THE MOUNT EDEN POEMS:

The Mount Eden Poems

(Poetry, Photography, Wine and Art from Mount Eden Vineyards, Saratoga, California)
   


MOUNTAIN WINES: A GIRL GROWS UP ON MOUNT EDEN
an exhibition of poetry and photography by Ronald Phillip Tanaka

Ron Tanaka came into our lives unannounced one day in 1983 having fallen in love with our 1981 Pinot Noir. His arrival marked the beginning of a special friendship that has resulted in two exhibitions of poems, photography and hand made paper collages. As a third generation Japanese American, his vision of blending the spirit of the East and West and his unwavering enthusiasm has changed our perceptions of the winegrowing lifestyle and the role of product art in 21st century.

The first set of poems, a case of twelve, is called The Mount Eden Poems. He uses a female fictional kindergarten teacher called Madeline Giboin as his mouthpiece. The initial exhibit was presented in Sacramento, 1990. A full explanation can be found in the introduction to the Mount Eden Poems website.

In the early 1990’s Ron came to us with an idea for a new show which would blend fact and fiction based on our daughter, Sophie, who grew up on our mountaintop. Mountain Wines, A Girl Grows Up on Mount Eden is a series of 20 panels using the voice of a teenage girl to illuminate the relationships of family, mountain winegrowing and the underlying the spiritual force of Pacific Rim art which synthesizes Eastern and Western traditions. The model used was my step-sister, Kelsey Gray, since my daughter was only eleven at the time.

 
 

▼Please click on the images below to read poem▼
    This is me between my junior and senior year. It's summer.     Chardonnay root stock. Dad said each one of these is like a little poem. A haiku? I ask.
    This is a view of Mt. Chardonnay from our front gate at sunset.     Me walking through our Pinot Noir vineyards in August. Sometimes I even dress.
    This is me running through Hendriksen, one of the Old Vine Cabernet vineyards.     Chardonnay leaves in early summer. When I was a girl, Dad tried to teach me each variety by the shape of its leaves. But I just wouldn't listen. I couldn't.
    This is what an October sunrise looks like from the house - so very clean and very pure.     Sunset over the Santa Cruz Mountains. Words can't explain the feeling of looking up from your bed at night and seeing this. Makes you dream.
    This's one of Stevie's flowers on our verandah. I think he told me its name once - flower something.     Pinot Noir berries are still my favorite to eat. Put them in your mouth and squeeze them until they pop.
    Our oldest Chardonnay vines in winter. Dad's going to have to take them out soon. I know.     This is what I see every night at dinner. I look down across the valley and watch all the city lights come on one by one.
    Our wine storange tanks. Well - what else can I say? The fat one's Elvis, the other one's Bono or Kathleen Battle. End of story.     This is my dad, Jeffrey Patterson, worrying about the harvest. Actually, I like it when he worries because he always smiles.
    This is me cooking one morning in January. I was very young back then. And that's fog through the window. Real fog!     Here's the sun setting over Mt. Chardonnay again. You never get tired of seeing this. Never. Ever .
    This is a view of the two oaks on Mt. Chardonnay from the west slope. It's windy and almost spring.     Me at the entrance to the cask room just below our house. (Yes, it's rare I smile for pictures.)
    These are some of the lower vineyards, new vine Cabernet, halfway down the mountain - just across from the new caves. (Don't I sound like a tour guide?)