Alain Decaux recounts in his Dictionary for lovers by Alexandre Dumas (Book) that his father, general Dumas, his hands clinging to a beam, raised his person but also, tight between her thighs, his horse. “What other dragon, thrusting four fingers into the four cannons, gun, could, like him, lift arms outstretched ? “As the historian held these stories in the memories and writings of Alexandre Dumas, it is likely, at least for the episode of the horse, that the author of the Count of Monte-Cristo, added a tad. It was in his temperament, as this habit of making jokes that only the left point, as well as his taste for good food and wines in all categories. At the end of his life, writing his Great Dictionary of cooking, whose recipes are often improbable, as he slides the feet of an elephant, Bayonne ham, porto and fifty peppers…
But, the article cave, he becomes serious : “A cellar is carefully organized to be both dry and fresh, the air must penetrate by low from, the sun, whose rays deserve our homage to the outside, the sun, who was first adored by the peoples as the god of the universe because he was born and to mature all the gifts of nature, is fatal to the cellar. A gourmand experienced not through its rays, it condemns them to an eternal exile. (…) We have a care that there is near this place, nor manure, nor the roots of trees, or any thing foul. It also removes the baths, ovens, sewers, cisterns, reservoirs, in fear that their neighbourhood will not affect the taste of the wine by producing a bad smell. (…) The number of species of wines that should be in the cellar of an amateur is not limited, but a wise foresight, the science of the age at which the wine should be drunk, must combine the luxury to the economy ; there are only a few species that must be amoncelées in large quantities, many other should only be in sufficient quantity for the consumption of a few years. (…)Here is the list of wines including the cellar of a host of our days must be furnished. “
In the cellar of Alexander Dumas, an eclectic selection
Following an inventory and impressive starts to Aÿ (Champagne) and ends at Jerez. It is more than a cellar book, a kind of catalog where appear a large majority of French wines but also of the madeira, the red of Calabria, the montilla of Cordoba, or the muscat of Samos… The grands crus are worthily represented in Burgundy as in Bordeaux or the Rhone valley, but also of the “small wine” to “all days”, and oddly enough there are all the vineyards of the Yonne, of which some have gone today. For three years, he resided on rue Joseph-Joubert, who lived in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne and loved the wines ; perhaps this moralist was he influenced… Even the ending of the Chain, the only survivor of the famous vineyards of the medieval city of Auxerre, is quoted.
It we would be a little difficult today to name a director-market of the wines of Burgundy (it will come without a doubt) or give an address of a producer in front of each of the wineries recommended. But, from Chablis to Tavel, through Sancerre, we can try to suggest some that Porthos, a man of herculean like his own father, would not be denied. About general Dumas, the métis, the “son of the black woman” in the words of Anatole France, it is not unnecessary to review the last action as Prime minister Edward Philip in the Senate. The quote that deserves to be given in its entirety invites us to reflect on the necessary perspective of the Story : “The greatest of Dumas, it is the son of the black woman. He risked sixty times his life for France and died poor. Such an existence is a masterpiece to which nothing is to be compared. “
Reuilly rouge – Val de Loire
Philippe Portier
Brinay (18)
02.48.51.04.47.
Pinot noir 2019. Nice fruit, red rose, fresh taste, on the soils very clayey, smooth tannins.
Sancerre – Loire valley
Julien and Clément Raimbault
Sury-en-Vaux (18)
02.48.79.33.50.
Area of Pre Semelé 2019. Expressive nose, fruity, pure, well-structured in the mouth, sapid, bitter notes delicate, clean, mineral, good freshness.
Chablis – Burgundy
Domain Bernard Beaufumé
Lignorelles (89)
06.43.56.93.09.
2018. Greedy, rich, roundness, and liveliness. Good balance between the minerality, finesse and delicacy.
Champagne
Henriet-Bazin
Villers-Marmery (51)
03.26.84.07.79.
White-black extrabrut. Grand cru. 100 % pinot noir from Verzenay and Verzy grand cru of the Montagne de Reims. Nose of brioche, golden brown, spice, wheat, harvest, taste delicious, nutty, long, full, spices, good length, peppery finish, a touch vegetal, fresh, gastronomy wine.
Muscat de Frontignan – Languedoc
Château de La Peyrade
Frontignan (34)
04.67.48.61.19.
Cuvée Prestige. Nose delicate, elegant, scent of fresh grapes, white flowers, yellow fruit, the palate soft, sweet, harmonious, very persistent.
Tavel – Rhone Valley
Les Vignerons de Tavel & Lirac
Taverl (30)
04.66.50.03.57.
Tradition, 2019. Floral, raspberry, round mouth, well coated, sweet but with some freshness, spicy notes in the finish.
Saint-Amour – Beaujolais
Domain Bergeron
Émeringes (69)
04.74.04.41.19.
Ended the Chapter 2018. Closed on the nose, the palate is elegant, velvety, taut, a wine not yet at its peak.
Pommard – Burgundy
Domaine Cyrot-Buthiau
Pommard (21)
03.80.22.06.56.
2017. Nose reduced, lively mouth, small, fine tannins, quite elegant, notes of pine in the final, well-balanced, tonic.
Saint-Estephe – Bordeaux
Chateau Calon-Segur
St-Estèphe (33)
05.56.59.30.08.
2017. Black fruit, creamy, fine tannins, dense, finesse, juicy, pulpy, small tannins identified by the acidity, delicate.
Languedoc-Saint-Georges of orcs
Castle of the Engarran
Lavérune (34)
04 67 47 00 02
Cuvée Quetton 2016. Wine is deep, nose is expressive, racy, violet, black fruit, blackberry, elderberry, ample palate, well-built, dense tannins, fades, long finish, spicy.
The full list of wines from Dumas :
Ai. Alicante. Anjou. ‘arbois. Aubigny. Auxerre. Avallon. Barzac. Beaugency. Beaune. Bellay. Benicarlo. Bordeaux. Bouzy. Daughter-in-law. Bucella. Cavello. Cahors. Calabria. Calon-Ségur. Canary. Cape of Good Hope. Carbonnieux. Chablis. Chambertin. Chambolle. Champagne red. Champagne white tea. Chassagne. Castle-Grilled. Chateau-Margaux. Chateau-Neuf. Chio. Cyprus. Clos-Vougeot. Collioure. Constance. Condrieu. Cortona. The Coteaux de Saumur. Côte-Rôtie red and white. Côte Saint-Jacques. Coulanges. Esparron-Lazerme. Falerno. Fley. Florence. Frontignan. Serious. Grenache. Fig. Haut-Brion. High-Villlers. Hermitage. Irancy. Joigny. Julna. Jurançon red or white. Lachaînette. Lacryma-Christi. The Ciotat. Laffite-Sheep. Laffite-Ségur. La Gaude. The Malgue. The Neïthe. Langon. Lunel. Mâcon. Madeira. Malaga. Malvoisie of Madeira. Malvasia de Sitges. Malvasia of Tenerife. The Médoc. Mercurey. Meursault. Miés. Monte-Fiascone. Monte-Pulciano. Montilla. Montrachet. Windmill.. Muscat de Rivesaltes. Nights of Rivesaltes. Eye-of-partridge. Oeras. Orleans. Pajaret. Straw. Paphos. Pedro-Ximenes. Perpignan. Picoli. Pierry. Piquepouille. Pommard. Porto. Pouilly-Fuisse. Rancio. Reuilly. Richebourg. Rivesaltes. Romanée. Romanée-Conti. Dew. Rota. Roussillon. Sancerre Fuissé. Samos. Saint-Amour. Saint-Émilion. Saint-Estève. Saint-Georges. Saint-Julien. Saint-Julien du Sault. Saint-Martin. Saint-Péray. Savigny. Schiras. Sercial. Sétural. Sillery. Syracuse. Sauternes. Stancho. Terrats. Tavel Thorins. Tokai. Thunder. Toremilla. Val de Pégnas. Vauvert. Vermanton. Vermouth. Verzi-Verzenay. Volnay. Vosne. Vougeot. Vouvray white. Sherry.
Consult our folder : 10 wines of the week
