WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:06.240 Welcome to Wine Soundtrack USA. Listen to the passion with which producers narrate their 2 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:11.439 winery and their worlds. In thirty answers discover their stories, personalities, and 3 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:15.919 passions. Hello, friends and listeners of Wine Soundtrack. This is Alson Levine 4 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:21.839 and today I'm in the town of Los Alamos in Saninez Valley with none other 5 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:27.679 then Sonya met Jeffsky, who is the owner, the winemaker and the all 6 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:32.159 around everything of Kassa du Metz. Sonya welcome. Tell us about kastadu Mets, 7 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:35.679 which I know includes a couple of different labels. Yeah, such a 8 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:38.320 joy to have you here. Oh my god, thank you so much. 9 00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:43.679 So Kasa du Metz is where we sort of started. It was a place 10 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:48.079 that no longer exists, but that was sort of the idea. So kasadu 11 00:00:48.119 --> 00:00:54.240 Metz started with a half nager of Pino noir and from that was sort of 12 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:57.880 where, you know, I don't even know if I can say a dream. 13 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:02.280 It was just an idea. It was a fun project. It was 14 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:08.480 a community kind of organized event where we would bring friends in and you know, 15 00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:12.159 we're picking grapes today and we'd smash them in the garage. We were 16 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:18.560 very very very Garagist home whine makers, and we should know where was this 17 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:21.959 that you were garragi'st wine makers. Yes, this was in Malibu, Point 18 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:26.959 Dum actually, And so while while it was a really lovely, amazing, 19 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:33.439 terrific, fabulous beginning, it was the absolute, I don't want to say 20 00:01:33.480 --> 00:01:38.640 worst, but maybe second worst places to grow grapes, specifically peanut noir. 21 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:42.120 Yeah, you know, I mean, right now we're sitting here looking out 22 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:46.319 the window and it's June gloom. And so where we were, it was 23 00:01:46.439 --> 00:01:49.920 June gloom all summer. So we had tremendous mildew issues. We didn't have 24 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:53.079 enough heat. It was not cold enough and it wasn't warm enough, and 25 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:59.000 the soil was all dance clay and we would have secondary growth in December. 26 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:00.680 I mean, all of the things that you think, what is happening. 27 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:07.519 It was just kind of tragic and joyful at the same time. So that's 28 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:12.800 how we started, and that's how I got interested in sort of the fundamentals 29 00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:15.560 of wine and literally from the ground up. So I helped to plant this 30 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:20.039 finere It was half an acre of pino and so that's where it started, 31 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:23.360 and you know, sort of who knew that you could do these things. 32 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:27.159 I didn't have a history in it. I didn't have this background with my 33 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:30.560 family of wine or any of those things. I mean, it was at 34 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:34.159 the table, but it wasn't this very sort of important sort of let me 35 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:37.960 bring you this bottle and the wines general that we did have. My whole 36 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:42.680 family is from former Yugoslavia, from now called North Macedonia, and so everybody 37 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:46.919 sort of made their own whiskey, everybody made their own wine, and so 38 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:52.599 that was sort of this very very village traditional approach to wine. Well, 39 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:55.800 before we get into sort of your introduction to wine, Kasada Metz today. 40 00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:59.800 Of course, as we said, we're in Los Almas, so you're based 41 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:04.800 up here in the San Didina's valley. Do you own any grapes or not 42 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:07.120 grapes? Do you any vineyards? Are you sourcing everything? And where are 43 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:09.120 you sourcing from? What do you? What do you do here? What 44 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:13.960 grapes? Yeah, so thank you for that. I was a little bit 45 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:20.159 meandering. I get lost. So Kasadu thatts now is one pino every year 46 00:03:20.360 --> 00:03:23.479 from a different vineyard in the scenery to hills, pick a different vineyard, 47 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:28.319 different clone, just to kind of keep that messaging as to why I started, 48 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:30.120 why I fell in love with wine, because we planted it to pinot 49 00:03:30.120 --> 00:03:37.560 noir. So that now is one pino every year. Clementine Carter is all 50 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:40.639 of the rown varieties and that's the bulk of our production. So Kasado Metz 51 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:44.159 is about, you know, one hundred and fifty cases of pino each year. 52 00:03:45.240 --> 00:03:47.240 Clementine Carter is all of the Row. So we do a number of 53 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:53.360 different vineyard designate Grenache, we do Mavedra, we do Grenache blanc Rousson, 54 00:03:53.719 --> 00:03:58.680 Grenache Rose, and so those are very singular one hundred percent of what they 55 00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:01.520 are. And then we do the Feminist Party, which is the only blend 56 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:04.919 that we do, and that's all of the vineyards that we work with in 57 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:10.080 a gs sembland. We say that's for radical inclusion. Everyone's invited to the 58 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:14.319 party. So we go from very singular to very plural. And there's only 59 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:17.879 one wine under the Feminist Party, only one one one under Casadumets and your 60 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:21.399 total case production of Clementine Carter and then of the Feminist Party. Yeah, 61 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:26.759 the Feminist Party is our largest sort of singular production and about five hundred, 62 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:32.720 six hundred cases a year Clementine Carter with everything involved is about twenty five hundred, 63 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:36.000 and then Casa du Mets is like a hundred. Yeah, so all 64 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:41.240 at all is still a small producer, even around three thousand cases. And 65 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:44.560 then you're sourcing from all over the area. So where can people find your 66 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:46.839 minds? Are they just available here in the valley in your tasting room or 67 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:56.040 they do you have distribution or just DTC. Yeah, so we we we're 68 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:59.680 ninety percent here through the tasting room. And we've been here in Las Almo's 69 00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:02.439 not for twelve years, so we've slowly When I opened my first dasting room, 70 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:04.240 yeah, I guess the first one was down the street. When I 71 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:09.839 first opened, it was, you know, four hundred cases, very sort 72 00:05:09.879 --> 00:05:14.199 of small, and so we've gradually built up. So now we're at just 73 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:19.000 Strive three thousand, twelve years later when we sort of officially committed, and 74 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:26.000 so we're about ninety percent DTC, and we do sell throughout California with regal. 75 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:30.480 We sell wholesale in Virginia, DC, Maryland, a little bit in 76 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:34.600 North and South Carolina. We're working on New York right now, a teeny 77 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:40.680 bit in Kansas. Yeah, pretty Randa, Oh and Maine too. Maine's 78 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:45.800 big too, So yeah, I mean, I'm I'm open if anybody is 79 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:49.199 interested. I'm totally open. But you know, it's it's complicated, you 80 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:55.360 know, I totally understand the challenges of sort of me being this producer of 81 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:59.720 quirky grown varieties, you know, a whole cluster stuff that's maybe not for 82 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:01.439 every buddy, but people are into it, like super into it. So 83 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:04.279 it's fun. So speaking about into it, you mentioned that you were raised 84 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:10.199 in what's now Northern Macedonia, and I'm curious, what is your first memory 85 00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:15.879 relevant to wine? Oh gosh, I mean, I think just coming out 86 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:19.879 of a plastic jug, you know, like at the table. I mean, 87 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:25.240 you know, when we were in Michigan. So I was born and 88 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:29.720 raised in Michigan, and you know, my grandmother and my dad would make 89 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:32.639 wine in the garage, cold Michigan winter and had a little barrel, and 90 00:06:33.079 --> 00:06:38.639 so they would go and taste it. And my first memory is we drink 91 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:43.560 in the fall and it comes closer to the winter, a drink called sheeta, 92 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:46.519 and so the wine is fermenting, but it's not fully fermented, so 93 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:50.079 it's like partially fermented. It's on its way and so it's still slightly sweet, 94 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:54.439 and so they sort of pull it off of the cask and then they 95 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:58.439 mix it with sparkling water and it's super fun, a little quirky, but 96 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:01.439 that's what they did it. And you know, then all a little whiskey 97 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:06.439 and all that stuff, a little localm Mese platter. So that is definitely 98 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:13.040 my first memory. And so it's yeah, it's gotta be both homemade too. 99 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:16.839 So it's you know, I mean for us, you know, when 100 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:19.439 you when you bring out the whiskey, when you bring out the wine, 101 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:24.519 it is because you have people over. You know, people are coming over. 102 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:27.879 You want to serve them something, and so it really is all about 103 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:31.920 the community and sharing that with them. You know. That's that's really it, 104 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:35.120 and that's so beautiful and I feel that way today. I mean, 105 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:40.240 we don't make wine into vacuum. And you know, you have to make 106 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:43.800 what pleases you and what gives you joy and what you want to talk about 107 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:47.199 and philosophically drives you, and ultimately you have to share it with others. 108 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:51.399 So then has no fun, right know. So you you know, you 109 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:56.319 had this dream, you started, you planted pinot noir, and obviously something 110 00:07:56.360 --> 00:08:01.480 triggered you to plant this vineyard and start making wine. So was there a 111 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:05.000 particular wine one of those aha moments? Was it prior to making wine or 112 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:07.160 has it been since that that sort of set you on a path or changed 113 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:11.439 your mind view or has just sat with you as like just a super memorable 114 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:16.879 wine you drink. I have to say it happens all the time. I 115 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:20.160 mean, I would figure like daily, you know, we know, we 116 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:26.720 do staff trainings twice a month here with our team, and sometimes when we'll 117 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:30.160 be going through something and I'll just be so granular and I'll say, stop, 118 00:08:30.279 --> 00:08:33.360 this is like it's too much. I don't want you to I don't 119 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:35.840 want you to get overwhelmed. And I would say, there's the world of 120 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:39.279 wine is so vast. There's so much to learn. I learn every single 121 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:41.519 day, even though I've been doing this for twenty years, right, it's 122 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:46.960 NonStop and it's so beautiful, and so like daily, I'm just shocked and 123 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:52.600 surprised. And you know, there's obviously some super interesting moments. You know, 124 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:54.879 again, when you look back on them, you're like, WHOA, 125 00:08:54.919 --> 00:08:58.440 you are a dummy. But when you don't know, you know, you're 126 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:01.799 like, WHOA that was so cool. Oh so is there a particular one, 127 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:05.399 And we won't judge you if it was, Like I just I remember 128 00:09:05.559 --> 00:09:07.600 after we finished. I don't even remember the producer. I have no idea. 129 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:11.200 I just remember when we finished planting. You know, for two days 130 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:16.279 we planted this vineyard, and you know, afterward, we sort of sat 131 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:20.320 down and we had a bottle of curtitite fur dough. I don't remember where 132 00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:26.840 or who or where it came from or where where we bought it, and 133 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:31.360 I just remember, but it was just the result of this effort and this 134 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:35.919 work and the possibility of, oh, someone else could be sitting here like 135 00:09:37.080 --> 00:09:43.039 us after a very accomplished afternoon and feel great and it be enjoying this lovely 136 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:46.639 bottle of wine. And so that memory for me is more of a feeling 137 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:50.639 in a mood. And then maybe a couple of years later, it was 138 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:56.039 my first trip to Paris as an adult, and you know, we were 139 00:09:56.080 --> 00:10:00.399 at this bistro and we ordered a whole group of us ordered up bunch of 140 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:03.519 food and we asked the the Sammoier, you know, please, this is 141 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:07.399 what we're eating. Please bring us a bottle of wine. Choose for us, 142 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:09.759 you know, we don't, we don't, we know, we're clueless. 143 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:15.559 I ask of this list, and they brought us a bottle of Sabilis 144 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:20.960 and that was the first time. Again, I don't remember the producer, 145 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:24.039 that was just the first time. One My assumption was that he was going 146 00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:26.720 to bring us a red wine, right, I assume, like, of 147 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:31.799 course, you're going to bring a red wine. And then he brings us 148 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:35.840 this gorgeous bottle of Shabli, And so that was one a surprise for me. 149 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:41.320 And then you know too, just sort of again being in that bistro 150 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:45.279 on a warm summer evening with a group of friends and sort of enjoying this 151 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:50.159 wine. The whole experience was unexpected, right, And so it's like punctuating 152 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:54.000 these moments of Wow, this is this is the community that you can be 153 00:10:54.039 --> 00:10:56.399 a part of when you do this right, you know. So, so 154 00:10:56.440 --> 00:10:58.559 obviously you've had a lot of experiences. You get to drink a lot of 155 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:01.480 wine, you drink your own, you're married to a my maker, you 156 00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:05.360 focus on your own grapes. He tends to focus on Burgundy grapes. There's 157 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:09.120 a little crossover. So I'm curious, if we were to come to your 158 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:11.480 home, what would we find in your home? What do you guys have 159 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:15.320 in your cellar? What do you drink a lot of or just store a 160 00:11:15.320 --> 00:11:22.600 lot of? Well, our house poor is probably Brander Savignon blanc oh natural 161 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:26.600 hell is our favorite. It's a beautiful wife, yes, and Fred Brander 162 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:33.399 is just a delight and such a joy. And so that's probably sort of 163 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:39.960 overall. But I mean Alberino Assertico, lots of pino, lots of shard, 164 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:43.480 lots of different grenache from all over the world, from from mostly we 165 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:50.960 drink mostly California. I have to say, we're both huge fans of our 166 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:56.279 area, of our colleagues here, of our colleagues up north, you know, 167 00:11:56.399 --> 00:12:01.720 in Paso and in up in Sonoma. And so that's primarily what we're 168 00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:07.720 drinking. You know, obviously these certicos from not from you know, and 169 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:09.919 that there is a little crown here I know, I know, and there 170 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:15.480 you know, that was a gift from a dear friend to friends who again 171 00:12:15.559 --> 00:12:20.360 they went to Centurini last year and they brought us back this bottle. And 172 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:22.879 we were so stunned. We're like, we don't bring wine back for us 173 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:26.159 when we traveled, like and you brought this for us. So it was 174 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:28.919 such a gift and we fell in love with it and then we found it 175 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.759 and we buy it all the time now, so you know it's those are 176 00:12:33.799 --> 00:12:39.039 the things we're really equal opportunity. We drink everything. One of the things 177 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:43.080 that we probably drink less of, and we can't quite figure out why is 178 00:12:43.320 --> 00:12:48.919 cabernet. We're not sure. Like board varieties, we're really not We're not 179 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:52.480 stocked with that. And yet every time we opened a bottle, we think 180 00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:56.480 this is so lovely, Like why don't we enjoy this? Mos is you're 181 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:01.799 busy with you know, you're so is there a wine you drink recently? 182 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:05.840 Not your natural ye Savinia blon, because I know that's good, but that 183 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:09.799 really stood out to you, something that was memorable dinner last night or last 184 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:16.559 week actually, So we opened a bottle again our dear friend Dave Potter Potech 185 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:22.840 Winery. It was a twenty eighteen Kimsey Sura and we opened it on Wednesday 186 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:28.120 night and then Greg went on it. We had a couple of battles open. 187 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:31.519 We had we had we had a pink ranch shard, actually we had 188 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:35.279 pink rat shard. We had the we had a Marjor and Pino, and 189 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:41.799 we had the Potech Sera. So because we had opened the other ones sort 190 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:46.080 of the couple of days earlier, so we really liked to sort of open 191 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:48.120 bottles, let them see how they evolved, and then we kind of, 192 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:54.039 you know, keep sort of doing that dance. And so then we opened 193 00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:58.200 this this sura and so we had a little bit each in the glass and 194 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:01.679 then you know, but and it was done. And so then Greg went 195 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:05.919 on a trip, and I packed up the bottle and put it back in 196 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:11.960 the fridge. And then every night over the last few nights, I'll come 197 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:13.840 home from work and I'll pull it all the fridge. I like a little 198 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:20.240 chill on all the lines. And then I have been enjoying it and I 199 00:14:20.279 --> 00:14:26.600 just have loved the evolution of how it's just kept evolving in such a gorgeous, 200 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:31.120 beautiful way. There's a new experience every time that bottle is open. 201 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:33.279 And so I finished the bottle last night. Yeah, and so that is 202 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:37.080 on my mind, right, And so again it goes to all these things 203 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:39.279 people are like, oh, well, I can't open that bottle because I 204 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:43.440 can't check about myself like you can. It's not going to go bad tomorrow, 205 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:48.080 you know. And so again, just those are the things. So 206 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:52.360 that was the one thing that's very memorable because I woke up this morning and 207 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:54.360 I was taking out the recycling. I was like, oh, yeah, 208 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:56.799 that bottle, really good bottle. Yeah. So you work with a lot 209 00:14:56.840 --> 00:15:01.480 of different grapes. Do you think there's a such thing as a perfect variety 210 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:09.279 Sarah? Yeah, I would say Sarah and I make Sara and it only 211 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:11.759 we don't make a singular version of Surat only goes into the feminist party. 212 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:20.240 I think Sura is perfect for a number of reasons. I think that whatever 213 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:22.840 you're looking for in a wine, particularly a red wine, you can find 214 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:26.440 it in Surah. Right. Color, if you're looking for color density and 215 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:30.799 extraction, like, you can get that, right. If you're looking for 216 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:35.080 textual components, you can get that. If you're looking for fruit, you 217 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:39.440 get that. If you're looking for meaty, sort of dense, sort of 218 00:15:39.480 --> 00:15:46.320 burdensome, it can be there, right. And it's just again, I 219 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:50.200 just think in the winery growing it, it's a joy. In the winery, 220 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:52.279 it's an absolute joy. Like when Sarah comes in, it's like your 221 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:56.919 old friend. You think, oh, welcome, we've missed you you know, 222 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:04.279 or garnache. It's just it's just I think it's just a pleasure all 223 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:08.759 the way around. It's pleasurable. I think in every aspect of of the 224 00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:14.559 wine process, growing through production, through tasting, through enjoying, and so 225 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:15.720 people I was like, oh, you can't sell straw, and I think, 226 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:19.320 well, that's nonsense. It's you know, if someone said to me, 227 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:22.200 you know, here's a glass of red wine, they didn't tell me 228 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:26.080 what it was and it was a suraw, I think that would be the 229 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:29.120 perfect you know, I don't know. I just I'm a fan. I 230 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:32.320 love it. I'm a huge So I think that's the perfect wine on the 231 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:36.080 red family. In the white there's it's a little more complicated. I think. 232 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:37.840 You know, you're you're making a lot of different wines. You're a 233 00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:41.559 small producer, but obviously getting the word out people come to your taste room, 234 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:45.000 but a lot of people turn to wine critics to find out things. 235 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:48.799 So I'm curious what your opinion is on wine critics and scores, and both 236 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:53.799 as a wine drinker but also as a producer. Yeah, gosh, it's 237 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:59.519 evolved a lot. I used to be terrified. In truth, I was 238 00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:00.279 like, I don't go, I don't want to submit. No, no, 239 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:03.480 no. And then I thought, well, if you're in the industry, 240 00:17:03.880 --> 00:17:07.559 you need to be in the industry. Like you're either in the business 241 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:08.839 or you're not in the business, and so choose what you want to be, 242 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:14.359 right. And so you know, over the last number of years, 243 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:18.279 you know, we submit, we connect, we taste, and it's been 244 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:25.559 I think, such a beautiful understanding of that role. Right. And it's 245 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:30.839 like any other criticism, right, you either understand and appreciate that person and 246 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:34.839 sort of their leanings and their tendencies and their interests, or it's not for 247 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:37.599 you. It doesn't mean that it's not valid. It's like you're not quite 248 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:44.160 in alignment, which is great, that's totally fine. It's like with anything. 249 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:48.880 And the one thing that I think is extraordinarily valuable about wine criticism is 250 00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:53.519 when they're tasting a wine, it's not just oh, this is Roussan from 251 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:59.960 Zaka from Santa Barbara, and how does this rate? How does this feel? 252 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:03.000 What's the emotion, what's the texture, what's the flavor? Like, 253 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:07.799 what's happening in this bottle? It's they're tasting that against all of the wines 254 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:14.039 they've tasted through their career from all over the world, right, And so 255 00:18:14.920 --> 00:18:22.079 that value is I think tremendous. And for anyone who thinks, like, 256 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:25.079 oh, tasting wine, like, how hard of a job is it? 257 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:30.839 Like it's brutal. I mean, it's super brutal to taste all of these 258 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:37.240 lines day after day, dozens and hundreds of bottles, Like it's not easy 259 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:40.640 work. And I do not envy that job. I do not want that 260 00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:45.519 job. You do enough tasting, I'm sure when you're doing blending trials and 261 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:51.400 throughout the season, and that's exhausting, you know, So again I definitely 262 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:56.240 honor it. I think it's very very valuable. That said, the scores 263 00:18:56.279 --> 00:19:00.319 that we get in the way that we use them, I really use it 264 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:06.599 for a personal understanding of where we're fitting and what it means and how it 265 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:12.000 feels, and a personal connection to sort of the industry. We don't plaster 266 00:19:12.359 --> 00:19:18.839 scores. One thing is that I just I want each consumer. Our goal 267 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:23.480 is I want each consumer to feel that they personally can make their own decision 268 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:29.720 on how they feel about these wines. And one I also don't you know, 269 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:32.759 I don't want them to be clouded by oh, this must be better 270 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:34.880 because a it's more expensive, or be it got a better score, because 271 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:37.799 then that suddenly means, oh, the other one is not good and it's 272 00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:41.480 not a less for them. Yeah, and so that I just don't want 273 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:45.079 to. I don't want to sort of add more stress to the messaging. 274 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:48.880 There's plenty. Yeah. So, well, for some reason, just are 275 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:53.519 still so intimidated with wine, and it's you know, it's sort of unfortunate. 276 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:56.039 I don't know why people are like, well, it is intimidating. 277 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:59.759 I think, well, you know, our goal is we spend every waking 278 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.319 moment thinking about the vineyards we're working with and how we're farming and what we're 279 00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:04.640 doing, and when is this sun going to come out? And you know, 280 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:07.759 all of these things, how is this season progressing, and connecting with 281 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:12.480 our growers and visiting vineyards and sort of navigating experiments and then sort of in 282 00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:15.480 the winery and you know, what are we going to do, how we're 283 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:18.720 going to approach it. But all of that stuff, you know, I 284 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:22.559 hope it's just all of that hard work I hope is just evident in the 285 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:26.359 bottle. So if you want to know about anything, we're happy to sort 286 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:30.519 of give you all the information. We also don't want to lead with we 287 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:33.680 did this and this was happening, and we pulled, you know, leaves 288 00:20:33.720 --> 00:20:37.039 on x y Z like I just you know, Wally, it's in the 289 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:40.440 bottle? Do you like it? Do you not like it? So that 290 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:45.279 leads me to my very quick question, still are sparkling sparkling? Yeah? 291 00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:49.200 Oh my god, people make fun of me. So we you know, 292 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:52.279 next door we have the beer room and it's it's a it's we do wine 293 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:57.839 retail. We do beer retail, and I have pretty okay for our size. 294 00:20:57.880 --> 00:21:00.720 I have a pretty decent sparkling section. And people were like, really, 295 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:03.119 you know it make sparkling on, Like yeah, but I love it. 296 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:07.119 So I stock it on the shelves and I think I will only stock 297 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:10.319 what I love and if no one buys it, I take it home. 298 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:14.200 So there you go. Pretty nice sparkling over sparkling over. Still but for 299 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:19.119 still a red white or rose white white? Yeah? Yeah, de way. 300 00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:25.039 So now you make, you know, a variety of wines. You 301 00:21:25.079 --> 00:21:27.200 were talking about the style of of wines that you make, and I'm curious 302 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:32.440 how you approach paring these wines with food. They are food friendly wines. 303 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:34.799 I've had the pleasure of tasting many of them. But do you think that 304 00:21:34.839 --> 00:21:38.920 there are rules to follow? Are there rules you follow or guidelines that you 305 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:42.960 can suggest, or you just have wines open in the fridge and you take 306 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:47.880 them out, and that's what it is. Yeah, I don't follow any 307 00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:51.880 rules, and I'm sure people who know me will not be surprised by that. 308 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:57.920 Also, I really and I appreciate the rules that are followed, right, 309 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:02.160 So I'm not here to sort of say yes or no again. I 310 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:06.440 also I feel like it is part of that one intimidation factor, well, 311 00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:11.160 how should I do this? When should I open it? Why should I 312 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:12.839 do this? What should I pair with with? How long should I hold 313 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:18.920 it? You know, and that that answer is totally subjective. Right. 314 00:22:18.039 --> 00:22:22.920 So I'm a vegetarian. I love cheese, I love eggs, I love 315 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:27.319 fresh vegetables, I love green herbs, I love fannel, I love art 316 00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:30.799 choke. I think like, oh, you can't hear it, when sure 317 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:33.720 you can, you know blue cheese, right, I mean, all of 318 00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:37.720 these things that we think is pretty are pretty complicated to pair with. And 319 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:41.480 I just think if there's join volved in the dish, there's going to be 320 00:22:41.559 --> 00:22:45.079 joint volved in the beverage and so, yeah, I don't have any hard 321 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:48.680 and fast rules, and I appreciate them. Right if if if suddenly, 322 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:53.240 like you know, you're coming over and we're making steak, right because that's 323 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:56.400 your favorite thing, I'm definitely not gonna like, I don't know, for 324 00:22:56.559 --> 00:23:00.200 you g virch demeanor. Right, Let's see deep down there are some rules 325 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:06.279 involved. There were guidelines, guidelines, guidelines also because you know, I 326 00:23:06.440 --> 00:23:10.559 want everything to feel good to you and I want it to make sense a 327 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:12.839 synergy in it. Yeah. So for someone who hasn't had the pleasure to 328 00:23:12.839 --> 00:23:17.039 taste your wines yet, what do you think they're missing out on? Oh 329 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:22.880 gosh, that's a fun question. I think the lightness of being. You 330 00:23:22.920 --> 00:23:30.039 know, our goal is always aromatics, lift texture. I think they're sort 331 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:34.440 of defy what you would see on the page versus what's in the glass, 332 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:42.160 like an initial perception versus what actually appears. Again, those are real goals, 333 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:45.680 and we want it to sort of. I love. Our whole goal 334 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:48.759 is purity of flavor. That's why we do all of our sort of single 335 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:52.960 varieties. I want I want to know what a Russan taste like. I 336 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:56.880 don't want to know what a Russon blend taste like, right, So I 337 00:23:56.920 --> 00:24:03.680 think just the purity of flavor from a place, from this place, from 338 00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:07.759 you know, Santa Barbara is sort of what I think people are missing. 339 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:11.039 So when I walked in here, you welcome to meet with a glass of 340 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:14.960 your Russon, which is quite delicious. But I'm curious if space aliens were 341 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:17.799 to land here and walk in, which of your wines would you want to 342 00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:22.319 say? Welcome to Casa du Mets. Oh gosh, people, I was 343 00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:26.480 like, what's your favorite? And then we say, well, if it's 344 00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:29.200 in bottle, it's my favorite. Right, I'm not going to put garbage 345 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:30.079 in a bottle and be like I don't like it, but I hope you 346 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:34.079 like it, you know. So it's it's been. It's become picking your 347 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:38.680 favorite wine that's here, probably just like what do you think? Maybe show? 348 00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:45.759 Yeah? Yeah, I would probably say, of who we can I 349 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:48.160 pick two? Sure? Okay, we're going to be thirsty. Yeah, 350 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:52.799 I would say. I would say I would say the Russon and I would 351 00:24:52.880 --> 00:25:02.279 say the West End Grenache. Yeah, those are two wines that right now. 352 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:04.119 If I was saying if this is this is this is who we are, 353 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:07.720 this is where we're going. This is what it means. Right, 354 00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:14.519 the west End is biodemically farm from Christine Wise Spanish clone. It's one hundred 355 00:25:14.519 --> 00:25:18.640 percent hold cluster, all neutral barrel and it all just has again that sort 356 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:25.799 of textual lift with that, with that mid palette and that range that takes 357 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:29.720 you on such an interesting journey from a place the Grenache are saying, the 358 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:33.720 grenash the west End. Yeah, and so that's coming also from a cooler 359 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:40.559 climate, so very very cool climate, so cool that we planted or Brook. 360 00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:45.519 The owner planted Medvedera a few years ago and on the very west end 361 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:52.279 of the Santory to Hills. And last year it was first week in November 362 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:56.759 and it was at nineteen bricks, so it was pretty cold. So we're 363 00:25:56.759 --> 00:26:00.279 all going up for a better mavedra. That went into some rose and some 364 00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:03.680 cider because it really didn't make the cut for red. But I mean it's 365 00:26:03.799 --> 00:26:08.480 it's a cool spot and the fruit coming from there is really spectacular. And 366 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:15.720 again it's it's one of those places that sort of defies understanding, but it 367 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:19.480 just has beautiful energy and the fruit coming out of there is amazing. So 368 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:22.799 you talk about purity of fruit as something you want to express, and we 369 00:26:22.839 --> 00:26:26.640 know every vintage tells a different story. So I'm curious how much variation you 370 00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:30.759 have noticed from vintage to vintage or do you see more commonality? What has 371 00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:37.880 your experience shown you your gear as you make these wines. Yeah, I 372 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:44.240 think that I have noticed one. I will answer the question one, how 373 00:26:44.279 --> 00:26:48.079 resilient our area is, because the last few vintages in particular have been quite 374 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:53.119 challenging. And when I say that, I say in a way I don't 375 00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:56.960 want me say, like with an wink, because we're so spoiled. We 376 00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:02.960 have an epic growing season, right. The thing that challenge us are laughable 377 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:04.759 in other parts in the world, right, right, But because we're so 378 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.480 used to sort of honestly perfection, but kind of close to perfection. We 379 00:27:08.519 --> 00:27:12.480 know we lack water, that's definitely not a perfect scenario. But in terms 380 00:27:12.519 --> 00:27:18.759 of any kind of sort of weather incident, you know, hail, frost, 381 00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:22.839 I mean those things, you know, particularly during the harvest season, 382 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:27.559 we don't have to face generally, So the last few years have been challenging, 383 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:30.359 and so I have been quite nervous, you know, I'm always like, 384 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:33.960 oh gosh, roans and Santa Rita. We get most of our fruit 385 00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:36.839 comes from Santa Rita Hills, and so I think, oh, this is 386 00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:40.160 epic, Like I'm all in, one hundred percent, like let's do it. 387 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:42.079 We're planting, We're doing all these things in the last couple of years 388 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:47.119 to sort of challenge that notion of oh, well, if the rest of 389 00:27:47.160 --> 00:27:51.000 the world's getting warmer and we're getting colder here, maybe this is not the 390 00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:57.160 right right system. And yet it's challenged, particularly my perception in terms of 391 00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:06.839 what is ripeness right, What can you achieve when you have challenges right, 392 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:10.039 when everything is not perfect. And so the resiliency of our area and the 393 00:28:10.160 --> 00:28:15.359 quality of reforming has really been extraordinary. So that's been beautiful. And so 394 00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:22.079 in that I would say that vintage variation, at least in the last three 395 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:26.880 years, when they could have been tremendous variation, has not been as evident 396 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:30.880 as I as if it was as is evident on paper, I guess in 397 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:37.079 the glass is not as it's not. The effect isn't as intense as you 398 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.960 would imagine just reading the vintage. If that makes sense, No, that 399 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:45.119 makes perfect sense. So that we do get a level of consistency, even 400 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:49.799 though the standards are it should take. Consistency also comes through in the glass 401 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:53.039 very much so year after year after year. So are there any sort of 402 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:57.519 signs or predictors or omens that you look for that are going to tell you 403 00:28:57.519 --> 00:29:03.599 what a vintage will be? No, because last year. You know, 404 00:29:04.359 --> 00:29:10.519 again I don't want to have to rehash the trauma of last year, but 405 00:29:10.599 --> 00:29:14.119 you know, we it was. It was challenging, right, and so 406 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:17.839 you know, coming up into the vintage, it was a freezing vintage, 407 00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:19.880 and so we were like, okay, we're going to ripen anything, and 408 00:29:19.880 --> 00:29:25.000 then we had this crazy heat dome and things got ripe, but in a 409 00:29:25.079 --> 00:29:30.839 kind of an odd way. And yet the vintage was really beautiful. Yeah, 410 00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:37.319 like really beautiful and I and I personally was very surprised at how lovely 411 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:40.200 the wines turned out. And that has nothing to do with me. It' 412 00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:41.680 I'm like, oh God, I made these right decisions. I'm not saying 413 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:45.119 that I had anything to do with it, but you know, just sort 414 00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:48.759 of again the resiliency of the area and what it can do. So again 415 00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:51.920 that marker, I would have been like, oh, this is going to 416 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:56.680 be no marker, and it was really lovely. And so this year, 417 00:29:56.880 --> 00:30:00.279 right, we've it's been very cold again and lots of rain, lots of 418 00:30:00.359 --> 00:30:03.359 rain, which has been wonderful. But now we have all this growth and 419 00:30:03.400 --> 00:30:07.960 we need some heat to sort of boost it forward get some nice fruit sets. 420 00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:11.720 So I know you don't own your own vineyards, but you visit the 421 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:15.519 vineyards that you source from. And I'm curious if you ever talked to the 422 00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:18.759 vines, especially now with everything, are you telling them to kind of do 423 00:30:18.759 --> 00:30:23.000 you encourage them along? Do you speak to them or or maybe when they're 424 00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:30.319 in barrel cocks them along? No? And yes, I think I think 425 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:34.720 no and yes, right, like when it's just that idea of you know, 426 00:30:36.599 --> 00:30:41.880 paying attention and being present and being really mindful. You know, one 427 00:30:41.880 --> 00:30:47.759 of the things that I always look for one in working with growers, which 428 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:52.319 is why I work with the growers that I work with, is the overall 429 00:30:52.400 --> 00:30:56.240 system. Right, So how are we treating the overall system? Our goal, 430 00:30:56.359 --> 00:30:59.759 My goal is always to do the least amount of work and get the 431 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:04.079 most amount out right. You know, I'm not looking for one ton breaker, 432 00:31:04.359 --> 00:31:07.920 you know, I'm looking for a very balanced system all the way around. 433 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:12.000 And that means for the whole team, you know, vineyard, manager, 434 00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:15.519 crew, everything. I want everyone and be like, oh, we 435 00:31:15.640 --> 00:31:18.119 made these decisions, so when we go in to do the next thing, 436 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:22.599 we feel good about it and it's easier for us to move in this task, 437 00:31:22.920 --> 00:31:26.920 right. And so that to me is sort of brings good energy, 438 00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:33.200 right. And so if you're approaching that with sort of positivity and progressive actions, 439 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:37.000 I think that that's the most important thing. So you're not you when 440 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:38.680 you go and you're like, oh man, this is a jungle, Like 441 00:31:38.759 --> 00:31:41.359 what am I going to do now? Like right away, you're depressed. 442 00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:44.480 Right right away, you're like, oh gosh, it's gonna take me so 443 00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:47.519 long, and your head's in the wrong place. But if we can move 444 00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:52.119 things proactively. We were just at Robert Ray and we were talking about a 445 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:56.680 section of Sara and it was really lovely because we were thinking, well, 446 00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:05.680 if we shoot then now, you know, is that going to affect the 447 00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:08.519 vine? And we were talking about it emotionally and I said, well, 448 00:32:08.599 --> 00:32:13.559 let's do a happiness trial. I said, let's pick one row at the 449 00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:17.240 end of our section of Sarah. Let's shoot then now, or we'll shoot 450 00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:21.200 then after fruit set because we were like, Okay, if the vine is 451 00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:27.559 giving all this energy and giving all this growth and nourishing the clusters, are 452 00:32:27.559 --> 00:32:31.319 we interrupting it by making little mindy tears, right? And so I don't 453 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:35.039 know. So we thought, Okay, that's gonna be our happiness trial again 454 00:32:35.559 --> 00:32:37.839 for something might be like rolling their eyes and then that's such bullshit. But 455 00:32:38.160 --> 00:32:42.039 I don't know. That's what we think about, right. Well, you 456 00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:44.599 know, you said you'd like to put good energy in, so I'm wondering, 457 00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:46.880 are there any sort of good luck rituals that you have at the start 458 00:32:46.920 --> 00:32:52.039 of harvest for yourself or your team? No? No, you're sort of 459 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:55.400 always prepared, you know, you're just sort of always sort of ready and 460 00:32:55.839 --> 00:33:00.319 on board and it's always a surprise, but you're sort of always ready for 461 00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:01.440 Like if harvest said our tomorrow, I'd be Okay, this is what we're 462 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:06.839 doing. We're in you know again, because we're just we're always thinking about 463 00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:10.279 it, you know, and so we don't have any ceremonies or champagne at 464 00:33:10.279 --> 00:33:15.200 the first No, nah, nah, it's always good luck. I think. 465 00:33:15.559 --> 00:33:20.279 So before you were talking to vines and you know, making wine and 466 00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:22.119 doing all these things. I mean, what did you when you were a 467 00:33:22.160 --> 00:33:23.799 little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up? And 468 00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:27.559 I know you had another career. You were a journalist, right, yeah, 469 00:33:27.640 --> 00:33:31.519 No, And I still love I still love journalism. I mean one 470 00:33:31.559 --> 00:33:36.519 of the main things, maybe to the shagrin of many people who hung out 471 00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:40.920 with me, is I'm extraordinarily curious, almost too curious. And so if 472 00:33:40.960 --> 00:33:44.319 I get you in a corner, like I'm gonna ask you a million questions 473 00:33:44.319 --> 00:33:46.559 and you can't escape, and I don't mean to trap you. I'm just 474 00:33:46.839 --> 00:33:52.519 so curious that I just want to know. So journalism is still, you 475 00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:57.240 know, very very very very very valuable to me. And so when I 476 00:33:57.279 --> 00:33:59.759 first opened the tasting room twelve years ago, I thought, oh, I'll 477 00:33:59.799 --> 00:34:01.599 never and writing. I don't have time. And so now you know, 478 00:34:01.599 --> 00:34:05.480 I've been doing projects with Enable Santa Barbara, and I do some writing on 479 00:34:05.519 --> 00:34:09.599 my own again, because it's such a such a personal fulfillment, as you 480 00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:14.159 know, as you understand, right, that's sort of that thing. You're 481 00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:17.000 writing an article and you're talking to people and they're answering your questions and you 482 00:34:17.119 --> 00:34:22.639 just it's synapses are moving and it's it feeds me in such a different way. 483 00:34:22.800 --> 00:34:24.559 And also, you know, people I say like, well, how 484 00:34:24.559 --> 00:34:28.000 can you go from journalism to wine, And I say, it's the same 485 00:34:28.039 --> 00:34:30.280 thing, right, We're just working in a different medium, and you should 486 00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:35.239 be able to read the vintage in the bottle based on what happened and where 487 00:34:35.239 --> 00:34:38.119 we worked and who was who's hands touched it and decisions that we made, 488 00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:42.480 like it should all be evident there. We can tell you the story and 489 00:34:42.559 --> 00:34:45.239 it should be obvious. So that's sort of that's sort of our way, 490 00:34:45.480 --> 00:34:49.760 you know. But yeah, I mean those two are very much in alignment. 491 00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:52.800 The one thing about journalism is you know, you write a story, 492 00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:57.480 you put it out there, and then you have no idea who saw it, 493 00:34:57.679 --> 00:35:00.280 what happened, did it touch anybody, did it not? Did it 494 00:35:00.400 --> 00:35:04.880 just get tossed or deleted or whatever. And with wine, I get to 495 00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:08.400 see people consume it, we get to engage with it together. That's a 496 00:35:08.440 --> 00:35:15.599 whole different pleasure and a huge like I don't know, that's that's that's that's 497 00:35:15.639 --> 00:35:19.599 the high, you know, that's the hit where you're like, oh, 498 00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:24.159 now I'm connected, you know, yeah, that's that's that's also the trouble 499 00:35:24.280 --> 00:35:27.760 because you think, Oh, I'm just gonna keep me coming back more and 500 00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:30.079 again and again and again. You need that high again, you know. 501 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:34.039 So when you're not working, how do you like to spend your free time? 502 00:35:34.920 --> 00:35:38.119 Ah? That's I do you have free time? You know. It's 503 00:35:38.119 --> 00:35:44.320 not that I don't have free time. I'm not that good at taking it 504 00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:47.159 and enjoying it. You know. It's a so funded self proprietor. You 505 00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:52.079 know, it's challenging for me to just say, you know, for these 506 00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:57.119 three days, I'm just gonna go hiking, you know, and it's extraordinarily 507 00:35:57.159 --> 00:36:01.559 important for you to do that, right, it's just me that has the 508 00:36:01.679 --> 00:36:04.480 challenge. I mean, like, you know, I just take it off 509 00:36:04.480 --> 00:36:07.880 and don't open the email and don't One of the things that I've been doing 510 00:36:08.440 --> 00:36:15.719 lately that has been kind of emotionally positive is I'll get up. I always 511 00:36:15.760 --> 00:36:22.480 have work out in the morning. That's like my mental health check. And 512 00:36:22.599 --> 00:36:27.760 so instead of going right to the computer and checking emails and doing all of 513 00:36:27.800 --> 00:36:30.840 that, I start to cook. I'll make something my cookies, or I'll 514 00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:37.440 make lunch, or I'll make something pre planned for dinner. And that's been 515 00:36:37.679 --> 00:36:39.920 sort of a gentler way to kind of enter and then I'm like okay, 516 00:36:39.960 --> 00:36:44.239 and then I can go to the office, you know, and a little 517 00:36:44.280 --> 00:36:46.480 me time. Yeah, definitely, I'm trying to do it. I'm trying 518 00:36:46.519 --> 00:36:51.000 to take it in micro doses, you know, but it won't last very 519 00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:52.840 long. It's a phase, I'm sure. So when you're not planning me 520 00:36:53.039 --> 00:36:58.880 time, I know you plan romantic time. So I'm curious with sort of 521 00:36:59.039 --> 00:37:01.159 you guys said this. You guys like to taste lots of different wines. 522 00:37:01.199 --> 00:37:06.239 You like to enjoy wine. You obviously make very different wines in terms of 523 00:37:06.480 --> 00:37:10.159 great varieties. So what sort of wines do you open to set a romantic 524 00:37:10.199 --> 00:37:16.239 mood? Sparkling of course. Yeah, whatever's left in the store. Yeah, 525 00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:20.519 No, we buy a bunch too, and I'll bring it a new 526 00:37:20.519 --> 00:37:23.199 ship and I'm like, i gotta bring it home. It's definitely definitely sparkling. 527 00:37:23.679 --> 00:37:27.559 You know. One of the things that you know, regardless of how 528 00:37:27.880 --> 00:37:31.199 hectic and busy that we are, the thing that we always do is we 529 00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:36.800 come home and we you know, we sit, we make dinner, and 530 00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:38.599 we open a glass of wine and we just spend time together. There's no 531 00:37:38.679 --> 00:37:42.960 TV, there's no pot. It's just us and a little music, you 532 00:37:42.960 --> 00:37:45.519 know, and so we get to download and share and people say that you 533 00:37:45.519 --> 00:37:47.679 talk about wine all the time. I'm like, yeah, we do. 534 00:37:49.239 --> 00:37:51.559 But it's not like, oh, what was the pH and what was the 535 00:37:51.679 --> 00:37:53.920 whatever? You know, what was the team? Yeah, it is how 536 00:37:53.920 --> 00:37:58.079 it feels. Like you said at the very beginning, it's about a time 537 00:37:58.119 --> 00:38:00.079 and a place, not so much about the produce, sir. Yeah, 538 00:38:00.119 --> 00:38:02.360 because we're in it all the time, and if you don't talk about it, 539 00:38:02.400 --> 00:38:07.159 then that's how you spent your day, you know. So it's you 540 00:38:07.199 --> 00:38:10.519 know, it's super hard, you know, to not talk about it. 541 00:38:10.599 --> 00:38:15.000 You know, I love you absolutely, but yeah, that's sparkling is definitely 542 00:38:15.039 --> 00:38:20.320 the way to set the mood. And so now when you look back at 543 00:38:20.360 --> 00:38:22.360 your career, I mean, we're getting or in your life and we're given 544 00:38:22.400 --> 00:38:29.039 advice all the time from different people, teachers and parents and colleagues and mentors. 545 00:38:29.039 --> 00:38:30.519 I'm curious, is there a piece of advice someone gave you. It's 546 00:38:30.559 --> 00:38:36.039 somewhere along the way that you your work ethic, you're carry through life, 547 00:38:36.079 --> 00:38:42.920 how you live. Two very very prominent things that I always sort of reference. 548 00:38:43.760 --> 00:38:46.000 One my dad who was just here and was saying advice walked up. 549 00:38:47.000 --> 00:38:50.440 Yes, my dear, he should he should have stayed to hear this. 550 00:38:50.599 --> 00:38:52.719 I know he knows that. I've told them many times. I work with 551 00:38:52.719 --> 00:38:55.440 my family. They helped me all the time. They're amazing. My brother's 552 00:38:55.480 --> 00:39:00.199 my right hand and my dad is now our dishwasher since he's retired can't stay 553 00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:04.440 at home, and our gardener. It's such a delight. But when I 554 00:39:04.559 --> 00:39:06.559 was, you know, we growing up, we had a basketbrab with ice 555 00:39:06.639 --> 00:39:08.239 cream store, you know, for thirty years. And you know, being 556 00:39:08.239 --> 00:39:10.840 a kid, you want to go to work with your parents. And I 557 00:39:10.920 --> 00:39:15.159 remember maybe being like five or six jests head over the counter and it was 558 00:39:15.440 --> 00:39:20.800 in the evening and I was with my dad and a gentleman came in and 559 00:39:21.039 --> 00:39:24.079 ordered a Sunday or whatever, and I was just watching and my dad was 560 00:39:24.159 --> 00:39:27.960 giving back the change and he said, do you want to do it? 561 00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:30.000 And I said yeah, and so I put the change in my hand. 562 00:39:30.079 --> 00:39:35.760 The man, I'll stretch his arm and I dropped the change and he said 563 00:39:35.800 --> 00:39:38.320 thank you, looking at me and you know, down and I looked at 564 00:39:38.360 --> 00:39:42.960 him and I said, you're welcome, and my dad shot me a look 565 00:39:43.880 --> 00:39:47.719 piercing look again I'm tiny, and he said not, you're welcome, thank 566 00:39:47.840 --> 00:39:52.960 you, and it just hit me. I was like, oh, yeah, 567 00:39:52.000 --> 00:39:55.320 that's right. You can go anywhere to get ice cream, but you 568 00:39:55.360 --> 00:40:00.039 came here to get ice cream, so thank you for coming in. And 569 00:40:00.039 --> 00:40:02.599 that has been I always say, everybody that walks in the door is a 570 00:40:02.599 --> 00:40:06.599 miracle. They can go anywhere, and if they're walking in this door, 571 00:40:06.639 --> 00:40:08.800 it's a miracle. But they took the time, they parked, they chose 572 00:40:08.840 --> 00:40:13.639 to walk in, whether they came in on their own volition or someone recommended 573 00:40:13.719 --> 00:40:17.400 them. We need to honor that gift. So that's the first one I 574 00:40:17.400 --> 00:40:21.360 love. Yeah, I mean it's true, you know. But for me 575 00:40:21.440 --> 00:40:23.480 when I go walking somewhere and no one can even say hello, that drives 576 00:40:23.519 --> 00:40:28.440 me bananas, Like, oh my god, I have money in my pocket, 577 00:40:28.920 --> 00:40:30.559 I'm going to buy something, but now I'm not, you know, 578 00:40:30.760 --> 00:40:34.960 because you don't appreciate me. Yeah, like I made a huge effort to 579 00:40:35.039 --> 00:40:39.000 me here. But yeah, no, hospitality is very, very very valuable 580 00:40:39.039 --> 00:40:46.000 and very important to us, and too. When I was first opening the 581 00:40:46.039 --> 00:40:52.960 tasting room back in twenty eleven, and I was getting it ready, and 582 00:40:52.960 --> 00:40:54.239 I took out a small loan from my parents, and I was sort of, 583 00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:57.960 you know, doing all this stuff, and I was working. It 584 00:40:58.039 --> 00:41:02.039 was a Sunday night, I remember in October, and my dear friend David 585 00:41:02.159 --> 00:41:06.840 and Brian were fro Melli. They were taking a motorcycle trip and they had 586 00:41:06.880 --> 00:41:10.360 not seen the space. We'd come to Las almost together a lot as a 587 00:41:10.599 --> 00:41:15.079 as a friend group. We'd go to Flatbread, we'd sort of, you 588 00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:20.000 know, spend the afternoon and go home. But they knew that I had 589 00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:22.599 rented this space, but they had never seen it. So they drove up. 590 00:41:22.880 --> 00:41:27.800 They're taking my cycle trip. They came and stopped in to see me. 591 00:41:28.440 --> 00:41:30.239 I was like covered in dust and doing all this stuff. And they 592 00:41:30.280 --> 00:41:34.920 walked in and they were first mortified. They thought, oh my god, 593 00:41:35.639 --> 00:41:37.239 this is where you're opening your tasting room. I think this is where you've 594 00:41:37.239 --> 00:41:44.079 decided to invest. And I love them because they were so honest. They 595 00:41:44.079 --> 00:41:45.400 weren't thinking, oh my god, it'll be great. They're like, oh, 596 00:41:45.440 --> 00:41:49.280 man, are you sure, And I was like, yeah, I 597 00:41:49.400 --> 00:41:54.360 paid, I signed, this is it. And they they were lovely and 598 00:41:54.559 --> 00:42:00.239 David said, okay, you're gonna do this, and we'd just put the 599 00:42:00.239 --> 00:42:04.599 bar and he came behind the bar and he put his hands on the bar 600 00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:07.559 and he said, look at me, and I said, yeah, this 601 00:42:07.960 --> 00:42:13.280 is your stage. You run the room. And I thought wow, And 602 00:42:13.360 --> 00:42:17.079 I'd never thought about that before. And those two things I stay with me 603 00:42:19.280 --> 00:42:22.320 forever. I love it. Yeah. So when you look back at your 604 00:42:22.320 --> 00:42:24.960 career, yeah, and even before wine, what would you say is one 605 00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:30.840 of your proudest achievements to date? Lots of things, I think, you 606 00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:36.280 know, I mean, I think ultimately I have to say. You know, 607 00:42:36.320 --> 00:42:40.360 we're sitting here in this tasting room, right and this is against all 608 00:42:40.440 --> 00:42:45.639 odds. I mean honestly, Like I look back and I think, oh 609 00:42:45.679 --> 00:42:49.760 my gosh, Like you can pay this rent. You have employees that you 610 00:42:49.800 --> 00:42:53.000 work with that you pay. If they want healthcare, like they get healthcare, 611 00:42:53.239 --> 00:42:58.639 you do four one K. We can do that, you know. 612 00:42:58.840 --> 00:43:07.559 And those things feel very adult. And it takes a while to get there, 613 00:43:07.000 --> 00:43:10.880 right because owning your own business and starting with you know, nothing, 614 00:43:12.320 --> 00:43:15.679 is a challenge, and so you scrape it by and you figure it out. 615 00:43:15.760 --> 00:43:19.880 And so the fact that one that we've made it, the fact that 616 00:43:19.920 --> 00:43:22.320 we've survived this long, the fact that we have a team that we work 617 00:43:22.360 --> 00:43:27.320 with and that people walk in the door. I think that has to be 618 00:43:28.159 --> 00:43:30.519 the greatest accomplishments of it. Yeah, I love that. And how many 619 00:43:30.559 --> 00:43:36.280 years has it been now? Making wine almost twenty with the tasting room over 620 00:43:36.360 --> 00:43:39.519 twelve. Yeah, and you've got a long long way to go. So 621 00:43:39.559 --> 00:43:45.519 there are many more, many more achievements to accomplish it. I mean, 622 00:43:45.559 --> 00:43:47.960 you know that is I still feel in the one hand. I mean, 623 00:43:49.000 --> 00:43:52.519 look in the mirror, you're like, oh no, you're not twelve anymore, 624 00:43:52.159 --> 00:43:55.920 and yet inside you feel I feel like I'm fourteen, you know, 625 00:43:55.960 --> 00:44:00.800 like the energy is just bursting, and yet you think, okay, well 626 00:44:00.119 --> 00:44:04.719 you gotta keep moving, you know, one day, let's go, let's 627 00:44:04.760 --> 00:44:08.119 go. So maybe that's why I have trouble sort of just not doing something 628 00:44:08.159 --> 00:44:12.039 because I think, well, time it keeps ticking, you know, when 629 00:44:12.079 --> 00:44:14.000 am I going to do this? There's just so much to do. There's 630 00:44:14.039 --> 00:44:15.639 so much to do. I used the thing that we could do it all. 631 00:44:15.760 --> 00:44:19.519 Now I know that we can't do it all, but we can try, 632 00:44:19.639 --> 00:44:23.679 you know. So imagine that we're sitting here at a table. We've 633 00:44:23.679 --> 00:44:27.000 got your wines on the table, but there's an empty seat next to you. 634 00:44:27.400 --> 00:44:30.360 So who from any walk of life. Would you love to be drinking 635 00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:37.679 a bottle of Clementine Carter or the Feminist Party or Casadu mats with you right 636 00:44:37.679 --> 00:44:43.000 now? It would love it for to be my grandmother Bobby Linka. So 637 00:44:43.079 --> 00:44:46.599 we named the tasting room after her. She's probably the reason why I know 638 00:44:46.719 --> 00:44:53.039 it's called Bobby. Yeah. So, she again was the woman who kept 639 00:44:53.039 --> 00:44:58.960 the family together. She was the glue. She invited everybody to her table. 640 00:45:00.079 --> 00:45:04.880 She forgave everybody when she probably shouldn't have, but she everybody was forgiven 641 00:45:04.880 --> 00:45:09.840 in her life. And she was just an absolute light and joy. And 642 00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:20.840 so she passed away in summer of twenty eleven and her sort of funeral. 643 00:45:21.079 --> 00:45:24.199 I was working and I took two weeks off and I went back to Michigan. 644 00:45:24.239 --> 00:45:27.599 I was with family, and you know, because she was a huge 645 00:45:27.599 --> 00:45:34.559 part of my life, and that sort of severance from your everyday life to 646 00:45:34.639 --> 00:45:38.559 sort of a different reality. Suddenly I realized, well, what are you? 647 00:45:38.760 --> 00:45:43.119 What are you doing right? What are you? You're waiting table as 648 00:45:43.159 --> 00:45:45.599 you're making wine, you're writing, you're kind of running all over the place, 649 00:45:45.679 --> 00:45:50.119 but like, where's your focus? And that's when I decided, Okay, 650 00:45:50.159 --> 00:45:52.480 you need to open the stationing room. You need to commit to something, 651 00:45:52.519 --> 00:45:54.920 you need to not be afraid, and you need to do it. 652 00:45:57.440 --> 00:46:02.440 So she never saw any of this right, and I think that she would 653 00:46:02.440 --> 00:46:07.519 be just in absolute bliss if she did. And she loved a party, 654 00:46:07.599 --> 00:46:13.760 so she would she will hang out with anybody. Well, then complete this 655 00:46:13.840 --> 00:46:19.280 sentence. For me, a table without wine is like, oh my gosh. 656 00:46:19.320 --> 00:46:29.960 A table without wine is like a flower without any petals. Yeah, 657 00:46:27.960 --> 00:46:34.519 yeah, very sad. I'm sad. They're like, wait, where is 658 00:46:34.559 --> 00:46:40.159 the petals? Definitely? Well, we're we're almost finished. We've been talking. 659 00:46:40.159 --> 00:46:45.599 I've been so enjoying listen to you and talking. We're not finished yet. 660 00:46:45.679 --> 00:46:50.920 So I'm curious if you you know, silly question in a way, 661 00:46:51.000 --> 00:46:53.440 if you were being sent to a deserted island, what three wines would you 662 00:46:53.480 --> 00:46:57.519 take with you? But I'm curious what three wines would you take with you? 663 00:46:58.039 --> 00:47:06.400 I would take Larmonde sparkling, okay, I would take a bottle of 664 00:47:06.599 --> 00:47:09.920 Brow Clifton, Machado, Chardonnay, any vintage, I do not care. 665 00:47:10.599 --> 00:47:17.159 And I would take a bottle of West and Granche one of your own. 666 00:47:17.440 --> 00:47:23.199 Yeah, yeah, I love it. So I know that you have listened 667 00:47:23.239 --> 00:47:28.440 to this podcast, but a little little preparation is worth. At the very 668 00:47:28.519 --> 00:47:30.480 end, we play a little game at the end, just to have a 669 00:47:30.480 --> 00:47:34.079 little fun, to get to know some of your wines and put them into 670 00:47:34.079 --> 00:47:37.639 a context. It's wine soundtrack, so we pair it with music. So 671 00:47:37.719 --> 00:47:39.800 you know, they caught wine conjures up emotions in US and music does. 672 00:47:40.199 --> 00:47:43.880 So I'm going to just call out a couple of your wines and I want 673 00:47:43.880 --> 00:47:47.599 you to tell me what song or genre or musician. You can get as 674 00:47:47.599 --> 00:47:52.239 specific or general as you want, but you welcome me with your brusson, 675 00:47:52.480 --> 00:47:58.960 which is let's see, it's you told me that it is partial concrete and 676 00:47:59.119 --> 00:48:04.599 partial stainless teal and ardons. Okay, what would I pair with? Oh, 677 00:48:07.360 --> 00:48:14.559 it's got texture, it's duran, duran, Yeah for sure, hungry 678 00:48:14.599 --> 00:48:17.880 like the little it makes you hungry? Yeah, well it makes you just 679 00:48:17.960 --> 00:48:22.440 like put some pep in your step and you want to get going. Yeah. 680 00:48:22.559 --> 00:48:25.840 Okay, you've talked a lot about your west End, the Clementine Carter 681 00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:30.119 west End, Grinnosh coming from the Sanary to Hills. Yeah. Beyonce, 682 00:48:31.000 --> 00:48:37.119 Oh yeah, anything, yeah, anything, you know, She's just a 683 00:48:37.239 --> 00:48:42.360 delight, you know, yeah, and she just gets you in the groove. 684 00:48:42.880 --> 00:48:45.800 You know, you're just in it whether you want to be or not. 685 00:48:45.159 --> 00:48:51.239 So that's kind of what I appear. What about your moved Shakakan, 686 00:48:52.800 --> 00:48:55.960 Yeah, ain't nobody. I do like your eighties references here, Yeah, 687 00:48:57.000 --> 00:49:05.880 and I appreciate it greatly. And then okay, so those were all Clementine 688 00:49:05.920 --> 00:49:08.920 Carter wines. So what about your Pino No War from Costadu mats, which 689 00:49:08.960 --> 00:49:13.719 I know the twenty twenty is half good because you said you change vintage vineyards 690 00:49:13.719 --> 00:49:19.079 every year. Yeah. Marvin Gay, Oh yeah, it's just very very 691 00:49:19.159 --> 00:49:24.119 joyful, very soulful, very sultry, just very Yeah, definitely, and 692 00:49:24.199 --> 00:49:28.360 it feels very home. So it feels very Detroit, right, it feels 693 00:49:28.440 --> 00:49:32.280 very grounding. Peano always feels very grounding to me. So I would definitely 694 00:49:32.320 --> 00:49:37.079 do Marvin Gay last, but not least the feminist part of your one blend 695 00:49:37.400 --> 00:49:43.519 God everything, everything, everything mixed together. It would be a little George 696 00:49:43.599 --> 00:49:47.119 Michael, I'll be a little led Zeppelin. Yeah, it would be sort 697 00:49:47.159 --> 00:49:51.800 of the whole gamut. So the random mix, the random mix. If 698 00:49:51.840 --> 00:49:55.840 you saw my my my music sort of playlists, you'd be like, what 699 00:49:57.079 --> 00:50:00.639 even Greg is like, what do you have on here? It's just a 700 00:50:00.679 --> 00:50:05.960 little bit of everything, you know, and probably some you know, traditional 701 00:50:06.000 --> 00:50:09.360 Macedonian music in there as well, which is an awesome, awesome, you 702 00:50:09.400 --> 00:50:14.320 know gift. Very cool. Well, sonya, it's been so much fun 703 00:50:14.440 --> 00:50:16.960 chatting with you. My last question for you as a two parter, that 704 00:50:17.119 --> 00:50:21.079 is the first part is what wine region in the world is at the top 705 00:50:21.119 --> 00:50:28.880 of your bucket list to visit? God, there's so many. Well, 706 00:50:28.920 --> 00:50:32.000 you know, this is a great question, and I guess I don't know 707 00:50:32.039 --> 00:50:37.440 if this is not right. I mean, when I was we used to 708 00:50:37.480 --> 00:50:39.599 go to Macedonia every summer as a kid, right, and the last time 709 00:50:39.639 --> 00:50:44.280 I was there was an O nine And at that time, Macedonia is a 710 00:50:44.360 --> 00:50:50.440 huge agricultural component. Industry is bag industry is a big part of their economy. 711 00:50:51.079 --> 00:50:53.360 And you know, since sort of became its own country, the whole 712 00:50:53.400 --> 00:50:59.320 structure of wine has shifted, so it was less about sort of bulk selling 713 00:50:59.519 --> 00:51:05.079 out of country and a lot of now sort of homegrown vintners, tasting rooms, 714 00:51:05.159 --> 00:51:09.400 experiences, hotels, all of that. So I it's a it's on 715 00:51:09.519 --> 00:51:14.760 the list, on the immediate list to go back with the new frame of 716 00:51:14.800 --> 00:51:21.400 reference and understand what's happening here and taste the wines and talk to talk to 717 00:51:22.119 --> 00:51:24.280 wine makers and walk the rows because it didn't happen. I did that a 718 00:51:24.320 --> 00:51:28.519 little bit on my last trip, but not really sort of as immersive as 719 00:51:28.559 --> 00:51:34.119 I would have liked. So that that for sure. And then Champagne, 720 00:51:34.280 --> 00:51:37.760 I've never been yeah, for as much as my love. But you know, 721 00:51:37.920 --> 00:51:42.119 there's also like I'd love the good centorinia, I'd love the goat. 722 00:51:43.199 --> 00:51:46.960 I mean, everyone dya like, I'm just I'm just enamored with wine. 723 00:51:46.960 --> 00:51:52.599 I'm enamored with the sense of place, right. I love. I love 724 00:51:52.719 --> 00:51:54.639 that we taste the landscape, right, That's the most important to me. 725 00:51:54.760 --> 00:51:58.920 Like when you're opening a bottle of wine, you're tasting the landscape in a 726 00:51:59.000 --> 00:52:01.960 moment in time that will never be recreated, right, and that magic to 727 00:52:02.079 --> 00:52:07.320 me. I love. That's why I just I love being transported. I 728 00:52:07.360 --> 00:52:09.400 want to go like, oh, that feels like that place. I understand 729 00:52:09.760 --> 00:52:15.119 what that means, which is why you know, I'm even though I make 730 00:52:15.159 --> 00:52:16.639 a blend, it's not my favorite, you know, as soon as I 731 00:52:16.719 --> 00:52:19.880 hear like, oh, a blend of and I'm like, no, I 732 00:52:20.000 --> 00:52:24.079 wanted something else. Again, that's my own thing, but I just I 733 00:52:24.239 --> 00:52:30.519 love understanding what that place tastes like. So for somebody who wants to come 734 00:52:30.639 --> 00:52:34.760 experience this place and taste what this place is like, how can they find 735 00:52:34.840 --> 00:52:37.199 you? I know you're in the town of Los Alamos, this charming little 736 00:52:37.840 --> 00:52:43.679 two three block town, one horse town. Yeah, where in Los Alamos 737 00:52:43.800 --> 00:52:45.559 we have the right amount of right and the right amount of rung. We're 738 00:52:45.679 --> 00:52:49.679 right next to the flagpole. When people come into town and they'll call the 739 00:52:49.719 --> 00:52:52.239 book, where are you, I'm like, are your eyes closed? Because 740 00:52:52.239 --> 00:52:55.840 I don't know how you missed it. Yeah, so we're hearing Los Alamos. 741 00:52:58.039 --> 00:53:00.599 You know. That's the that's the most direct way. We do sell 742 00:53:00.679 --> 00:53:05.920 online through our website obviously constomtswines dot com. We have an Instagram, and 743 00:53:06.039 --> 00:53:08.559 you know, we do sell wine and other other parts. But this is 744 00:53:08.679 --> 00:53:13.920 kind of the best way, and I would recommend joining us for a vineo 745 00:53:13.960 --> 00:53:17.719 tour. That's it's everyone that goes on that is they're just blown away, 746 00:53:19.039 --> 00:53:21.679 you know. And then here in the tasting room. It's not just a 747 00:53:21.800 --> 00:53:24.159 tasting room because you have the tasting room, you have the retail shop, 748 00:53:24.400 --> 00:53:29.440 beer bar next door with an outdoor area, and then you also do some 749 00:53:29.760 --> 00:53:35.000 fun nights here. Yeah, we used to. We used to get pretty 750 00:53:35.039 --> 00:53:38.000 well all they get like DJ's and then COVID kind of arrested that for a 751 00:53:38.079 --> 00:53:44.199 little bit, but we we do. So we have the wine tasting room 752 00:53:44.280 --> 00:53:46.119 and then next door I run a beer room called Bobby's Beer and Poium and 753 00:53:46.239 --> 00:53:51.119 we have beers on tap and in cans and they wrote it all the time. 754 00:53:51.159 --> 00:53:53.880 And then we sell other wines, and then we have every weekend we 755 00:53:54.000 --> 00:53:58.079 work with dim Summa, so they have we have a restaurant on site and 756 00:53:58.159 --> 00:54:01.000 so we do Bow and dim sum and there were Delight, so we do 757 00:54:01.119 --> 00:54:05.239 that Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And then the patio. The patios are 758 00:54:05.239 --> 00:54:07.320 where you can do everything. You can do beer, wine, food, 759 00:54:07.360 --> 00:54:09.840 whatever you want. And then we have segregated like this is the wine room 760 00:54:09.920 --> 00:54:14.679 and then that's everything else. I needed some little sanctuary, so this is 761 00:54:14.719 --> 00:54:20.119 our little spot. And so one thing we have consistently maintained through this whole 762 00:54:20.159 --> 00:54:22.719 period of time even with COVID is on Friday, as we do Words to 763 00:54:22.800 --> 00:54:28.559 Live by Speaker series and so we've been doing it now for gosh. Since 764 00:54:28.679 --> 00:54:34.519 since twenty twelve, it's almost every Friday and we talk about every topic. 765 00:54:35.079 --> 00:54:38.280 You know. This last Friday we talked about trauma and healing. The friday 766 00:54:38.320 --> 00:54:43.760 before we're talking about mindfulness. There friday before we talked, we had our 767 00:54:43.800 --> 00:54:47.119 local friends. We just opened their distillery and they brought samples and talked and 768 00:54:49.320 --> 00:54:52.239 cookie company came the other day. I mean, we talk about everything, 769 00:54:52.440 --> 00:54:55.519 and it's a really informal way. Anybody can come get a glass or not, 770 00:54:55.840 --> 00:54:59.920 and it's just people just talk about their loves and it's very engaged. 771 00:55:00.159 --> 00:55:05.599 We ask questions and so we've done falconry, hat making, immigration, red 772 00:55:05.679 --> 00:55:08.519 fermentation, cider, like, we've done it all and we have many more. 773 00:55:08.679 --> 00:55:10.960 We have a good list coming up. So it's fun. So I 774 00:55:12.000 --> 00:55:15.719 mean, it's not just wine, it's beer yea. And it's conversation. 775 00:55:15.880 --> 00:55:21.440 Yeah, it's it's about community, so important. Definitely come on up to 776 00:55:21.519 --> 00:55:25.199 SANDINAZ check out Los Alamos, great little town you cannot miss. Kastadu, 777 00:55:25.280 --> 00:55:29.519 Mets and Sonya, thank you so much for joining us today and starch a 778 00:55:29.599 --> 00:55:31.719 delight. Thank you for making the effort after everything you did this weekend. 779 00:55:32.159 --> 00:55:36.639 Thank you, thank you, thank you guys awesome, really appreciate it. 780 00:55:36.760 --> 00:55:38.760 Let's go take some wine. Let's do it. Thanks for listening to a 781 00:55:38.800 --> 00:55:44.760 new episode of Wind Soundtrack USSAY. For details and updates, visit our website 782 00:55:44.960 --> 00:55:45.519 wind soundtracks dot com.