Jeff’s Corner 3-22-18

Hello to all on what is an extremely perfect first day of spring in the Texas Hill Country.  As I write, it is 71*, 18% humidity, and not a cloud in the sky.  The bluebonnets and other legions of wildflowers are reaching toward the sun, and I’m thinking it’s a good thing T. S. Eliot wasn’t a GCV Wine Club member.  If he were, he would never have written “April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land…”.

How could he, when he knew he was about to receive the brand new 2016 Serendipity in his April Wine Club allocation.  Plus, crafty as old T.S. was, he would at least be a 6 bottle Black Label or Mixed member so he could get 2 vintages (’16 and ’15), or more likely a 12 bottle member so he could collect 4 bottles (2-’16, 1-’15, and 1-‘14).

So, if any of you 3 bottle members are drooling at the thought of receiving multiple bottles and vintages of our elusive and exclusive Serendipity, it’s not to late to upgrade your membership.  Simply email us at [email protected] no later than 3-31-18 to do so.

Last week, Brian sent me a late-night email extolling the virtues of the new 2016 and asked me to write about it before it was shipped, so here we go.  First released in 2007, this is the ninth vintage of this amazing wine  (we didn’t produce it in 2009) and, as I like to say, “It’s a real beauty!”.

The 2016, as has been the case with recent vintages, is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon (68%), blended with 20% Merlot and 12% Syrah.  The alcohol-by-volume (ABV) is a sensible 13.8%.

The color is a deeply extracted purple/violet, with deep, dark clarity at the rim.  Aromas are ripe and intense,  with nuances of oak accented by black cherry, cassis, cigar box, and leather.  Delicate layers of lilacs, roses, toffee, and chocolate contribute to a very complex nose.

Loaded with youthful exuberance, fruit, tannin, acid, and oak are very well-integrated for a full-bodied wine barely in adolescence.  The finish is rich and enticing, with lots of fruit to balance a soft, elegant texture.

This wine is rewarding now after an hour or so in the decanter, but if we can be patient for a year or two it will develop even more finesse.  Let’s try this lovely wine with a blackened New York Strip topped with wild mushrooms in a Gorgonzola-cream sauce.