Jeff’s Corner 4-14-23

Howdy, Everyone!

I hope all of you are enjoying this beautiful spring weather as much as Kath and I are. We never stray far from our back porch even in January or July, but it has been especially gorgeous in the Texas Hill Country this past week or so.

Next week we will celebrate our 43rd anniversary, and “Porch Time” or “Porch Therapy” has been a lot of the glue that has cemented our wonderful fine time together. The birds have been especially vocal recently (we call this “birdy happy hour,” and last night a plump young robin serenaded us with his vast repertoire for about 30 minutes).

Recently I compiled notes on all our Grape Creek Vineyard wines for our new-hires to help them understand the composition and history of our portfolio. I thought it would be fun to share with you my notes on some of your favorites, so here ya go!

Cuvee Blanc

  •  “Cuvée” (Koo-VAY) means “blend,” “Blanc is ‘white.
  •  This wine is what’s called a “proprietary blend.”
  •  Ours is typically a blend of 4-7 different grape varieties.
  • The grape varieties and percentages of each vintage vary every year.
  • Shows lots of ripe fruit flavors with great balance.
  • One of Ned’s original wines, produced first in the mid 1990’s.
  • Food pairing: Fried Fish
  • Cheese pairing: Gruyere, Mozzarella, and Muenster

Viognier

  • Pronounced vee-oh-NYAY
  • An ancient grape from the Rhone Valley in southeastern France.
  • Discovered by the Romans while conquering France.
  • A finicky grape to grow, but thrives in Texas and Virginia.
  • Produces full-bodied, floral, and aromatic wines.
  • Our signature, best-selling dry white.
  • Food Pairing: Shell fish, such as lobster, crab, or shrimp
  • Cheese pairing:  Camembert, Triple Cream Brie, even Gorgonzola

Cabernet Trois

  • Cabernet Trois
  • First produced in 1991
  • Very iconic wine in Texas wine history
  • Began to shift Texas’ focus from varietals to blends
  • Trois (pronounced t-w-AH) means three in French
  • Typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Ruby Cabernet, but not always
  • Ruby Cabernet created by Harold Olmo at UC Davis in the 1940’s
  • Ruby Cab is a cross between Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Food Pairing: Grilled fajitas
  • Cheese Pairing: Baby Swiss

Bellissimo

  • Our best-selling and signature wine
  • First created in 2004
  • Bellissimo means “most beautiful”
  • This is a “Super Tuscan” style wine
  • Super Tuscan is a style of wine developed by Piero Antinori in Tuscany in the 1980’s
  • Super Tuscans are typically blends of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot
  • Sangiovese translates as “blood of Jupiter”
  • Very, very broad palate appeal which helps account for its popularity
  • Food Pairing: Rich, cheesy Lasagne
  • Cheese Pairing: Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano

Serendipity

  • Available to Wine Club Members only
  • Ships to Black Label and Mixed Club members in April and October
  • Somewhat of an accident, the first vintage was 2007
  • A different blend each year, Jason crafts this from some of our best wines each vintage
  • The inaugural ’07 was 60% Syrah, and 20% each Cabernet Franc and Merlot
  • Our most sought after and collectable wine
  • Food Pairing: Grilled beef tenderloin with sauce Bearnaise
  • Cheese Pairing: Aged Swiss

Cab Blanc

  • First produced in 1990; our longest-tenured wine
  • Sweet rosé in the style of a White Zinfandel
  • Used to be called Cabernet Blanc
  • 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Nicknamed “The Hot Tub Wine”
  • Sweet, fruity, and fun
  • Typically around 4.5% residual sugar, or 45 g/l
  • Food Pairing: Ice cold watermelon
  • Cheese Pairing: Pepper Jack