I believe that every wine connoisseur starts off their wine journey the same way. No matter what stage on the wine road you are on, your journey begins with one bottle of wine that peaks your interest into the nectar of the gods. For me, wine never played a large role in my family growing up. My parents would have the occasional glass of wine at a nice dinner or open a very typical house red when friends would come over. There was never any emphasis on what they were drinking or how they were drinking it. I was first intrigued with wine after watching my father. Growing up, he was my biggest role model and still is to this day. Like any young boy, I wanted to be just like Dad, so when I saw him order the house merlot at a restaurant, I thought it would be the coolest thing in the world to drink wine just like him. My first sip came when my Dad plugged the top of the straw that was sitting on the table, creating a vacuum of the smallest taste imaginable. Not the most glorious first wine drinking experience, but to me, I was just like my Dad. Fast forward a few years later and I am in college playing golf for two top universities. Unlike normal college kids, my nights were spent at the golf course or completing homework assignments before traveling to tournaments. In my off time, the occasional bottom shelf 7/11 wine purchase would find my apartment, and I would continue drinking the only wine that I knew, Merlot. The summer after my Freshman year came and I was invited to play golf for four days out in California with a good family friend of ours. As excited as I was to play some of the best golf courses in the world, I was not anticipating that this trip would be the start of a new lifelong journey. As we got ready to head off to dinner, I noticed my friend load up his leather bound wine bag that he brings to restaurants. After getting seated he pulled the bottle out of its sleeve and I quickly noticed that this bottle was different from anything that I have ever seen. The first sommelier came up to the table with a look of awe after seeing what we were about to drink and waved over to another sommelier to take a look. He then pulled the cork and started to decant the wine. As the wine flowed through the decanter, you could smell the aromas from our seats. The Somm poured our glasses and told us to enjoy ourselves. After a quick lesson on how to properly taste wine I took my first sip and BOOM! Instantaneously, I had been hooked. My eyes lit up like saucers and I was entranced by what was in front of me. So, what was this magical bottle of wine you might ask? 1997 Harlan Estate. Yes, the straw-sipping Merlot kid got hooked on wine via a bottle of Harlan. And if I wasn't already over the edge, the bottles of 2001 and 2007 Harlan the next two nights helped push me over. Ever since that week, I have had a love affair with drinking great wines with great people. I truly believe that wine can be a wonderful asset in fostering relationships and lifelong memories. That first bottle of Harlan I ever had was over five years ago, and I still feel like it was yesterday. My goal with Grand Cru Concierge is simple: To help you fill your cellar with the best wines in the world, so that you can create the best memories for yourselves with your family and friends. No matter what part of your wine journey you are on, it would be my pleasure to help unlock the great gift of wine and friendship with you.