" Don't they care?!? " said Rachel Martin to me in surprise, pent-up emotion, concern, care and both frustration and anger to me when I asked her her opinion! I enjoyed the rush and the energy of her response to my query, and we were off! This is the kind of conversation I like to have : not much held back, true feelings and opinion, true responses. Thanks Rachel.
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Each day holds something special and so often that something is wrapped up tightly in the details of conversation and things said and heard and understood as so easily not. In this instance it was about the winery OASIS in Front Royal, Virginia that I bought and sold and visited and tasted with in the late to mid 90's. It all seems so long ago! ... ... OASIS Winery/ Vineyard has had a really checkered history since those days when so many things seemed to be going right from finding their wines sold with private labels at Mount Vernon. Owner Corinne worked so hard to accomplish this and was ever so fiercely proud of this. I just had to join in and be half as enthusiastic for her and her enthusiasm and her fine wines as she would speak of this!
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( I took this at the Jancis Robinson evening at the Natural History Museum on Thursday evening March 21th, 2012 )
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It was also really palpable when the 1991 Merlot was available for me to sell in Washington D.C. to stores and restaurants. The sommelier at the Jefferson Hotel fell head-over-heels in love with it and basically bought us out at Wines Limited selling it by the bottle and by the glass and begging me for more as we finally ran out! That was a grand tragedy for Pierre Estoupey and for me, Anthony Quinn, for Wines Limited and for the OASIS Winery : and, of course, for all those that dined there at the Jefferson Hotel. There was magic in the air with this wine : it was so rich and generous and full and round and pleasing/teasing/entertaining/mouth-fulfilling ... and, so very much more. It showed how great Virginia wines could be. They toasted their barrels and had the great raw materials to work with that is wine in that wonderful 1991 vintage. Does anyone remember any of this?!? Is it all lost and buried and invisible history that is fading and slipping away and never to be mentioned or acknowledged ever again?!? ... ...
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Today at the BOXWOOD ESTATE WINERY owner and family member Rachel Martin talked about the importance of the vines and the grapes - the raw materials - as being " everything ". We were both talking aside about the various 2011 wines we had just sampled from their stainless steel vats and the amazing BOXWOOD vines in 2011 : the sacrifices to make it, but then Rachel'e eyes lit up and she focused on the 2011 BOXWOOD that we had both tasted and she explained it's excellence and superior qualities with those few words I included just now. That's the secret, that's the reason, there's no mystery, no doubt : NO, THE VINES, THE FRUIT that they bear. End of story : let's have another glass Rachel. I would have liked that. J'ai vue en ce moment le vrai Rachel, sa raison d'etre pour le moment, sa passion, sa reverance, son inspiration. Merci Rachel.
( I took this picture on Thursday March 21th, 2013 at the Natural History Museum when Rachel and BOXWOOS ESTATE Winery were tasting their 2012 dry and elegant, fiery, racy dry rose that I tried again at the winery with her in their tasting room ) ... ...
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It was also here at BOXWOOD ESTATE Winery that I saw my dear old customer and friend from the Mayflower Wines & Spirits' day Lucie Morton. She had waited around to greet me before continuing on with her day once that she realized that I would be there shortly. Thank you for mentioning this to Lucie, Rachel. I appreciate that more than you know it.
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So , later today, Monday April 29th, 2013 I find myself at the PARADISE SPRINGS Winery talking with owner Kirk Wiles about the OASIS sparkling wines that was shown to us at the tasting bar earlier of the 1991 and the 2000 vintages. All my alarms went off when I heard this! Wow, a bit of classic history still there to taste and to marvel at. I was enthralled! I should have bought a bottle of each. I was hoping to taste them and was deeply disappointed not to have been able to taste them or the port-style reds that they make. Oh well, I should have said something. Dirk talked about them as we talked about OASIS. I told him my story of the FABulous 1991 Merlot. He told me what a great deal they got on these two lots of old OASIS Sparkling wines and that they were selling slowly to people that may appreciate the nuances you get with older bubbly that he basically said was old and a bit tired, but still selling steadily there.
... ...
Kirk, I know it is not a priority for you but I would love to taste these both. Perhaps you and Andrew Stover can call on me at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and have a bottle of each of those along with you excellent dry red Tannat ( lush and forward, full and round and bright and a delight ); along with a bottle of your white Petit Manseng that was the same for me, only a white instead of a red. Both worked their individual magic and charms on me and my tired palate from a day of tasting already at both BOXWOOD ESTATE Winery and the BREAUX Vineyards, too. They woke my palate and senses up. Bravo to the both of them.
... ...
It was a great day of some truly wonderful serendipitous moments that I will not carry with me and treasure always. Cheers to everyone now at 11:43PM as we get close to the end of this delightful Monday of mine visiting three really special Virginia wineries, thinking of another that is sadly being sold now at auction on a cool , wet, baby-green growth everywhere , cloudy day that still shone brightly even through all of this. It was special, thanks everyone, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
... ...
( I took this at the Jancis Robinson evening at the Natural History Museum on Thursday evening March 21th, 2012 )
... ...
It was also really palpable when the 1991 Merlot was available for me to sell in Washington D.C. to stores and restaurants. The sommelier at the Jefferson Hotel fell head-over-heels in love with it and basically bought us out at Wines Limited selling it by the bottle and by the glass and begging me for more as we finally ran out! That was a grand tragedy for Pierre Estoupey and for me, Anthony Quinn, for Wines Limited and for the OASIS Winery : and, of course, for all those that dined there at the Jefferson Hotel. There was magic in the air with this wine : it was so rich and generous and full and round and pleasing/teasing/entertaining/mouth-fulfilling ... and, so very much more. It showed how great Virginia wines could be. They toasted their barrels and had the great raw materials to work with that is wine in that wonderful 1991 vintage. Does anyone remember any of this?!? Is it all lost and buried and invisible history that is fading and slipping away and never to be mentioned or acknowledged ever again?!? ... ...
... ...
... ...
Today at the BOXWOOD ESTATE WINERY owner and family member Rachel Martin talked about the importance of the vines and the grapes - the raw materials - as being " everything ". We were both talking aside about the various 2011 wines we had just sampled from their stainless steel vats and the amazing BOXWOOD vines in 2011 : the sacrifices to make it, but then Rachel'e eyes lit up and she focused on the 2011 BOXWOOD that we had both tasted and she explained it's excellence and superior qualities with those few words I included just now. That's the secret, that's the reason, there's no mystery, no doubt : NO, THE VINES, THE FRUIT that they bear. End of story : let's have another glass Rachel. I would have liked that. J'ai vue en ce moment le vrai Rachel, sa raison d'etre pour le moment, sa passion, sa reverance, son inspiration. Merci Rachel.
( I took this picture on Thursday March 21th, 2013 at the Natural History Museum when Rachel and BOXWOOS ESTATE Winery were tasting their 2012 dry and elegant, fiery, racy dry rose that I tried again at the winery with her in their tasting room ) ... ...
... ...
It was also here at BOXWOOD ESTATE Winery that I saw my dear old customer and friend from the Mayflower Wines & Spirits' day Lucie Morton. She had waited around to greet me before continuing on with her day once that she realized that I would be there shortly. Thank you for mentioning this to Lucie, Rachel. I appreciate that more than you know it.
... ...
So , later today, Monday April 29th, 2013 I find myself at the PARADISE SPRINGS Winery talking with owner Kirk Wiles about the OASIS sparkling wines that was shown to us at the tasting bar earlier of the 1991 and the 2000 vintages. All my alarms went off when I heard this! Wow, a bit of classic history still there to taste and to marvel at. I was enthralled! I should have bought a bottle of each. I was hoping to taste them and was deeply disappointed not to have been able to taste them or the port-style reds that they make. Oh well, I should have said something. Dirk talked about them as we talked about OASIS. I told him my story of the FABulous 1991 Merlot. He told me what a great deal they got on these two lots of old OASIS Sparkling wines and that they were selling slowly to people that may appreciate the nuances you get with older bubbly that he basically said was old and a bit tired, but still selling steadily there.
... ...
Kirk, I know it is not a priority for you but I would love to taste these both. Perhaps you and Andrew Stover can call on me at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and have a bottle of each of those along with you excellent dry red Tannat ( lush and forward, full and round and bright and a delight ); along with a bottle of your white Petit Manseng that was the same for me, only a white instead of a red. Both worked their individual magic and charms on me and my tired palate from a day of tasting already at both BOXWOOD ESTATE Winery and the BREAUX Vineyards, too. They woke my palate and senses up. Bravo to the both of them.
... ...
It was a great day of some truly wonderful serendipitous moments that I will not carry with me and treasure always. Cheers to everyone now at 11:43PM as we get close to the end of this delightful Monday of mine visiting three really special Virginia wineries, thinking of another that is sadly being sold now at auction on a cool , wet, baby-green growth everywhere , cloudy day that still shone brightly even through all of this. It was special, thanks everyone, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
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