Lucie, it's great to see you once again! It was sometime in the late eighties when we last saw one another I believe. We met at the Mayflower Wines & Spirits when I worked there with Sidney Moore ( Margolis now ) and Michael Downey, Moe Parzoe, Larry Jennings, Leon, Iris, Karen, John and many more people who's names I should include here. Those were some wonderful days and back then I knew very little about the Virginia wines except for perhaps Piedmont. Meredith, and Ingleside?
We also sold back then some Ham Mobray wines of Maryland MONTBRAY Vineyards as well as Robb Deford's BOORDY Vineyard wines and those of Pennsylvania's ALLEGRO Vineyards. Those were the formative years and that is when we met Lucie. Everything was so young and fresh back then : the canvas was still largely white and ready to be painted. It was a time of hope and joy and expectation where ideals and dreams still abounded and held us all captive in their formidable embraces.
There was less-scripted and the goals were to realize one's dreams and make really fine wines first and then find ways to sell them and stay alive and pay one's bills. It wasn't simply about packaging something smartly and selling as much of it as possible. It seemed more about the vision and the dream and the mission and less about the business though that was essential as well.
You had published one of your two books then as a viticulturist that was summoned when all means had been exhausted and still no cures had been found for the ailing vines and so you Lucie were the last hope/final resort. You became the vine doctor so to speak that would ultimately save many a day and your realm grew to many parts of the world in the United States and then later around the world.
You helped us at the Mayflower find some excellent contacts in California and I still have some of that correspondence. You would come to the Mayflower and you would buy wines from Sydney, Mike and me and it was always a great pleasure to be in your company.
About a year ago I read an article in the Washington Post I believe in the Metro section about this new winery that I had never heard anything about in Leesburg called BOXWOOD. I read the story one morning before work with rapt attention. I was hooked with the French references and also the mention of Lucie Morton I believe? Was it then or hours later when I was speaking to someone at BOXWOOD that your name was mentioned Lucie? I simply cannot remember. But once it was I was hooked and had to discover more.
I am not a football fan but I do know about the Washington Redskins and I have heard the name Jack Kent Cook. I realized that he was an owner and that wine oenologists from Bordeaux were a part of this team effort and that they were making/shortly releasing their first vintage of the BOXWOOD red Bordeaux blend. Was the " Topiary " red blend also available? I cannot remember.
I called the winery to express my interest in tasting and selling their wines and doing an in-store wine-tasting if they would like? I did end up speaking I believe t three people at the winery and ending my conversation with you Rachel.
I extended my invitation and explained a little bit about myself and Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits where I manage the wine department with the help of Mike Martin. We had a nice conversation and I mentioned to Rachel that I knew you Lucie.
We left it that you came to Washington fairly frequently and that you would come by soon and taste me on your wines. I was excited : I was happy to find out about another Virginia winery that we might support as I like very much supporting the local wine business. I was hoping to get you to the store soon to taste your " new " releases Rachel.
Then I received a call a year or so later from a young lady saying that she worked for BOXWOOD and would like to come and taste us on her wines if I had time. It took me second or so to remember the reference to BOXWOOD as I had not thought about it in quite awhile.
We had had many tastings already of the Virginia wines and often with either the owners or the winemakers : like VERITAS, RAPPAHANNOCK, STONE MOUNTAIN, INGLESIDE, JEFFERSON WINERY, BLENHEIM, and more.
In the really early days it was with Corine of OASIS and Rein Dupont and Bud of PIEDMONT and Jacques Recht of INGLESIDE and Joachim Hollerith of RAPIDAN Vineyards was it? What fun!
This young lady came to taste soon after our call and both Mike Martin and I were at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and both able to taste. We really enjoyed both the Boxwood red blend as well as the Topiary red blend. They mirrored the Left Bank and the Right Bank of Bordeaux. I believe at the time that I preferred the Topiary over the Boxwood.
Most of all I remember liking the wines and liking the balance and the lack of any off or unpleasant flavors with one wine needing quite a bit more time than the other. I thought that both wines should be enjoyed with a meal and that both could be kept longer to really let them better develop and show what they were really made of and what we could expect with time.
Secondly I recollect that I thought the wines would be too expensive for the store and that we could not afford to sell them. I was ecstatic when I heard their reasonable pricing and relieved that I could not only order some and also recommend that this young lady come and do an in-store wine-tasting really soon. Mike was really pleased with the wines. I don't think that I had ever seen him this excited over Virginia wines before.
I had bought and received the wines and both Mike and I were actively selling them. We had set up a tasting of them on a Friday and the week of the tasting I received a call from Rachel saying that the young lady that had set the tasting up with us no longer worked for BOXWOOD. She went on to say that it was harvest time and that it was near to impossible to come to the store this coming Friday and could they reschedule? I said : " of course " as I understood how paramount the harvest was.
Rachel called me later and we set a new date for the tasting and I asked her if she would call Lucie Morton and invite her to the tasting? She said that she would and so I soon received a call saying that both she and Lucie would be in the store from 5-8PM on Friday, November 20th, 2009.
I already had a tasting set up with Jody Jackman of Winebow Imports ( tasting Washington State's Columbia valley MERCER Pinot Gris, $13.49 ) and I called to alert Jody to this new development and ask her if it was okay with her? She said she understood and so then I called to confirm the date with Rachel. We were on for Friday the 20th of November, 2009 and I was ecstatic, really I was!
I already knew that we liked the wines at Cleveland Park and that I would finally be seeing you once again Lucie and meeting you for the very first time Rachel. What could be better? Not much.
So yesterday finally came and it was almost 5 PM ans Jody you called to say that you would be a bit late. I was expecting you Rachel and Lucie at 5 PM and 5 PM came and went and finally it was 5:30PM Jody and you strolled through the front door Jody. I was relieved for that as people were coming and wanting to taste and I was stressed that you Lucie and Rachel were not here and I had not heard a word from either of you? What was going on? What was I going to do?
I relaxed and resolved to do nothing and just wait as the store was already hopping with two beer tastings ( one with owner Beth Ann of Calypso organic imports tasting three Belgium organic beers/ as well as a young lady tasting PERONI Italian beer ) and one CANTON Ginger and cognac blend tasting with Devon. It was a lively time indeed at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits.
Finally one of my customers Steve whispered into my ears : " Isn't this supposed to be a BOXWOOD wine-tasting and I said " yes ". I quickly explained the situation and went back to the office to call Rachel.
A few moments later around 6:30 PM I heard my name called out and so I went out to see what was needed of me and Lucie walked up to me, recognizing me before I did her and saying that I had not changed a bit in the last 25 years. I loved this and I knew that everything would still be okay even though we were starting a bit late at 6:30 PM.
Rachel was coming in a separate car than Lucie's. She had the wine with her. I had a few bottles of the " Topiary " and two left of the " Boxwood " ( both sell for $28.99 a bottle ) and so I immediately opened the bottle of the " Topiary". I told Lucie that she could start pouring it. Her response was : " You want me to pour? I don't know how to pour? How much do I pour? ". I showed her quickly and we were off as there were people there already waiting to meet her and taste her wines.
Lucie told the owners of what root stocks/vines to plant and they came from California. She got the ball/vines rolling at BOXWOOD. Without her expert help none of this would be exactly as it was and things are going really well for BOXWOOD from what I can see.
They recently got a great review from Dave McIntyre in the Washington Post newspaper just a month or so ago. I was sorry not to see FABIOLI Cellars not mentioned in this article on Leesburg Virginia wines as I also like very much what Doug Fabbioli is doing with the red Chambercin grapes as well as his Cabernet Franc and his fun port-style red. BOXWOOD was at the top of Dave's suggestions to try. Bravo BOXWOOD.
Lucie, you quickly got the hang of pouring and you called Rachel to know that she was parking and would be here really soon with her wines. I introduced you to Steve and to Nick and to Julienne and Bill and pretty much everyone that came tonight. You did a splendid job until Rachel showed up pouring now both reds. Then it was quite the spectacle to see all three of you ladies pouring and talking about your wines from Jody to Rachel to Lucie. You were our three lovely sirens this evening and it was all good and many of our customers walked away with signed bottles by both you Lucie and Rachel to take home and enjoy later : perhaps for Thanksgiving?
All the wines showed really well last night. I preferred the softer " Topiary " to the more lean and muscular " Boxwood". I think that we tasted until 8 PM and before you left I asked you both to sign the bottles that remained for others to buy later. It was a team work from you both and the job got done and everyone was the better off for it.
Both of you stayed and tasted some of the other products this evening and then you left Rachel because I believe you had your dog to attend to?
Lucie, you stayed on and after I showed both of you the store and you complemented us on having an extraordinary variety and selection we were able to finally catch up on 25 years gone by Lucie. I drew quickly three sketches of you as we chatted Lucie. I also showed you my wine blog and some of the artsy pictures that you enjoyed very much and quickly explained that Rachel would like as well with her art background. Then I showed you one of my sketch books from this year's trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina the first week of August. We talked families and children and Sidney Moore and both Harry and Jesse Moore as well. We talked Virginia and Sperryville and Chris Wasmunds and peach eaux de vie and neutral grain spirits and rye. We talked Aussie winemaker Rob Gibson and Jed Steele and New Zealand and Banyuls and Dan Kravitz and old vine Grenache and much, much more.
It made my heart and soul happy all of this Lucie. We will have to do it again really soon and it was also a pleasure to meet you Rachel.
I have much more to add I believe but it is now 1:31 AM on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 and it is really time for bed. Cheers and thanks again for coming to taste Lucie and Rachel.
Rachel, you smiled as you said that you brought me Lucie and Lucie you added immediately that it was only because of me that you came : that you normally did not do this kind of thing. Merci mille fois mes belles amies ...
Enjoy these photos and late go to : chatart.blogspot.com for thr remainder of the photos that I have posted there where I will finish any of these thoughts as there were many and this event brought many back to me thankfully. TONY
No comments:
Post a Comment