Here are my notes written in my big black sketch book back on 6/26/1998 : enjoy :
" Take off! We're airborne in a small Boeing plane that seats nine people including the pilot! We're passing through the clouds - John Linette - Giovanni - is up in the cockpit next to the pilot - he's terribly afraid of flying!
It's Friday morning and we're just leaving Seattle headed for the COLUMBIA CREST winery - Friday, June 26th, 1998. Ray Rayasse and I had breakfast at the Vintage Park hotel - eggs, links of sausages, orange juice, coffee - lovely! There's turbulence in the air - we're passing by Mt. Rainier now - all snow-capped - blue, bright cobalt skies edged by puffy baby-white balls - cotton of clouds - great to be up in the air with the constant hum-roar-thunder of the engine! Everyone is reading the paper. Last night John Linette went off in search of saline solution for his old 3-years old contact lenses. He had Claire Byrd worried because he took forever to return! Where was he?! Lisa Drake had told Claire about people being mugged-robbed in Seattle so she was naturally concerned about him.
She had asked for a Miller light at the bar and they brought her instead a bottle of Moretti beer- that was the closest thing they had to what she asked for ; or proposed Chris Baker it was what they had chilled and needed to sell most! He was probably correct! Anyway, over the course of the next 2-3 hours we sat outside in the cold Seattle night with a further chilling breeze - Claire had three-four Moretti's, John Linette, who finally showed up - late - we were relieved! - with only one part of the two saline solutions he needed - with only one three-year-old contact lens in his eyes - ordered Amstel light and had two.
I started with an average, still very tasty - warming Calvados! Oh! - To France! Oh! To Calvados! To apple brandy! To being off and having a nice conversation with co-workers after a fun-filled, educational, inspirational day.
" We're coming up on the Yakima valley ... a lot of produce there " says our pilot. We're up above the clouds and it's finally sunny up here. Got to love it! We have no idea what the weather will be like at COLUMBIA CREST. "
It's reclaimed dessert - has to be irrigated sparingly - so little water - have to stress the vines to their maximum - have as much photosynthesis time as possible "- the pilot says that in Seattle they still have not even really had their spring yet - that it has been very cool up till now - sunshine coming down and settling comfortably over Ray Rayasse and John Pollis. Katerina who is sitting next to me woke up at 3:30 AM this morning and could not go back to sleep. She watched t.v., tried to sleep again to no avail. She's one of the " brave " ones today wearing shorts - nice legs - Chris Byrne is also clad only in shorts - so is Jeff Adamson - either divine or folly depending on the weather we encounter at COLUMBIA CREST!
Chris Baker who is from North Charlotte, North Carolina, who works for Ch. Ste. Michele, who's been out to Wash. State 15 times already - who knows his way around - who knows the " lingo " of the wineries - all the pertinent " spiel " says that it will probably be between 70-80 degrees today as we go from COLUMBIA CREST winery to the Canoe Ridge vineyards that are placed on the slope of the hill that borders the river ( Columbia River ) - the soil there is mostly wind -deposited - poor soil they call it - the best - I forget why this slope is so favorable - turbulence now - hard to write!
I'll have to read my seminar notes to remember what's favorable about the slope - they're younger vines! We can ----- green circles below as we get closer. Why circles? We're approaching what looks to be a healthy river straight ahead! More later. Tiny - a beach craft plane - " Super King Air " N8SU.
I have more to add here really soon from my notes along with drawings and sketches, too. now enjoy this bit so far and the preceding blog that I have already written about this trip and the one to Cancun, Mexico with Lisa Drake, Chris Baker and the rest of the Forman Brothers wine team of the Estates Division and the Vintage Division. and more. Cheers, TONY
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