A Pierson to Pearson message…

A while ago the web gal and I did a tasting at the Robert Mondavi Winery and our pourer recommended a trip across the road for a tasting at Opus One. So we took him up on his recommendation and had a nice tasting on their patio. But before we ascended their stairs, I said to the web gal, hey the top guy here is a David Pearson too.. wonder if he’d like to meet his namesake..  which made the web gal smirk and say, I highly doubt it..

But funny how life works, when I saw that David was leaving his CEO post at Opus One after 16 years, to be Managing Director at Meadowood, I had to send a Pierson to Pearson request for him to do the NSI quiz which he graciously did with all on his plate with winding things up with Opus One. And assuming his new duties at Meadowood where in his talks with Bill Harlan he was going to be collaborating on something big that he was really looking forward to. As I am too…enjoy…

What was last night’s dinner? Homemade pad thai (concocted beautifully by my daughter)  with some nice rosé from the south of France.

What’s your favorite music? French folk rock/ballad: Francis Cabrel, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Patricia Kaas, Yves Montand, Charles Aznavour… 

What’s your favorite drink? Really?  Do I have to say wine?  But, the pleasure is having the right drink for the moment.  Cold beer at the right time.  Well-aged Cognac after a great meal. Margaritas…  A dry martini…

Favorite dining spot in Napa? The Restaurant at Meadowood for the most special moments.  Farmstead for relaxed casual evenings.

Favorite thing about living and working in Napa? The quality of the lifestyle… a shared appreciation for the ‘gracious’ way of living that Robert Mondavi taught to us.  Authentic foods, great wines, practically everyone has their own garden – many have chickens… A small tight-knit community connected by agriculture… so you have a shared sense of the challenges that nature can present every year.  We (most of the time) are ‘all in this together.’   And, it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet earth…

What makes a great winery? The people and their passion.  Dedication to hard work and rigorous attention to the smallest details.  Wine is sharing, story telling and hospitality.  If you have people who love to do all that, you have a great winery.  Now what makes a great wine… is an altogether different question.

Any brush with celebrity? Ever?  Yes, many.  Most recent?  Or Most memorable…  Most memorable: hosting Gerard Dépardieu for a visit at Opus One.  Gerard is one of France’s greatest living actors and a passionate winemaker as well.  The visit I hosted that made the most people jealous (especially the women): George Clooney.  He was very nice and relaxed.  We agreed that we are both in creative industries… and it can be very hard to handle when critics trash your work about which you have put so much love and time into creating… not that critics have ever really trashed his work or have they been to harsh on our wines.  But, still…

Any wine, restaurant or trip on your bucket list? Wine bucket list: Practically any wine from Domaine Romanée Conti. Restaurant bucket list:  I never got to go to El Bulli before it closed.  Can that count as my bucket list!!    Trip bucket list: arctic circle to sleep in the ice hotels.

Final thoughts?? These are great questions.  Life is about the journey and the what happens to us along the way… not the destination.  John Lennon: life is what happens to us while we are busy making other plans…  Slow down, enjoy the trip.  Have some great food and great wine with your family, friends, loved ones… or strangers (nice ones), it grounds us… connects us… makes us whole… and keeps us healthy.  Cheers!

Opus One