It was great to see Herve again. We love Herve, he's so filled with joy and passion and a desire to burn and shine bright and be a part of this wonderful world of ours - and to share the experience with others, too - that's a key ingredient about him that sets him apart from many.
I first met Herve Gantier and his winemaker Jose Ratero back on November 4th, 2003 when our local Robert Kacher selections rep Ronnie Miller brought them both to our store at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. It was then and largely because of Ronnie Miller that we started to do more business with Bobby's wines. Ronnie understood then and still does today that we/I am most interested in meeting the winemakers and the owners behind the wines that we sell. Thanks Ronnie for understanding this fundamental point about me. As a result you have got a lot more business and free press from us at Clevleand Park. You and your winemakers and owners have become family to us and so have always been included at our store at 3423 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington D.C. Teamwork, that's what I call it, plain old-fashioned teamwork where we have to work a bit harder to sell the wines because we are not simply selling off of points and scores. Cheers to us for that. Should I be congratulating myself? Probably not. Oh well, it's been said ; what's done is done.
Whe I met both Herve and Jose back on November 4th, 2003 I asked them to write something in my store book. They both wrote in French. This is what they wrote :
Jose said : " Pour ma premier visite aux Etats-Unis , bravo Tony pour le magasin et votre connaisance dans les vins. Amities ".
Herve wrote : " Pendant 22 ans j'ai fait le vin a Meursault chez Ropiteau. Mignan, les Meursault, Pommard, Volnay n'ont plu de secret pour moi. J'ai pousse ma curiosite jusqu'en Languedoc pour m'a interesses a d'autres cepages et donner un peu de moi-meme au Corbieres. Belle region du sud de la France ". Herve's smile then and still today radiates and light-up anywhere that he is. His enthusiasm and joy spills over and outwards everywhere and cannot but charge those around him with an equal amount of enthusiasm, joy and warmth. It sure does me each and every time that we meet!
Herve comes to see each here at the store that he visits Washington D.C. He always does an in-store wine-tasting and a wine-dinner when we can arrange it.
We did a wonderful wine-dinner at Cafe Ole on Connecticut Avenue N.W. with both Bobby ( Kacher ) and Kelly three years ago in 2006 I believe. That was quite the evening! Everyone was in fine fiddle then! I have pictures of that evening too that I will someday share here on the blog.
At this dinner on Tuesday, March 14th, 2007 ( after our in-store wine-tasting of Herve's wines from 5-8 Pm ) we did not drink any of Herve's wines. He treated me along with Antoine and Ronnie to a dry Grand Cru rose Champagne from Bobby's portfolio : which one was it? It was great way to take the edge off the day, however. I slipped right into a great frame of mind and mood with it once I sipped it rejoining everyone at the dinner table. We then debated and ordered a bottle of ALPHONSE MELLOT'S Sancerre white and followed that with a suggestion from our sommelier and finished with the piece de resistance red burgundy from MONGEARD-MUGNERET ( a Vineyard Brands selection ) 2003 Grand Cru Grands-Exchezeaux that took it's time to unveil it's treasures surely and slowly and wonderfully/sublimely. There were almost tears of joy all around as each and every one of us were hit over and over with the magic and the charms and wonders of this liquid garnet-colored red burgundy. It needed to be babied and baby it we did and what treats were ours as a result of our patience for the next hour-and-a-half. Wow, moments like these were friends, food and wine gather all around one table are rare and to be treasured. I think you get a wee bit of this from these pictures but it was more an evening where you had to be present to really benefit fully!
I'll have to find a copy of the menu if I got one that evening. I have not found it so far so I may not havebeen successful in obtaining one this evening. You will just have to study the pictures and go from the first oyster of mine and everything else till ending up at my three flavors of sorbet - both of which I adored. I know that in one I had meat prepared three different ways but I cannot remember which meat though I am thinking now that it was lamb?
I first met Herve Gantier and his winemaker Jose Ratero back on November 4th, 2003 when our local Robert Kacher selections rep Ronnie Miller brought them both to our store at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. It was then and largely because of Ronnie Miller that we started to do more business with Bobby's wines. Ronnie understood then and still does today that we/I am most interested in meeting the winemakers and the owners behind the wines that we sell. Thanks Ronnie for understanding this fundamental point about me. As a result you have got a lot more business and free press from us at Clevleand Park. You and your winemakers and owners have become family to us and so have always been included at our store at 3423 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington D.C. Teamwork, that's what I call it, plain old-fashioned teamwork where we have to work a bit harder to sell the wines because we are not simply selling off of points and scores. Cheers to us for that. Should I be congratulating myself? Probably not. Oh well, it's been said ; what's done is done.
Whe I met both Herve and Jose back on November 4th, 2003 I asked them to write something in my store book. They both wrote in French. This is what they wrote :
Jose said : " Pour ma premier visite aux Etats-Unis , bravo Tony pour le magasin et votre connaisance dans les vins. Amities ".
Herve wrote : " Pendant 22 ans j'ai fait le vin a Meursault chez Ropiteau. Mignan, les Meursault, Pommard, Volnay n'ont plu de secret pour moi. J'ai pousse ma curiosite jusqu'en Languedoc pour m'a interesses a d'autres cepages et donner un peu de moi-meme au Corbieres. Belle region du sud de la France ". Herve's smile then and still today radiates and light-up anywhere that he is. His enthusiasm and joy spills over and outwards everywhere and cannot but charge those around him with an equal amount of enthusiasm, joy and warmth. It sure does me each and every time that we meet!
Herve comes to see each here at the store that he visits Washington D.C. He always does an in-store wine-tasting and a wine-dinner when we can arrange it.
We did a wonderful wine-dinner at Cafe Ole on Connecticut Avenue N.W. with both Bobby ( Kacher ) and Kelly three years ago in 2006 I believe. That was quite the evening! Everyone was in fine fiddle then! I have pictures of that evening too that I will someday share here on the blog.
At this dinner on Tuesday, March 14th, 2007 ( after our in-store wine-tasting of Herve's wines from 5-8 Pm ) we did not drink any of Herve's wines. He treated me along with Antoine and Ronnie to a dry Grand Cru rose Champagne from Bobby's portfolio : which one was it? It was great way to take the edge off the day, however. I slipped right into a great frame of mind and mood with it once I sipped it rejoining everyone at the dinner table. We then debated and ordered a bottle of ALPHONSE MELLOT'S Sancerre white and followed that with a suggestion from our sommelier and finished with the piece de resistance red burgundy from MONGEARD-MUGNERET ( a Vineyard Brands selection ) 2003 Grand Cru Grands-Exchezeaux that took it's time to unveil it's treasures surely and slowly and wonderfully/sublimely. There were almost tears of joy all around as each and every one of us were hit over and over with the magic and the charms and wonders of this liquid garnet-colored red burgundy. It needed to be babied and baby it we did and what treats were ours as a result of our patience for the next hour-and-a-half. Wow, moments like these were friends, food and wine gather all around one table are rare and to be treasured. I think you get a wee bit of this from these pictures but it was more an evening where you had to be present to really benefit fully!
I'll have to find a copy of the menu if I got one that evening. I have not found it so far so I may not havebeen successful in obtaining one this evening. You will just have to study the pictures and go from the first oyster of mine and everything else till ending up at my three flavors of sorbet - both of which I adored. I know that in one I had meat prepared three different ways but I cannot remember which meat though I am thinking now that it was lamb?
This was all at the end of our in-store tasting at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( www.clevelandparkwine.com , sales@clevelandparkwine.com 202-363-4265 ) when we tasted Herve's regular bottling of 2003 Corbieres as well as his " La Reserve " 2004 , $13.99 he, rep Ronnie Miller ( of the Robert Kacher portfolio ) and Antoine Songy ( president of Robert Kacher portfolio ) all three invited me to dinner at Marcel's. I had never been so I had called my wife to check-in with her and see what was going on later at home before accepting this most generous offer. All systems were " GO! " for me and I joined them a bit later when we closed our store a half-hour or so later.
It was quite the dining/wine experience there at Marcel's ( Ramon Navaez our sommelier took really good care of us. wine@marcelsdc.com, www.marcelsdc.com , 2401 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington D.C. 20037 202-296-1166 ) with us ending up around midnight with Herve insisting we have one last night-cap at the bar before leaving! We ended up there sipping on-the-rocks Santa Teresa 1796 " Ron Antigou " Venezuelan rum ( ON SALE today here in our store at $35.99 Oct. 18th, 2008 ) antique solera rum " heritage ". Wow, this blew me away, even diluted on the rocks as it was! Impressive! I drank hald my glass it was so good, even though I had to drive home. Not too smart but wonderful as I sipped it.
It was quite an evening of conversation, too mostly in French. Sorry Ronnie. Antoine and Herve really got into it discussing wine-making philosophies with a close-call argument/fight/difference in opinions between the two. That was a tense moment or tow and it could have gone either way, really. I am sure that I was more nervous than Ronnie because he does not speak French but even he I am sure could read the signs from their body language. As it turned out tensions got diffused much to all our relief!
I made some quick sketches of Herve in between talking and taking pictures. I was enjoying trying to capture Herve as he moved his head as he spoke. There was so much life and animation to his features that drew me to him and to studying him more. As an artist I am continually drawn to people and their expressions and I now travel often with pen and paper as I like to sketch them. I have done a lot of this recently in the last couple of years. I gave Herve these sketches and the last time I saw him earlier this year at Cleveland Park Wines when he and burgundy winemaker Xavier did dual tasting of their wines : Languedoc and Burgundy side-by-side. That was quite the show and I have those picture, too so I will blog about that soon. Anyway, I think Herve said that he has those sketches of mine framed and hanging up at DOMAINE SAINTE-EUGENIE. I look forward to seeing them again sometime in the future.
In these quick sketches that I made as Herve spoke and smiled, laughed and enjoyed his wine I think I was able to capture bits of him. They should look better framed together and viewed as a whole instead of just by themselves. They only take me five minutes or so a piece and I do it more as a way of showing my appreciation to Herve ( and others ) for his ( their ) excellent wines and to thank him/them for the meals that they often treat me to after our in-store wine-tastings. Thanks you Herve, Antoine and Ronnie. You three gave me a wonderful evening I still remember to this day and these pictures just bring back more of the fine details to life to support and fill-in the larger picture I carry with me always.
Last year I sent Ed and Jinny and Reggie to visit Herve at his home at DOMAINE SAINTE-EUGENIE. I still hear about it from all three when they come to Cleveland Park Wines and see a bottle of Herve's there. They must have all had a great time together. I'm sorry that I missed it.
It's now Sunday, October 19th, 2008 as I type this blog and the 2005 Corbieres is round and supple with lovely forward fruit overtones mixed into a peppery, dusty-dry medium-bodied red that , slightly-chilled will perform wonders on the tongue, others senses and palate when combined with food. It's still very much a food wine and not a casual sipping wine. The La Reserve, $16.49 is thicker, richer, denser and a treat as well. We sell them both well but in the past sold more of the La Reserve than the 2003 regular bottling. That may change now with the 2005, $11.99 a bottle. Only time will tell. The La Reserve is limited so get some sooner than later.
It was quite an evening of conversation, too mostly in French. Sorry Ronnie. Antoine and Herve really got into it discussing wine-making philosophies with a close-call argument/fight/difference in opinions between the two. That was a tense moment or tow and it could have gone either way, really. I am sure that I was more nervous than Ronnie because he does not speak French but even he I am sure could read the signs from their body language. As it turned out tensions got diffused much to all our relief!
I made some quick sketches of Herve in between talking and taking pictures. I was enjoying trying to capture Herve as he moved his head as he spoke. There was so much life and animation to his features that drew me to him and to studying him more. As an artist I am continually drawn to people and their expressions and I now travel often with pen and paper as I like to sketch them. I have done a lot of this recently in the last couple of years. I gave Herve these sketches and the last time I saw him earlier this year at Cleveland Park Wines when he and burgundy winemaker Xavier did dual tasting of their wines : Languedoc and Burgundy side-by-side. That was quite the show and I have those picture, too so I will blog about that soon. Anyway, I think Herve said that he has those sketches of mine framed and hanging up at DOMAINE SAINTE-EUGENIE. I look forward to seeing them again sometime in the future.
In these quick sketches that I made as Herve spoke and smiled, laughed and enjoyed his wine I think I was able to capture bits of him. They should look better framed together and viewed as a whole instead of just by themselves. They only take me five minutes or so a piece and I do it more as a way of showing my appreciation to Herve ( and others ) for his ( their ) excellent wines and to thank him/them for the meals that they often treat me to after our in-store wine-tastings. Thanks you Herve, Antoine and Ronnie. You three gave me a wonderful evening I still remember to this day and these pictures just bring back more of the fine details to life to support and fill-in the larger picture I carry with me always.
Last year I sent Ed and Jinny and Reggie to visit Herve at his home at DOMAINE SAINTE-EUGENIE. I still hear about it from all three when they come to Cleveland Park Wines and see a bottle of Herve's there. They must have all had a great time together. I'm sorry that I missed it.
It's now Sunday, October 19th, 2008 as I type this blog and the 2005 Corbieres is round and supple with lovely forward fruit overtones mixed into a peppery, dusty-dry medium-bodied red that , slightly-chilled will perform wonders on the tongue, others senses and palate when combined with food. It's still very much a food wine and not a casual sipping wine. The La Reserve, $16.49 is thicker, richer, denser and a treat as well. We sell them both well but in the past sold more of the La Reserve than the 2003 regular bottling. That may change now with the 2005, $11.99 a bottle. Only time will tell. The La Reserve is limited so get some sooner than later.
Here are some pictures from this amazing dinner at Marcel's. Hope you enjoy them and that some of the spirit of the evening conveys through them. Cheers, TONY
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