Wine Releases

Jeff’s Corner

Howdy, Hola, and Hello,

Two Saturdays ago we released the new 2017 Cabernet Trois and guess what: it’s been stealing the show every single day. Our longest tenured red wine (produced first in 1991), this Texas beauty is very true in style to all the great wines that have come before it.

I’m a little fickle from vintage to vintage about my favorite GCV wine, but for the duration Cab Trois is by far my best-loved. It sneaks into my glass almost every night after work when I’m not looking, and the ’17 is the first vintage to feature the sleek new Black Label.

Jeff’s Corner Today, we’re going to talk about the endangered and elusive Muskrat Canary, a very strange species of Muskrat found only on the Canary Islands. It has bright yellow fur, and is easily the most beautiful species of muskrat known to humanity.

Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Time to Say, Today is Cuvee Day. That’s right, last Saturday we released the new 2018 Cuvee Blanc and we had to bid adieu to our beloved 2017. The ’17 won “Best of Class” last January at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, but fear not mi hearties, the ’18, though a bit different wine, is equally delightful. Before we talk about the new 2018, however, I thought we could clear up some confusion about exactly what it means (at the SFCWC, anyway) to be awarded Best of Class.

Jeff’s Corner Hola Campers, All eyes these days are turned towards the soon-to-be open Heath Sparkling Wines (this will happen next week, and I can’t wait!), but let’s look away for a moment to check out our just-released 2018 Grand Rouge.

Jeff’s Corner Hey, Hey, Hey, Here We Go Again… So, what does it mean when someone says, “I’m a Pinot fan!” Are they talking about Pinot Noir or Pinot Grigio? Well, who knows. The Pinot clan is a large family of grapes that also includes Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, and lesser known cousins like Pinot Auxerrois, Pinot Teinturier, and Pinot Gouges. Obviously, there’s lots of Pinot envy everywhere! Pinot Noir, however, is indeed the Daddy, with the rest of these being mutations and not crosses between two varieties. It appears Pinot Noir’s DNA is quite unstable.

Jeff’s Corner Hola, Howdy, and Hello. Two weeks ago, our new 2017 Petite Sirah snuck onto the tasting bar in a very quiet and seductive fashion. At the moment it’s not being featured in any of our pre-set tasting flights, so the only way to try it is to be savvy enough to ask for it. So, consider this a not-so-subtle hint to ask for it, you’ll be glad you did.

Jeff’s Corner Howdy, Howdy Our new 2018 Texas Riesling was released on the bar last Saturday, and has since been the show-stopper for our guests choosing our sweet flight of wines. As I like to say, “It’s a real beauty”. We’ll take a look at this delicate, racy wine in a moment, but first I’d like to share a few thoughts on sweet wine in general.

Jeff’s Corner Hey, Hey, Hey; it’s Viognier Day The new 2018 GCV Viognier is on the tasting bar and making quite a splash and turning lots of heads. Every year Jason’s Viognier becomes more and more sublime, and to me the’18 is one of his most intriguing yet. Before we take a closer look at our new Viognier, I’d like to take a side bar to a brief (very brief) tasting I did a week or so ago for a wine writer (educator) from the Pacific NW. This person takes wine pretty seriously, trust me.

Jeff’s Corner Once again, it’s time for me to say, “Greetings from the Easter Binney!” Happy Easter everyone, today we’ll take a look at our new 2017 Bellissimo, which I am going to endorse right now as a great wine to pair with your Easter ham. But wait, today is not only Good Friday, it’s also my 39th Wedding Anniversary. 39 years ago today, right about the time this is posted, Kath and I pledged a lifetime of love to one another, and it was probably the smartest thing I’ve ever done.

Jeff’s Corner Hey Hey Hey, it’s Serendipity Day If you are in the Mixed or Black Label Wine Club, the 2017 Serendipity is in your immediate future, while in fact some of you may have already picked up this elusive beauty. If you haven’t, it’s ready for you at any of our three locations, and if we ship your allocation, it’s on the way.

Jeff’s Corner Today we’re going to take a peek at the new 2017 Mosaic, but before we do, congrats once again to Jason and gang (more about them soon). We just brought back 14 medals from the Monterey Wine Competition, including a Platinum for our legendary ’18 Cabernet Blanc and Golds for the ’18 Riesling, ’17 Muscat Canelli, ’16 Bellissimo, and ’17 Cuvee Blanc. The rest were Silver, no Bronze. Now, on to Kathy’s favorite wine (and she’s never wrong), our Bordeaux-style Mosaic. First produced in 2004, the 2017 is the 13th vintage of what is often one of my most favorite Grape Creek wines as well.

Jeff’s Corner Everyone’s darling favorite, or favorite darling, is back. The 2018 Rose of Malbec has been released, and is in almost every employee’s glass after work these days. The 2017 stole the show all summer long last year, was often our best selling wine, and sold out quickly. We nearly doubled our production this year, so buy it up and drink it up!