My daughter turns 4 this month. She was born at the dawn of the pandemic, so her birthday will always bring up powerful memories. The isolation and the uncertainty. The empty community spaces, the odd silence in the streets. 

Two videos from that time, an unlikely pair, are forever linked in my heart. One of them circulated four years ago, almost to the day: a dark alley in Siena, the voices of neighbors unified in song, connecting through open windows in the dim early days of lockdown. 

The second video, released earlier but discovered during lockdown, is an outdoor concert in England recorded a couple years earlier. Our neighbors, hometown rock stars, Green Day, are about to take the stage. The drum cam footage records the crowd a few songs before the band's entrance. The stadium speakers begin to play Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".... and in just about the only time in history I would enjoy someone singing over the incomparable Freddie Mercury, the crowd begins to take over the vocals. Things get wild, dynamic, amazing – unspoken agreements are made, some taking the first wave of lyrics, some subtle splashes in the distance (... "anyway the wind blows"...). Instantaneous accepted roles of call or response during the operatic movement. Some idiosyncratic sorts singing out the entire guitar solo. 

Watching the video, one is immediately moved by the power of chorus. No individual voice ever near the majesty of Freddie Mercury, but with everyone adding their part, offering the best of themselves, their small or grand contributions felt. The mystical sum of all parts. The beauty of togetherness in the face of absurdity. I highly recommend a viewing when you have time to cry.

This month will always yield a profound gratitude for life, for health, for growth and resilience. Thank you for joining us in this chorus again, for bringing life and a communal energy to this space. Someone in the comments of that video (certainly worth reading!) said it best: "If this was the only record left of humanity, I'd be proud".

TONIGHT: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHT! Italian Reds and whites...
2022 Tenutal La Pergola Goccetto
2021 Manichor 'Der Keil' Schiava
2021 Grifalco Aglianico del Vulture
2021 Caespes Colli Tortonese Timorasso
2022 Ercole Bianco di Monferrato
2021 Gregoletto Mazoni Bianco
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 3/9: We'll be continuing our celebration (everyday and always!) for International Women's Day, with Flights from women winemakers:
2022 Aslina Chardonnay
2023 Brianne Day 'Lemonade' Rosé
2022 Terah Wines Sangiovese
2019 Theopolis Vineyards Petite Sirah
Flights $18 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm!

Cheers,
Daniel

Crowd Singing Bohemian Rhapsody: VIDEO