I had a fun weekend. Was invited to a two-day event in Triad area. Tastings were in a private home in Greensboro but since it was the weekend of the climax to the ACC basketball tournament, hotel rates were inflated to $200 a night. I chose to stay at a Hampton Inn in Winston-Salem using Hilton Honor points plus $30-some dollars. I had never met the host and hostess or other guests face-to-face but was graciously welcomed and they also extended the welcome to a high school classmate of mine who lives in Greensboro and his wife who is also from my hometown of Lincoln, NE but who attended another high school. (I think the Lincolnites may have outnumbered the native North Carolinians--or come close.)
Jim Cowan (Florida Jim) was present as a house guest and we got to sample some of his wines along with a variety of Syrah from outside France on Saturday and northern Rhones on Sunday. Jim lives in Sonoma but still has family ties in Florida. A bunch of white wines were already open when I arrived on Saturday, mostly from northern Rhone. Boyce will probably post his notes on the blog for Gang of Pour when he has them ready. I did not take notes. The food provided by the host and hostess and some of the guests was really good--pork and chocolate/salty caramel/pecan pie as the stars Saturday along with a variety of cheeses and two preparations of lamb, salad, two vegetable casseroles and a variety of cheeses Sunday with hummingbird cake and Chai cheesecake as dessert options. I left out the seafood--mussels on Saturday and shrimp (mostly gone when I arrived) on Sunday.
Cowan Cellars wines included a Lake County Sauvignon Blanc that spends some time on the skins and a delicious Syrah Saturday that was in my top three wines of the day. The Salinia Heintz Ranch Syrah (Sonoma Coast) was one of my other top three that day and I liked a Sine Qua Non Syrah (I don't have the specifics of vintages and vineyards but figure Boyce will have that info.) Northern Rhones on Sunday that struck a chord with me included a 2005 Delas Freres Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron that I brought and moving further south, a Domaine de la Janasse CdP. We also had some special dessert wines.
But beyond the wines and the food I enjoyed meeting new people, hearing tales of how friendships arose out of early wine Internet boards and offline visits, and Jim Cowan's philosophy of winemaking and some of the good people who have shared their knowledge with him along the way. It was also great to see Gene and Sharon, my high school classmate and his wife. We may get together for a French dinner at Burke Manor Inn in Gibsonville, NC some weekend this spring.
I've left out some names because I don't know if they want to be named or if they value their privacy but everyone I met was friendly and had something interesting to contribute to the weekend.