"Coulda - woulda - shoulda"

These three words are about the worst to say. Energy spent on past events is almost always a waste. In retrospect, the first decade of Charleston was a race to make the wine list a great, broad worldwide offering. In the process, as Cindy's personal cooking style and the restaurant matured, I learned where our big areas of focus should be. In the next decade my mission will be to add depth of mature wines in these areas. If I had known a few years ago what I know now...I guess we'll see where the next big opportunities to build the cellar will come from.

Missed Calls and Stands not made:

2000 Red Burgundy (Cotes de Nuits) I loved so many of these wines on release I was afraid to buy them to cellar them for the restaurants. I thought they were too charming and simple. What a fool. I covet the best ones and am always on the prowl for them in restaurants in France. Perfect restaurant wines - especially the Grand Crus.

1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These wines were so charming young that even though I'd bought about 200 cases I never held them back for the cellar. The best of these wines will improve for another decade and hold for another 10-20 years. Jeez. I've got only a smattering left on lists.

1994 California Cabs. While not all of these wines are great there are an awful lot of really top-flight wines for near and long term drinking. I was so bothered by the price hikes from ‘91, ‘92 and ‘93 that I let it color my judgment. The best wines were fabulous and every year after the prices accelerated in growth. Araujo was 28.50 wholesale that year...

Every time I create a new program (most recently Cinghiale) I am forced to look really objectively at all the others. Each project always builds focus and quality in the others - because I hate saying "coulda - woulda - shoulda".