In the Know with the Know

An e-mail was circling around the wine inner circle just this last week, and as I was heading off to work my phone rang. On the other line, A, letting me know all about what those in the know already knew; a wine tasting featuring the Rhones sent to Robert Parker Jr. for his Wine Advocate tasting.

After a few agonizing minutes waiting for my manager to come to his senses and realize he didn’t need an extra server on a notoriously slow evening I was out the door and back on the road.

In today’s day and age when everyone and their mother own a cell phone I was entirely unable to reach any of those I hoped to contact. A, after leaving me specific instructions to call her with my manager’s decision, wasn’t picking up, and S had apparently dropped off the face of the earth as no one had been able to reach him to advise him to shower and shave for we were goin’ tastin’.

As luck would have it A and C were heading to the casa and S was showered and ready to drink without having the slightest idea why. We grabbed our glasses and headed out the door, S staying behind to wait for J. They followed shortly.

Held in an open-air winery space we were able to gaze upon the multitude of bottles waiting to be poured before we even stepped a toe out of the car. Stem-less stemware in hand we sauntered in and took the liberty of pouring, tasting, spitting and repeating. Having worked in a tasting room I was taken back, ever so slightly, when I realized we were pouring and tasting on our own. A few minutes in the surroundings and it became apparent why. This was not a gathering of the general public, but rather a small group of industry folks with an affinity for wine and a streak of curiosity. Huddled into small groups of twos and threes they conversed quietly, growing bold as their numbers swelled, then quieting again as the participants dispersed.

This event, for me, wasn’t so much about the wine but the gathering. This was a matter of business, with a bit of pleasure thrown in, as pleasure is known to follow wine. Never in all my time pouring wines at tasting have I seen an overwhelming majority spitting, and with so much spitting going on my khaki pants were soon spattered pink and my wrist stained from wiping wine drool off my chin; I never did quite get the hang of it.

Every now and again someone would try a wine that they felt was outstanding and a small murmur would travel through the crowd, spreading out between and over groups. One such wine was a product of pairing. Terri Hoage and Justin Smith teamed up to make a GM (Grenache-Mourvedre blend) and a Syrah. Hoage, of Hoage Vineyards and Smith, of Saxum and James Berry Vineyard managed to wow the crowd, despite palates dried to the bone on tannins and spittle.(Read "...but the highlight was beer" to see the change to this little scenario.) Another wine to note and look forward to is the Summerwood Syrah from James Berry Vineyard. Currently available at the tasting room is a GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre), which is predominantly James Berry, with the exception being that the majority of the Syrah is from another vineyard. Having had plenty of phenomenal encounters with wine made from JBV grapes I always look forward to their fruit. Enjoy!