~ Elton Slone, GM & Winery Partner
Some of my close friends, and Craig addicts, recently invited me and my girl to a weekend in Sun Valley. I pulled some great wine from my cellar to stock up, including some De Montille Volnay, older vintage Paradigm Merlot, and of course, some library Craig.
The weekend was a virtual Iditarod of hiking, cycling, wine and food -- from a hike up to 7,500 feet on Mount Baldy at maximum pace, in order to share the Paradigm on the deck of the Roundhouse Lodge before closing time, to a 50 mile hammerfest on our bikes, followed by Spottswoode 2002 Cab, Rudd Chardonnay and many other treasures. Along the way, it occurred to me that this group was not saving the cellar for a rainy day.
On Sunday before leaving, our host told me to grab something from down in the cellar for the plane ride home. Since the “plane ride” was on a Citation 10 private plane which flies barely under Mach 1, we needed something special. Hello ‘97 Chateau Lafite and 2004 Turley old-vine Zinfandel!
The 1997 vintage is considered one of the worst since ‘72 for Bordeaux, but the Lafite showed its class and the Turley was delicious. In another year, the Lafite would be faded. You can’t keep it all for the future. Spencer did not bat an eye when I arrived upstairs with one of the only first growths in his cellar. He said matter-of-factly, “if it’s time, it’s time.”
It has been my 22 years in the wine business which has allowed me to break free from my urge to cling and to keep. It is a gift for sure.
Eat that fresh-from-the-vine tomato on the counter before it goes soft. Drink something fine from the closet every week. Put plenty of aged balsamic and the best olive oil on the salad. A life in wine has taught me that holding on is not always the wisest move.
Best Wishes for a bountiful harvest season.
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