More of my May adventures in the Languedoc region of France.

Next came the typical 3 hour French lunch. And we enjoyed all of the wines with the meal. Starters included shrimp marinated in Thai chili sauce (the Roussanne/Marsanne wine was spectacular with this), potato salad, rustic bread, lamb chops and a platter of cheeses. Duty called and we were forced to leave. But each of us really wanted to hang a hammock in the grove of trees outside of the house and sleep away the afternoon.

On to Chateau Ollieux Romanis in Boutenac appellation. Here whimsical, wacky winemaker Pierre Borries entertained us with his wines, his wit and his appreciation of his wines. And they are to be appreciated. And he did so in a rather boyish rather than annoying manner. Pierre is a 30-something former banking executive with a wife who is a doctor, 4 young kids and a dog that looks like Benji. (And she followed him EVERYWHERE-- all over the winery during our visit and to the restaurant with us after! Yes, dogs are allowed in restaurants here. Sorry Harp...)

Pierre offered us 10 wines to try. My favorites:

2010 Ch Ollieux Romanis Classic Rose-grey garnach, cinsault and mouvedre. Bright nose and flavors of wild strawberries, raspberries and crisp mineral finish. Send me a case!

2009 "Capucine"-- this bright white wine is named after his daughter (He has 3 boys, 1 girl so she gets the naming rights) Made from sauvignon and white grenache. Zippy white grapefruit. Stelvin screw cap. CHill it and swill it!

2008 Ch Ollieux Romanis "Atal Sia" Corbieres, Boutenac. Pierre says atoll sia means "let it be" which is just what he did to create this lush exquisite wine. Layers of carignan, mouvedre, grenache, shiraz were put in tank with natural fermentation and carbonic maceration. The result is a multi layered wine with notes of ginger, cocoa, black berry and dusty yet supple tannins. One taste and you won't be able to let it be...

We finished the tasting, tromped thru the vineyards to see Pierre's mostly organic growing practices, then he and Ed and the dog got into a bright orange French vehicle that looked like a US Postal truck with a window in the back and sped thru the countryside to the restaurant. We did make a quick stop in Boutenac, a tiny old village with a magnificent castle.

We arrived at Auberge Cote Jardin where 3 other area wine producers met us and had us taste THEIR wines too. Oh my.

This is a modern, spiffy restaurant with modern spiffy food. And our amuse bouche/palate cleanser was the first sign. A gazpacho soup with diced onions, garlic, cilantro and dollop of cardamom ice cream. Strange...and strangely WORKED to clear the bold, ripe red wine tannins from our teeth. First course had two elements. A thin piece of toast topped with haricot verts, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, parsley, dill and truffles. Next to it a wedge of chicken and mascarpone pate topped with a brown sauce. Can you hear our arteries clogging? Hot homemade sourdough dinner rolls along with what I think might have been a 21st century version of "shepherds pie". A round of parmesan mashed potatoes topped with shredded lamb, and slices of snap peas, carrots, rosemary sprigs and freshly grated parmesan. Dessert? Like we need it...Cherry soup with a scoop of nougat ice cream.

Am finally back in the hotel which is the real deal. Tucked along a skinny side street a block from the canal that is also a working lock for the city. Evidently Narbonne was once a Roman port and there are plenty of ruins around to prove it. I opened the tall heavy windows and unlatched the shutters to see, hear and smell the street life below. Its pretty quiet tonite. Just a lonely cat looking and yowling for romance and the CLANG of the church bell. Egads, its 2am already! I wonder if the cat was thinking the same thing... Bonsoir!