How very sad. Never had the chance to meet him but we exchanged messages several times and he was always so gracious and helpful. His dinners and posts here were legendary. 57 is just way too young but nobody could accuse him of missing out on life.
I only knew Ray on these wine boards, but still randomly realized the other day that I missed his posts. For someone who drank so many extraordinary wines, especially champagne, he always seemed to retain the thrill for stunning bottles without any cynicism or jaundice. In his posts, he was just as helpful and informative about basic NV bottling as about once in a lifetime tete-de-cuvees.
RIP. Thanks everyone for sharing lovely memories.
Peter
First off, can someone edit the subject to say RIP? Seems the least we can do out of respect for Ray.
Second, Bruce sent me this picture yesterday, and it sums up a lot. Friends, clients, friends who became clients, clients who became friends. And Ray right in the middle - A mentor, travel partner, wise sage and damn fun guy. Whats so striking to me in this photo is that I am the same age now that he was in this picture, 12-13 years ago. Wow, you will be missed King Angry!
Iâll never forget the one blind tasting night that everyone was ranting and raving over which 82 Bordeaux it wasâŚand it was 79 Dunn Howell. I had seen the bottle through the window as he decanted it, so I had to opt out of guessing (I would have only had to guess the vintage), so Ray and I were hysterically laughing at the arguing that was going on.
Another great story was when a group of us were having dinner at Brooklyn Fare (the EARLY days), and we took a limo (remember those???) to the city. When we were outside the Holland Tunnel, we traded a bottle of Champagne and glasses from the limo for bottles of water from the guy selling them on the side of the road. On the ride home, Ray was playing some driving game on his iPad as we sat in grid lock traffic at 12:30 at night.
What shocking, sad news. I was fortunate enough to break bread with Ray in NYC and LA. A very kind, respectful person and was generous to a fault. I feel badly for his daughters, family and friends. Rest In Peace, Ray.
OMG! I had forgotten about the Iron Chef dinners. Ray was so competitive. I think he tried to win more than anyone. And we werenât allowed to cook any dish that contained mammals or fowl as Ray wouldnât eat them.