Anjou in the Park

Last weekend, my wife and I continued a summertime tradition that we began the last time we lived in New York, by heading to the park to enjoy the day with a bottle of Anjou, some stinky cheese, and a baguette. The bottle of Anjou I picked up was made by Agnes and Rene Mosse, a husband and wife winemaking team whose focus on "traditional" techiques in both the vineyard and cellar reflect my own sentiments. What does "traditional" mean? One can picture a lone farmer tilling the rows with his horse, and fermenting his toils with long forgotten techniques in a dark and damp cellar. In reality it means doing what is best for the wine. Organic vineyard practices, minimal intervention, and the overall lack of manipulation of the wine to conform to the globalized palate by showcasing flavors of the location. We should really call it ultra-modernist!

The red wines from the Anjou region can really make you think. They can offer such distinct flavors, with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvingon being the stars of the show. The 2008 Mosse Anjou was a solid representation of the region. An animalistic grip, with earthy black fruits made the wine scream from the glass. It easily held up to the strong flavors of the food.

Our summer day turned a bit rainy in the late afternoon, so we packed up the remainder of our stinky cheese and went to see a movie. I wish I could say the strong smell of the cheese didn't permeate from the bag to surrounding rows, although nobody complained.