I liked this man : he was honest and sincere and that resounded really well with me. The more that I think about this the more I like it and the more that I respect this. He's got some bottle-age, just like me and just like a bottle of good wine. I think that I might even be able to trust him : wow, what a revelation today. What a welcome and comforting observation as opposed to the one : he's just trying to sell me another bill of worthless wine goods. I know , I know : I sound so very harsh and unappreciative and perhaps even a bit out of touch. Well, I may be out of touch with some but I am think that I am hitting a solid chord and the core with some, too. I have to believe that some people know where I am coming from , that I cannot be the last one out in the the wine world to hold some of my firm beliefs.
Look at the red color of the Tresor red FERRARI-CARANO winery above. It's so brilliant, so bright and vivid and bright. I love it.
Anyway I enjoyed the company of this gentleman and I need to find his card and his information. I am remiss to be typing like this without all of that first but the fact that I may be able to both believe and trust him will not change with that extra information. I was very happy to listen to him talk about the history of the " Sienna " red of FERRARI-CARANO. He did not gloss-over or varnish it : he told it as he saw it and how he believed it to be true and the case at the particular place and time through the history.
By the way the gentleman's name is Randy and Randy I want to take this moment to thank you for your welcome honesty. As you can see it pretty much blew me away. So unexpected today.
Of course we were trying it as Randy spoke about it and of course he spoke almost as much with his hands and his arms - full extensions - as he did with his voice and his words. I liked all of this : genuine and believable. I captured a whole lot of this here in these photos and I think that they tell as much of a story as Randy's words do.
I really like this picture above : it's a statement about the man speaking with his hands as well as a statement of art : both are important in their own ways.
I spoke a lot of my experiences with the FERRARI-CARANO wines and how back in 1996 or so I visited the vineyard with the Forman Brothers wine-sales teams of divisions " Estates - for which I worked specifically - as well as with the " Vintage " division. We were perhaps ten or so. Funny, I can't remember exactly now, less than ten actually.
We were not scheduled to visit FERRARI-CARANO and yet we did on Sunday I believe drive up to see the grounds and the winery. It was in the morning and after breakfast that we left to drive up to the winery without an appointment. Too bad, they lost out on the chance to meet us : an energetic and dedicated group of salesmen and women that really did sell and represent their wines more than one hundred percent. FERRARI-CARANO back then generated so much enthusiasm and " buzz " and it was always a sure bet to place either the Fume-Blanc or the Chardonnay. They always sold really well and so even for me that did not think first of selling FERRARI-CARANO because it was in the " Vintage " division it was always an easy sell when I represented both divisions in some of my smaller stores back then like Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits that I know manage the wine department. What a small world it is! I sold FERRARI-CARON back then in the mid nineties to Peter Anastopolos who managed the wine department.
I liked the Tresor much better now than I ever did before. It has come a really long was as have all the FERRARI-CARANO dry red wines. I think that now they are becoming more of a real strength along with the whites. That's great news and I will speak to our local rep Chris Lanning for National Republic ( used to be called Forman Brothers that I worked for with John Linette, Jeff Adamson, Kristin Maisch, Chris Blethen and others. Oh, I forgot, John Pollis, too ) and ask him about the current pricing and perhaps get some of the Tresor back onto our shelves once again.
By writing these blogs it makes me dig down deep into my past and my memories of these wines and their origins and my relationship to them over the thirty-plus years that I have been selling wine here in Washington D.C. either wholesale or retail : more retail as I have always loved it so much more than wholesale. I always think back and as I do memories trickle forth into my conscious thoughts and I start to piece things together. I often am sorry that I did not pay more attention at the time that things happened, sorry that I did not write more down or take more pictures at the time.
Thinking about being at FERRARI-CARANO for that brief bit of time thirteen or so years ago I remember being sad that we were not able to go inside and really meet anyone. But I also being struck by our surroundings and enjoying the grounds. We were I believe very close to one of the gardens and then as I walked through it and enjoyed it that there was another very different garden for me see as well. They were both impressive and I am glad that I saw them. I don't think that I had a lot of time for this : I think we were eager to get onto the rest of our trip sightseeing around the area.
So, that's what I saw of FERRARI-CARANO back in 1996 and I am happy for that memory. It may be a small one, but it is mine none the same and it's always better to have a memory or connection that none at all. I'm only sorry that I did not get to walk through the vines. I like walking through the vineyards when I can.
Anyway, this tasting was nice and I enjoyed the exchange of ideas that took place. As I said I felt that we were communicating and that we were having fun and sharing and telling each other the truth and not things simply that we thought the other might want to hear. That's as good as it gets.
I will find the notes that I took and hopefully include them here really soon as I would like to post this before too long. It's already been a long time since we met in October 2010 and I don't like to take this long to post things. Oh well, the problem is that we meet and taste with people all through each week and I like to include them all.
Cheers and Happy Holidays 2010 and Happy New Year 2011. Thanks again for stopping by Chris and Randy : it was a good, honest moment. TONY
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