The best job I ever had was working at Bonny Doon Vineyard. I loved the Santa Cruz mountains and the drive down to Highway 1 after work with the setting sun was the best reward of the day.

Working with Randall Grahm was like having worked with the Einstein (ok, so a little bit of an overstatement), Frank Zappa, Hunter S Thompson, Charles Bukowski and other brilliant madmen….he is a brilliant mind, a trailblazer, trendsetter, a great writer, witty — and just a really nice guy.

Grahm was champion of the screw cap long before you probably turned a bottle to open it. His wake for the death of cork was brilliant. See http://www.deathofthecork.com.

Randall gave a bunch of wine to the Clinton campaign in California. When Clinton won the presidential election, the head of the California campaign called and told Randall he would present the Clintons with a bottle of wine from Bonny Doon if he wanted to sent something over. Randall took a bottle of Vin de Glaciere and signed it — “Bill, I trust you will like this wine so much you will virtually inhale it! Randall” — true story as I was the trafficker of the bottle of wine. Hillary Clinton served that wine at every state dinner.

Additional notes on the Muscat Vin de Glaciere.

I had a bottle on Cigare Blanc last week — and I loved it — made me long for my days at Bonny Doon — production has increased (an understatement) and it really isn’t small and exclusive anymore — but it has still made the wine world a much different and better place. Their Vin Gris is probably the best pink wine produced in the United States.

Randall is on to his next calling, selling his empire and moving north to Washington to make Riesling. It will be interesting to see what happens next……