It was a treat and a pleasure to meet Casidy Ward, proprietor with her husband Lynn Hofacket of HIDDEN RIDGE Vineyard ( 4225 Solono Avenue, #514 Napa, California 94558 707-481-7021 www.hiddenridgevineyard.com, casidy@hiddenridgevineyard.com ) in October of 2010 at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits.
When Casidy walked in I was pretty busy with some store business and so I was working through it and observing Casidy through the side of my eyes as she tasted with Chris Barker that works with me. I got the impression that they had already met but I never did ask Chris about that. I thought that they might have met while Chris managed the store in Georgetown for two years of Dean & DeLuca?
I often like to give Chris a chance to taste on his own without me in the picture because I like to take my pictures with my Canon Power Shot and get a chance to have the conversation while I taste the wines go in whatever direction that my fancy, mood, the situation, the thoughts, the reactions - whatever chances upon me at the moment - leads to?!? I never know. I may be author of myself but I never like to control the moment, just perhaps direct and tweak it and add accent to it wherever I am able. My moments with wine owners and wine-makers, reps, etcetera is very serendipitous and I love this.
So after awhile I approached the tasting table with my digital camera and introduced myself and welcomed Casidy to our store. I always like to welcome personally everyone to our store to make them feel welcome. I think it's the very least that I can do.
I asked Casidy to pour me a glass of her HIDDEN RIDGE Vineyard Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and I enjoyed tasting and photographing it as I talked and listened to Casidy Ward tell " their story " about the wines and their special vineyard, this HIDDEN RIDGE Vineyard that seems to be out in the middle of nowhere, very hard to get to and one of the last ever to be possible with the new laws for maintaining and keeping the area from which it is. I like all of that.
Skipping ahead to yesterday here at my home in northern Virginia on Tuesday, November 16th, 2010 I also really enjoyed reading the one page comments of wine-maker Marco DiGiulio that also works with wine-maker Tim Milos. I enjoyed his comments as well reading them next.
Wine-maker Marco DiGiulio wrote his notes and titled them : " Extreme Mountain Terrain Vineyard - Exceptional, Single-Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ... HIDDEN RIDGE The Ultimate Vineyard - A View From The Mountain Top " and I learned quite a bit from reading it. For example, they only have planted 4 clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and have not added any others because there is such a range of flavors that they get from just these four clones that they do not feel the need to add any others.
I also learned that simply building this vineyard into this mountain top, on the west side of Spring Mountain was in itself a gargantuan feat and that after Lynn Hofacket personally did much of the early work preparing the land and laying the groundwork and that later he hired a engineering team to help finish the job. It looks like some pretty heavy machinery had to be brought there to dig or blast/carve/sculpt the many rows of neatly filed trenches where the vines would eventually find their homes. It looks amazing the vineyard : almost like something out of space, like the side of a spaceship orbiting the earth? It looks so high-tech and arranged and preserved and maintained - especially when you see the rest of the mountain ridges around it. How in the world did they ever accomplish this in the middle of nowhere where you have to believe you are going somewhere with an eventual destination and which you can only get to because it is so very steep with a four-wheel drive vehicle?!?
So, as you might have gathered I read and enjoyed these three or so sheets that Casidy left with me and I actually read them for a change. Thanks Casidy. I look forward to meeting Lynn someday. Sounds like you all really had a dream and here you are making it real and wonderful and that this is one destination that I cannot miss coming to the next time I come to California. But I will have to call you first and arrange for you to come get me as I am not very good driving a four-wheel drive in this kind of terrain I am sure.
You should all read these various pages as I am sure that they are all online at : www.hiddenridgevineyard.com and www.vintagepoint.com/hiddenridge.
There's the picture of the vineyard pictured above with some of this excellent HIDDEN RIDGE Vineyard 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon 55% Slope that I was tasting and enjoying. The vineyard here is seemingly covered and bathed in this warming and protective skin of transparent 2005 55% Slope Cabernet Sauvignon : how fitting.
Casidy, you spoke a whole lot with your hands and I am glad that I was able to capture some of this expression that added to the intensity of all your words that were spoken with such conviction and passion - a focused, firm yet warm delivery. No one will doubt your belief or sincerity. I also liked your smile.
I think I caught you off-guard with my intensity and beliefs, too : and all my taking of these photos. I hope that you will now enjoy them as I post this blog soon and share it with anyone willing or wanting to scroll down it and look and read.
I am an artist first and foremost and so I like to take pictures and tell a story visually as well as with words. I'm looking to excite everyone that sees them into going out to their local wine store to inquire and purchase one of these bottles of the 2005 HIDDEN RIDGE Vineyard 55% Slope Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Have I succeeded?
Casidy , this is what you wrote in our guest book before leaving Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 sales#clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com and on Facebook at : clevelandparkwines&spirits ) :
" You have a great shop & good philosophy of life, wine & selling wine is fun! Thanks for introducing & selling Hidden Ridge to the D.C. market. I'll send you a photo from our grape harvest next month Tony & Chris - great to meet you... Mountain wine but elegant & balanced " signed Casidy Ward.
I have to agree with you Casidy : mountain wine but elegant and balanced. It was a real treat to taste this 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain 55% Slope California dry red with you. Thanks for the taste and the experience and I hope that our paths cross again sometime in the not-too-distant future.
Cheers to you and say " hello " for me to both Lynn, Marco and to Tim and all the others that toil and work hard behind the scenes there to make this the wonderful reality that it is. Cheers, TONY
I like this picture of you above again speaking in part with you hands.
I always like to get a full-shot of the people that I meet. It helps the memory and to bring things back later ...
This is a nice photo of the two of us. Great way to finish the moment and my memory of it. Thanks again Casidy.
It's now Wednesday, November 17th, 2010 here at home in northern Virginia as I get ready to exercise before work at 9:16 AM on a beautiful, clear blue skies soft wined day that with yesterday's rain is blowing many of the gorgeous fall and multi-colored leaves, dislodging them from their branches and having them come drifting down in all directions to the leaf-strewn grounds below. It's lovely - it's unbelievably beautiful as we get set to - all of us - enjoy the holidays and the end of 2010. Happy Holidays to one and to all : and drink some HIDDEN RIDGE Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - treat yourselves, this is well-worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment