Cruella DeLille
TASTING NOTES: “An inviting, smooth wine with black cherry and plum aromas pouring from the glass. Flavors of bold dark fruits and charming notes of baking splice combine with a juicy mid palate and pleasantly firm, dry finish.“ (AbV 13.9%)
VARIETALS: Cabernet Sauvignon
BARRELS: French oak, 40% new.
PAIRS WITH: “Best paired in the company of family and friends, Metier offers a balance of structure and approachability that can accompany a wide variety of foods.”
THAT REMINDS ME OF: Cruella de Vil.
The de Vils were once a wealthy English family with an old estate that would be named “Hell Hall” at some point. Cruella, the last in the line, plays the role of a glamorous heiress, though in truth, she is heavily in debt. In the novel, she has married a furrier, a man who is entirely under her power but supplies her with various furs to feed her obsession. Although she owns the Hell Hall estate, her primary place of residence is a flat in London, full of marble and highly contrasting colors. She also has a cat in the novel, a white Persian that hates her, as she has killed every litter of kittens it has had.
While in the movie she just ends up stranded with a broken car, in the novel, the Dalmatians manage to ruin Mr. de Vil’s furs, leaving Cruella even deeper in debt and forced to flee the country. The Dalmatians’ owners also end up buying Hell Hall once she’s gone to have enough room for all the dogs.
In the sequel published eleven years later, she has renounced furs and instead has become obsessed with plastics, no longer interested in the dogs. But also, if you haven’t read the summary of the sequel before, I highly recommend doing so.
