A LITTLE BIT OF ROCKETFISH

A LITTLE BIT OF ROCKETFISH

By Chris Patusky

When I was a boy, there was the Donny and Marie Show, Osmond that is, where she sang, “I’m a Little Bit Country”, and he replied in song, “I’m a Little Bit Rock & Roll”, and so on. It was one of those catchy tunes that stays with you the rest of your life. I would clip to it here, but I fear copyright. As an aside, and I think this entire post is in danger of becoming a series of asides, I want to say that it is fun to work in a job where you need to fear copyright. As they say, “if you are not fearing copyright, then you are not living”. 

So, to the point, I am feeling “a little bit RocketFish” this week. Yes, like a fish, but no ordinary fish, a fish that has rocket engines strapped to it, carrying it up through the sky, escaped from the thicker denser water, with sunglasses on, and a propeller on my nose. Why? I don’t know! I have Jets! Perhaps as a backup, or a vestigial evolutionary remnant. You would have to ask DC artist Bill Rock to say what is going on there (yes, that is a Bat Pig painting on his website front page), since he painted it, without any guidance or instruction from the sound business minds that run Slater Run, he was on his own, the artist’s mind at work, creating an image of the feeling that I now have. Why do I feel this way? Because Slater Run is having fun.

I woke up this morning and thought, “what is going on today, etc?”. And I remembered, harvest is in full swing with all that cool machinery moving about, making noises, moving big loads from there to here, a child’s dream it is to hop on and move some big stuff, “outta my way” she says. And there are people everywhere, simply all over the place. In the winery kitchen, on the crush pad, in the tank room, in the vineyard, and moving amongst all these places. Moving, moving, moving. Making wine.

And what about this particular weekend as I write this, when we squeeze in a few hours to rest. Yes, to that -- we have the Cousins Maine Lobster truck here on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The first time they were here, I thought the hillside would split open and sing. And, when they pack up and leave, we have Club Night with Sacred Heart, also known as Fellow Fungi, opening up and serving us sliders starting at 6 p.m., made from beef raised locally at Audley Farm. And, just as the sliders start a’sizzling, the remarkably skilled singer and guitar player Ophie will carry you up on wings of melody and improvisation to hang out with the RocketFish, yes, up there. We are all welcome there. Kidding aside, this gentleman Ophie has some serious playing chops.

You are worn out reading this, I know, but “Best Weekend Ever” requires more. Slater Run, recently released the 2023 steel Chardonnay and the 2023 Rosé of Merlot, which I think will thrill you and make you ask yourself, “what should I get, dang it, I can’t get them all ”. We also offered a 2022 RocketFish free taste, just because it was a RocketFish type of weekend.

Chris Patusky is a co-founder and co-owner with his wife Kiernan Slater Patusky of Slater Run Vineyard.

Details: slaterrun.com