh while reading aloud and realizing that wine is becoming more talk and less drink.  That is, more gossip and passing trends than sharing and appreciating any individual wine in its context.  Wine with added sulfur = bad.  The 2003 vintage = disaster.  Languedoc Rousillon = cheap table wine.  I know I’m not the only one who has experienced plenty of exceptions to these demeaning generalizations.

I assume Mr. Marcassin might be opposed to the ripeness of these tasty, unpasteurized rounds of chevre as well.

Yes, as I learned in Psych, categorizing is the easiest, safest way to navigate in a complex and potentially dangerous world.  But it also creates the same kind of mentality that fosters racism, conformism, and just plain old, boring routine.  Conversely, the great of feasts of life are always served with a side of risk, in my experience.

Now how would you categorize this wild, biodiverse habitat of blackberries and grapes growing together?

That same weekend in Charnay, blackberry picking with little Miss Jane on our way to pick up some fresh goat cheese at the neighbor’s farm provided a more colorful example of seeking diversity.  We started out going for the big, dark, juicy, sun-exposed ones but then realized the smaller, hidden berries had some nice acidity and zing to offer.  I think it’s precisely the overall variety of flavors that made Grandma Texier’s resulting blackberry crumble so tasty…and balanced. 

Nom nom nom...fresh blackberry crumble!

When we remember the world isn’t black or white, we can begin to see the rainbow again.  And to appreciate that we don’t have to resign ourselves to the office versus the vineyards (in my case) or to one professional specialty.  Rather, we can follow our passion wherever it leads us…the office in Beaune, the vines in Meursault, Russia (?!)…