“Thanks for the time / entertainment and nice pours today.”
That was my note after a tasting at PEJU. Amanda and I were on a west-coast vacation in Napa, and the camera roll had become wine lists, barrels, a fountain, a very blue sky, and the two of us standing in front of a winery.
The PEJU grounds were almost aggressively neat: clipped hedges, green lawn, a fountain, and a pale stone building under a completely blue sky. Inside, the chairs sat in front of walls of barrels. We took the obvious selfie by the fountain.
We bought wine at PEJU. Later that day I opened an account and placed another order with Ashes & Diamonds. This trip was apparently going to follow us home in boxes.
I was trying to be on vacation, but the Cornwall house was still being sold. Somebody involved in the sale called while we were out. I sent a short reply: “I'm on the west coast / Napa vacation today. Let's chat tomorrow if we can thanks!”
That was about as firm a boundary as I managed. The work did not need to happen that afternoon. It could wait one day.
The thank-you note did not wait. I told the person who led the tasting that I appreciated his encyclopedic knowledge of the vintages. That was accurate. He had been generous with his time, entertaining, and willing to let us try the reserve pours.
I wanted to say thanks while the details were still fresh.
The house call moved to tomorrow. The wine was already on its way.