This long and grueling leg of the U.S. tour is winding down. I feel like I’ve aged 4 years in 1. A welcome break is just over the horizon. It will be short, but a break none the less. It’s still sorta fun but it can get tedious. So to break the monotony and to take advantage of being out here, I’ve been experimenting. We’ve been calling ahead to local restaurants and setting up tasting’s and food pairings with my 05 Caduceus blends. Very educational. Some pairings you would summarily dismiss have been stellar, and a few you would assume to be a slam dunk pairing have been dreadful. It’s also very enlightening having top notch chef’s, restaurant owners, and experienced sommelier’s around the country dissect my blends. Brutal yet honest critique is helpful. No one has made me cry yet, which is nice.
The last of these dinners was at Veritas in New York. I had the privilege of serving not only the 05 blends, but the 04’s as well.(with the exception of the yet to be bottled 05 Sensei) It’s the first time I’ve placed them side by side. Very educational. I won’t go into a long winded review of the wines, but suffice to say the 05’s tended to have more depth and structure. Go ahead and call it beginners luck. I do.
Now it’s time to head back to the Vineyard/winery and taste through the 06 blends, make arrangements for the 07 fruit, check on my vines, and bottle the 05 Sensei and 06 Merkin Vineyards, Chupacabra.
And just as soon as the bags are unpacked and the laundry is dry, I need to re-pack and head back out the door to Europe. Fortunately it’s a relatively short run. Fingers crossed I’ll be home in time to harvest my first Arizona fruit. Specifically the Cab from Judith’s Vineyard. More on that to come