Jeff’s Corner 8-3-17

Hello Hello

I began selling our Grape Creek Cabernet Blanc (and Cabernet Trois) at Seafood and Spaghetti Works Restaurant in Port Aransas in 1993.  I worked there 26 years.  My friend Jay and his wife Stephanie are still the owners, and with their encouragement it was there my passion for wine really blossomed.

I was always looking for unique wines to sell that were different from what was seen on many mediocre, mundane wine lists.  Rather than Sutter Home or Beringer White Zinfandel, I featured an upscale Buehler Vineyards White Zin and an elegant Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon by Simi Vineyards.  They were a little pricey and not quite as sweet as their commercial counterparts, and both are still being produced today.

Then, on a fortuitous (little did I know how fortuitous) trip to Fredericksburg with Kathy, we discovered Grape Creek and Cabernet Blanc.  Ned was making a White Zin at the time as well, but it had nowhere near the intrigue  of the Cab Blanc.  Back then it was a pale coppery/salmon color (very hip, very chic) with lovely floral aromas and fruit flavors.  And the best part, it was from The Texas Hill Country!  We sold a bunch of it!

By now, you have probably figured out where this is going.  That’s right, today we are going to check out the new 2016 Cabernet Blanc.  The oldest vintage I could find in the library is 1990, but there may have been an ’89.  That makes this the 27th or 28th vintage of our beloved “Hot Tub Wine”.

The 2016 is a delicate pale pink in color, with a near transparent rim.  It reminds me of the first rays of sunshine in a west Texas sunrise.  The aromas are fanciful, with lots of strawberry, raspberry, honeysuckle, and carnation.  Lots of strawberry, along with cotton candy and candy apple.

At 4.6% residual sugar (the ’15 was 4%) it is sweet, sweet, sweet.  It reminds me of the strawberry snow cones at Mission Stadium (a beautiful old ballpark where the AA Missions played in the 60’s) on the south-side of San Antonio.  To accent these memories of youth, it also reminds me of Double Bubble bubble gum, not to be confused with Super Bubble bubble gum.

Like all our wines it finishes with great balance, the acid is high enough to transition the sugar to the back of our palate, and the fruit lingers with a crisp, sweet finish.  At 10.9% ABV, this is the perfect picnic, pool, or porch wine for our sweet wine lovers.

Cheers to 27 more years!