Hi!

Hope you're well -- because being well means you get to partake in the joys of life; music and wine being two of the best it has to offer. Forgive me if I seem to preach --- there's just been so much news lately about alcohol that wine loving seems to have been lumped in with driving without a seatbelt.

I don't have to digress any further, since this podcast piece in the New York Times says everything I want to, but better. I found it a tonic to listen to. (There's a transcription here if you'd rather, and have a subscription.)

Onto the pairing already!

Juice

I was sipping this wine at the Vanguard Wine Bar on 68th (an easy pre-Lincoln Center option for a glass) and it made me think of how in wine and music (maybe everything?) there's a tightrope of tension that makes all the difference between something that works and well, oblivion.

Domaine Lampyres "H20" 2023 is a blend of grenache blanc and the lesser-seen grenache gris from the Roussillon region in France. Grenache blanc is a more familiar varietal from its expressions in France and Spain, ever lush and giving. It usually needs a partner that offers some taut energy (wine speak for acid) that can keep all that lusciousness in line. This is where the gris, and FX Dauré's stellar technique come in.

The scent in the glass is that of orchard fruits, ripe and soft, with a touch of white florals and a herby freshness. The palate is luxurious, with an oily viscosity and a finish that has a slight nut-skinned quality. For all those intense words, the wine is also remarkably energetic, pulling me to share a taste with my table mates, who all ordered a glass for themselves.

Jazz

Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" is a song that is prismatic and poetic -- I would say delicate, but there being so many interpretations speaks to its durability.

Dianne Reeves, whose virtues I cannot overstate, is an artist of incredible breadth in sound and style, spiritual intensity and vocal flair.

In her rendition of "Suzanne" from Bridges (Blue Note 1999), both her vocals and the arrangement by Billy Childs take a dynamic, opulent tack on the song that both illuminates the lyric and brings new dimension to the tune. Somehow, the drive and drama in Reeve's singing, and the adventurous arrangement only add to the song's ineffable mystery, rather than solve it for us.

Keeping the wire of tension and intention tight, and also giving the full bounty of one's gifts is true mastery.

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Suzanne Dianne Reeves PREVIEW   ​

Truly,

Kristen

*Ms. Reeves will be singing her annual Valentine's Day concerts at JALC on the 14th and 15th -- I wouldn't miss it!