Jeff’s Corner 10-29-21

Greetings, everyone!

My old friends the Pumpkin family from Half Moon Bay in California want me to wish everyone a fun and festive Halloween. Mr. Pumpkin made quite a hit many years ago in Jeff’s Corner when he paired our wine with Halloween candy. My favorites were candy corn with Viognier and Snickers with Mosaic. And, speaking of Mosaic, the new 2019 just happens to be our featured wine this week. But first, a little history.

The year 2004 marks the very beginning of the GCV renaissance. Jason Englert had just joined us as winemaker and was wanting to revamp our rather stagnant portfolio. Bellissimo and Mosaic were (and still are) the two shining stars of his early efforts, and 2004 was the inaugural vintage for both these legendary wines.

About a year later (February 2006) Brian purchased GCV from the Simes family, and a winemaker/owner partnership was formed that continues to excel and overachieve. With Jason’s wine as a backbone, Brian has created an empire with four separate portfolios and another on the way.

“Mosaic” has always been my favorite GCV wine name, and earlier this week I reached out to Brian to learn the origin of this really cool moniker. This was his reply: “Originally the prior owners wanted to call it Grand Cru. Supposedly they got the label through TTB. But the idea was to have a name that reflected an elegant blend and Mosaic seemed to do that! First vintage was 2004 and it’s still one of my favorites.”

“Grand Cru” is French for “Great Growth” and is the highest designation a vineyard in Burgundy can receive. The TTB is the Tax and Trade Bureau and they have the final say on everything printed on a label. Brian’s right, it would be hard to get that name approved for a wine.

Finally, on to the stunning new 2019 Mosaic. Featuring all five of the dominant red grapes in Bordeaux, our ‘19 Texas Mosaic is 37.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18.6% Merlot, 18.4% Malbec, 15.6% Cabernet Franc, and 9.6% Petit Verdot. The color is a medium plus garnet, and the ABV is a food-friendly 13.6%. A tapestry of aromas that include blackberry, blueberry, cassis, and cocoa are layered with Mexican vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and fresh-cut tobacco. Rich, chalky tannins and generous amounts of toasted oak yield an age-worthy wine with great texture and structure.

Right now, I’m looking into my crystal ball and seeing this wine on our dinner table with our Christmas Chateaubriand, au gratin potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Let’s decant this beauty for about an hour, and serve it around 60*.

Happy Halloween, and cheers to you, my dear Pumpkin family!