Michel Rolland in Napa Valley

January 29, 2008

Hello Everyone,

Last night we had our sushi dinner with Michel Rolland in St. Helena at Go Fish Restaurant. It was Rudy and my first time there. Chris who joined us had previously been there for a company party. Michel told us that he is a frequent visitor of Cindy Pawlcyn's Go Fish Restaurant whenever he is in the Napa Valley.

For starters, we ordered some edamame and calamari. We didn't realize that this time of year the restaurant doesn't make fried calamari, which is what we were expecting. It was more of a bean soup. We tried it anyway.

For dinner, we all decided to share several kinds of sushi. We ordered 5 different kinds. It ended up being just the right amount of food for 4. With our meal we enjoyed a chilled bottle of 2006 Darioush Signature Viognier. It paired perfectly! We also had 1 bottle of still Figi water and 1 bottle of bubbly Pellegrino water.

After dinner, I urged the guys to have a little dessert. We shared 2 orders of chocolate cake to pair with my last bottle of 2004 Darioush Signature Merlot. This too was a great match.

Our meal was great and our time with Michel was most enjoyable. Again, we found Michel to be a very interesting man who also has a good sense of humor. It was both entertaining and enriching to hear his stories of how he once lived and worked when he was young and not yet famous.

We also learned that Michel's favorite place of business is the Napa Valley. He explained that his clients here are very organized and ready to go. He finds that it makes his job much easier when there is such order. He also commented on the fact that whenever there is something still needed, it is taken care of quite promptly.

Michel's favorite place to visit for fun is Argentina. He and his family own a winery in Argentina. He loves being there during the harvest season because of all the celebration that occurs. He told us about all of the beauty pageants that go on during this same time in celebration of the harvest. Michel wanted us to of course realize that he has much love for his home country of France too. He is very proud of their wine regions. Michel told us that he was actually born in Pomerol. Great Terroir!

Michel just celebrated his 60th birthday this past December, but he does not plan to retire anytime soon. He absolutely loves his work. Who wouldn't? He gets to travel all over the world, sample magnificent wines, and try exemplary food. This is all in a days work, but non-stop throughout the year practically everyday. He did realize that he does not get much time to himself for relaxation, but it is all still worth it to him. Matter of fact, he told us he does not get a small break until June. So he will be non-stop traveling working for his worldwide clientele until then.

We were actually surprised to learn that Michel had never been to Australia. He also stated that he has not spent much time in Sonoma. He use to work for Simi Winery in Healdsburg, but that was really his only connection with Sonoma.

We just wanted to let everyone know that our little sushi party did pan out after all.

Best wishes to all,

Marisol