Wine Releases

Jeff’s Corner Hey, Hey, Hey, Here We Go Again… So, what does it mean when someone says, “I’m a Pinot fan!” Are they talking about Pinot Noir or Pinot Grigio? Well, who knows. The Pinot clan is a large family of grapes that also includes Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, and lesser known cousins like Pinot Auxerrois, Pinot Teinturier, and Pinot Gouges. Obviously, there’s lots of Pinot envy everywhere! Pinot Noir, however, is indeed the Daddy, with the rest of these being mutations and not crosses between two varieties. It appears Pinot Noir’s DNA is quite unstable.

Jeff’s Corner Hola, Howdy, and Hello. Two weeks ago, our new 2017 Petite Sirah snuck onto the tasting bar in a very quiet and seductive fashion. At the moment it’s not being featured in any of our pre-set tasting flights, so the only way to try it is to be savvy enough to ask for it. So, consider this a not-so-subtle hint to ask for it, you’ll be glad you did.

Jeff’s Corner Howdy, Howdy Our new 2018 Texas Riesling was released on the bar last Saturday, and has since been the show-stopper for our guests choosing our sweet flight of wines. As I like to say, “It’s a real beauty”. We’ll take a look at this delicate, racy wine in a moment, but first I’d like to share a few thoughts on sweet wine in general.

Jeff’s Corner Hey, Hey, Hey; it’s Viognier Day The new 2018 GCV Viognier is on the tasting bar and making quite a splash and turning lots of heads. Every year Jason’s Viognier becomes more and more sublime, and to me the’18 is one of his most intriguing yet. Before we take a closer look at our new Viognier, I’d like to take a side bar to a brief (very brief) tasting I did a week or so ago for a wine writer (educator) from the Pacific NW. This person takes wine pretty seriously, trust me.