Tuesday 2 October 2018

A Fond Farewell 2

Before we had our meal we had a gathering of the children and grandchildren, and we were joined by Martin, our celebrant to go over details of the service and words of the euology,

Sadly, we couldn't do this at the wake as were in a hotel and couldn't bring our own, but I had brought some special bottles of wine to have a private toast to Dad ... and Mum.

When we held the wake for Mum at North Meadow, I supplied the drink, bought at my local Majestic store in Bury St. Edmunds. The staff were very helpful in selecting the bottles and I discovered a southern French wine that seemed particularly appropriate. It was called  Les Derniers Cepages (literally "the last picki9ngs") and came from an estate called Domaine Sainte Rose. That sounded an excellent name and, furthermore, it turned out the estate was run by a British couple.

It went down well at Mum's funeral so I thought I'd see if I could get some for Dad. Majestic didn't stock it any more so went to the Estate's website and left them a message.... and ordered the wine from them.

I had a lovely email exchange with the owner Charles...


    On 07/09/2018, 21:46, "Domaine Sainte Rose" <wordpress@sainterose.com> wrote:
   
        New message from website form:
       
        From: John Moody
       
        Hi. I ordered (and paid for) some wine from you (and there's a story that goes with that!) but I couldn't find anything on your website about delivery timescales. How long should I expect to wait?
        John.

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Charles Simpson(SR)
    Sent: 08 September 2018 10:21
    Subject: FW: Website Contact
   
    Dear John,
   
    Thanks you for your message and I confirm that we received your order last night around 9:30pm.  What is the "story that goes with that"?  As the owner of the business, I would be interested in your experience for positive or negative?
   
    Just to confirm that our sales office is now closed until Monday, but someone will be in contact early next week regarding delivery timings.
   
    All my best wishes,
      
    Charles W. Simpson
    Founder & Owner- Domaine Sainte Rose & Simpsons Wine Estate
 
    Domaine Sainte Rose
    Servian, 34290, France
     On 09/09/2018, 19:19, "John Moody" wrote:

    Hello Charles,
   
    Thank-you for your reply. I look forward to getting delivery arrangements organised this week.
   
    I thought you might be interested in why I am making this order....
   
    In May 2014 my mother passed away. In planning for the wake, I went to my local Majestic Wine to get drinks. While there I spotted your wine. I've always liked southern French wines like that, but the key thing was the name of the estate (and also that you and Ruth are from the UK) - my mother's first name was Rose, (although she didn't like it and joined up with her middle name to call herself Roseann).
   
    Anyway, we had your "Les Derniers Cepages 2012" at her wake and it was much admired.. and, indeed, I bought a few more bottles while Majestic were still stocking it. It is delicious!
   
    And now my father has passed away. So, along with my sisters, we decided to have a few more bottles of your excellent wine for his wake too.
   
    We look forward to tasting it again and drinking to the memory of both my Mum and Dad. The funeral is in Glasgow on the 1st October.
   
    John Moody.
   
And here was his reply...
 
Hi John,

Very many thanks for your e-mail and heart-felt explanation to your purchase of Les Derniers Cepage.  I was moved and flattered by it.   'Rose' features heavily in my life with my mother being called Rosemary, a daughter called Mhairi-Rose, a Labrador called Rosie and a property called Sainte Rose.

I am sorry to learn of the loss of your father recently and truly hope you had proper time to say good-bye.  Ironically we poured Les Derniers Cepages at Ruth's Mum's funeral in Edinburgh a few years ago!  If you are not aware of the meaning of "Les Derniers Cepages", in English it means 'the last varieties'.  We named it such as the varieties/grapes that go into the blend, Petit Verdot and Mourvedre, are late ripening and the last varieties to get harvested at the Sainte Rose.  Fitting I think!

I do hope you have now heard from Ashleigh regarding your order?

All my best wishes,

Charles
       
With 4 more years of aging it had become even more rich and mellow. It was nice to drink it and remember Mum too.       
       
   
   
   



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