Jeff’s Corner 2-9-17

Good Evening, as Mr. Hitchcock liked to say…

Today is a good day for a brief winery update. Yesterday, Kathy and I were talking with Jason about the 2016 vintage and the busy bottling schedule ahead. Here’s a sneak preview, to be followed by stories and tasting notes right here in Jeff’s Corner, as Ed Sullivan liked to say.

Last week, we bottled the ’15 Rendezvous and Brian brought a bottle up to the tasting room for us after work. After 4 hours in the bottle, it was great, and each hour after that, it was 20% older!

This week, we’ll begin bottling our 2015 Texas Bellissimo, and after checking out the blend sheet, it should be a real beauty. For all you Sangiovese fans, the ’15 is around 53%, slightly more than last year.

Last Saturday, after an early staff meeting filled with GCV updates, laughter, and breakfast tacos, Brian and Jennifer headed off with Jason to do blending trials for the ’15 Serendipity. Jason said the lab trials are done, the percentages fixed, and now it’s time to blend in the tanks.

Next, our dry roses. 2015 was the first vintage for our Ramato and Rose of Sangiovese; both hugely popular, and both with secret cult followings. Some of you might remember, at last years Tank Tasting Party, Kathy (Ms. Ramato) and I (Señor Sangiovese) squared off against each other, and you, our guests, picked the Ramato by a six cork margin as your favorite.

But hold the weddin’! Last year I couldn’t see, and my life was a blur of eye surgeries. Me thinks me wife could have snuck a few corks on me, especially when I knocked over half the table and hid from shyness.

The contest continued on after the Tank Tasting was done and the Rose of Sangiovese ended up winning by a nose!

So, Jason crafted a dry Malbec Rose to square off against the 2015 Rose of Sangiovese for our Tank Tasting showdown March 18. Remember the pop-gun pistols that shot corks with strings? All is fair in love and dry rose.