A Good Year (2006)
The Plot
Ridley Scott's film tells the story of broker Max Skinner (Russell Crowe), a sharp London businessman for whom everything seems to be going swimmingly.
One day his beloved uncle Henry (Albert Finney) dies without leaving a will and Max finds himself the sole heir to a estate with a vineyard in Provence, where he had spent much of his childhood as an orphan. He therefore sets off toward his new inheritance, initially intending to sell it and capitalize on its value.
Subsequently, living in the places where he had grown up, he rediscovers the values his uncle had tried to teach him, and these, together with love, will transform him from a shrewd and insensitive businessman into a man capable of appreciating the small pleasures of life he has let slip away too many times.
I may be an incurable romantic but I enjoyed it – how many of us realize we are neglecting the real things in life because of routine and the rush to build a career? How many of us manage to give up certain things to rediscover true values?
Then good old Russell in the film also manages to set the vineyards right and produce great wine while doing business!
What to drink while watching
Best watched while sipping a glass of Château la Canorgue, on whose estate in Bonnieux, in the heart of Provence, some scenes of the film were shot.
I recommend Grenache, a very important Mediterranean grape similar to Sardinian Cannonau, which is also found in Spain and California as well as Australia and South Africa, and also in Tuscany, Liguria and Lazio.
It is difficult to work with, susceptible to disease, requires short pruning, and above all careful selection of the harvest date. While it needs warm climates to develop its distinctive characteristics, it can also quickly and easily take on the classic over-ripening traits of fruit jam and figs.
The result is a high-alcohol nectar, between 15° and 16° natural degrees, sometimes lacking in acidity.
Choosing the winery and food pairing
I recommend drinking Grenache at a temperature of 15/16 degrees, paired with red meats or game.
Excellent with green pepper fillet steak, though I tasted it with a charcuterie board including guanciale, lardo di Colonnata and other "light" dishes.
What do you think?
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