Celine and Laurent Tripoz came here Saturday, January 28th, 2006 from 4-7 PM to taste their wines with our customers. Importer Laurent Givry brought them to the store and tasted along with them. Laurent and Cindy are the owners of Elite selections that bring us really high quality, small domain wines that often represent some of the very best that any particular French region is making. They also manage to keep the prices really reasonable. We work a lot with Laurent because he really takes care of the store and always brings us his wine owner/ makers when they are here in our nation's capitol. Thanks Laurent for that and everything else, especially the outstanding quality of regional French wines.
It was fun to meet Celine and Laurent Tripoz for the first time. We had already been selling quite a bit of their Macon Loche( small town not far from Pouilly-Fuisse ) blanc and their 100% Chardonnay Cremant de bourgogne sparkling wine. They are both really flavorful yet balanced examples of these styles of wines. They have been really well-received by our customers. We later learned about their white Aligote and started to use that, too. It was easy for me to talk with Celine and Laurent. I speak French, they speak some English, Celine much more than Laurent. She was the one speaking more to our customers than Laurent. Laurent poured and smiled a lot. They both have gentle, pleasing smiles and when someone would talk to them in French I think it relaxed them quite a bit. You could see their muscles in their limbs and face just broaden into a more comfortable state. We have a lot of French-speaking customers and that helps. It also helped that both Laurent Givry and I were there to make introductions and translate when necessary.
I don't know if it was their first visit to the United States. I just don't remember now. It's now Friday, July 11th, 2008 as I type this and include these marvelous photos I took during the tasting. I'd keep the camera handy as I'd bring them customers to meet and taste their wines with. It's pretty smooth as I said. Laurent Givry having spent so much time in our store and tasting before knows a lot of our customers. He's famous for always asking customers , I'm paraphrasing now : " Do you want to taste the good stuff/ the good shit?!? " Of course who does not want to do that?!? People would smile and wait patiently for Laurent to pour. Sometimes it would take a few moments as he'd spend some time explaining to another group of customers before pouring. If I saw that going on too long I'd step in and reach for a bottle and pour for them. You never want anyone to have to wait around too long! It all went smoothly with lots of happy smiles, lots of bottles being signed with greetings as special gifts for our customers to give their loved ones or business associates. Like clock-work, magic and good-will and one-on-one contacts being made and cemented between customer and wine owner/maker. That's what I call the best business possible. Walk away with a story, with a connection that's real and your very own, not someone else's that you've read somewhere.
It was like the Celine and Laurent Tripoz were chez eux ici ( like at their home here in our home). Thank you/ merci Laurent and Celine. All your wines continue to sell well to this day. We are thrilled to have them here. Come and see and taste with our customers anytime. Here are some of the pictures from the tasting.
Celine wrote : " A Tony et Mike ! Pour leur accueil si sympathique, le bon moment passe en leur compagnie et les excellentes relations qui ils entretiennet avec leus clients. Cremant , a la follie! " Celine et Laurent 28.1.06 Vignerons, recoltants LOche, 71000 Macon Tel : 03 85 35 66 09 celine_laurent.tripoz@libertysurf.fr
It's a great pleasure to receive people like Celine and Laurent Tripoz. I take most all of the pictures unless I am in some where my hand cannot reach far enough away to take them or unless someone insists on taking one of us. I accept graciously. Also , some picture shoots are better than others. I wish I had been able to focus a little more here and taken some close-ups of both Celine and Laurent. Oh well, it is what it is and I'm glad I have these to convey some of the cheerful warm mood of this tasting on a winter's weekend night. Sante, a la prochaine Celine et Laurent. Enjoy. TONY
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