BORDEAUX and DR. DEMENTO

The U.S. Senate finally passed Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill.  In short:

The roughly multi-trillion-dollar bill would unlock tax cuts and funding boosts for national security, partly paid for by the biggest cut to the federal safety net in decades. See what’s in the bill here.   Another high-stakes battle now looms, as the bill must pass in the House before heading to the president’s desk. GOP leaders are racing to try to get the bill to the White House by July 4.

However, Time magazine reported:

Updated: JUL 1, 2025 2:30 AM HAST

‘Don’t Bankrupt America’: Musk Vows to Campaign Against Republicans Who Support Trump’s Debt-Raising Megabill

This bill will hurt lower income individuals and anyone assisted by Diversity/Equity/Inclusion government programs, while making billionaires and rich millionaires richer.  Democrats are salivating about the upcoming mid-term elections on 4November2026.  However, I keep saying that the problem will be President Donald Trump delaying elections that day, and maybe forever.  There is nothing Democrats can do to stop him, and Republicans seem inclined to want to remain in power, even at the expense of Dictatorship over Democracy.

Last week Tuesday I began a three-part series on our trip to France to taste wines.  Today I report on our Bordeaux stop.

• This is a city in France, 362 miles south southwest from Paris.  In comparison, San Francisco is 383 miles from Los Angeles.
• Has a population of 260,000, but the metropolitan area brings the number up to 1.2 million.
• Occupied by Germany in World War II.

• 
  Historically known as the world capital for wine.
• Produces 700 million bottles of wine, mostly Red Bordeaux, but also White Bordeaux and some very sweet Sauternes.
• Began viticulture in the mid-first century CE by Romans.
• Phyloxera infestations ruined the vineyards from 1875 to 1892, but were saved by grafting native vines onto pest-resistant American rootstock.

• 
  Is also a type of wine with vineyards (29,158 acres) around the city on the Garonne River.  
• In comparison, Napa Valley has 225,300 acres of vineyards.  

• 
  In England, Bordeaux wine is called Claret.
• Bordeaux wine is made by more than 5,660, called chateaux.
• Bordeaux is a blend of mostly (70%) Cabernet Sauvignon on the Left Bank and Merlot (also around 70%) on the Right Bank, with a reversal of around 15% of either one in the other.  The Left is west of the Garonne and Gironde rivers, while the Right is on the east.  A complication is the presence in the Left bank of the Graves area upstream of the city and Médoc located downstream.
• 
  Bordeaux wines.
• Are mostly red, and also include Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère grapes.  
• White Bordeaux is typically made from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, with a touch of Muscadelle.

• 
  Sauternes (pronounced sow-turnz) comes from the Graves section, and is made from Sémillion, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, known as noble rot.  The premiere example is Château d-Yquem, which typically costs around $350/bottle, but vintages can reach up to tens of thousands of dollars.

• 
  A Bordeaux blend made in California (and other regions of the world) is called Meritage.

Our group of four spent four days in Bordeaux.  Our leader, Elvis.  This is the motel he arranged where the toilet was in the same area as the shower.  It was very cheap in price, and a good experience in minimalism

• FRANCE: Bourdeaux
• AMERICANS IN BORDEAUX
• CHATEAU LAFITE ROTHSCHILD

• CHATEAU LASSEGUE...and on to COGNAC

You can read the details by click on those links.  To summarize.

• 
  One of the scientific attractions located here which we did not visit is Laser Mégajoule, because the plan ti to deliver over one megajoule of laser energy to induce fusion.  This laser is about half as energetic as the one I worked on in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
  
• Another attraction is La Cite du Vin, the world's largest wine museum.  Very impressive, and, in  fact, overwhelming.  Came with free wine tasting

Then on to the main reason why we on this mini-tour, Chateau Lafitte Rothschild on the Left Bank.

Our private tour was led by sommelier Nicola, who opened a new bottle of 2004 Chateau Lafite Rothschild.  You can get this bottle for $1800.  We easily drank it all.

As great as this wine tasted, a couple days later went to a small market to buy three bottles of cheap Bordeaux ($3-$5) and would swear that these were roughly the equivalent of that Chateau Lafitte Rothshild.

The next day our final Bordeaux tasting was at Chateau Lassegue on the Right Bank.

Nicola and his wife Christina run the whole thing.  What a love story.  Christina was on her way to earning a law degree from Yale, and was also president of the Yale Wine Club.  Nicola's family was invited to give a talk, and....they eventually got married.

Two of us then caught a train to Cognac, which will be the focus next Tuesday.  We thought this was the highlight of the whole trip.   Oh, on the train we had some Lassegue Saint Emilion Grand Cru with Big Macs.

I'll close by announcing the retirement of Dr. Demento.  

• Haven't heard his radio program for many decades, if not half a century, but he played the weirdest and wildest novelty songs and discovered Weird Al Yankovic.  Also Tom Lehrer and Allan Sherman. Helped make famous Shaving Cream, Alley Oop, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and Monster Mash.

• 
  Born Barret Hansen in 1941 in Minneapolis.  As early as 12 bought old 78 records for 5 cents each, and had quite collection when he went to Reed College in Portland.
• Holds a master's degree in ethnomusicology from UCLA.
• Became a roadie for Canned Heat.
• In 1970 became a DJ in Pasadena, California, and early on played Spike Jones, Jimmy Durante and Stan Freberg.

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  After playing Transfusion by Nervous Norvus, was said to be demented to play this song.
• Dr. Demento initially aired in 1970, and stuck with his scheme for half a century until 2010, switching to special programs which can be accessed online.  Now down to two shows per month.
• His show got personal visits from personalities like Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Mel Brooks.
• Came on late Sunday night on your FM dial. Initially fours long, but when national syndicated in 1974, only for two hours.  For the final few months he will focus on the greatest moments and songs of his program.  

• 
  He recently decided to retire, but not until 11October2025.  This final show will be devoted to the top 40 songs in his show's history.

• 
  Has a collection of over 85,000 records, and maybe 300,000.  He long lost count.
• Here is his very best playlist.  Perhaps They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa? by Napoleon XIV was the favorite.
• Go to this site and view his many discography compilations which you can purchase.
• Like me, he is 84 years old and dementic.

Flossie today became a hurricane, and six hour later the wind speed was up to 110 MPH, a Category 2.

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