Just read in the Chron about the death in May of FredFurth, founder of ChalkHillWnry. Met Fred once up in Aspen. Bigger than life kind of guy you took an instant liking to.
Tom
He and Peggy did a great job in the early 1990’s. I will drink a 1994 Chalk Hill red this weekend, in memory.
Odd that this story just appeared in the local paper as Fred died a month ago.
Fred was quite a character.
The Chronicle is a distnt shell of it’s former self. The Press Democrat ran an obit last month when Fred passed. He sure was an eccentric old coot but generous as the day is long. I remember going to a dinner one evening at the barn (a full sized equine arena with a small dining room overlooking the field) for the Press Democrat one evening when Arthur Sulzberger was in town back when the NY Times owned the PD. Fred flew in the Russian String Quartet drom Moscow to play background music during the evening.
During the dinner the publisher of the PD at the time, the late Mike Parman, was mentioning how the company softball team won their legue. Fred sid “My guys play softball, we should have a tournment.” So Fred, being Fred, hired a compant to build him a regulation softball field on the Chalk Hill property complete with grandstands and an outfield fence so that the two teams could play. After losing he said his guys are better at soccer so he then built a soccer field so they could duke it out there.
Games were followed by a BBQ on top the property complete free flowing Chalk Hill Wines and Cuban cigars.
He was always flanked by his Great Dane whose name escapes me. Edit: Brandenburg!