In our newsletter last week, Daniel mused about the ‘singular dispositions’ of his daughters, and appreciated the ‘unique weirdos’ that make up the larger world. He and I share a delight in difference, a desire to learn from others new ways to see and to be. We appreciate the variety of cultural activities, regional artistic and culinary traditions, which, taken together, inform what makes us wholly human.

David Hasselhof’s national anthem, which I heard at the US Open in 2001, bears little resemblance to the Woodstock wails of Jimi Hendrix, but each, one could argue, has their merits. I’ve played the cello for nearly five decades, focusing many of those years on the unaccompanied suites by JS Bach, and lately, I’ve been indulging a great and surprising joy made possible by the unnecessary mess of technology we’ve accumulated. Without an enormous library of LPs, most of us can now listen to the most famous cellists of all time play the Bach suites side by side. Teachers incarnate - Pablo Casals, Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovitch - each expressing so differently a clear sequence of notes on the page. I’ve long been captivated by the ethereal Sarabande of the fifth suite in C Minor, an eerie slow dance of deconstructed chords, pulled apart and reattached in beautifully unlikely places. Comparing the masters’ renderings is fascinating - the effortless, lyrical beauty of Casals, the technical, sensitive thoughtful approach of Ma, and the sinister intensity conjured by Rostropovich - all refer back to the same simple lines laid down around 1720 by JS Bach.

Every Thursday at Oakland Yard, we perform a similar ritual, comparing wines made from a particular region or a single grape variety, comparing traits, characteristics, attributes and idiosyncrasies in an effort to better define what they have in common - in this case, a place or a basic raw material. This week, we’ll sample three reds from Tuscany made by three different women from the Sangiovese grape. Simona Ruggeri at Villa Sant’Anna, Dora Forsoni from Poderi Sanguineto, and Carla Visconti of Castello dell’Abate have varying approaches to and expressions of Sangiovese, and tasting them together may just get us a little closer to understanding this famous variety.

TONIGHT...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Oregon whites and Tuscan Sangiovese - Taste three whites from the Willamette & Applegate Valleys & three reds from Montalcino & Chianti.
2021 Villa Sant Anna Chianti Colli Senesi
2022 Poderi Sanguineto IGT Toscana Sangiovese
2022 Castello dell’Abate Rosso di Montalcino
2023 Liska Heceta White
2023 Kelley Fox Nerthus
2023 Iruai Moonstones Chenin Blanc
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 2/22: SPANISH FLIGHTS - Taste four new wines from Rías Baixas, Gran Canaria, Asturias, and Penedès.
2023 Pedregales La Floración Albariño
2023 Envinate Benje Blanco
2020 Dominio del Urogallo Cangas La Fanfarria Tinto
2023 Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat
Flights $18 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm
ALSO Saturday... ED'S BREAD POP UP returns fro 1-5pm with artisan breads including sourdough wheat-rye, sourdough flaxseed-wheat, sourdough black sesame togarashi - as well as sweet and savory pastries, scones, and cookies!

Appreciatively,

Max

PS - The great Jacqueline Dupré recorded only the first and second suites, so her C minor Sarabande is sadly unavailable to the modern listener.