Julien Ducros came to pour the wines of DOMAINE TARIQUET from France's Gascogny region in the southwest. TARIQUET has always been famous for it's Bas Armagnacs in the regular bottle as well as the VSOP and the Napoleon. We have always carried them here at Cleveland Park for the last ten years that I have managed the wine department.
Julien Ducros comes from Bordeaux. He told me during the wine-tasting where we had open the Chenin-Chardonnay( $10.99), the " Classic " TARIQUET, $9.99 ( a blend of Colombard and Ugni Blanc - two of the grapes found in their armagnacs ) dry white, the fuller-flavored/more complex dry Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay ( $12.99 ), and the dry Sauvignon Blanc ( $10.99 ).
These have always done well over the years ( we have now had them available to us for the last three years I believe? ) : and we are always ordering more from our rep Ronnie Miller that takes good care of our store and brings us the owners/wine-makers/national sales managers, etc as often as he can. Thanks Ronnie.
This was another really successful tasting and we sold lots of these wines as we always do. Julien was very attentive and was there to pour and add any information about the wines and the armagnacs, as well as about the region from where they come. I would often pass the customers to him ; and many times he would call them over as they walked pass our tasting table. It was good team work and that's always the best scenario for me.
It's always grand to have our regular customers return like the lady above in the purple dress. She had with her a " new " customer for us I believe. That's vital to the success of small retail operations like ours today : lots of word-of-mouth ; and actually bringing customers to us so that they may become our customers as well. Thanks/ merci mademoiselle.
In the picture above I believe that these three may be more " new " customers for us. Gotta love that!
In a quiet moment between customers and the tasting Julien checks his messages; or is he texting? I don't know.
Manderin ABSOLUT and some TARIQUET Blanc : now there's a winning combination.
I love to take a couple of posed pictures to get some of the customers in a group with our wine personalities. I think it's a great souvenir for everyone involved. This was the picture I took as everyone gathered for the posed picture. Julien had to get one last wine-pour before posing. Comme il a bien travailer ce soir la! Merci Julien.
Ronnie and Julien chat a minute in between our customers wanting to taste or invited to taste as often is the case as they are not always aware that we have these weekend ( Friday and Saturday ) wine-tasting at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ) that are open to everyone. It's not a private party : it's a wine-tasting where everyone is welcome.
Julien was here on this Friday evening ( 5-8 PM ) with Ronnie Miller on May 21st, 2010 just before the Robert Kacher portfolio wine-tasting at the Washington Club on Dupont Circle. I went to that tasting as well and will add that blog shortly here for you all to read and enjoy the pictures that I took.
Here's the posed picture that I spoke of earlier : not bad, heh?!? I like it. You can also see all the wine labels and bottles of DOMAINE TARIQUET on the tasting table as well. All the players united, so-to-speak in this photo.
I was able to get into this posed picture above. Someone in the store invited me to get in the picture and take it for us. Thanks.
Three favorite regular customers above taste with Julien.
Sometimes it's also about needing a good bottle of bourbon or single malt or other liquors and not always about only wine. Our young customers are interested in all categories and so we have a good selection of liquor/liqueurs/beers as well as of wines here in Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C.
Merci Julien, reviens-nous voir encore! It was Julien's first visit to the store and Antoine Songy brought him by early the next week. It was like we were already good friends. Not a bad way to be. Cheers, TONY
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