2017 BWE SF: thank you to the participants

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Nicklasss
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2017 BWE SF: thank you to the participants

Post by Nicklasss »

Renewal with BWEers was not long as it started directly before the Toronto-SF flight as dstgolf and wife were having the same flight. I feel I have a special relationship with Danny as he attended a first offline I organized in Montreal in 2003. Good connection right away at that time, that just keep getting stronger since then, always passing good time with him and Danielle. Ready for the event but at the same time worried by his mom condition, i understand rapidly that would be a "different" convention for them. Hoping that everythings would be fine, as my friends were staying for 2 weeks in the Golden State.

The Thursday and Friday nights were high fun, and seeing all the BWEers I did not see since few to many years was a great time.Thursday, I spend more time with blanquito as I met him just once before. He and his brother hermano made me comfortable as they are approximately same age/same life step as Jean-Fred and me. Two handsome brothers, having fun together at that type of event is always good company. Lot of fun on Thursday night with them, especially for the blind tasting, where Jimhow was considering "having no friends at the table"! Winona Chief, stefan and their respective wife were also in great shape. Lovely friendly people, passionates about wines, I'm always woundering if one of them would adopt me! They both have exact comments on wines and very fun stories about it. Michael-P, just coming in from Dubaï was a bit tilted at the beginning of Thursday dinner. But I knew my long time friend (met him at the first convention in 2001, and several times after) would get over that tremedous jetlag as easily as he ever did before. Sitting next to him and lovely energic Nalan on Saturday night was great fun, especially that Michael likes the challenge of guessing what was the mystery wine I brought for four of them. And what to say about Jim? I handle with him so many time in different conditions (driving, convention, offline, small dinner, Maine campground, bars, wineries, ladies trying to pick us...) in the last 16 years, i feel i will never have enough of his company! Always convenient with part time excessive character, i know he is proud of this BWE community, is doing a lot for it, for the good or the bad, but for me a truely special guy.

Friday was thrilling as I did not saw CabFan since a long time, let say around 2007 or 2009. I discussed with him and instantaneously feeled like I talked to him 2 weeks ago. Learning that he was doing good, and his lovely wife too (who unfortunately couldn't attend), was all I needed to start a great Friday night dinner! I was remembering their daugther Julia, that made it to a precedent BWE event. Meeting the extra charming Julia again after all these years was also a pleasure, but like when I look my own kids, I just feel "vieux"! I like their their father-daughter relationship, even if Cabfan is working hard to make from Julia, the next Jancis Robinson :-). Ed and Lisa, also in great smiling shape, are fun Californians that I need one day to sit at their table to have more time with them. I would have like to attend Wednesday event at their place, and I know they are very generous people. I was happy to take sometime with Ed (and Cabfan later) to show him some tasting notes I took in their company in SF in 2003, and to bring a mysterious old Bordeaux for him too. And discussing about the wines with Ed Friday night, a bit about politic (Trump vs Trudeau) with Lisa Friday night, and Lisa's Saturday dressing, were again special moments for me. Howard and Lisa seemed also to me in great shape, like Stuart and Kathy, but I did not chat enough with them on the short duration of two dinners. I know Jean-Fred discussed more with Lisa and Howard on Saturday, and i've been passing and tasting wines with Howard on Friday and Saturday, and thanks him for my first ever sip of Quilceda Friday. I spent sometime with Stuart, to share my mysterious wine, and identifying when could be a next visit in the Sunshine State. I showed the kids to Kathy, as she remembered very well Marie-Claude was pregnantof Simone in 2008 when we were in Miami. Down the road, with now three kids between 4 and 8, it is tough to see how time fly by, and spending time with BWEers is tougher but still "priceless". Stuart wines on Saturday showed again his enormous generosity, but for me seeing them is first, tasting the wine is second.

A highlight for me was to meet William P and his wife for the first time on Friday pre-dinner apperitive. I appreciate that they made it, even with william back condition. William P and his wife drove us around SF (Twin Peaks, the beach/Pacific ocean, Golden Gate park, the Cliff house and pools, the Presidio/Marina area) on Saturday. We spend a good five hours together and learned a bit more about each other, also enjoying a meal on "beautifully" crowded Union Street. I really appreciate they take this time with Jean-Fred and me, and these moments are what make BWE so special: basically unusually super friendly people, that like life. I asked Bill to make a last stop at K&L to source another bottle of 1990 Chateau Rausan Segla, and I shouldn't as the traffic + a shooting for a Volkswagen commercial on California Street almost made us late for the invitation at 5 pm in our room.

On Saturday, i was looking forward to see back AKR and Jenn, I did not saw since 2006. They also look great, even if last time we saw each other Arv and me, we did not had kids or gray hairs... Of course, one dinner is very short, but just touching base with Arv after all these years is fun as Arv is a very good poster on BWE, sampling all kind of different Bordeaux (and other wines) without pre-judging them. I forgot what I've poured for you Arv, but i think you got pours of my two wines, and it was important to me that you had some.

Sunday, as Jean-Fred made it for a short stop in SF a long time ago, we walked the town from 9 am to 7 pm, to maximize the city views and attractions, before we would leave Monday morning.

Now that the weekend is over, I'm a little depressed as a kid going of a "Disney park" i guess, but will be happy to see my little family back tonight, and my BWE friends who knows when the next time.

You can understand I'm a "very" simple guy.

Nic
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William P
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Re: 2017 BWE SF: thank you to the participants

Post by William P »

Nick, It was our pleasure showing you the City. It's a place that I truly love and miss. I just hope that our tour gave you a small taste of the uniqueness of the City.

I definitely agree with your feelings toward the BWE Board. Great people and good wine. Hopefully someday I'll make it up to beautiful Quebec and you can show us the town. Again if you ever go though Sacramento call me. The same is true for all BWErs.

Bill
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JeanFred
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Re: 2017 BWE SF: thank you to the participants

Post by JeanFred »

To my turn, I would like to say thank to all of you for this amazing and wonderful weekend in SF.

This was my second BWE convention but my first as a new member of this lovely community, and my participation took a completely different meaning, in the way that I started to create friendship with member more than just discussion. Instead of just being a Guess, as in Washington a couple years ago.

In the way back, a long way back in our city, we remember a lot of good moment we had the last weekend. For sure, we discuss about our 3 “dreamer” tasting but also on all the good time we spent meeting all of you. From the beginning of the trip were we meet Danny and Danielle, to pre and after dinner, the SF tour by William P and his wife and so on… And I dreamed about all that all the night

Again, thank you to welcome me as a new member, to well integrate me and to share your passion of wine.

By the way, I took some excellent pictures that I will post this week.
Jean-Frederic
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JimHow
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Re: 2017 BWE SF: thank you to the participants

Post by JimHow »

Thanks again for coming, Jean-Frederick, it was a lot of fun hanging out with you guys.
Looking forward to your pictures!
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AKR
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Re: 2017 BWE SF: thank you to the participants

Post by AKR »

It was great catching up with everyone. Always fun and instructive to taste wines blind.

Thanks for bringing the older Pomerols. Those are wines I've never tripped over, so thrilled to have tried them.

I realize how much I've aged when I left the party, when there was still lots of festivities going on.

When my hair was blacker, that would have been unlikely!
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