An older gentleman was at one of the bar tables a couple weeks ago, enjoying a glass with a friend, and he asked me about a particular bottle he was eyeing on the shelf. Having recently tasted it, I'd described the wine as vibrant right now but noted that those particular releases were also very age-worthy. I shared that I was fortunate enough to have tried wines from that producer with 20-30 years of bottle age and was blown away by how fresh and lively they still were. I suggested that those with time and patience would be rewarded to hang onto that bottle for a while. He offered up a light chuckle and said "well I have patience...but the problem is, I'm not sure I have the time".

The remark was left with some levity, but it echoed what a winemaker I assisted a few years ago shared about the limits of his vocation: "If I'm lucky", he remarked, "maybe I get to do this 20 more times?". And it got me thinking (again) about the ephemeral nature of all of this. Of these singular, natural delights on our shelves, and indeed of all the infinite and finite joys we share, or hold for ourselves, well beyond the shop walls.

And I'll be thinking of time passing as I celebrate my father's 80th birthday this weekend. And watching my little ones play with their cousins - or perhaps trying their first root beer float. And I'll be appreciating days and years and many happy memories in between as our manager, Ezra, pours someone a last glass (from him anyway:) this Friday before he heads off to new adventures and a new home in Chicago.

As a fictional teenager from that city famously noted, life moves pretty fast. Let's keep our eyes open. Lets keep the cellars of our hearts full. Come enjoy good company, good music, good times and good wines with the good folks here. We've got THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS tonight, featuring FRENCH REDS and CALIFORNIA WHITES...
2022 Berryessa Gap Albarino
2021 Haarmeyer Chenin Blanc
2021 Field Recordings SKINS
2021 Damase Grenache
2021 Catherine Bernard La Route des Cretes
2019 Château Renaissance Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

THIS SATURDAY 7/15...Importer GRÉGOIRE MONTOT at OAKLAND YARD
Everyone’s favorite Savoyard pours flights of two whites and two reds from his superb selection, including two stunning wines from Burgundy and some delights from Alsace and Loire.
2022 Charles Frey Pinot Blanc
2021 Yannick Cadiou Petit Chablis
2021 Domaine Delobel Pineau d’Aunis
2021 Quentin Jeannot Hautes Côtes de Beaune Rouge
Flights from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Cheers,
Daniel