Giovanni, The Winemaker @ DA VINCI Tuscany, Monday, Feb. 22nd, 2010 Here In Cleveland Park Wines, Wash. D.C. Tasting Current Releases

I have a wonderful story to write here about my second visit with wine-maker Giovanni of the DA VINCI wines when he came by last week ( Monday afternoon , ) to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008, Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ) where I have now managed the wine department in our nation's capitol for almost ten years. What a great run it has been so far. I still feel so inspired : and I believe even more inspired and energized and focused that ever before even though I am embracing a lot more now than ever before and entertaining and pursuing more options and threads and inspirations and leads to things than ever before. It's exhausting and exhilarating all in one and boy do I sleep well when my head finally hits the pillow at night.

And seeing Giovanni for the second time in our store is what is perhaps one of the most meaningful and stimulating parts of my job : and this visit was no exception. As a matter of interest I believe strongly that this was so much better than I could have ever imagined. I loved the way he recognized me immediately and we picked up almost immediately where we had left off on his last visit when I tried then his current releases ( one was an excellent 2003 Chianti Classico that I remember well and fondly as it tugged at my guts and massaged my heart and coated my palate and tweaked my brain and jarred and smoked my thoughts ...

These moments and those where I have customers like Les that take this all in and appreciate it ( he's pictured below with his signed bottle in his hand and then later with us ) is a great culmination of all my efforts at keeping as many of the venues of communication open and welcome everyone and introduce them and get them to relax and open-up and share and embrace the moment - ours - the one we are actually a part of and that should thus matter the most ...




We had five wines on hand for this lovely mid afternoon in-store/wine-tasting : starting with a 2008 Pinot Grigio that comes mostly from grapes grown in Friuli ( was it the Grave region Giovanni? ) and Alto Adige. I learned this from you Giovanni as we discussed this white that is not from Tuscany and the importance to the line to have a white counterpart to the excellent 2007 current vintage of the Chianti.




I love this picture of you above Giovanni that I took through my Reidel glass filled with one of the three excellent reds - all Chiantis from Tuscany - tasted then. Your expression is pensive and shows experience and life and the character that comes with having paid the price for it as you went along ... I like it very much.

I really liked both the DA VINCI 2007 Chianti and the dry white 2008 Pinot Grigio from DA VINCI. They both sell for $15.99 in the store and today I am at home here in northern Virginia on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 5:16 PM. When I left the store this past Saturday night all of the four wines were at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and ready for sale.




The DA VINCI Pinot Grigio 2008 ( $15.99 ) surprised me with it's extra flavor, character and crisp focus and freshness. It's a well-balanced wine and one that I would enjoy under many circumstances. Really quite an elegant wine that would show well in many settings. Bravo.

The DA VINCI 2007 Chianti ( $15.99 ) had some extra weight and heft that I think would work really nice with a heavier meal. At first this did not please me : it was just a bit too much of it : too much like solid and thick columns of flavor that are harder to pierce with your tongue and palate and thus for me less -appealing as I have trouble getting myself into and around the taste. This did soften with time and the wine seemed almost to relax as if that were something that can happen in a wine? It got to where I could taste through these columns of what I refer to as the more muscular, heartier and modern flavors that so many people today associate and expect as the norm.

This 2007 DA VINCI Chianti became more enjoyable and more approachable to me as it opened nicely in the bottle. For me I would like to have it open an hour or more before drinking. I will have to buy a bottle myself now and bring it home here and put this to the test to see and to taste first-hand. I am pretty sure that I am correct about this.




So anyway I did like the wine more as Giovanni and I tasted the other three reds : a 2005 Chianti Classico, a 2005 Riserva Chianti 2005 and a super Tuscan ( without any Sangiovese in the blend I believe? ) Sto. Ippolito . I liked best the regular 2005 Chianti Classico and that has come to the store and I will check the price of that and include it tomorrow when I am there.

I liked the DA VINCI 2005 Chianti Classico best of the four reds because even though it was bolder and bigger and spicier and earthier. It seemed to me to be the best of the three that was the most ready now to drink and to enjoy fully with a meal. It also tasted to me to be the classic/ traditional style that I love so very much with herbs and spices, tar and leather and tobacco and warmed, dusty-dry flavors of the grapes that have survived - even thrived in the Tuscan sun and elements of the year to shine their trademark struggle and sacrifice and triumph of glorious Chianti reds at their most honest and humbly stunning. There's nothing quite like a classic Tuscan red in this world and we are all so blessed to have them in our lives today and for all the years before.




The second to last of the four - a DA VINCI Riserva Chianti showed all the promise of this DA VINCI 2005 Chianti Classico but it needed more time : classic and it will follow suit as soon as it is ready. I can't wait to try it with you Giovanni on your next visit. You must come again next year and we will check it together just as we have this day these here. It will be just like when on your first visit I remember getting all wrapped up/ entangled and mesmerized and excited to the point where I was singing loudly the praises of the DA VINCI Chianti Classico 2003. That was a beauty, too that would really complement well a seasoned and flavorful dish whether elegant or simply a tasty comfort food like a ragout or thick pasta and red wine sauce dish ... count me in : I'm there !




When I tasted the super Tuscan 2004 DA VINCI called " Sto. Ippolito " I liked it and would enjoy a glass of this blend of " other " grapes ( was it Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and Syrah? ) but I would go back to the 2005 Chianti Classico and drink that for the rest of the evening ot until there was not more of it. We all have to choose our favorites and enjoy those when we can.

I liked the DA VINCI 2004 " Sto Ippolito " but it simply did not transport me to realms of experiences and fancies and moods and states of mind that thrill and excite and make me soar into the stratospheres and descent equally quickly ( almost like a ping pong ball going back and forth , being slammed each time a bit senseless and yet so welcome the attack on the senses each and every time ! ) into the depths of the earth and the grip of my bowels that is so reassuring and real and reassuring of me in this time and place and moment of this wonderful world of ours that we are lucky to share in / partake-in and be a visitor for the brief time that we have ...




I like including pictures of everyone that was a part of these moments in time of ours at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits .




I love trying to capture the label on the bottle and the wine color through the light of the glaring/ merciless ceiling lights above in our store. Sometimes the pictures work better than others: and yet they all tell a part of the story. In the picture above I do manage to capture by chance the lovely green color of the wine bottle.




In this picture above I get the around the rim of the wine in the Reidel glass a glimpse of this wonderful garnet color coming from one of these Tuscan reds. Giovanni, you are pouring it here. Can you tell by the color which wine it is? Let me know.




In this picture above with wine and glass and label and bottle it all comes together and I see that this super Tuscan " Sto Ippolito " is from the excellent 2004 vintage. I like the color here, too. It's got some nice richness and density of color of wet red-bricks from the sides of a building with the sunshine on it and bouncing off as well as being absorbed ...




Sofredo from El Salvador that works with us ( in the blue shirt next to Giovanni ) loves all things Italian and the wine as well and so I have introduced him to Giovanni and asked Giovanni to taste him on his wines. The other gentleman across from both Giovanni and Sofredo works at the Italian restaurant at the end of our block called DINO that specializes in both Tuscan and Veneto cuisine as well as wines.

I hope Giovanni that you passed by DINO after leaving out store to say " hello - caio " to owners Dean and Kay?




Look at the color of the DA VINCI 2004 super Tuscan in my Reidel wine glass above! Wish I had a glass now as I am finishing this story of this wonderful moment spent with Giovanni recently.




Sofredo is always asking me questions about wine and wanting me to teach him as much as I can so that he may learn more and be of greater service to our Cleveland Park neighbors and customers. Bravo for that Sofredo! You are in great hands here with Giovanni.




I love all these pictures that I took with my Reidel wine-tasting glass with Giovanni behind as I swirled his red Tuscan wines and bits and pieces of his head would show through : art at it's most glorious- uproarious! Bring it on ...




Giovanni pours for our DINO waiter above as he comes to the store to select what he wants for perhaps after DINO closes later this night? I don't blame him : be proactive and get what you want or need early as it may be too late afterward ...




Red shades of Giovanni here in the picture above. Do you like this shade of lighted garnet red for Giovanni? I think it looks pretty magnificent myself ...




I love how the Reidel wine glass as it is bent and rounded will distort and elongate the label and letters on it above of the " Sto Ippolito ". What do you think? I like the color perhaps best in this picture above as the ceiling lights bathe in it from above ...




These pictures like the one above I took withing ten seconds or so - all of them and I have only included three or four of them here for color and atmosphere and warmth and motion and the " thrill " of it all ...




T This picture above I took of the wine over the picture of Tuscany and the vineyards from which it comes. If you enlarge the image on the monitor it mat show through better so that you may see more of the lush, verdant vineyards below and through the red color of the 2004 DA VINCI " Sto Ippolito " super Tuscan red? I hope so : that was the idea anyway.




Ah, finally we see Giovanni's eyes through the swirl, pomp and circumstance and motion of this red Tuscan DA VINVI wine in my Reidel glass! The wait was well worth it I believe ... what are you thinking now Giovanni? What are you looking at here?




Les, here in this picture above you are enjoying your DA VINCI ( you bought the 2007 DA VINCI Chianti that Giovanni signed specially to a good friend of yours ) as Giovanni shows you in our Chianti book on the map where DA VINCI winery is located.




Les, here you look down on the bottle that Giovanni has signed for your friend : you look mighty satisfied with your treasure that you will soon take away with you.




And here we all are at the end of the tasting : in all our glory and with all our new memories and shared moments, stories and experiences : the " way better " for it all - for having had our paths crossing in such a special manner here in Washington D.C.'s Cleveland Park neighborhood of the North West ... two blocks down from the National Smithsonian Zoo as well as across from the famous Uptown movie theater. Thank you one and all for this and may our paths cross again really soon. A presto Giovanni ... TONY

Piensa : Movie Being Filmed, Beautiful Morning, VERBENA W/ Elena, Luca & Alessandro Furlan, Olive Oil & Wine!

These are some of the pictures that I took as my daughter and I started our marvelous Friday morning, October 30th, 2009 in Tuscany. We left TENUTA VALDIPIATTA just outside of Montepulciano and drove towards Montalcino and VERBENA winery. My good friend Alessandro told me that he would not be at VERBENA until 10:00 -10:15 AM at the earliest.




He suggested that we stop along the way in the town of Piensa and park outside the ancient part of it and then walk around inside. We had to stop first along the way and take some scenic photos and then we found ourselves just outside Piensa where we found parking easily. We paid and walked up into the beautiful old town and saw a movie being filmed. I will include those pictures soon.



Then we drove over to the bottom of the hill of the town of Montalcino to the local gas station Eis is it ( ? ) and waited for Alessandro to show up. He took us to VERBENA which we had passed on our right side as we approached Montalcino. I pointed this out to my daughter as we did and it was good to know that we were so close.

I have lots more to say but want to post these photos now. Enjoy them and stay-tuned for more really soon. Cheers, TONY



I like this more thoughtful picture of Elena above as she ponders something that you must have said to her Alessandro? You two would speak and then you would translate and it worked beautifully this arrangement on a beautiful, warm, blue-skied late morning/ early afternoon just a mile or two from the base of the town of Montalcino.

It was great to walk into the vineyards as we crossed the street from their home and winery into their sweep of rows and rows of beautiful vines that were first of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and then of the Sangiovese ( Sangioveto Grosso ).

We got to taste both these ripened grapes that had been missed as the pickers quickly worked their way down these rows of vines. I liked the sweet taste of both and it pained me a bit to see her drop the cluster to the ground of these delicious Sangiovese grapes.

Seeing this Alessandro quickly grabbed some from the bunch in Elena's hands as he also liked very much their taste. I should have done the same. Oh well ...



You said just before leaving us around 2 PM Alessandro that this gas station was a famous meeting place for many that come to this region. I am glad to have been there, too as I can just imagine all the famous and not-so-famous that have pulled into this gas station over the years to conduct business or just be shown one of the greatest adventures and experiences of their life time!




In this picture above are shown one of the plastic green containers for the just-picked olives. I love their myriad of different colors. This is visually beautiful and makes me wonder how each olive in it's different colors ( are they all the same kind of olives? or are they many kinds that are later blended? or simply at different stages of ripeness ? ). I don't know these answers and forgot to ask although these things did occur to me at the time.

Both my daughter and I were really caught up in this experience of the olives being picked and made into olive paste and then oil just two days ago. It was a great experience to be able to be on the spot at the right time and get to taste such fresh extra virgin olive oil.




Don't get me wrong : the wine experience of the Rosso's as well as the Brunello's ( including the Reserva 2004 and 2006 ) were also quite the experience. We tried the vintages of 2004 and 2005 primarily. I liked them all of course and did linger for some time on the 2004 Reserva Brunello. I believe that is the one that I took with me back outside into this beautiful day as Luca and his team of pickers returned with a fresh batch of olives that had just minutes ago been picked.

My daughter described the taste of the two-day-old extra virgin olive oil as tasting " so good, so light ". I agreed : there was a real elegance and delicate, fresh brightness without hardly any edge or burn at all.
We just continued to dip our bread into it and smile and sigh in satisfaction as we put these pieces of golden yellow tinged with green to our now awaiting lips and tongues. Wow ...

It was my first meeting of Luca and Elena as neither of them has been to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthonyquinn@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ) yet.



We are currently selling quite well the 2007 Rosso di Montalcino at the store On Sale for $27.99 a bottle and I will have to order more as we are almost out. I will also have to order bottles of the Brunello from Brennan Downey next time that he comes to the store, probably this week I think. Both will be great to have as I am all excited about this trip and visit to these wineries and so of course I want to have ample supplies of their wines to share with our customers that in many cases seem to love Italian and Tuscan wines.




I was also thrilled that my daughter could cut her teeth so to speak on such wonderful red wines as these : some of the greatest made in the world today. She seemed to really like them and that pleased me very much.




As you will see from these pictures that follow that I took many of my favorite types of pictures though the wine glass that I held and often swirled around to capture the transparencies of the red Sangiovese grape in all its wonder and regal, royal splendor of intense color variations, moods and magic.




Both the glass and the red Sangiovese wine as well as the reflections of light and image reflected on and off the wine glass do things to change the final image that the lens of my Canon catch in the less than a split second of time.




Looking at some of these images takes both time to get used to and to appreciate and understand. Sometimes the obvious is hidden and replaced by the unexpected that each viewer either welcomes or not depending on their mood or reference of the moment.

Of course I like all of this as it is often a bold challenge to the people looking at them. I want something new to show through. I want something " of the Moment " to be the focal point attaching people to the place and the time of the experience. This all helps to better define the moment and experience.




I will include more soon as I have a chance. Enjoy this so far as it has been developed ... caio, TONY ( Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 3:15 PM )






I'm glad to have this picture of us together above as well as the one below with Luca speaking as much with his hands as with his lips. I took many of these and will probably include them later in my blog spot called : chatart.blogspot.com. They in themselves speak volumes along with the facial gestures.

Luca was speaking a mile-a-minute to Alessandro as we looked on. He was getting ready to head back out to pick more olives and I don't know exactly what he was saying? Fill us in Alessandro : what was Luca so passionately speaking about here?

Pierre de Benoist of DOMAINE A. Et P. VILLAINE, Burgundy Visits/Tastes " New " Releases At Cleveland Park Wed. Feb. 25th, '09 W/ Jody Jackman

This was another great tasting opportunity for me ( 25/02/09 - this is how Pierre wrote the date for me on his guest page, in the French style ) : serendipitous and totally one that I welcomed with outstretched arms. I simply had to see the labels peripherally as I zoomed by putting last minute touches on things on the store's wine floor, adjusting whatever displays needed a tweak here, saying " hello " and addressing any customers there, asking them after welcoming them if they needed assistance?

It's a full-time job that never stops and always flows together and becomes quite busy and demanding at the drop of a pin or the pouring of a wine glass with some " new " wine. I don't mind, I reveal more of myself and my abilities as well as learn in these active, complex moments of ours at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-363-4265 www.clevelandparkwine.com sales@clevelandparkwine.com ).

It's all in good fun. sport and learning as one goes along. I call it my -our moment ( s ). These are ours or mine alone and I simply chose to share them and make them as special as I possibly can. I've gotten more sincere and more focused on this as the years have gone by. So this is the environment in witch I finally met Pierre de Benoist of DOMAINE A. ET P. DE VILLAINE ( 2, Rue de la Fontaine, 71150 Bouzeron, Burgundy, France +33 (0)6 75 22 28 10 contact@de-villaine.com.

Jody Jackman our fabulously attentive, professional, beautiful rep from Winebow had called and asked if she could come by with a wine owner to taste his wines? I think she spoke to Mike Martin my wine-buying partner at Cleveland Park. He immediately told me her message to which I consented without blinking an eye. All wine-makers and owners are invited no matter who they are or what they make. This is essential to me : they may come by with an appointment or not and I / we will try and see them our the day's particular activities when they come.

In the case of Jody and Pierre it was a little bit later in the day as the store begins to get busier and buzz with more busy bees wanting to finish their shopping and to get home and relax and enjoy whatever they collected/produced along the way. So my time with both Jody and Pierre was a bit more fragmented. But, as I said, the minute I saw the wine bottle labels from the corners of my eyes I knew that I was in for a treat!

I met Pierre and shook his hand and said " bonjour " immediately to welcome him to our store. I told him I knew of his wines, I told him that I had sold his family's wines, that I knew of their reputation, of their excellence and fame with the connection of the DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE CONTI, etcetera ( having been for years " Parkerized " ... ) and he smiled quickly and responded. I did not quite hear him so I cannot record it here. It was something about the association of the two.

I have over the years sold a lot of his fabulous Aligote white made with this once to referred to grape as the " poor man's Chardonnay ". This one from VILLAINE clearly matches many a Chardonnay if not surpassing a number of them in both quality. taste. character and value. I would not use this one for making a kir for example but would opt to drink it along with an excellent meal. That is where it will reveal more of the full range of it's various flavors : with a meal to bring it out/ flesh it out and give it color and shape and definition as an artist would by adding paint to a blank white virgin canvas.

This particular Aligote 2007 white burgundy was quite flavorful and broad in all it's flavor profiles. It had weight, some gravitas and a lot of taste that had edge and spice and mineral and even dried herbs and honey? I liked it, but it was a mouthful of taste to be reckoned with and my mind and guts and seven senses would need to be gathered more closely together to better focus and appreciate the nuances and blasts from this lovely white Aligote.

I told Pierre this as I continued to appear and leave almost as quickly helping customers. I also had to get my camera and a white page for Pierre to write on later ( as well as my poster for him to sign like all the other wine owners and wine-makers ). I would snap a picture, taste, ask a question, be whisked quickly away by a call on the phone or the request/question of a customer. It was a bit harried.

I called Mike over or stopped him dead-in-his-tracks as he passed us by and alerted him to the real quality of these wines I was tasting. When hearing the words : DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE CONTI he stopped immediately and got himself a glass to taste. There are some things that simply must be tasted and acknowledged! You just cannot pass everything by and wait for a better, more convenient time. Sometimes you just have to drop everything and taste : this was such a time.

Here are the pictures that I took of Pierre de Benoist's visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. Pierre comes from DOMAINE A. Et P. De VILLAINE, Burgundy France ( 2, Rue de la Fontaine 71150 Bouzeron Tel : +33 ( 0 ) 6 75 22 28 10 contact@de-villaine.com.

I was tasting with one of the special " Redel " wine-tasting glasses. They look different than all the rest and they do work well. I've been using one of these now for the last two week's or so and liking it.

Pierre poured me some of the Chardonnay 2007 Cote Chalonnaise " Les Clous " and I warmed immediately to it's softer, more gentle, more rounded flavors that were also lighter and less-demanding on all of my tasting faculties. Overall it was simply a more flattering wine and one that I could immediately drink and enjoy with or without food. It had less edge as well and the fruit of the Chardonnay was brighter and more like pure sunshine captured in this wine, floating in and all around it. I liked it and will consider buying some for the store. I must buy the Aligote because of flavor and value : and so I will also buy some of the Chardonnay with any money left over after buying the Aligote! Decisions, decisions : tough choices to make in these most trying times.

The next two wines were both red Pinot Noirs : 1 ) the Bourgogne " La Digoine " Cote Chalonnaise 2007 and the 2 ) Mercurey " Les Montots " 2007, also from the Chalonnaise but in this case all from the area of Mercurey and not a blend as with the Bourgogne above of possibly Rully, Montagny and Mercurey Pinot Noir fruit.

I liked them both quite a lot. They had plenty of flavor and taste and weight and style and polish and finesse. They were both also quite bright red, toasty-berry in flavors and taste. Both were rounded and very appealing : the Mercurey simply had more weight and depth than the Bourgogne " La Dogoine ".

Ils sont tous les deaux tres flatteure et challereuses. Quels robes en rouge tendre et brillants et sublimes : comme je suis contents avec les deux. Je peux les porter avec moi au lit et boire aux femmes qui ajoutent la couleur, clarite, belle vie et presque tout ma raison a vivre et a etre ... merci mes femmes toujours autour de moi qui me donnent la force et l'esprit de continue a manger la vie comme je le fais toujours. Et avec les vins rouges comme ce Bourgogne "La Digoine " et Mercurey de DOMAINE A. ET P. DE VILLAINE je suis presque a paradis, moi ... merci infinement ... femmes, La Nature. les bons vins, l'art - tout m'inspirent d'etre beaucoup foux et content de vivre et d'ertr la pour tout les experiences de cette vie incroyable ...

I will buy one of the reds for the store as well. I know Jody that as you walked out of the store this evening with Pierre that I told you to send us some. I cannot now remember what I told you so that it will be a very pleasant surprise when it arrives with the rest of the order this week. It may be today in fact, my day-off.

It's now Monday ( 11:58 AM, just before noon here in northern Virginia ) and the whole Wahington D.C. metroploitan area is buried or covered in a thick four-inch or more blanket of fluffy, billowy white snow off of which the sun is now shining and making so reflective and bright. It's March 1st or 2nd, 2009 : I have to go check! I should know but I'm happy in my bliss not-knowing on my day-off. I do believe that it is the 2nd, 2009!

I have more to add and to write but now I will proof and send this as I'd like to share the story and the pictures with you all. I'm feeling quite inspired having seen the excellent show on Pompeii and all it's art treasures yesterday with my family at the Smithsonian's East Wing ( go to my " About Me - View my complete file " on the title page here and click it so that you may scroll down to my blog called : chat art " and click that on to read about my Pompeii inspiration in art and wine ).

I think the pictures came out quite well. At first I think I had pictures of Pierre wondering to himself where I was going with all these photos? I don't blame you Pierre, I do take things pretty much by " orage " / storm! That's just my way but I do hope at last that you finally enjoyed yourself and this experience that was ours and which we enjoyed together with Jody and Mike.

When I asked you to write something for us in our guest book this is what you wrote Pierre " " Tojours enjoie, toujours chalereux, un grand merci pour cette belle degustation. La prochaine se fear a Bourgogne au milieu et avec l'Ane des vins du Domaine. Bravo et vive le Bourgogne libre ".

Je suis d'accord avec toi Pierre. J'adore les vins du Bourgogne : j'adore la France et je gards des souveniers fantastiques de mes jours dans les anness soixante-dix la-bas a Paris quand mon pere etait chef des Passports a l'Embassade Americain a La Place De La Concord et pas loin de la magasin : Caves de la Madeleine de l'anglais Steven Spurrier. Cette experience ma' enrechisait ( enriched me ) comme pas beaucoup des autres! Excusez-moi pour mes fautes d'autograph ici

And Jody, thanks for blowing both Pierre and me un bisou/kiss. That was nice, et quel sourire de toi : your eyes actually sparkled! Gotta love that : I sure do. Et toi Pierre, qu'est ce que tu pense de cette foto ici ou Jody nous envoye un bisou tout les deux?!?

Merci encore pour cette visite et degustation a Cleveland Park Pierre a Washington D.C. le capitaux D'Aux Etats-Unis et la ville ou beaucoup des Francaises habitent continuellement et qui me rendre souvent visite pour mes conseils!

Cheers et Sante et a la prochaine notre nouveau ami. TONY