Our bus nearly
didnt make it up Spring Mountain Road to the Togni estate. It is not visible from
the road, but we, of course, had the address, and the combination to the gate lock. We
were greeted by Philip
Togni, and his
wife, Birgitta, and learned that they had
not permitted a group this large to visit the winery in five years.
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Philip
and Birgitta Togni |
Philip
Togni is a man
who, merely by his presence, commands respect. He is soft spoken and articulate. He and
his wife have chosen a somewhat reclusive lifestyle, far away from the glitz and hype of
the valley floor. Here, they tend the vines, and craft their wines by hand, with only one
fulltime employee. He is a man of strong passions and beliefs, and has no problem
expressing them but always with utmost courtesy and respect.
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Mr.
Togni |
He talked with us
about the vineyards, and the challenges of disease and replanting, as well as the
painstaking effort that goes into every aspect of this very "hands-on"
operation. He then escorted us to the barrel room, and thiefed us a sample of his 1997 Estate Cabernet
Sauvignon.
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Mr.
Togni, Victoria and Russell |
After
we had a chance to taste the wine, he invited us to return any untasted wine to the
barrel, referring to this as "good husbandry". I had never heard of this before,
but it made immanent sense to me. We thanked him for the opportunity to visit, and were
assured that he and his family would be joining us for dinner, then headed downhill for
dinner.
Mr. Togni is a most impressive and
elegant gentleman, and I feel privileged to have met him and tasted his wine.
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