Off to Paris...

[JimHow]

Hopefully I can hook up with you for dinner this week, Timmy, and perhaps we can figure out how to unlock Stuart's account! And maybe come up with a new assistant manager or two, and maybe even a plan for a new and improved site...?

[DavidG]

Bon Voyage, Jim!
Recharge those batteries.

[tim]

Friday or Saturday work.

[JimHow]

Je suis arrivé à Paris. Je suis libre pour dîner samedi !

[ericp]

Je suis très jaloux! Passez un bon moment dans ma ville préférée!!

[JimHow]

Nous avons dégusté hier soir un délicieux vin rouge deuxième étiquette 2017 de Smith Haut Lafitte avec un dîner dans un petit bistrot près de Bastille, c'était très agréable.

[ericp]

C'est le bonheur d'un voyageur parisien : un petit bistrot dans le 3e ou le 11e avec une bonne bouteille de vin. Si vous avez le temps, visitez Notre-Dame : le travail de restauration est incroyable.

[JimHow]

J'étais à Notre-Dame aujourd'hui, mais je n'y suis pas allé. C'était une journée magnifique pour se promener.

[JimHow]

Le printemps est dans l'air à Paris

[smoore4]

Magnifique ! En fait, moi, j'ai la double nationalite Francais-US et je croyais que ce forum avait pas mal de francais, beaucoup meme. Et puis je faisais une fete avec JimHow et il m'a dit le contraire ! Franchement, ca m'a etonne. Vous etes bon en vin pour des Ricains!

[Nicklasss]

Voyage qui semble agréable Jim. Bien hâte de lire la suite.

Dégustation de Brunello de San Felice pour moi ce soir. Dure semaine, j’aurai besoin de vacances bientôt…

[JimHow]

Oui, oui, nous aimons notre patrie. Une visite au musée Picasso hier, et un Bourgogne blanc au dîner…

[JimHow]

...

[tim]

Fun night at dinner with Jim this evening. Some excellent Burgundy wines and fantastic food. Looking forward to the next one!

[JimHow]

Great fun with Timmy last night, at wine bar and then dinner. I am pleased to announce that Timmy has agreed to come on board as an assistant manager at BWE, joining Tom, David, and Alex. We talked about it being time for a third edition of BWE and sprucing things up a bit. I’m off to Asia today, it has been a great time in Paris and I will be back again in the not too distant future.

[stefan]

Where in Paris is that? Food looks good, and I hope we get a report on the evening.

[tim]

A place called Oktobre in the Latin Quarter. Was just a random selection that looked good. Turned out to be excellent.

We had some drinks and snacks beforehand at Ambassade de Bourgogne. We selected a bottle of Forey Petit Monts 2022. Jim liked it more than I did, even though I selected it. I thought the nose was too muted, though it did open a little over the hour plus that we drank it.

We then did a tasting of 2019 Chablis: Dauvissat Village, a Premier Cru and a Le Clos that if I recall was Piuze. For me the standout was the Le Clos. The Dauvissat seemed too evolved, not sure when the bottle was opened.

[stefan]

We’ve had good experiences with 2019 Chablis. Haven’t yet drunk a Le Clos.
Enjoy your time with Jim.

[JimHow]

Yes it was a great evening of red and white Burgundy, I did enjoy that 2022 red Burg, it was indeed a bit shy at first but opened up with great depth, a drinking well now and for the next thirty years experience. From what I can see these 2022 red Burgundies have structure but are balanced with beautiful ripe fruit that takes away any rough edges. Great fun to hang out with Timmy in the heart of the Latin Quarter.

[JimHow]

We had a very nice dinner at the New York Steakhouse at the Marriott Hotel last night in Bangkok, we had a 2017 second label of Chateau Belfont Belcier, very lovely indeed, it is interesting that two of the best food friendly wines on this trip have been the second labels of Smith Haut Lafitte and Belfont Belcier.

Today was a little less relaxing, we were in our room on the 26th floor of the Conrad Hilton when we got tossed out of bed and across the room for about two minutes as the skyscrapers in Bangkok swayed from a 7.7 earthquake. It was very, very scary. I have no idea how these buildings survive these events! Carpe diem, my friends, and drink plenty of wine....

https://youtube.com/shorts/Tw8jtPi02mk? ... 383IdDGIlK


....

[stefan]

Scary! I saw pictures of a collapsed, under construction, Bangkok skyscraper.

[JimHow]

A 2016 d'Armailhac was very nice at a local French restaurant near the hotel on the evening of the earthquake, still young but developing nice Pauillac complexity with the duck breast. I recommend l'Escargot Bistro, a little taste of the motherland in Southeast Asia, the owner and staff are very friendly. We got tossed around on the 26th floor of our hotel when the earthquake hit, knocked me off the bed and onto the floor, we walked down 26 floors in a stairwell with flickering lights, 33 story skyscraper swaying, it was scary, it didn't stop for like two minutes! They let us back in by late afternoon and opened the legendary Diplomat Bar (we're near the U.S. embassy) to free drinks, the alcohol was flowing heavily, expats and Thais hoisting large amounts of alcohol as evening turned to night. A 2020 Domaine de la Cote la Cote was a bit of a disappointment at Le Du the next night, the restaurant itself vastly overrated. Street food in Bangkok's Chinatown last night. After three murder trials and a total of five serious felony trials in six months I'm starting to get the feeling back in my arms, which I literally could not lift by the time it was all over. Thus a three week sojourn to France and Asia. This weekend it's back to the reality of a failing U.S. and a Red Sox team flailing out of the opening day gates.... I feel refreshed though.

[DavidG]

Wow, scary business that earthquake! Glad you’re ok. I’ve experienced a few but nothing approaching that magnitude.