Tastings In Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits In Washington D.C. N.W./ 2011/ IL CAMPO'S GIORNATA 09, Sangiovese ( $34.99 ) Paso Robles Luna Matta Vnyd &

& More ... this headline should read : I tasted three wines of IL CAMPO here ...

What a nice treat these were and a total discovery for me. I had never heard about them before John and Theresa Morrison brought them to my attention in the middle of 2011 was it ? I cannot remember exactly but here I was able to try all three and we now sell the two reds. We still have not bought the white yet and I will think about that perhaps for the this spring 2012.

Here they are all above as we tasted them recently. In the picture below is pictured Theresa Morrison and Mark of J.W, Sieg Imports.

Tasted also " Il Campo " 2008 Central Coast ( $27.99 ) " A modern field blend inspired by Italy " and also made by GIORNATA Wines in Paso Robles, California. We started with this " Il Campo " - the one with the red label. Theresa came and included it in one of her in-store wine tastings on either a Friday or Saturday with our customers of Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ).

This GIORNATA above has 14.5% alcohol by volume, www.giornatawines.com was tasted this past Saturday December 17th, 2011 from 2-6PM with John Morrison. People loved it and we sold several bottles at $34.99 I believe? Look at the beautiful deep, rich red color above. It's impressive and splendid just to look at. Being an artist I am drawn to things like this and am thrilled to be able to record and to share them here with you all and simply not just say to you all to buy it because it received a high numerical store from some wine writer. I strongly believe that we will all be out of a job if that is all we do : depend on scores to sell our wines. Look at the color I say. smell the bouquet : waken up and realize that you are the one that matters here. It's only your palate and knowing your tastes that should matter!

Pick up the glass and swirl it around and watch the light reflect through and off of the red GIORNATA as it moves in beautiful, soothing, exciting circles around the glass like a fine race car! Enjoy the ride , it's yours to do with what you will.

Cheers, TONY

Beautiful, even on it's side : like magic - how does it stay in the glass?!? You better rescue it before it spills out and pour some into your awaiting tongue and mouth and senses that are already partly under it's spell. Happy New Year everyone. It's now 12:04PM here at home in northern Virginia on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 as we all get ready to go off and have our brunch at " First Watch ". Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn

2 Morning Poems 12/14/2011 : Org Orga Organ Anic / So Ear To Earth Of Lif / Enjoy, Thinking Of Marc Tempe-Roy Cloud-Biodynamic Wines

Here are my 2 Own Morning Poems of December 14th, 2011 that I wrote yesterday morning before starting work thinking of the book by Roy Cloud called : " To Burgundy And Back Again " that I am reading and the chapter called " The Bear " that is about the wines of Marc Tempe in Alsace, France and his biodynamic farming and wine-making practices. Cheers and enjoy, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn

Org Orga Organ Anic

So Ear To Earth Of Lif

Clos Dale Diary Daily

Close To Farm Yes Be

Grapes Close Terroir Vines

Dig Nourish Flu Flourish

Be Maximed Be Nuroured

Perform Max From Elems

No Addits No Dictives No

More Sulfurs No More Dead

To Deaden Less Marc Sez Il

Si Dit Lui Oui Il N'Aime Pas

Oui Wants Respecter Land

Son Terroir Les Years All

Tous

Different Must There In

Work Nature What Give It

Up?!? To Best Respect The

Labors The Toils Of Soils The

Earth Produces Sometimes Rains

Boils So Much Chance Change

Uncertain At Best Must Work

Close Closely Play Odds Some

Accept The Rest ...

#1 Le 14 Decembre, 2011 Mercredi matin en voiture en Virginie a 11:37AM on a cool, cloudy, fresh, brisk. no rain, no sunshine fall morn I like it thinking of Marc Tempe , cheers, TONY

To Be Tem Temp Temped

All Zzzzey Waaay Ok

Si Oui D'Accord Okay

Thinking Of Nature Respect

Organics Meme Bio Bio

Dynamics- Beeoohhh

Soil Terroir Nutrients

Sustenance The Best Possibs

Without Adding Chems Few

Chems Less Sulfurs Don't

Want Kill Tuer Leave

Best Alone Help Small Ways

To Thrive Harvest Plenty

Heal Ways Along Healthy

Arrive

The New / Old Family-Tribe

Many Tribs Along Way

No Way To Know Exact Early

Impossible To Say! Want Be

Fulfilled Full Disclosure Full

Remplir Dismay Listen To Marc

Tempe It's Okay He Plays He

Does Some U Peu Gamble To

Respect Earth Year His Grape

Make Best Wine Can He ...

#2 Le 14 Decembre, 2011 Mercredi matin en voiture en Virginie a 11:45AM on a gray, cool, no-sunshine, no rain, thinking of Marc Tempe's Alsace organic biodynamic wines ... The Bear! Cheers, TONY

Finding True Joy In Reading Roy Cloud's Book : " To Burgundy And Back Again " / Especially " The Bear " Chapter Of Marc Tempe

I met Marc Tempe and his wife Anne-Marie a couple or three years ago was it when you brought them by Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits Roy? What a great visit that was. I feel the three of bonded pretty much immediately as I took pictures and tasted and we all exchanged stories. What a great yet brief moment that was in my life and yet I remember it quite vividly. At least I remember the smiles all around, the laughter, the glee and the mirth. As a result reading your chapter called " The Bear " about Marc and his wife, the land of Alsace, the converted cellars and antic and " new " attic and the cat's ( the one that is " special " ), their daughter and the love-sick boy, the child on his bike driving like a mad boy ... the Sylvaner debacle here in the Unites States at first ... well, it all comes so vividly alive to me and of course I am only quickly remembering snatches of all of this that I have just read as I type away like a madman myself. Thanks for all of this Roy, I am getting so much pleasure and joy from reading it this morning before I drive off to work in a few minutes.

I was involved with the Sylvaner debacle in my own little way : at least the ending of it as there were many, many cases that I bought and had shipped from California to our store here in Washington D.C. because they were available and available at such a great price that I could simply not refuse buying them. I will write more about that later today but will post this now " as is " because of my high level of joy and enthusiasm over this great book of yours Roy. I simply want to share more of it and I will soon. Cheers and stay-tuned, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn

I read a bit of " To Burgundy And Back Again " each night and I really do love it. The part about Marc Tempe making biodynamic wines really speaks to me now more than ever before. Roy talks about what is done today in his book, especially in the chapter " Chemical Changes " and I find this alarming and it's something that I have become more and more aware of with time. He talks about the cooperative that he and Joe visit after they leave Marc and Anne-Marie Tempe and this scares the shit out of me : troubles and depresses me and really makes me scratch my head and wonder how we have come to this today? I will perhaps discuss this more but now leave you with : " The place was a tank farm, a factory for wine production ". Gasp!

I have sold a whole lot of Tempe wine at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits over the years. Not so much recently and I will shortly change that. I will call Arielle Monaco my rep for Country Vintner and place an order with her today. I will also call you up Roy and ask you to come have dinner with us and talk about all of this if you have any time on your hands. My ulterior motive is also to get you to talk about your experiences at NYU as my son has applied there and wants to go there more than anywhere else at this point!

I loved hearing all about Marc Tempe and how closely he follows the years and the season's and his whole philosophy of how most everything has to happen first in the vineyard. Marc does a bit to help the vines along the way but it's all about Mother Nature and what happens and what he has to deal with as a result.

Roy writes : " He said that in a year such as 2001, nature gave him grapes lean with minerality: in 2002 she gave him grapes rich with botyrytis ; and in the torrid year of 2003, she gave him grapes fat with sugar. That's what she dealt and that's what he worked with. He didn't turn to the powders and potions available in modern cellars to make a consistent product ( make no mistake : There's a whole Pandora's box of tricks out there that is all too often abused in commercial winemaking ). So if someone did not like his wine from a given vintage for stylistic reasons, that was fine - so long as they understood what he had to work with and thus respected his effort ". I like this, I like it very much. Bravo Roy for putting this all in your book. It needs to be said over and over and over again. I am thrilled that you have stuck with Marc and Anne-Marie Tempe through thick and thin.

I will write more about the wines I bought from Roy Cloud and Marc Tempe. I bought what seems like boat loads of one of the vintages of the Sylvaner. It was a ridiculously inexpensive price and I gambled on it. When it was great is was super great : when it was off it was hard and difficult to explain and understand and yet there was always something there worthy to drink as it was very much alive and it's own being. It had character and oodles of personality even when it had lots of bruises and blemishes and places hard to explain. Oh well, for the price we charged for it at $6 a bottle I believe it was worth a gamble. I got lots of bottles returned, many more than usual. I was blamed for this , of course, being willing to sell what some deemed as marginal wine but I was thrilled to be able to offer something really special at a really special price when the bottle sang volumes and wove it's magic and crooned all it's sweet ditties and charm! It was organic, it was alive : it was magnificent at times and not so at others. So be it. I'm glad I did it. Some of you out there drank some of the greatest wine for the greatest value that you will ever drink as a result. Cheers and stay-tuned for more soon as I continue. TONY