We recognize a wine can be good
one year and mediocre the next.
Maybe a spring freeze or too much rain
has damaged the crop. Maybe
the winemaker bottled too early
or too late. So much can go wrong
with the grapes, the tanks,
the barrels, the corks, the storage,
it’s amazing anything drinkable
gets made. We need this
understanding in our relationships:
Larry ’02 might be superb,
buoyant with full bright tones,
but Larry '03 may be shit.
Perhaps a death, disease,
the weather of his life
caused too much disruption
and ruined the vintage.

Some years all goes right,
and our company pleases,
and some we end up thin,
disappointing. Some nights
we might simply need
to be decanted for a while,
drained of sediment,
but there are others when
it would be best to dump us.
Be patient. Be understanding.
Next year brings new releases,
even of those you have known
and loved for years.