TDF 2010 Stage 20: Longjumeau to Paris Champs-Élysées

The peloton winding down one of the final laps of the Champs-Élysées in this year's Tour. I'd love to be there to witness the spectacle one day.
Image courtesy of Fotoreporter Sirotti.

As many reading today will realize, my daily coverage of the 2010 Tour de France is drawing near to its close. The Tour finished in exciting fashion yesterday, with the now traditional slow dance — full of camaraderie and publicity opportunities — through the suburbs of Paris, followed by a ceremonial entrance onto the Champs-Élysées and finally ending with eight fast and furious circuits around the Champs, from the Jardin des Tuileries at one end to a 180 degree turn just short of the Arc de Triomphe at the other.

It's been nearly ten years since I was last in Paris, a shortcoming that's sorely in need of remedy. I've walked the boulevards and parks along the Champs-Élysées, stared up at the Arc and back down at the dizzying traffic 'round the Place Charles de Gaulle but never have I been there on that special day in late July when, as it has for the last 35 years, the Tour de France passes through, shutting down the grands boulevards for its swan song, the last of its annual 20-21 stages.

The idealist in me imagines sitting at a café table outside a little bar à vin on the Champs-Élysées, snacking and sipping the afternoon away while watching the peloton zoom by in the final throes of competition. The realist in me knows that no wine bar I'd enjoy could possibly afford the rent on such a prestigious stretch of real estate. And besides, I'd never be able to see anything over the throngs of fans, ten-deep so I'm told, that line the sidewalks. So, I suppose I'd have to settle for a brown bag lunch and a bottle or two to share with friends, that is assuming the local gendarmerie would tolerate such behavior. In either scenario, I could easily imagine enjoying wines such as those below.

The 2009 Rosé de Loire "Le P'tit Rosé" from Domaine Ricard and 2007 Morgon Côte du Py" of Jean Foillard would be perfect choices for a hot July afternoon on the streets of Paris. Bright, focused, terroir-driven expressions of the winegrowing arts, yet both unabashedly gluggable and perfect served with a refreshing chill.

Some of the most memorable stage finishes on the Champs-Élysées in the last 25 years have been the results of individual exploits: Greg Lemond's defeat of Laurent Fignon to claim the stage and overall victory in the 1989 Tour and Frankie Andreu's near success in a solo breakaway in the 1994 Tour come immediately to mind. More often, though, the Champs-Élysées is the sacred battleground of the field sprinters, as was the case this year and last with Mark "The Manx Missile" Cavendish taking out stage honors in beachstorming style.

Mark Cavendish celebrating his fifth and final stage victory of the 2010 Tour.
Photo © Roberto Bettini.

Then there's another kind of memorable entirely... regard, the Tashkent Terror on the Champs-Élysées in 1994.



Up next: Le Tour in review, a thank you or ten, and a look forward to next year.

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A Few Good Wines

With a birthday and Thanksgiving separated by only a couple of days in the past week, there were no shortage of reasons to open a few good bottles. Today though, just a few quick impressions, as these were enjoyed for the pure sake of pleasure, at the table and without any note taking or overt analysis.


Vouvray "Clos du Bourg" Sec, Huet 2005
A really glorious bottle. Redolent of wet wool and damp clay when first opened then growing ever rounder and more honey and herb laced as the bottle grew emptier. I need to drink Vouvray more often... and I really need to drink Huet more often.

Nuits-St.-Georges "Les Grandes Vignes," Domaine Daniel Rion 2001
When last I tasted this, it provided a much needed breath of fresh air. The better part of two-and-a-half years later, it's continued to develop and continues to surprise, taking on greater weight with its slumber in the cellar. Rich red fruit laced with dark spice notes and beautifully ripe, round tannins. The wines of Domaine Daniel Rion are made in a very reductive style that can render them ungiving when young but, when all things are right, they can develop very nicely given a few years of patience.

Bacharacher Kloster Fürstental Riesling Brut Sekt, Weingut Ratzenberger 2000
This proves to be maturing more rapidly than the 1998, 1999 or 2001 versions of Ratzenberger's Sekt. Perhaps that's not surprising given the wet conditions in the fall of 2000. In any event, this has gone very much toward the truffle and oily end of the mineral spectrum, leaving behind much of the bright citrus and orchard fruits of this wine's youth. Still damn tasty but it's definitely time to drink up now.

Morgon "Côte du Py," Jean Foillard 2008
I thought it was fun. My wife thought it was serious. You know what? We were both right. Foillard's wines combine airy grace and delicacy with a depth that can be explored or simply accepted as fits the moment. The '08 may still be lacking something at its core but I think it's only a matter of time before everything settles into place. Even now it's delicious, with pure small red berry fruit allied to an earthy savor that made it a great match on the Thanksgiving table, especially with the turkey and the sourdough/shiitake/sage stuffing. (PS: Guilhaume published a neat photo essay at The Wine Digger a couple of weeks back on his visit with Foillard.)

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