March 2008 Archives

I just don't get it. How can a perfectly happy person turn into a stark raving lunatic for no apparent reason? Welcome to the world of parenting a 15 year old. As charming as they are, teenagers can be rather challenging, not to mention hormonal. In my frustration to deal, I started to think about which wine would go best with a pesky teen? (Not for the kid of course, but for the rattled nerves of a harried mother or nearly catatonic father!)

How about a zesty zippy Chenin Blanc, guaranteed to put a smile on even the most disgruntled adult? Or, the robust sturdiness of a powerful Cabernet Sauvignon?  No, I've got it, the perfect solution to end my frowning and scowling…a spirited Zin (just like my teen) with moderate alcohol but enough grip to shock the palate into a renewed zest for life. Yes, that'll surely do the trick.

I sometimes wonder how life would change if I wasn't in the wine business. Would it be easier? Would it be more relaxing? One thing is for sure; I certainly would not have one of life's grandest elixirs to help ease the pain of parenthood.

Now, what to serve it with…

Every time we start bottling I have flashbacks. I'm 15 or 16 years old, in high school and spending many a weekend and lots of school vacations working on our bottling line. We (Dry Creek Vineyard) were actually one of the highest paying gigs in town and it sure beat a job flipping hamburgers at Arctic Circle or at the old Healdsburg A & W Root Beer.

Things were a lot different then. Labels were affixed by hand using a small rolling glue machine and a wooden template that we'd hold in our lap so we could line the front and back labels up straight. There were 4 or 5 of us on the line, all laughing and joking, anxiously awaiting our mid morning break or lunch hour. These same people also made the wine, sold the wine, poured in the tasting room, etc. It was those early days on the bottling line that made me swear I'd never work for the winery when I grew up. No sirreee. I had better things to do with my life! But somehow the call of the family business and the prospect of helping build something really special brought me back full-time in 1986.

Ever wonder which wine to drink after an argument with your spouse? For me, the answer is easy, whichever bottle is the closest!! Just kidding…
 

Seriously though, wine and emotions go hand and hand. That's why certain wines can transform you back to a place that holds your greatest memories. Perhaps it's a special occasion with a loved one. A freezing cold night when the lights went out. Or a warm balmy evening in the middle of summer.

For me that wine was a 1937 Savennières savored in Rochefort-sur-Loire while visiting our dear friends the Baumard family. Florent Baumard was a childhood friend (son of famed winemaker, Francois Baumard of Domaine
des Baumard) and we had the honor of joining his family for a rare vertical tasting of 2 dozen Savennières dating back to the early 1930s.

I'll never forget the flavors of the luscious honeysuckle and nectar-like qualities of this very old Chenin Blanc. Brisk and tightly woven while at the same time inviting and exotic-like a special perfume that is saved for the most important and memorable occasions. Why… just think of the history at the time and how much the world has changed since those earlier days. It's remarkable, really.

Any wines transform you in this way? I'd love to hear.
 

I just read that retailer extraordinaire, Michael Aaron, of Sherry Lehmann's in NY has retired. This comes exactly 50 years and one day after he joined his family's iconic wine shop.  To me, this is a true signaling of the changing of the guard that I see happening all over the wine business.

I'll never forget the first time I made a sales call on his store. I was in my mid-20s and very excited about the prospect of landing this important account for our winery. Michael was very well known and extremely respected in wine circles, and I was just a wee tad intimidated to say the least.

I went to New York to introduce our 1985 Meritage, the first wine to carry this designation, and a wine that we were profoundly proud of. It was a big deal for us and required some “out of the box” thinking to really get people's attention. I decided to hire a limousine to take me to selected wine buyers so I could make an “unforgettable” sales call. It was in the late 1980s, and while it seemed like the competition was fierce, it was nothing compared to now! Nonetheless, I had to do something different to get noticed.

Years later, we laughed about our first meeting and reminisced about how much the industry had changed.  And to this day, I'll never forget his graciousness and support way back when.

In fact just a year or so ago, I made my annual pilgrimage to the Sherry Lehmann store in order to introduce him to our new Bordeaux blend, The Mariner.  As always, he made time to fit me in and politely tasted our new baby.

I am proud to have known this wine industry veteran who was well ahead of the times with his dynamic direct mail catalogue and classic Madison Avenue wine shop.

Congratulations Michael! 
 

So, I think I'll just revel in the moment. Pour myself a glass of something special tonight. And, really enjoy it before I launch into my next topic about god knows what!

Stay tuned…

We just had the dreaded “family meeting.” These are monthly sessions to review the winery's overall financial performance, i.e., THE NUMBERS.  We look at sales, revenues, expenses, ratios, etc. Sometimes these meetings go well, sometimes not. It all depends on the general mood of the group and…just about everything under the sun that could possibly affect our attitudes.

I've sat through hundreds of these comical gatherings and often wonder how on earth it is that we can still go home at the end of the day with love in our hearts and a smile on our faces.

Today I realized the whole scene reminds me of the animal kingdom. (I used to love those TV shows that depict the traits and characteristics of various species.) The meeting starts off fairly typically. Everyone is well behaved and reasonable. Then slowly, each one of us transcends into our animal self.  My father starts acting like the peacock that puffs up and gets very BIG.  This usually occurs in moments when he is reminding us that he started the winery and knows a thing or two about a thing or two. Naturally, this puts The Husband on the defense. His face turns red. His ears begin to steam. Much like a bull getting ready to charge. Or, a wolf circling around, getting ready for the kill. As for me, I'm like the duck--paddling like hell, prepared to take flight at any moment. Just trying to stay out of the way of the gunfire and any fall-out.

Seriously folks, these meetings are extremely stressful!! Because no matter how well things are going business wise, it is NEVER ENOUGH. The first generation is just never satisfied with the second, third, fourth, etc. That is one of the unspoken rules of the family business. (They simply do not tell you this in business school, but trust me on this one.) Rule # 2 is this: if somebody is pissed off about something completely unrelated, expect that it will come back to haunt you. For example, if I've committed some wifely faux pas, I can be sure that four hours later, it will resurface in some fashion at the dreaded family meeting!  Or, if Grandpa is frustrated, bored or lonely, irritation and annoyance will mysteriously crop up while discussing the complexities of depreciation, amortization and cost control.

Thankfully, we've all done this for so long that we end up laughing at ourselves before too much damage has been done. That is key to surviving the dreaded family meeting. 

And, the occasional glass of wine helps too!

How could it be that at 32 years old…ok, I'm lying…actually 44 years old, (dangerously close to forty five!) that I'd relate to how the old guys must have felt when a transplanted city slicker from Boston arrived on the scene back in 1972.  But there I was having a rare “date night out” with The Husband when it happened.

We were seated at the bar of Bistro Ralph, Ralph Tingle's eponymous restaurant here in Healdsburg.  On either side, we overheard the happy banter of numerous newbie winery and vineyard owners.  I suddenly realized that I didn't recognize one single person.  Worse, they didn't know me!  It was an odd feeling to be in a town you've lived your entire life, a member of the business community for over 35 years, and feel like a complete outsider. I must admit, I didn't like it one bit at all. 

I was feeling a bit depressed until we had our first sip of a delicious wine by some new winery named Arista. A 2005 Pinot Noir that was smooth as silk and as refined as a Hermès scarf tied on a Prada bag. Ok, that might be a stretch, but you get the point. At that very moment, I was reminded of the magic of wine discovery. How fun it is to learn about a new wine from a new producer. How cool it is to listen to the waiter, take that leap of faith, and order something new, sight unseen.

And then I wondered…did anyone discover a Dry Creek Vineyard wine tonight??