A poisonous snake and a Chablis

We’d just got back from the local Christmas Eve service and were on the deck on a balmy evening waiting for some relatives to arrive when our Airedale terrier emerged from the bushes in an excited state and started to thrash its head around ferociously with one of god’s creatures in her jaws. Our dog Lotti (named after a female serial killer from a Nick Cave song) has a history of culling much of the local fauna and we didn’t think much of it at first but then sensed this was a little different, I grabbed a torch, shone a beam of light down onto the lawn and looked in horror as a brown snake was hanging limply from Lotti’s mouth. After I bravely wacked the dead snake with the back of a shovel several times I needed a drink to calm my nerves.

The 2008 Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis ‘Les Clos’ doesn’t quite scale to the heights of a Raveneau, Fevre or Dauvissat ‘Clos’ but it aint far off. It has an old school feel and is packed and stacked with serious geological matter that slides out from behind a little spiced pear and strikes out at the palate with its minerally fangs. It is sappy, savoury, cool and earthy and slips down effortlessly. A perfect wine for calming the nerves after an encounter with a deadly Australian animal.

Happy Christmas to all.

Cheers
Jeremy

You have one serious dog in Lotti! Wow! Thanks for the note and Merry Christmas!

Byron

Are all brown snakes nasty down there? Or maybe all snakes period?

Anyway, all’s well that ends well. Happy Holidays!

I think he is talking about this: Pseudonaja - Wikipedia

Freaky!

I’m taking this is not California?

Jeremy is in Australia.

Damn nature, you scary!

Yes, that would be enough to shake up your day! If it’s the Eastern (I think he’s on the South coast, so could be) it ranks as #2 in the world for toxicity.

As my son-in-law (who just got back from 3 yrs over there) puts it re the wildlife–In Australia, everything is poisonous!

Slightly exaggerated, but maybe not so much :slight_smile:

Crikey. Lucky dog, hopefully! I’d have needed something stronger…Marc de Bourgogne perhaps.

RT

Everything is poisonous in Oz (or so it seems). Ands balmy Christmases. Thanks for the note and story, Jeremy. And Merry Christmas to all.

Yeah, yeah…any excuse for a Chablis…

Merry Xmas mate!!

My coworker Pete’s sister is a news reporter in Queensland. Another deadly one for you…

http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/queensland/watch/27503697/

Jeremy,

I have an Airedale right here.

I have Long-Depaquit in the basement (I’m drinking Fevre right now, alternating with Benziger Sangiacomo).

I have snow on the ground.

I don’t have any brown snakes.

I give thanks.

I haven’t had the '08 Le Clos from Long-Depaquit, but unless they’ve gone off the rails, it’s a decade too young.

IMO Long-Depaquit and Vocoret (along with a grower I represent) are among the greatest traditional Chablis producers, and the most under the radar.

Did you open the Long-Depaquit under the impression that it was ready to drink? Do you have more? If so, I hope you plan to bury it for the mid-term.

I’m glad somebody else says ‘Happy Christmas’, and same to you.

Beset regards,


Dan Kravitz

I can’t resist. RIP, Steve.

Lotti should have been allowed to choose the bottle.
alan

She would have chosen a Beaune!

or Dents de Chien
alan

Dan,

They are dogs of great character and little brains.

It is a delicious, old school Chablis that I have little experience with. I suspect this 08 will age for a couple of decades and I’ll be tucking a couple of bottles away to see.

Best Regards
Jeremy

Jeremy, where in Australia are you? I had always thought that once you got south of Sydney, the scary stuff went away and that places like Melbourne were worry free.

David,
I’m in the Barossa Valley in South Australia, plenty of scary stuff here (especially some of the high alcohol wines).
Best Regards
Jeremy