Jeff’s Corner 10-27-18

Before we get going, I have to say Happy Birthday to my dearest friend of 53 years, Tommy “The Frump” Feuerbacher. By a rough estimate, we have enjoyed close to 5,000 beers together, and a number of laughs and tears equal to the stars in the sky. I love celebrating the Frumpsters B-Day; for the next 6 months he’s a year older than I.

Today we’re going to talk about our soon to be released, sensually beguiling, 2017 Muscat Canelli. But, as you know, I love wine history. Here’s some pretty cool info about a very storied grape.

With footprints stretching back millennia, the Muscat family of grapes is most likely the progenitor of all wine grapes. It has hundreds of clones, and the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder called it “uva apiana” (grape of the bees) due to its honey-like aroma. The best variety for producing great wine is “Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains” (White Muscat with little berries). We know this grape as Muscat Canelli.

I’m drifting back, cruising with my first date in my ’64 Ford Galaxy thinking nothing in the universe could ever smell as sweet and innocent as the girl sitting next to me (no bucket seats then), and, like the song, “She had kisses sweeter than wine”. Damn, I’ll never forget what’s-her-name.

Anyway, that’s until I experienced our ’17 Muscat Canelli. It is 100% High Plains fruit, all from Andy Timmons’ Lost Draw Vineyards. At 2.8% residual sugar, it is our least sweet Muscat ever, and now our least sweet wine overall.

The color is a radiant pale yellow, and the aromas are as intense as a field of Hill Country wildflowers in full bloom. Stylistically perfect with intense varietal character, Mandarin orange, lemon zest, apricot, and mango mingle with floral notes of wild honey, rosewater, and magnolia.

The palate is rich and lush, with sugar, fruit, and acid all in perfect harmony. It’s spicy, sweet, and tart like a lemon-drop laced with honey and a spring bouquet. It features a full-bodied, round mouthfeel with a lingering, fruit dominated finish.

I tasted this wine after dinner, and my sweet tooth was in overdrive. I had a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream in front of me and, what the heck, poured a generous splash of Muscat over it. Holy cow, it was amazing! Check it out…