Wednesday’s stage will be a welcome change for the peloton after the trials of Mont Ventoux! The course is relatively flat, with just two Category 4 climbs on the route from Bollène to Valence. It will be the last chance before Paris for interested sprinters to grab points in the green jersey competition.

And hope that Tadej Pogacar doesn’t pick up any along the way!

Yes, Monsieur Pogacar currently holds the yellow and polka-dot jerseys (for overall leader and best climber, respectively.) But what keeps Jonathan Milan awake at night is the fact that Pogacar lurks just 11 points behind him in the green jersey competition.

Hmmmm . . . maybe the ASO will need the triple-victory jersey I designed, after all????

However, as the Tour enters its final few days, all teams that have yet to win a stage or claim a jersey will be eager (i.e., prodded by their sponsors) to act. That could lead to chaos early in the day, as riders fight to establish a breakaway group. In the mix will be those on the cusp of making the top ten overall, or those fighting for podium placements. Sure, it seems as if Pogacar and Vingegaard have the top two slots locked up; but third place is definitely up for grabs.

If you missed Tuesday’s race up Mont Ventoux, here are the highlights. It was an exciting and unexpected result!

Tour de France by the Glass Recommendation: A White and a Red from the Northern Rhône

2019 Héritiers Gambert Caves de Tain Hermitage Blanc Nobles Rives

Historically celebrated as one of France’s best wines, Hermitage (red and white) comes from a terroir of just 336 acres atop a granite outcrop. Reds are Syrah-based; whites mainly Marsanne and Roussanne. This lovely white Hermitage is 100% Marsanne grown on terraced vineyards rising dramatically from the banks of the Rhône River. There are heady aromas of white peach, honeysuckle, and beeswax. The palate offers all of that and more: preserved lemon, quince, and a long finish of savory biscuit dough, honey, and dried apricot.

Caves de Tain is considered one of the best winemaking cooperatives in the world.

2020 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Rouge

Crozes-Hermitage is much larger than Hermitage and produces more than ten times the amount of wine. Most of the production is red, although white wines can be made from Marsanne and Roussanne (and small amounts of Marsanne are permitted in the red wines as well.)

The wines of Alain Graillot (now made by his sons Maxime and Antoine) are highly esteemed among wine lovers. Great care is taken in the vineyards (all organic; hand-harvesting) and in the cellar, where whole clusters are loaded into lined concrete vats, and temperatures are brought down to 18°C for a brief pre-fermentation maceration. Fermentation via indigenous yeast lasts 15 to 21 days. Wines are then aged for one year – 80% of them in old-use barrels, 20% in vat. They are lightly filtered before bottling.

This wine of 100% Syrah shows a deep purple robe, with beguiling aromas of blackberry, black cherry, and black pepper accented with grilled meat and bacon fat. On the palate it packs a punch: ripe black fruit, moderately high acidity, grippy tannins, and a lovely mineral crunchiness that keeps it fresh. It’s full-bodied but well balanced, perfect for serving with roasted meat dishes.

Cheers to the wonderful wines of the Northern Rhône, and to the peloton as they race their last few stages. I’ll be back tomorrow with everything you need to know about the mountain stage on Thursday!