Savoring the best

Driving north on Highway 29 in St, Helena there is a ribbon of cars. On each side of the two-lane road vineyards stretch to the foothills which are festooned with clumps of ancient oaks and the tall golden grass of summer. Disney could not have done a better job of creating this pastoral scene.Interspersed among the lush green rows of grapevines are the famed wineries of the Napa Valley. They are the beacons calling to the long chain of automobiles and we, ourselves, are called to one. Vittorio Sattui's great grandson, Dario, has built this winery bearing his ancestor's name. It's a perfect day for a picnic beneath a shade tree on the winery's carpet of cool, damp grass. My oldest son and his girlfriend spread blankets and put out the items they have procured for this mid day feast, a crusty baguette, paper-thin slices of prosciutto, salami, honey mustard, table grapes and a variety of cheeses including two heavenly softball-sized clumps of fresh mozzarella. After sampling, Susan, youngest son and our niece requisition several bottles to accompany this splendid outdoor meal.

There are many who come here to delight in the varieties of wine and the pleasure of trying and buying what they like. In another life I might have been one of these. The thing I most treasure about the day is the relaxed conversation, the new tastes, the faces of these people who grace my life, the simplest joys and easy laughter, the sense of fondness. I look from one to another and feel lucky to know them. I feel a timeless love as if I have known them for a thousand years, a thousand lives. For me, there could not be a more perfect moment than this time, sharing of time together.

Like the finest wines, life reminds us to savor what is best in all its variations. We carry them home to treasure.

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