Monday, September 22, 2008

Monday, September 22nd, 2008 : Quite The Day Chez Moi Et Pour Mes Pensees !

It's really been quite the active day that just kept on giving and giving and giving and making me do and do and do more. Exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time because here it is 11:54 PM at my house and I have just finished taking a number of pictures of the five VAJRA Piemontese bottles, Italian reds that I have just recently been blogging about. I am in fact sipping some delicious " Coste & Fossati " 2007 Dolcetto and enjoying it thoroughly. Normally I would never be doing this but these are demanding times indeed. I also just tasted and really enjoyed some of the Barbera D'Alba 2006 Superiore of G.D. VAJRA. It's also showing quite well now and that pleases and thrills me enormously as these five bottles of G.D.VAJRA were all opened last Friday, September 12th by owner Giuseppe Vaira and left at the store after his most-successful in-store tasting with our customers at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( www.clevelandparkwine.com sales@clevelandparkwine.com ).

As I wrote earlier I have been tasting these open bottles now for more than a week and taking mental notes and enjoying their different odysseys. Tonight I still had not tasted them really since this past Thursday when they charmed and warmed me and sang sweet lullabies and rocked my boat all in various pleasing ways! I wanted to see what had happened to them. So tonight I chilled them all slightly and tried them with the roast pork tenderloin that I had just grilled outside for my family's dinner tonight. I started with the Freisa 2005 and then proceeded immediately onto the Barolo " normale " 2004 and then onto the 2004 Barolo " Bricco delle Viole ". They were all amazing and very pleasurable/drinkable even after all this time. Funny, I mostly sampled them after the meal and they were still wonderful " earthy, pungent, deep and complex, dusty-dry with herbs, spices and minerals and still, profound fruit that was beautifully integrated with the other components of tannins, acids and alcohol. These are amazingly well-balanced/focused wines made for the long haul and not the short-term delight even though they may be and often are consumed that way. Cheers to Aldo, Milena, and Giuseppe Vaira. They have produced some intriguing, beguiling, terroir-terrific dry, complex red wines to charm and titillate the palate along with the foods that they accompany ; for these are most-assuredly food wines from tip-top to pointed toes.

There is a bit of oxidation showing mostly in the 2003 " normale " Barolo as well as a bit in the 2006 Superiore Barbera as it warms up in the glass and in the finish on the palate. Incredible, really. I'm so excited to know that eleven days after being opened that they are still quite resilient, enjoyable and highly drinkable and entertaining, too.

I got up and walked our dog and started to compose my " to-do " list as I walked. It was extensive and I only accomplished a portion of the things I wanted today. I wrote four poems thinking about Michael Downey's 60th birthday ( it would have been today ) and his remarkable two children Brennan and Shannon ( now grown ) and my wife and my two remarkable children. I kept thinking how proud Mike would have been ( how proud Peggy must be ) and in turn how proud both my wife and I are of our remarkable daughter and son. That is really something and it produced four poems and put a big smile on my face as I drove my son to a doctor's appointment this afternoon. We spent some really good time together and he even remarked upon it and furthermore thanked me for it ; wow.

Both Shannon and Brennan both pointed out yesterday at their 10th Anniversary celebration of Michael Downey imports how long they had known me and that it really meant something to them both. Well, it really meant something to me seeing them both in action at this party celebration yesterday : they exuded both charm and radiated confidence and good cheer. I snapped many pictures of their happy countenances and will include them shortly in a blog here. They represent our future : the future of our world ( along with our two children... I could not miss the parallel that Peggy and Michael had a boy and a girl just like my wife and I ) and the wine world. We will shortly pass onto them the reins and the keys lock, stock and barrel and I feel confident that they will do us proud. At their party yesterday at Etrusco I only drank white ( I knew I would be tasting some of these VAJRA reds again soon ), mostly Italian where the Downeys got started : Fiano, Erbaluce, Gavi and Gambellara. I did break down and have a glass of the Cheverny-something(?) Loire white but found it so intense and heavy-handed after the Fiano that I had to go back to Italian whites.

I took all the pictures of this splendid event and I thought to myself : " what may I contribute if anything ? " My answer was a story about my impressions. Since I was there mostly for the Downeys what were my impressions? As I said my impressions of Brennan and Shannon were that I had never witnessed them both so happy, free and comfortable in their own skins : wow, so gratifying, really. Peggy you sure have done a great job along with Michael ; but you already know that!

I watched Peggy and she, too was radiant and free and almost theatrical in her gestures, embraces, dancing to the live music in one of the rooms , and in her movement of her hands as she painted stories and regaled her guests. I took lots of pictures of that, facial expressions and hands tell so much.

Here is at least one of the four poems that I wrote earlier this afternoon. I may put them all in tonight : it depends on how long I hold out as I am quite tired after this busy day on a beautiful day here in Virgina : warm, bright, sunny - my wonderful day-off. I will start with POEM NUMBER 4 :

This Da Da Day I
Thin Hin Ink To Pa
Pa Ma Ma Aper Put
Pen Mine Po Po Oised
Noised As Thin Hink I
Of Son Dau Dau Augh
Aughter Son My Mine Ours
So Pro Pro Roud On
Nine Ten E-Leven Clou
Clou Boi Boy Girl
Whirl Oister Oyster Ours
Oisterous Be I We Thin
Inking Grow Up Qui Qui
Uick Blink LInk Linking
Lives Ours Lyn Ynne
To Ony Pe Pe Peg Mi
Mic Ichael Us Yes Oui
Si Four Bo Oth Coup Ouples
Each Have Boy Oh Boy Gir
Irl Whirl Swirl Prou Prou
Roud Each Us Of Them So Yes
Very Proud Chil Hil Ildren Ours ...

#4 le 22 Septembre, 2008 Lundi apres-midi a 2:15 PM en Virginie, en pensant de nos enfants et les enfants de Peggy et Michael Downey aussi.


One One's Bi
Ir Irth De DEa
Eath The Be Time
To Be Real To Ex
To Xist To Ist
To Live Live Stri
Stri Arrive Rive
Droite - A - Ahhh
Oui Si Gau Gau
Auche Sco Sco Sco
Sch Osch Cosch
Good Be Live Good
Fu Fu Un " X " " Y "
Pose Posed Su Su
Uper Imp Oui Pose
Over Oh Ohh Lap
Apped Sapped Slapped Wa
Wa Aked Wacked Sacked Tapped ...

#3 le 22 Septembre, 2008 Lundi apres-midi a 2:10 PM en Virginie en pensant de la mort de Michael Downey et qu'est ce que ca peut dire?!?

Pro Prou Roud
Rowd Owdy So
Mi My Mi Their
Heirs Michael's
Chi Hi Hello Child
Hilds His Son One
Dau Dau Aughter Too
He Mi Mi Ich Ich
Ichael Would On
60 Yes Ieth Earth
Birth His Day Would
Been Have So Pr Rou
Poud Of Bre Ren Sha
Ha Ha Shan Tennan -
B-B- Hanon-S-S
Kids His So LIve So A-A-A +
Days These

#1 Le 22 Septembre, 2008 Lundi apres-midi a 12:03 PM en Virginie. Michael Downey would have been 60 today.

Dat Peg Dat Dow
Ow Pow Owney
Down She Oui
Yes Groun Roun
Rounded She
Chil Ra Ra
Two Raise Now
Self All By Aft
After Mike Ad To
Dieu He Us Bade
" X " His Ex Xit He
Qui Uick Made
To 'Bove On Them
Down Owney Look
Smi Smi Mile Lo Lo Long
Wide Wild Ha Ha
Appy Sa Sa
Sappy He Yes Now?!
Like Ikely Not Much Fun
Still Have To ...

#2 le 22 Septembre, 2008 Lundi apres-midi a 12:41 PM en Virginie. Cheers, hope you liked/followed them. TONY

P.S. It sure was a full day and I have more to write about today later when I have a chance. I've got to get some sleep mow 'cause it's really late. Bonsoir a tout le monde.

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