Rest-Assured we know wine, our Family has been in Napa Valley for over 49+ years now… back when most of the Valley was still just Plum Orchards…
Originally Published on: January 30,2014
* more to come… this seemed like a Good Place to Start:
About 5-years ago I wrote this Newsletter Announcement: Thursday, Jan 30, 2014 at 7:18 AM:
With the latest edition of WE Mag, it’s a great time to get more personal with You & share more about our Family & our Napa Valley Connections…Please see below
Coombsville Comes of Age
~ Wine Enthusiast Magazine Feb. 2014 (pgs. 62-67)
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My wife was born and raised on a Coombsville Vineyard. My Father-In-Law (“Suegro” in Spanish), Don Fernando Delgado, has been a Vineyard Manager for over 42 years in Coombsville and planted most of the vineyards (about 85%), including Caldwell Vineyard. When my wife Yvonne was growing up, she would sell candy and magazines to John Caldwell, our neighbor. He’s like an Uncle to us and we love him dearly… Also, With a HUGE Delgado Family of over 100 members living and working in the Napa Valley, Fernando knows EVERYONE; hence our family having deeply rooted Napa Valley Connections…
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My Wife and I – “Plenty of Empty Space” |
You may also recall how my 65 year-old Suegro kicked my ass (pardon my French) up and down the Vineyard for the entire duration of our stay…
“Hey! Gringo, come help me with this please! Por Favor”
– That lovely Summons still resonates in mind… My “Family Initiation” included swollen blistered hands from shoveling Napa dirt, about 50 hours of watching “Futbol” in Spanish EACH week, ritually mopping muddy floors in our vineyard house, sharing a single bathroom with about 8-13 workers on any giving day, oh yea and I was COMPLETELY covered in Poison Oak at one point, and Mi Family even joked about plenty of “empty space in the Vineyard” if I don’t treat Fernando’s daughter right… ah, the memories…. did I mention, living on a Vineyard is no place for an East Coast White Boy (Gringo) like myself. Glamorized my friends…
For example…
“You’re gonna get that stuff (Poison Oak) on your Cuolo (ass in Spanish) Gringo!” says Fernando laughing… “Yea, thanks Suegro, I’m not sure, what towel were you using again for the shower?” I said laughing… (the look on his face was just classic) We exchanged Non-stop witty daily … Thank God, the Poison Oak only stayed on my arms, however my wife stayed far away from me for like a month! She didn’t touch me, and I never petted my Vineyard Dog after that… poor Buddy was covered in it! Apparently Dogs are immune and the Poison Oak Oils saturates their Hair… for Humans though, lighter the skin, the more likely you will get it… it’s almost like chicken pox, you will only get it once, Really bad…
Word to the Wise — Do Not Pet Vineyard Dogs or Winery DOGS EVER…
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GRINGOS BEWARE! Poison Oak Everywhere! |
You may also recall my sense of humor, love & respect of my Family and I followed my Father-In-Law like a puppy almost every day to try to learn and understand everything you could possibly imagine about the Napa Valley EARTH, the ROOTS, THE VINES, the fruit of our Family’s Labor…. Mesmerized by THE extraordinary Bounty of this VALLEY we call NAPA…
***Wow*** Never could I imagine such a United Community Existed in the World:
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Our newest little family member – My son Edward Jr. & My Suegro – Don Fernando Delgado |
The Beautiful Article in Wine Enthusiast touches my soul and warms my heart, but only scratches the surface of Coombsville.
Coombsville
https://calihiwines.com/product-category/napa-valley/coombsville/
2016 MASTERY NAPA VALLEY PROPRIETARY RED
2014 SILVERADO “GEO” COOMBSVILLE CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2012 J GREGORY COOMBSVILLE CABERNET SAUVIGNON