La Paulée

Last night, I enjoyed my first La Paulée de San Francisco celebration at RN74. At La Paulée, wine aficionados gather to sample new releases and older vintages from the most sought after domaines of Burgundy. The event dates back to 1923 when one of the most respected Burgundy's wine growers, Jules Lafon, wanted to "revive the traditional medieval grape harvest celebration to which Cistercian monks invited their vineyard laborers." For the very first Paulée, Lafon hosted at Meursault domaine (a Burgundy region in Eastern France), inviting thirty-five of his friends to a small fête in the vat-room. When others caught wind of what was occurring, they thought Lafon had a wonderful concept and thus, by 1932, it was an annual affair. Today, the event is led by the most accomplished sommeliers in the US who join forces with extraordinary Chefs to pair the wines with some of the finest cuisine (New York City participates as well). Tommorow will mark the final day of La Paulée de San Francisco, however I encourage you to mark your calendar for next year.

Get Lost in the Music

I've found myself in a very contemplative state the past few days reflecting on personal goals, friendships, travel and pretty much every component of my young adult hood. (I've been told this is normal?) Music has always comforted me and forced me to find perspective. I find myself drawn to it more and more. Whether it's the sound of The Wailers, Bruce Hornsby, Stevie Wonder or new artists I have on repeat via my Spotify account, they seem to do the trick. Above, model Saskia de Brauw with the sensational musical duo Daft Punk shot by Peter Lindbergh. The spread was featured in the December 7th issue of French publication M le Monde. See more photographs here.

Evolving Appeal

Photographed by William Waldron for Elle Decor, the feature on the Edwardian home in San Francisco's Presidio Heights neighborhood found me while thumbing through the magazine in the park. (I also realized the home is one I admire frequently on my running route in the neighborhood).  Although I personally think the dining room resembles more of a boardroom I'd picture in Aerin Lauder's office for example, I keep examining the space. While I appreciate photography as an art form, I have historically preferred seeing paintings, sculpture and the like in what I believe should be kept as a formal room. This photograph however has me thinking differently. The design elements are modern and fresh but because it's juxtaposed by dark wainscoting and beautiful moldings, it works for me. The home was done by San Francisco designer Palmer Weiss. View more images of the home below.

Thoughts

The alarmingly sad news about the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner is still plaguing the thoughts of us all. I cannot even begin to imagine what the family members and friends of the passengers are feeling, the thought of the unknown in this scenario is perhaps most troubling. My thoughts are with everyone involved and wishful for some concrete answers soon. Image via