GROS VENTRE 2021 Rosé and DUNE (2021), directed by Denis Villenueve
Spring 2022
Does anyone else have knock-down, drag-out battles about what movie to watch on a given night? It’s a scenario that unfolds on a regular basis in our house, and DUNE may have been the most rejected option in family movie night history. Chris suggested it probably a dozen times before the rest of us finally relented and agreed to subject ourselves to 2 hours and 35 minutes of weirdness. 5 minutes in, we were hooked, and by the end, we wanted more. The action is intense, the story is fascinating, the people are beautiful, and the fight scenes are SO cool. We accidentally left the subtitles on and that was a good thing — it helped us follow the intricate dialogue among the members of the House Atreides, set several thousand years from now.
The director says he’s been thinking about DUNE since his teenage years, carrying images and ideas for decades. “I said to my crew at the beginning I would love it if we were able to try to create images that are not inspired by other influences.” In other words, “To thine own self be true.” We felt he succeeded in creating something incredibly unique and creative. We were inspired.
We all had our favorite aspects. Sarah appreciated that Paul Atreides was increasingly guided by his mother, a member of a cult of witches who is not only beautiful but can control people with her mind and communicate without talking. (a mom can dream) Jane (9) began trying to learn the secret Atriedes hand signal language for use during class, and John Henry (12) drew parallels to Star Wars and the New Testament (go, JH!) Ironically, Chris fell asleep 30 minutes in (after a long day of bottling) but the rest of us liked it so much we re-watched it with him the next night…and he loved it too.
What wine pairs well with a complicated SciFi movie set on a heat-drenched desert planet? There was one obvious selection — our 2021 Rosé of Gamay & Valdiguié. Its color is the exact same as the sunset sky on the planet of Arrakis, a shimmering pale pink ombre. Its flavors are crisp, refreshing, subtle and enjoyable. It’s unique, and enhances thought, but does not require it. You’ll immerse yourself in the film while smelling, tasting, and feeling the coolness of a high elevation El Dorado Gamay vineyard. Keep it in an ice bucket within reach, and notice the beads of condensation slowly dripping down the sides of the bottle as you soak in some of the most beautiful cinematography we’ve ever seen. This pairing is too good to pass up.
Director Villenueve says, “Nature is the god of ‘Dune,’ biology is the religion, and I wanted us to be in relationship with nature, as was Frank Herbert when he wrote the book.” We are inspired by that as we look to harness an expression of nature ourselves… captured in liquid and put in a bottle. If you’ve already watched Dune, watch it again. If you’ve been putting it off (like we did), it’s time to pull the trigger. We saw that it was nominated for 10 Oscars. Don’t let that stop you. Enjoy this beautiful film.
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