Volume 04
Come Celebrate with Chasing Ether and Acme Fine Wines.
If you asked why I have recommended tasting at Acme Fine Wines in St. Helena to visitors of the Napa Valley for the past twenty odd years, I could list a number of enticing, sound, and exciting reasons.
Acme is woman-owned and run. This is important. In my experience, women tend to have the best palettes and smallest egos, a combination I would consider essential to choosing wines for customers!
They get their hands on maiden releases before anyone else, and at the prices the wines were released at. Something to consider if you want access to truly rare wines.
They promote winemakers and their side hustles as well as their main hustle.
And, you can taste a range of very unique and diverse wines in the same place.
In short, Karen Williams, Liz, Carina, and the team have been crushing it for 23 years, and you get to reap the rewards of all their relationships in our industry. In short, you get access to the insider's insider. So, by my estimate, that's a whole lot of checks in the plus column!
However, the two real reasons are slightly different from those above.
I have known Karen since our girls were 3 and started school together, but when I began coaching our daughters' U8 football (soccer) team in 2012, I got to know her better. Elizabeth, Karen’s daughter, was an absolute gem to coach. I mostly called her “E!”. And, yes, E! Always with the exclamation. The number of times I bellowed out to her in an attempt to direct her independent mind set in the required direction on the field must have been north of ten times a game.
“E! Stop eating a cucumber sandwich and get involved!”
“E! Move five feet to your right! Not that right, the other one!”
“E! Put down your knitting and tackle number 3!”
“Turn on the Jets, E! YES!!”
“Work smarter AND harder E!”
Even at age 11, she had the perfect amount of “sass” and independence to always respond mid-stride, sometimes positively, sometimes exasperated, mostly disagreeing but always giving it one hundred percent effort. My kind of player. By her senior year, E! had established a strong reputation as an outstanding thespian. Which she proved beyond doubt in my mind, when I saw her perform magnificently in a performance of Murder on the Orient Express as Caroline Hubbard. Whenever I run into E!, she still calls me coach.
So that's reason one.
Reason number two goes something like this. California history field trip for a 4th-grade class. Three days and nights in Gold Country with too many 4th graders. Chaperone duties. Somebody save me!
Well, it turns out that three other chaperons were feeling the same thing, so when we were given a break from our duties, Sean, Shannon, Karen, and I made a beeline to the closest bar in Murphy’s. I have to admit I did feel a little guilt, running to the bar at the first chance, but when our Chubby Waters (beers) showed up, my guilt got washed down and out of sight. When Karen and Shannon’s double shots of Jack arrived, I felt so much better! And, they surely did too.
And that’s reason two
When I showed Karen the lineup of new wines recently, I was over the moon when she chose the 23 Cinsault for her Pulse Club. What is the Pulse club? Well, I was about to tell you. The Pulse Club is for the adventurous wine enthusiast; this club knows no boundaries. Selections feature a breadth of varietals and winemaking styles from the most inspiring wine regions of the moment. Every month, Karen and her team select three bottles of wine to share with you. Each shipment will include stories and descriptions written by her team of sommeliers so that you become the expert on the wines.
If you become a member of the Pulse Club, you get the following perks:
• 10% discount on à la carte purchases.
• Complimentary tastings at the ACME St. Helena gallery.
• Access to your favorite featured club wines in subsequent vintages through ACME’s proprietary
allocations.
• Access to the Members Page, where you will find your current allocation of club wines,
exclusive interviews with winemakers, and announcements about upcoming events.
• Preferred rates with their concierge partners for your next Napa Valley visit.
Sounds like a good deal to me! And that is not all. If you are in the area this upcoming Friday, the 27th, join me and the Acme ladies from 5 to 7 pm, where we will be pouring my three current wines and offering a first look at my new 25 Chasing Ether California Rose (it is delicious).
