50th birthday of Monsieur Edmond B.

Friday 8, we tasted a good Grave 2007 brought by its owner, an astonishing character. Maybe I didn’t understand what this winemaker wanted from me? A new comer in this job of viticulture, full of energy, baccalaureat diploma + 5 years university; still, it seemed to me that despite all these qualities he didn’t have what I like in a winemaker. Maybe I was too demanding that day, but it is true that every time someone asks for my opinion, it puts me in an uncomfortable position, for I really wonder what people expect from me, and this young man had already so many opinions on this job, his colleagues (who give their wines for €2.5), costs don’t have much credibility (accounting wise), Alain Dominique is barely at a 1/3 of the cost for this wine? etc…

Too bad, maybe if this winemaker becomes famous and his wine sought after, I will tell myself “Darn, you made a mistake one more time!”

Fortunately, at 11:00 am, I had a meeting with a group from France Boisson, accompanied by one of my colleagues from Bordeaux (a big wine merchant). They were all enthusiastic visiting Château la Dominique and tasting our 2006, 2005 and 2001 which are showing well and fit this group who mainly sell the wines from the Vignobles Fayat to cafes-hotel-restaurants.

In the afternoon, I had a meeting with a potential sales person who is looking for a job in the wine industry. Can his experience and goals be useful to my company? We still have so much to accomplish.

Saturday evening, almost 80 people, friends, friends of friends, from any generation (from a few days old to more than 80 years old), were invited in Montignac’s village hall, a small village near Vauclair and Montpon Ménéstrol (Dordogne 24), to celebrate in joy and happiness the 50th birthday of Edmond, who works as an independent computer programmer and has a passion for wine.

A good opportunity to reconnect with friends from my youth, some that I didn’t see for more than 35 years, some already retired, others still working.
Like the brother of a friend who is working in the police force, while is brother is closer to disorder (like me)… A few women who helped harvest the early vintages of Valandraud, with who we will have to organize a meal, memories, memories…

Alain was also attending: he helped us move to Saint Emilion. Also present, the dentist I use to go to in Libourne when I was 14 years old and father of one of my young friends, owner of a successful cru from Saint Emilion.
Thanks to the generosity of our host, Jean Paul, Martine, Pierre, Sylviane where also invited to share this moment and taste the wines Edmond decided to open. He has one of the best private cellars in the region.
He’s not a collector but likes to share, drink without any snobbism, from top wines to the lowest, Kiki will send us the list of wine served at this reception.
You will then see that you don’t need to be rich to be generous and that in Montpon, you can drink more bottles in one evening than in the best restaurants in Paris or Bordeaux.

Thank you Edmond for this surreal evening.