There are a lot of reasons to enjoy the discovery of a new winery. Sometimes the wine itself makes you feel like you’ve found a hidden gem. Or perhaps you discover the beauty of the winery. At other times you are struck by the people involved and you feel like you’ve made new friends.
Our first bottle of Fisher wine
But few discover a winery that reminds them of their childhood. And even fewer find a winery that reminds them of growing up in a wrecking yard!
Last September I discovered a new winery that was all of the above. It began when D’Aun and I sat down for dinner at SolBar in Calistoga. The sommelier asked what we would like to order. I told him we would be visiting Caymus Vineyards the next day; did he have anything that was similar?
A few moments later he brought us a bottle of 2007 Fisher Vineyards “Coach Insignia” Cabernet Sauvignon. I looked at the label and it somehow seemed familiar. I asked, “Was this the family that built Fisher body parts for General Motors?”
Indeed it was. Fisher Body built the body parts for millions of General Motors cars. Until the 70’s the emblem was widely known because it adorned door sills and seat belts on most of those cars. Even today you can go to ebay.com and find an active market for Fisher memoralbilia.
An aluminum door sill from a Fisher Body.
Seeing that logo on a wine bottle brought back memories of the wrecking yard and the countless cars that I helped take apart. The Fisher door sill emblem was especially important because it was made of aluminum and therefore a valuable recycling prize. I spent more than one hot summer day dismantling Fisher body parts.
But back to the restaurant. As I sipped the wine I had to smile. It was delicious. I was probably the millionth person to joke, “Definitely full bodied.” The sommelier smiled graciously; D’Aun rolled her eyes. But it was true. These are well structured wines, obviously made with great care and pride. I loved the wine.
After dinner I found the Fisher Vineyards website and sent an email to their general account. It was a simple email expressing how much I enjoyed their wines, what fun it was to see the famous Fisher emblem on a wine bottle, and how I remember tearing their cars apart in the wrecking yard.
The next morning I received a reply from Fred Fisher himself. He wrote,
Dear Roy,
You have made my day and I just want to thank you for it. I also want to invite you to come up our mountain some time —- we’ll be delighted to show you some good things including some Fisher Body advertisements from the 1926 – 1930 Saturday Evening Post series.
Best wishes,
Fred
What fun! So I made arrangements to visit and headed over to the Fisher winery in Sonoma.
What a gorgeous property. As you enter you pass through a private gate and along a long driveway through lovingly cared for vines. Approaching the top of a small hill you see a beautiful building surrounded by vineyards. I pulled into the empty parking lot and was met by Fred Fisher’s son, Robert. His warm welcome was both gracious and generous. Eventually Scotti, the marketing director, took me inside the winery and poured several wines to taste (all of them were delicious). Fred Fisher came by and spent a few minutes with us; he later signed a magnum of their finest wine for me.
What stuns me about all of this is the hospitality. I was just a guy who sent an email. They were all busy people preparing for harvest. They took the time out of their schedules to spend a few moments with somebody they had never met. It was very generous of them to invest time into my visit.
After sampling the wines, seeing the facility, walking through their wine cave, and enjoying some of the old Fisher Body marketing memorabilia, it was time for me to head home. I was very impressed with this family and their wines. As I said at the start, sometimes you discover a great wine, sometimes you discover a beautiful winery, sometimes you meet wonderful people, but rarely do you find all three in a winery that reminds you of your childhood.
At the Fisher Vineyard, I found the whole package.
