Right place at the right time...

[jparrott]

So I dropped in at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA last evening to drop off a sample of one of our wines and have a Manhattan. It's early, the bar's about half full, but Todd Thrasher, the estimable GM/somm/mixmaster, is bustling, passing out thimble-filled flutes to staff and regulars. Ken the bartender hands me his. "59 Salon," he says. Sherried and salty, but still elegant, lively, and well-bubbled, with dry lemon and raw almond. Beautiful, from a pristine bottle.

Another glass appears. "1925 Lafite." This one's a bit the worse for wear, but still an intriguing loamy nose of cigar and earth, with the last vestiges of eighty-year-old red cherry fruit from this unrenowned vintage. A bit of history.

And another. "We don't know the vintage, it's one of 1925, 1926, 1935, 1936." It's Beaune-Greves from Bouchard, a Hospices bottling. Still chunky and round, with dark cherry fruit and sweet earth, with the classic Greves gravel. 1935 is considered the best of those four vintages, so that's my guess.

And all because I wanted to drop off a sample.

(And I ran into DonRocks and morela a night after running into mnebergall at the same place, without even knowing it )