The Pin!
A small and powerful reminder...
I knew weeks ahead of time that Tuesday October 2nd 1990 would be a special night and that if I decided to stay in the wine business I would always remember; but how important a night it would turn out to be, I could have never imagined.
The K&L wine tastings and dinners were getting to be well known under the direction of Clyde Beffa in the late 1980’s but this one was different and the pressure was on.
In 1990 the wine boom was just not booming, it was exploding in all directions all over America! At the same time there were not many exceptional restaurants on the San Francisco Peninsula to conduct fine wine dinners. One of them was the Barbarossa, located right next to K&L in Redwood City, where we partnered with a local boy, talented french trained Chef Gary Maffia, and where I worked as the part time Sommelier. The other was the White Hot, 231 Ellsworth in San Mateo with its own hot young chef Curt Grasing, where this event would be held.
These events were intense and a lot of pressure but all the Big Horses were there as I like to say, referring to the handful of employees, who worked 6-7 days a week at K&L. Myself, BK, JoeZ, Bradley, and Donny G were some of the same guys you would see as you drove into the parking lot in the morning, shirts off and sweating bullets while unloading container trucks of Bordeaux, Burgundy and California wine. When you arrived at the counter it was most likely one of us sprinting into the store to greet and ring you up. If you were really lucky you might see us all dressed up at your table pouring your wine at one of these great wine pairing dinners!
Clyde and the Chef’s orchestrated some great menus and Clyde always demanded that his staff of horses always handled the wines behind the scenes. We may have looked like a bunch of jocks, which indeed we were but we handled hundreds of bottles a week at K&L so we really knew what we were doing. Here were the details….
1987 Domaine Romanee-Conte Dinner at 231 Ellsworth in San Mateo
The tasting will include all the DRC wines including Le Montrachet and several other great wines to accompany the five course meal prepared by Chef and Co-owner Kurt Grasing. (Kurt has had Grasing’s in Carmel, Ca. for over 25 years now)
Dress is coat and tie. Cost is $190.00 per person
My note on this event is that after tasting all the DRC wines from the great 1985 vintage, a couple of times, I’m spoiled forever. The 87’s were simple, clean, precise, and elegant and I never gave them much of thought again. We were also selling the better 1988’s on pre-arrival and you could buy the DRC Collection case of 12 bottles that included one Romanee Conti, three La Tache, two Richebourg, three Romanee-St-Vivant, one Grands Echezeaux, and two Echezeaux for $2995.00.
There was the pressure my friends. All dressed up, preparing some of the world's greatest wines in a small space, and pouring them at the tables of snooty wine people all the while under the mean, steely blue stare of the other Co-owner and Maitre d, by the name of Ken. He looked like he never smiled a day in his life. We were supposed to be fed that evening and that never happened. The only thing I was looking forward to was the Veuve Cliquot Champagne at the reception and getting away from Ken!
The reception was lively and I was fried up. Many of the folks in attendance were my customers and good friends of K&L. Among them were a few of what I would call Hall of Fame Liquor Salesmen. All were very nice, well dressed, and classy guys who’s working lives were being turned upside down by this wine explosion thing and they were treading water as retirement neared. At the store we saw these guys at least twice a week and sometimes daily for the wrong price on an invoice. The routine was consistent, orders Mondays and Tuesdays and then lunches everyday. We thought their jobs were so easy and we were jealous, we referred to them as “The Empty Suits” but we really respected them as they watched us work and grow up. Guys like Ricky J, Donny F, Johnny R, Marky Mark, Tommy the Banana and Alan K. As it turns out I’m very grateful to have known these men as they were very kind and as it turned out, excellent role models. God bless them all.
As I mentioned I was fired up and that is an understatement. I had just returned from my first of 62 visits to France, where K and L/Clyde, took me to Burgundy, Chablis, the Rhone and Bordeaux. Many of the customers in the lobby were mine and I was pretty comfortable extolling the virtues about the cellar at Henri Jayer and the great 1989 Bordeaux vintage to the lobby. I had my Veuve Cliquot Champagne in hand when I turned to Alan K who was standing next to me and said, I like your pin. He immediately took the pin off his jacket and put it on mine and said, you should have this. It has never left my side since.
The Pin is less than a half inch long and has an American Flag on the left side and a French Flag on the right. Since that night that pin has been on the lapel of every suit, sport jacket and sweater I’ve worn when I go to work as a wine professional. I think I’m an honest guy, so this is where you should know that in my 45 years at K and L I did not bat a 1000%! Of course there are moments I regret and words I wish could take back; and I will share those stories in other journal entries.
At this point of my wine life, the pin probably means more to me than any of the 1500 bottles in my cellar. But, first, foremost and forever it is meant to thank and honor the men and women who sacrificed so much for the freedoms both countries enjoy today and the close relationship we will hopefully always share.
After that the pin has meant many other different things to me over decades. From day one it has been a reminder to me to work hard and be as great a wine professional as I can be every day and everywhere I work around the world. Be prepared, have fun, bring passion and respect to the wines and the people at every single tasting or event and to always remember I represent America.
When I put the pin on the coat it’s exactly the same feeling as my first steps on to the baseball field jogging to my position. It’s game time, it is time to put on my game face, respect the game, play hard and as the legendary bay area baseball coach Tom King would always say “LETS GO TO WORK!”
The pin has been my good buddy, I’ve talk to it for decades as we traveled around the world. As an old infielder/shortstop, it is exactly like all the baseball gloves in my life. I still have them all including the first one which was left-handed and yes, I did have many conversations with all of them over 40 seasons.
The pin was so important to me on my first trip to Hong Kong in 2008 to launch a small California wine venture. The first night we hosted a seminar-tasting for almost 100 people and I would be extolling the virtues of California wine and the Judgement of Paris. I had never been so nervous in my life but I had been rehearsing to the pin for days and it was a clean performance!
The En Premieur tastings every April in Bordeaux attracts thousands of wine professionals all of them looking to SELL WINE of any vintage. From the mid 1980’s on Clyde Beffa and K&L had became very popular customers with a reputation as good trusted buyers and for a crazy work schedule. Numerous negociants and salespeople were constantly trying hard to run Clyde down for an introduction, appointment or just a moment of his time. Many would say if you can’t find Clyde look for Ralph Sands, he will know where he is! Ralph is easy to find, a big tall guy, black sports coat and wearing the pin with the flags!
In my over 60 visits to France I have been stopped at the tastings in Bordeaux so many times and even in the streets of Bordeaux and Paris. Some people walk by, and come back, they say things like I love your pin and I love your country, some have shook my hand or patted me on the shoulder or back! When these moments have happened it is an immediate shock to me and I do my best to gather myself and say something, but mostly it is thank you with a warm smile. As I walk away I’m taken aback and thank those who have made this happen. This is the Pin’s finest moment. I never went to war and never had to serve, I was what I call life-lucky, the Vietnam war ended when I was 18. Although I’m very grateful not have to gone to war, there is a piece of my heart that always feels guilty.
At K&L Ch, Kirwan as always been one of our favorite’s wines for its elegant expression of Cabernet Sauvignon fruit, silky texture and the exceptional value! We had started doing nice business with Kirwan around 1995, first with Yann Schyler the owner's son and then his sister Sophie. They were both a pleasure to deal with and after a few years they invited us to Ch. Kirwan to have dinner with their parents in the Chateaux.
Tuesday April 5th 1995 ended up being the night and while I’m sure Thomas Jefferson’s visit here in 1787 was memorable I would bet it was not as epic as this night!
Our team this year included two of the previously mentioned Liquor/Wine Salesman and a running mate of Clyde’s a restaurateur/gormandizer from St. Louis who after a few years simply became of “The Baron of St. Louis”. The Baron was a round jolly, loud and fun guy, God bless the Baron! These guys were not on the tasting trip to taste or buy any wine, they were only there to enjoy the great wines and food of France, and provide comic relief. Clyde and I tasted all the wines with notes. People hit the wall, nodded off or fell asleep in the car all the time. Not me, not one time. but I was super close many times and ended up talking to the pin to stay awake and pumped up!
Tuesday April 5 1995 was the night of our dinner at Ch.Kirwan. It had been a long tough but normal day, 20 Chateau visits, 56 wines, with a few beauties at Lion d’ Or for lunch. 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, Ch. Ducru Beacaillou finishing with 1982 Ch, Chasse-Spleen. Nevertheless the boys were feeling party fresh and almost giddy for this evening driven by the hope of a few glasses of Krug Champagne before dinner!
Jean Henri Schyler was a lovely fun man who loved America and selling wine in America where he had visited many times with his wife Christine Krug. One of the most special aspects of this evening was that we arrived almost 20 minutes early; this is almost unheard of in the wine business. I wandered into the garden at Kirwan with my disposable camera to get some quiet time by myself and was blown away by the incredible beauty, the trellises, pergolas and statues. It was an incredible view looking back at the Chateaux from the front of the garden just before sunset. A forever memory.
I of course had no idea, that in the time of the 1855 classification, a Frenchman Camille Godard was the owner and designed this beautiful garden. Camille also designed the beautiful Parc Bordelais in downtown Bordeaux where a statue towers over the parc in his honor. For many years I woke up at 6:30 am at the Normandy Hotel to run around this park and statue before work. It makes me feel ignorant today that I had no clue of how special and historic the spot I was running.
After introductions we moved to the parlor for some petite parlay and numerous glasses of Krug Champagne from Magnum. The conversation was lively as we moved to the dining room. Jean Henri was an incredible host who loved magnums, serving us 1989 Reserve Margaux from one of the small family plots, 1966 Ch. Leoville Barton and 1964 Ch. Leoville Las Cases out of magnums while clearly enjoying our company. We finished with 1927 Ch. Fihot out of .750ml. Everything was going fine but maybe a bit on the loud side and I could see that Christine was getting annoyed with her husband for being so jolly himself!
Then the server arrived with the cheeses, 3 large triangles and we all cut nice pieces. Everyone was enjoying the cheese and inquiring the names; Christine answered quickly but so quietly we did not hear the names of the three cheeses, so after a moment we inquired again and were listening very closely. Barely louder than before we thought we heard her say two names but again could not make them out. As we continue to make our way thru the cheese we keep looking at each other in confusion. The Baron, who knows his cheeses, says this is the richest god dam cheese I’ve ever had it taste just like f-ing butter! He then blurts down the table at Jean Henri, I have to know the names of the three cheeses!
Jean Henri in a moment of brilliance understands the confusion and stands up and is laughing hard. I cannot remember the name of the cheeses for some reason, they are not in my notes (rare) but he tells us the two and the other he shouts is BUTTER! The table exploded with laughter and everyone totally lost it! No one could stop laughing; this was one of those very few times in life where you just cannot stop laughing and if the people around you can’t stop this can go on for a long time because just as soon as you think it’s over, it’s not. What made this even more funny was that Christine was not laughing and was glaring at her husband and that did not help! My notes say Jean Henri keeps waving at his wife and saying it’s ok it’s ok!!! I believe it was then that for the first time that evening I said to myself we will never be invited here again.
But Jean Henri was rolling and Christine bid bon nuits and we moved back to the parlor for Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados and Cigars. This was unusual after dinner especially when it was just Clyde and I, but on this trip we had a team that was Party Fresh. The group kept rolling, I was done and Party so I only nosed an Armagnac and as always passed on the cigars, the boys continued to enjoy and I knew it was going to be an exciting ride home.
As Jean Henri bit us goodbye he verbally gave us all the directions to leave the estate, make a right and then a left and by the time we were in the car two seconds we were lost. Soon we were driving on dirt, pitch black and the guys in the back seat were yelling loudly at Clyde, it looks like there is a spaceship behind us! I said to myself these guys are really high! Immediately turned to see for myself and for a second it looked like they were right! It really did look like a spaceship, as the lights were almost in a perfect line, I then realized it was the onsite vineyard team chasing after us in the vineyards with flashlights! No vines were damaged. This was the #1 most fun wine dinner in my career.
Thomas Jefferson may have visited Ch. Kirwan well before our team in 1787 but I seriously doubt he had a better time than we did!
Can you believe after this they wanted us back again? Sophie Schyler was relentless in her insisting we come back for lunch for the specialty of the house from the full time Chef. We had heard all about Lamproie and had successfully dodged it for 15 years. In April 2004 Clyde relented because he loves all foods and our team was not happy. We liked Sophie but we were pretty sure we would not love the specialty which is Lamproie a la Bordelais, an eel-like fish from the Gironde, stewed with red Bordeaux wine and it’s own blood and we were correct! It was a painfully long lunch as the first course was Scallop Carpaccio which was great, but not very substantial, next was the Lamproie, after an obligatory taste we all passed it right to Clyde with a fake smile, saying we know you Love this dish! Clyde’s appetite came in handy while the best part of this lunch was the bread, butter and leaving.
In April of 2016 we were back in the cellar with a different group at Kirwan to taste the 2015 with Sophie and the talented winemaker Philippe Delfaut. Of course we always asked how Jean Henri was doing; he was now 85 and not doing very well and sadly Christine had passed. Sophie tells Clyde that her father knows you are here and wants to see you. As she leads Clyde off to the Chateau my heart drops and I think, dam I would have loved to see him again. A few minutes later Sophie rushes back by saying Ralph where are you, he wants to see you too! As we walk up the stairs opera music plays in the background and as I enter the room there is Jean Henri sitting in an oversize rocking chair, dressed dapper, blanket and hands on his lap and Clyde was down on one knee on his left. He is frail and hardly looks the same as I kneel down, his head is down and he is not speaking but you could tell he was listening as Clyde was recounting our great night together.
Suddenly his head raises up a touch as does his right arm and he reaches up and touches my pin. It was precious.
For many years during the En Primieur work trip we would spend the last couple of nights at the beautiful Les Sources de Caudalie, located within the vineyards of Ch. Smith Haut Lafite. We conducted numerous wine dinners with the owners, Florence and Daniel Cathiard in the bay area as they worked hard to bring the wine back to greatness and promote the hotel. We became good friends. It took a while but the hotel, spa and wine are all now world famous.
Sadly we lost Daniel a few months back, he and Florence are dear to my heart as they have made people feel so special and so welcome at the estate. On almost every one of my 25 tours to Bordeaux they both welcomed my customers into their private residence for an aperitif of Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc and spirited conversation. Cheers and Thanks Daniel!
Thanks to Clyde we have enjoyed numerous good meals, wines and times in the Bistro at Les Sources, named La Table du Lavior. Before and after we could often be found in the Bar chatting up the beautiful people while sipping Billecart-Salmon Rose! On our way home from Bordeaux we would stay one night in Paris. In the Bar one evening we met two beautiful young french ladies who joined us for some Rose Champagne and like us they were heading back to Paris the next day.
In Paris, Clyde wanted to dine at an old favorite of his, Brasserie Balzar, a famous, classic Brasserie located in the Latin Quarter a short walk from our hotel. When we arrive I waited outside as the boys enter the small doorway to check in with the Maitre d, it’s early Saturday evening and we had no reservation. They come out saying it will be 30-40 minutes, this is no problem for our group as Clyde will order a bottle or two of Ch. Carbonnieux Blanc while sitting and waiting outside. While they are getting comfortable I’m outside the doorway trying to catch the last sun of the day, when I turn and see the Maitre d walking out the door towards me. I’m thinking dam this big guy looks like he is coming to talk to me and my bad French! He is, I say Bonne Soiree' he is towering over me and I’m 6’2, in English he asked me if I am dining here tonight and as I’m saying yes he reaches down and touches pin asking the reservation name. I point over to my group of 6 including me. He says I will have a nice table for you in just a few minutes sir. A few minutes later we had a great table in a corner along the wall, fantastic! We soon get the starters and the wine going and I’m feeling good when the Maitre ‘d comes over taps me on the shoulder and asks to have word with me. I stand up and he asks me if I know the two women standing in the doorway, they say they would like to join you for dinner. Sure enough its the ladies from the night before and I’m sure Clyde or the Baron mentioned our dinner plans. I can see the place is packed and there was no room for these ladies. He says do you want them to join you? I say yes but where will, they sit? He says, no problem sir I will just move the people next to you down a little. The looks on those people's faces was one of disbelief, looking at me like who the hell is this guy. They had no choice but to move, he was large and in charge of this room. I looked a lot like Bill Clinton in those days which led to some funny moments in Europe but this was clearly the power of the pin!
It was a great night in Paris! We ended up at the Plaza Athenee for more Champagne thanks to Trey Beffa, until the early hours and we paid for it the morning on the flight home.
This December I was back in Paris for a few days adjusting to the time change with a fine young customer of mine before my very first “Taste the Greats of Champagne”. On a brisk 42 degree morning we are checking out the Christmas Market at the Jardin des Tuileries and my buddy Nick wanted to try a roasted chestnut so while he was in line I spotted the portable restroom building and headed over. As I step in I hear blood curling screem’s of HEY-HEY, I turn around and this scraggy looking man is charging at me, arms flailing at me to the point I think I may have to protect myself. I realize he is screaming 1 Euro, 1 Euro,1 Euro! I have no coins just bills and I’m trying to convey that by quickly tapping my pockets! The guy is literally a foot away from me when he see’s the pin on my vest and stops and blurts out your American! Never a charge for you. Whew, my heart was pumping!
These days I’m leaning pretty hard on the Pin for support. It seems to me, that in today’s world so many of the principles the pin stands for like, Loyalty to Partners and Allies, Character, Experience, Professionalism, Dedication, Humility, Dignity, Work Ethics, even Common Courtesy and speaking the Truth have sadly seem to have been blown away like a Mistral in the Rhone.
Hopefully the Pin will continue to keep me focused as we continue to chat!
I raise the glass to all the horses and wonderful people in this entry and I thank them for everything they did for me. I will end with my dear friend Geno Geno’s favorite toast, that seems to fit well here…
Never above
Never Below
Always side by side.
If you made it this far, thanks very much for reading.
I send cooler weather wishes to all of our friends in Bordeaux, Champagne and all of France dealing with this summer heat, hanging in there! Cheers and have a great Summer Holiday! Ralph
Later this year, Taste the Greats of Champagne will visit the house of Billecart Salmon for lunch on Wednesday 10th. and will tour Champagne Veuve Cliquot on December 11th. This 2026 tour is sold out at 12 people. After we finish the 2026 tour we will offer 2027, if you would like to be on the waiting list for next year, please reach out. The same applies for my Taste the Greats of Bordeaux in 2027 that will be conducted June 20-26th.
P.S Steely eyed Ken and I ended up being friends and were room mates on an incredible golfing experience at legendary Pinehurst, where he recorded a hole-in-one!
As you can read no AI was used in this entry.