"Within the bottle's depths, the wine's soul sang one night."
Charles Baudelaire, French poet and critic, (1821-1867)

It was autumn, just after harvest. The heady aroma of fermenting grapes and fallen leaves embraced us. We sipped his 2004 Chardonnay around a storied oak table, tapping long-eared hounds to avant-garde Jazz as they pranced between guests. His bass voice carried over the rat-a-tat of raindrops and tales of his life in vine unfolded...(continue)