My favorite players the week were…

Brock Purdy 49’ers quarterback

His overall stats weren’t his best.  He completed 20 for 31 for 267 yards with 1 touchdown & 1 interception.  Purdy didn’t have the best first half & there was some serious luck on one of his best plays, but he still delivered in the end. In the 2^nd half he threw for 174 yards, rushed for 48. His scrambles for 21 yard first downs twice in the 4^th quarter were unexpected & impressive.  He showed veteran leadership.

OptaSTATS posted an interesting stat after the game.  According to them Purdy was the only quarterback in at least 30 years to hit this combination of stats: throw for 150+ yards, rush for 45+ yards, Complete 80%+ of their passes, average 10+ yards per rush, & have 0 turnovers in any half in the NFL.

Christian McCaffrey 49’ers running back

He has been tremendous in the playoffs.  Against the Lions he ran for 90 yards on 20 carries (4.5 yard average) & scored a touchdown.  He also 4 passes for 42 yards.

Sam LaPorta Lions tight end

LaPorta missed a number of practices after injuring his knee in the regular season finale against Minnesota.  He managed to play & was the best receiver for the Lions against the 49’ers.  He picked up 97 yards on 9 catches for a 10.8 average.

Penei Sewell Lions tackle

Sewell had another excellent game both in pass protection & run blocking.  I wanted to include him because he is the highest rated player in the Pro Football Focus ratings for the playoffs so far with a 93.1 rating).  Any time I can show some love for the big guys, I take the opportunity.

Travis Kelce Chiefs tight end

Kelce passed Jerry Rice with the most total catches in playoff history.  Against the Ravens he had 11 catches & 116 yards, an average of 10.5 yards per catch including a touchdown.

L’Jarius Sneed

Sneed had 5 tackles in the game.  His biggest play was a game changer.  He punched the ball out as Jay Flowers was about to go in for a touchdown.  The ball was recovered in the end zone by the Chiefs.

Deon Bush Chiefs safety

This one is a bit weird since he only played 3 snaps in the game.  On one of those snaps, he intercepted Lamar Jackson in the end zone.  In a game where the Chiefs offense couldn’t get on track, this was huge!

My favorite wine of the week was…

Rapet Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2017

90% of the fruit comes from En Charlemagne in Pernand-Vergelesses with the remainder from Le Charlemagne in Aloxe-Corton. 100% Chardonnay 13% ABV $150

Before getting to the fun part, I guess I should explain a little about Corton Charlemagne.  Corton Charlemagne is one of the best growing spots in the world for Chardonnay.  Burgundy has complicated appellations with some smaller appellations being shared by two or more larger appellations.  That’s the case here.  Corton-Charlemagne is a Grand Cru appellation that runs across most of the area near the top of the oval shaped Montagne de Corton hill in the Côte de Beaune.  Although there are only 130 acres that can make Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru, there are 5 different appellations that lay claim to portions of it.  The hill is predominantly composed of a limestone-marl mix which is good for white wines.  The top of the hill has a forest planted that is believed to be important to the overall terroir as well.  Further down the hill there is more clay, & Pinot Noir is planted there. 

The first sip is an experience.  The nose doesn’t hit you very hard initially.  It’s mineral, nut, & apple, but you almost have to look for it.  On the palate the wine is electrifying!  The acid lifts the hazelnut, butter, & golden/green apple up.  It shows honey & wonderful baked cereal notes.  The wine has a long & stunning finish with layers of flavor.  This is a wine that shows what Chardonnay can be.

Even though the grapes were harvested over 6 years ago, I know that I was drinking this wine too early.  It is incredible now, but in another 10-15 years it will be at its peak.

The wine was fermented in French oak with 30% of that being new barrels.  It was aged in the same barrels on the lees for 12 months prior to bottling.

This could be the wine to bring around your friends who say that they don’t like Chardonnay.  It could also be the wine to blow the mind of someone who only drinks California Chardonnay.  On the other hand, it’s an amazing wine & the temptation to horde it for yourself will be strong!  Either way, I think you will enjoy this wine.