Le grand rêve de tout cavalier comme moi est de pouvoir monter un jour un pur-sang tel que Zarkava (4 ans). Cette jument a déjà remporté les courses les plus prestigieuses. C’est une vraie crack !!! Mais, malheureusement, son propriétaire ne la fait plus courir aujourd’hui. Il a décidé de la faire entrer au haras pour “épouser” Dalakhani, un autre roi du galop, dans l’espoir de voir naître plein de petits champions…

Donné comme le favori  le cheval pur sang ‘irlandais Sea the stars vient de remporter  le 88e  prix Qatar Arc de Triomphe avec une dotation de 4 millions d’euros  devant un partaires de privilégies  de 50 000 personnes à l’hyppodrome Longchamp.

Currently recovering in the ICU after seeing this exquisite work of art, the Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang. When introduced in 2007, the 5 (!) units of the special edition sold out in under 24 hours despite the hefty price tag of $2,058,000.00. And that was before taxes and delivery!

With a unique clear-coated carbon fibre and polished aluminum body, the Pur Sang is guaranteed to turn more than a few heads. It has a W16 engine, puts out a staggering 1001 hp, accelerates from 0-62 mph in 2.5 seconds and roars at a top speed of 253 mph! Note to self: DO NOT eat breakfast before going for a test drive…

If you feel like your wallet is burning a hole in your pocket, lift a cool $3.8 million out on the table right now and you can pick on of these babies up from a seller in Dubai. Money doesn’t get you everything, but it does get you the Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang. Earthlings like myself can only dream…

Het is een speciale dag vandaag voor deze blog.

Pur Sang bestaat vandaag namelijk precies 1 jaar. En dat is toch iets waar ik trots op ben. Toen een jaar geleden deze blog het licht zag, had ik er geen idee van hoe lang ik het zou volhouden. We zijn nu een jaar verder, en alles gaat nog goed. Hopelijk komt er minstens een jaar bij. Meer woorden ga ik er niet aan vuil maken.

6 maanden geleden schreef ik een soortgelijke post, met de statistieken van toen. Daarom leek het mij wel eens leuk om die naast elkaar te leggen en te vergelijken. Het eerste cijfer is dat van 6 maanden geleden, het tweede cijfer is dat van nu.

Aantal Posts : (161 ->) 340
Aantal reacties : (36 ->) 97
Aantal Tags : (653 ->) 1,783
Bezoekersaantal : (6,680 ->) 17,567

Toch wel een mooie evolutie, maar het had beter gekund. Mijn bezoekersgrafiek ziet er ,dankzij enkele inactieve periodes, nog steeds teveel uit als een rollercoaster met ups en downs.

Hopelijk zit dat over een jaar beter. Zolang jullie mijn blog blijven bezoeken komt dat wel in orde.

Door drie dagen te genieten van prachtig weer , mijn vriendin en champagne in overvloed is het hier wat stiller geweest de laatste paar dagen.

Helaas voor mij is die korte vakantie nu al weer voorbij , maar gelukkig voor jullie kan ik terug wat nieuwe dingen op Pur Sang zetten.

Ik zal er meteen aan beginnen !

Tobey Maguire incarne l’homme-araignée pour la troisième fois.

Son CV : ● 27 juin 1975 : naissance en Californie (États-Unis). ● 1993 : joue dans Blessures secrètes, avec son ami Leonardo DiCaprio. ● 1997 : Ice Storm, d’Ang Lee. ● 1998 : Las Vegas Parano, de Terry Gilliam. ● 2002 : Spider-Man, de Sam Raimi. ● 2003 : Pur Sang, la légende de Seabiscuit. ● 2004 : Spider-Man 2. ● 2006 : The Good German, de Steven Soderbergh. ● 2007 : Spider-Man 3.

Avec quel masque de Spider-Man préférez-vous jouer ? Le noir, côté sombre du personnage, ou bien le rouge habituel ?

Tobey Maguire : Ni l’un, ni l’autre ! Quand j’ai le masque de Spider-Man, c’est surtout pour des scènes d’action, c’est plus long et moins drôle. Je préfère quand je ne porte pas de costume de super-héros, lorsque j’interprète Peter Parker. Les scènes de dialogue sont plus intéressantes et plus valorisantes pour moi.

Ce nouveau Spider-Man dévoile des facettes plus obscures de votre personnage…

C’est un aspect de lui que j’ai beaucoup aimé, parmi les nouveautés du film. Ce côté agressif et égocentrique, cette exploration du côté sombre de Peter Parker et de Spider-Man, c’était quelque chose de très intéressant à découvrir. J’ai beaucoup aimé jouer ce nouveau Peter. Le personnage a évolué au fur et à mesure de la trilogie. On perçoit plusieurs changements en lui dans les films. Ce troisième volet est, selon moi, le meilleur. Chacun peut s’identifier aux protagonistes, en quête de pardon.

Comment se déroule le travail avec Sam Raimi, le réalisateur ?

Il nous laisse contribuer aux dialogues, il est preneur de toutes les bonnes idées qu’on peut lui apporter. Chacun collabore avec Sam. C’est très agréable et très intéressant de travailler avec lui. J’ai beaucoup appris, je connais
mieux la réalisation maintenant.

Dans une scène, vous dites quelques mots en français. Vous aimez la
France ?

Oui, j’adore ! J’aime Paris. La première fois que je suis venu, pour voir mon ami Leonardo DiCaprio, je suis tombé amoureux de cette ville. Les musées, la gastronomie, l’art… J’adore jouer le « touriste » en France !

Seriez-vous prêt à jouer dans un Spider-Man 4 ?

Pourquoi pas ! Si, dans ce quatrième volet, il y a un nouveau super-méchant intéressant, si on aborde des éléments de l’histoire qui n’ont pas encore été explorés, je ne dis pas non.

Ça ne va pas être trop dur de quitter le rôle de Spider-Man ?

Oui, c’est vrai qu’on a commencé cette aventure il y a un moment.  J’ai travaillé avec des gens très talentueux pour ces trois films, j’ai passé de si bons moments avec eux. Cela va me manquer. Mais les retombées sont positives, j’ai davantage d’opportunités pour ma carrière.

Propos recueillis par Thomas Suinot

■ À propos de cette interview : C’était une conférence de presse, donc plusieurs journalistes posaient des questions et certaines sont retranscrites dans cet article. Si je me souviens bien c’était en avril 2007, le lendemain de la projection presse avant-première mondiale, dans un prestigieux restaurant sur les Champs Élysées. J’ai pris pas mal de photos, y’avait du beau monde : Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Sam Raimi, James Franco… Cette interview est parue dans le quotidien l’actu. Excellent souvenir, et surtout : Kirsten Dunst est encore plus belle en vrai.

[Photos © : Libre de droit - flickr, Thomas Suinot & PlayBac Presse]

en pahalı otomobiller

How do you make your $1.3 million car more exclusive? You get the Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang (a really lame name) limited just to 5-units worldwide these special-edition Veyron were all immediately sold at a $300k premium.

Pur Sang means ‘Pure blood’ in French and the chromed Veyron is differentiated by its paintjob, or rather, lack thereof.

The body panels were assuredly polished but left in their natural state of aluminum and carbon fiber, the separation between which does not follow along the lines of the traditional Veyron’s two-tone color scheme.

Het is eindelijk zo ver.
Morgenvroeg neem ik , samen met mijn medestudenten , de Eurostar richting Londen. Daar zal ik een week verblijven , dus in die tijd hoef je geen nieuwe updates op Pur Sang te verwachten. Ik zal immers enkele bedrijfsbezoeken afwisselen met het opsnuiven van de lokale cultuur en dergelijke.

Maar ik hoop dat u na mijn bezoekje aan Londen , Pur Sang nog steeds blijft bezoeken.

Tot over een week !

You must be thinking that why am I talking about the 2nd fastest and not the fastest car in the world? The reason is that I like Veyron much more than the SSC Ultimate Aero (the fastest one) and because Veyron is just in its own class…

Bugatti Veyron…isn’t it beautiful??

Even when Veyron is at a standstill, the car’s enormous power is intuitive.

With its classic look, the large radiator grill – adorned with the hand-enameled Bugatti emblem – represents the ultimate grandness of the Veyron. With its 16-cylinders, it is definitely the most sophisticated production vehicle of all times.
And you won’t believe, it has a total of 1001 HP!!! Awesome… and yes…it has a top speed of almost 408 km/h!!

One more really cool thing about Veyron is that its ceramic brakes slow it down faster than it can accelerate. While it takes this exceptional car only 2.5 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h, it needs even less time – a mere 2.3 seconds – to come to a standstill from 100. The car documents state a maximum velocity of 407 km/h, but as I said, it has already clocked an amazing 408.47km/h on April 19, 2005.

Veyron operates in 3 of the modes. In standard mode, used for speeds up to 220 km/h, the rear spoiler system is completely retracted. In handling mode, used at higher velocities, the vehicles nose is pulled down and the monumental rear spoiler deployed. This produces an additional 350 kg of downforce without compromising the Veyron’s exceptional turn dynamics. And then there is the top speed mode for velocities beyond 375 km/h, which is activated before the engine is started. At top speed mode the front diffuser flaps are shut to make the underbody absolutely level, and the spoiler is completely aligned with the chassis, forming a tearing edge – thus, the Veyron is perfectly adapted for top velocities.

Topspeed key (The key which everyone wants to have in his car) – For speeds beyond 375 km/h, drivers need to activate this top speed key.

Oh…I forgot to tell….it is also the most expensive production car available at a price of a eye popping 1.1 million euros.

A really special version of Veyron is Pur Sang. With no body finishing and reveals its pure aluminum carbon fibre body. And just think about the number of radiators your car have?? One?..two?….The Bugatti Veyron has a total of 10 radiators!!

• 3 radiators for the engine cooling system.
• 1 heat exchanger for the air-to-liquid intercoolers.
• 2 for the air conditioning system.
• 1 transmission oil radiator.
• 1 differential oil radiator.
• 1 engine oil radiator.
• 1 hydraulic oil radiator for the spoiler

The Veyron has the greatest acceleration of any production car to date, reaching 60 mph (97 km/h) from a standstill in 2.46 seconds. It reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) in approximately 2.5 seconds

Lets talk about this marvel’s fuel consumption. The Veyron consumes more fuel than any other production car, using 40.4 L/100 km in city driving. At full throttle, it uses more than 115 L/100 km (2.46 mpg imp/2.05 mpg US), which would empty its 100 L fuel tank in just 12 minutes 46 seconds.

Gordan Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 declared that, “The braking is phenomenal. … And the primary ride and body control are impressive too” and “It’s a huge achievement.” [He was very critical of the Veyron earlier].

So…??  …interested in buying??

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Didier Dagueneau, genius and iconastic Pouilly-fume winemaker

News of Didier Dagueneau’s death on Wine Spectator crushed me as I love his Sauvignon Blancs.  His untimely death is a big loss, not only to his fans and family but even more so to those who have not tasted his wines. Perhaps, they may never know how wonderful Sauvignon Blancs can be.

I first read about Didier Dagueneau (DD) in “The New France” by Andrew Jefford. In the chapter on The Loire Valley, he wrote: “His wines smelled not of Sauvignon Blanc, nor of gooseberries or asparagus or of micturating felines, but … of spring. Sipping the Buisson Renard was like standing beneath a waterfall: the flavours were clean, limpid, eerily palpable, a soft shock. … I had not been expecting this calm and majestic retreat from the varietal. I learned something new.”

This description sparked my interest in DD and his Sauvignon Blancs. However, they were not available in Singapore. In Nov 2006, when Moomba Wines brought some in, I was ecstatic. I organized a Sauvignon Blanc (SB) varietal tasting among my wine buddies. We tasted the then current vintages of DD Buisson Renard 2004, Dog Point Vineyard Section 94 SB, and Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc. Sadly, the premium range of Robert Mondavi’s Fume Blancs were not sold in Singapore, so we had to settle for the basic Fume Blanc. Similarly, Cloudy Bay’s famed Te Koko was also not available and the Section 94 was recommended by Le Vigne (a local wine shop) as its equivalent.

While both the Fume Blanc and Section 94 are good wines in their own rights, the Buisson Renard stole the limelight effortlessly . It is simply in a class of its own. It is not so much the depth or range of flavours but that it is an expression of freshness, purity and precision. It was pure joy drinking the Buisson Renard. I can only imagine the greatness in DD’s Silex and Pur Sang, both single vineyard SB.

DD’s wines do not come cheap. The Buisson Renard retails at around USD80 while the Silex and Pur Sang around USD100, as compared to the widely available range of SGD30-40 SBs from New Zealand. Some may baulk at paying such high prices for SBs, but to me, it is worth every cent as these are wines made by a true master.

DD’s fanatic dedication to his vines and wines are well-known. He slashed yields in his vineyards, harvesting only a fraction of the tonnage that other vignerons would on similarly-sized plots. He experimented with different wine-making methods, stood by his beliefs and produced wines of exceptional quality and concentration. When not tending to his vineyards, he would be racing huskies in Finland or piloting lightweight planes.

His wines reflect his beliefs, personality and ingenuity. Many of us may not have met him personally, but we know him and feel his dedication through his wines. We can only hope that his family would continue his dreams, directions and legacy.

This wine includes some fruit from Didier Dagueneau’s famed Pur Sang, Buisson Renard and Silex cuvees. It is barrel-fermented and aged half in stainless steel and half in large, neutral barrels.

On the nose, lemon, citrus, white flowers, fresh hay and some mineral notes. On the palate, sharp acidity with rich and creamy lemon and butter components with nice minerality. A clean, persistent finish. There are some similarities to the Pur Sang, as others have noted it is softer — and does not hit the same mark in terms of minerality, complexity, structure or focus. That all being said, this is an outstanding expression of the varietal and the place. It would also probably be one of the nicest bottles of white wine you would hope to find on the shelf at most boutique wine shops.

I am repeating the contents of the post about Didier Dagueneau as his story is worth repeating (and reading). His wines are not the easiest to find — and while I would never turn down an opportunity to enjoy his wines, I would opt for the Pur Sang over the Blanc Fumé de Pouilly.

View Pur Sang review.

About Didier Dagueneau
Didier Dagueneau has been called a nonconformist, independent, eccentric, and maverick. He is also dedicated to producing some of the greatest white wines of the Loire — and all of France for that matter. He is considered by many to be a master of the sauvignon blanc grape.

He is on a crusade to redeem the reputation of authentic Pouilly-Fumé. Domaine Didier Dagueneau is located in Saint Andelain, a village in the Pouilly Fumé Appellation. He owns about 28 acres of land consisting of mainly clay and flint based soils (or ‘Silex’ in French). Dagueneau is a perfectionist and he attends to every detail — from vineyard management (biodynamic since 1993) to the cellar, which is said to look like a cathedral. He goes way beyond the regulations of the appellation — pruning severely, de-budding, de-leafing, thinning clusters, and keeping low yields — and each harvest is done manually over several tries (he has the labor receipts to prove it).

Others have written more eloquently about Dagueneau. The following passage was translated from Vallee de la Loire – Grandeur Nature by James Turnball.

A young rebel with convictions. Dagueneau owes his success to the strength of his convictions. A local winemaker’s son, he set out on his own in 1982. He began using oak barrels for his vinifications a couple years later and wines of great quality were not far behind. Certain traditionalists, however, said that his wines were not “real” Pouilly Fume.

Dagueneau’s non-conformity has helped him more than hurt him: his long tousled hair, his bushy beard, his intense gaze, not to mention his passion for sled dogs have all earned him the nickname “the madman of Saint-Andelain” and made him very popular with the press.

What does Dagueneau have that the other don’t? He is extremely meticulous and possesses a special intuition where winemaking is concerned. His goals are always authenticity and perfection. To obtain grapes of the highest quality, his vineyard workers spend at least three months carefully de-budding even after a severe pruning earlier in the year. And when the grapes are perfectly ripe, the harvest is done by hand, so that only grapes of impeccable condition are picked, the others are either thrown out or left on the vine to be picked later.

His new winemaking facilities, specifically adapted to Dagueneau’s techniques, use gravity for moving liquids and allow him to apply his ideas without the slightest compromise. After fermentation, the wines are aged in a beautiful cellar containing big barrels and “cigares” (small, long oval barrels which he designed and are made especially for him). The cellar is kept quite cool to limit interaction between the wine and the oak, thus avoiding an overly oaky aroma in the wine.

Dagueneau makes four different dry white wines, all Pouilly Fumés. His basic wine is the En Chailloux, a blend from several vineyards. Next step up is the Buisson Menard, more flinty in style, but still round, and more ageworthy. The remaining two wines are both superstars from single vineyards, and are barrel fermented. Both come from slate soils with one being called Silex, and the other known as Pur Sang.

Didier Dagueneau was tragically killed on September 17, 2007 when the ultralight plane he was piloting experienced problems during take off and crashed. He was only 52 years young. He had accomplished so much and his wines established a benchmark for sauvignon blanc, yet it seemed as though he was just getting started. He will be missed.

Didier Dagueneau has been called a nonconformist, independent, eccentric, and maverick. He is also dedicated to producing some of the greatest white wines of the Loire — and all of France for that matter. He is considered by many to be a master of the sauvignon blanc grape.

He is on a crusade to redeem the reputation of authentic Pouilly-Fumé. Domaine Didier Dagueneau is located in Saint Andelain, a village in the Pouilly Fumé Appellation. He owns about 28 acres of land consisting of mainly clay and flint based soils (or ‘Silex’ in French). Dagueneau is a perfectionist and he attends to every detail — from vineyard management (biodynamic since 1993) to the cellar, which is said to look like a cathedral. He goes way beyond the regulations of the appellation — pruning severely, de-budding, de-leafing, thinning clusters, and keeping low yields — and each harvest is done manually over several tries (he has the labor receipts to prove it).

Others have written more eloquently about Dagueneau. The following passage was translated from Vallee de la Loire – Grandeur Nature by James Turnball.

A young rebel with convictions. Dagueneau owes his success to the strength of his convictions. A local winemaker’s son, he set out on his own in 1982. He began using oak barrels for his vinifications a couple years later and wines of great quality were not far behind. Certain traditionalists, however, said that his wines were not “real” Pouilly Fume.

Dagueneau’s non-conformity has helped him more than hurt him: his long tousled hair, his bushy beard, his intense gaze, not to mention his passion for sled dogs have all earned him the nickname “the madman of Saint-Andelain” and made him very popular with the press.

What does Dagueneau have that the other don’t? He is extremely meticulous and possesses a special intuition where winemaking is concerned. His goals are always authenticity and perfection. To obtain grapes of the highest quality, his vineyard workers spend at least three months carefully de-budding even after a severe pruning earlier in the year. And when the grapes are perfectly ripe, the harvest is done by hand, so that only grapes of impeccable condition are picked, the others are either thrown out or left on the vine to be picked later.

His new winemaking facilities, specifically adapted to Dagueneau’s techniques, use gravity for moving liquids and allow him to apply his ideas without the slightest compromise. After fermentation, the wines are aged in a beautiful cellar containing big barrels and “cigares” (small, long oval barrels which he designed and are made especially for him). The cellar is kept quite cool to limit interaction between the wine and the oak, thus avoiding an overly oaky aroma in the wine.

Dagueneau makes four different dry white wines, all Pouilly Fumés. His basic wine is the En Chailloux, a blend from several vineyards. Next step up is the Buisson Menard, more flinty in style, but still round, and more ageworthy. The remaining two wines are both superstars from single vineyards, and are barrel fermented. Both come from slate soils with one being called Silex, and the other known as Pur Sang.

Pur Sang means “Thoroughbred” in English. The flavors tend to fall somewhere in between the En Chailloux (which accounts for half his production and is his softest, friendliest wine) and Cuvée Silex (his most structured cuvée). The Pur Sang is said to be a more hedonistic Sauvignon (often on par with the Silex), but less mineral driven.

That being said the minerality comes through loud and clear on the nose as well as lemon, citrus, white flowers and some fresh hay. On the palate, very structured, rich and creamy with pronounced mineral components, chalky and loads of lemon zest with a hint of tangerine and nectarine. Great acidity with a very clean, pure and an extremely long finish.

The acidity and strong mineral components make this a great pairing for mussels, raw clams or oysters as well as other seafood dishes. Also, seems as though this wine might benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring….

They say that in the United States, scores sell wine. In Europe, a good story sells wine. Dagueneau is a great story — and his wines are also scored well and often included in TWS Top 100 Wines in any given vintage.

View releated post Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly, 2006.

This wine may not be a great value (ok, it isn’t a good value) or very easy to find, but it is worth seeking out — and it might be a good time to do so given that 2006 was such a good year in Loire. Not to mention that his lore will only continue to increase and the dollar shows no signs of getting up off its knees.

A stunning wine. Imported by Polaner Selections.

Didier Dagueneau was tragically killed on September 17, 2007 when the ultralight plane he was piloting experienced problems during take off and crashed. He was only 52 years young. He had accomplished so much and his wines established a benchmark for sauvignon blanc, yet it seemed as though he was just getting started. He will be missed.

Eccola: il non plus ultra della bellezza e dell’armonia di forme, coadiuvata nella sua eccellenza anche da un motore W16 che le permette di possedere una mandria ben fornita di cavalli: qui sfondiamo la soglia del migliaio.

Un’auto esagerata la Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang, tradotto letteralmente “purosangue”, che si basa sulla meccanica raffinata della Veyron di serie [...] subendo però modifiche importanti a base di lega purissima d’alluminio e pannelli in carbonio che le fanno rispoarmiare un centinaio di chili di peso portando il suo rapporto peso/potenza ad appena 1,88 kg/cv.

Est magnifique!