Wine Blogging Wednesday , WBW#63: Find Your Muse or Minnie Gets Popped

I walk into the restaurant and sit down in a familiar, low booth in the back. The maroon vinyl cushions exhale the breath they've been holding all day and my eyes wander the overly oaked room. Nice joint, but poorly lit. The waiter, a tall, stretchy guy with a pinched face asks if I'd like to see the wine list. A big list, but it's all French to me. And besides, I am here for Minnie.

I ask the Waiter about Minnie and place an order. I figure I better get some of the day's grime off, before my appointment shows up. I get up to use the washroom, which, with the ornate and intricate fixtures, looks like most of the restaurant's take ends up here. The mirror over the porcelain sink looks back at me with the same tired face and asks what I am doing here. My mind swirls back to when I first glimpsed Minnie lounging at Marty's as if on display, and I knew that I had to get to know her. I towel off my hands, check inside my jacket for a ready corkscrew and hope my expectations are met with a happy reality. When I get back, there is a pert blond in my booth, and I notice something askew; Minnie is on the table but she's been popped! It's 5:35 PM and it's looking like an interesting evening.

The blond sitting at my table says it wasn't her but her red stained teeth tell me she's either lying or it's only a half truth. I ignore the blond and lean over Minnie checking for a pulse. I try to get Minnie's story but she is not saying much. Eventually I get some information from her but this takes a toll on her resources. The waiter with the pinched face comes over, corkscrew dangling precariously from the lip of his apron. He has a concerned but not too surprised look on his face. A small, buzzing crowd starts to move towards the table, curious filings attracted to the magnetic pull of a mystery. I tell everyone to get back and give her some air, but it doesn't look good. It doesn't look like she will last the evening.

She's wearing a short tapered skirt as thin as paper, with a pastel print, and not much else. Slender neck, sexy shoulders with nicely rounded hips, she's a very attractive package. The color in her cheeks is a bright, deep ruby hue, but I remind myself this won't be the case by the end of the evening. I catch a whiff of her perfume. She is wearing a very pure cocktail of red raspberry, cherry, cocoa and caramel. Then it hits me, there is some caraway in there too! I bend over her and try to resuscitate her, my mouth on hers and all I can think of is bunches of ripe plums, dried cherries and heaps of glycerin. She's throwing some heat and built with a structure you could certainly hang some fruit on. The taste of her lips stays with me for a good length of time. The girl is a bird barely out of the nest, but I expect she would have had a great future ahead of her. Someone popped her way too soon.

Through all of this the small crowd has gone back to their tables and filled the room with quiet chatter. Back to telling their little stories, while the real story is right in front of me. The blond has also vanished. She must have slipped out towards the end while I was engrossed in deciphering Minnie. I'll have to track her down for questioning. See what she knows.

Gus, the sommelier, a roundish, balding, pug with a permanent smile etched onto his face pronounces her dead at 7:25PM. We don't hang out much together, he and I, but I have taken a liking to him over the years. He has proven to be a reliable snitch. This night was no exception, and he proceeded to fill me in on Minnie's past.

She was just a country girl from the AOC Minervois in the south of France, but she came with a hefty price tag. Her parents, Claude and Isabelle Fonquerle, raised her in a ritzy sounding estate called L'Oustal Blanc, an address I think I need to visit. They also own property in St. Chinian and Minervois La Liviniere, so they were doing fairly well for themselves. I don't picture them standing in any welfare lines. It seems Minnie made her way over here with the help of some character named Peter Weygandt. Gus asks me if I've heard of him. I nod, who hasn't? He has quite the reputation for bringing talent to the New World, but I've never met him.

It turns out Claude and Isabelle have produced quite a few "Minnies". If these "sisters" are anything like the Minnie I experienced tonight, I hope to bump into them soon and often.

I spent less than two hours with Minnie and while I was able to scrape together bits and  pieces of her story, this little number is going into the open case file.

Fin

For those interested in finding out what that was all about visit, Rob Bralow, who is hosting this event over on Wine Post. To see who started Wine Blogging Wednesday check out Lenn Thompson's first WBW challenge, over at Lenndevours The New York Cork Report. Thanks to Lenn for starting WBW and Rob for hosting.

The technical details:

2004 L'Oustal Blanc Minervois - 70% Grenache, 15% Carignan and 15% Syrah. The Grenache is fermented in open concrete tanks. The Carignan and Syrah are fermented separately and aged in oak barrels for 14 months.  Real cork closure, alcohol as stated on the label is 14%, retails for $32.99. It was served with Coq au Vin and I would rate this wine Very Good+.