Anomaly Vineyards

A Berkeley, California transplant's view of becoming an Accidental Vintner.

Liquid Gold Friends

One of the very best "perks" of being in the wine industry is the contacts you make - not only with fellow vintners and all those that surround you to produce the wine, but customers that become your friends. Although we are only on our third release, we have been fortunate to have made some very good, and what we hope to be, lifelong friends. Last night was a cause to celebrate such a friendship. We went out to dinner to a small, excellent restaurant in Yountville (Wine Garden Restaurant) with David and Trish, our "customers-turned-friends," and Bob and Stacey, our neighbors, fellow vintners (Bressler Vineyards), and good friends, where we shared incredibly tasty, small plates of beautifully prepared seasonal food along with an embarrassing quantity of wonderful wines. BUT the crowning glory of the evening was when David pulled out a bottle of 1967 d'Yquem. This has to be the elixir to the gods - it is truly liquid gold. If I have ever tasted anything better, I can't remember it. So, to go back to my original "point" - although there are, and will be, I'm sure, days when we question our sanity to have embarked on this journey of creating wine, evenings with friends we have made whom otherwise we would never have met make it all worthwhile. I may need to be reminded of this during the heat of harvest! Chantico to you all.
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  • 2 comments:

    1. rone said...

      Oh, man, d'Yquem... absolute, total envy.

      April 11, 2005  

    2. davidn said...

      Indeed Linda, last night was a magical night!

      I promised I would list the wines we all tasted (somewhat in order)...

      1996 Dom Perignon
      2002 Aubert Chardonnay, Ritchie Vyd
      1997 Kistler Chardonnay, Dutton Ranch
      2002 Peter Michael Chardonnay, La Carriere
      1989 Hospice de Beaune, Corton
      1994 Savugny Serpentieres, Savigny les Beauune, Dom. Pierre Guillemot
      2002 Dry River Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zeland
      2002 Sine Qua Non Pinot Noir, Hollerin' M, Shea Vyd, Oregon
      2003 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir, 4-Barrel
      2002 Abiouness Pinot Noir, Pommard Clone, Rancho Carneros
      2002 Fred's Hands (in memory of Fred Williams) Pinot Noir
      1967 Chateau d'Yquem

      About the restaurant (The Wine Garden in Yountville)... what a discovery. Check out this menu: http://www.napawinegarden.com/Menu.html
      What a fun menu.

      But that's not all... Listen to this... NO CORKAGE!

      And what's more... NO CHARGE for gas or no-gas BOTTLED WATER!

      We all ate and ate and ate (with an occasional sip of wine) and ate. Lots of different "small plates", all declicious, passed around the table. I know I was stuffed! And then the bill came... just under $200 for the six or us! I still think their adding machine was on the fritz.

      Good food and good wines lead to a wonderful time but the real reason we keep coming back is good friends.

      April 11, 2005  

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