Wine Releases

Juliet:
 “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) Is Juliet right? Or is she merely trying to ease Romeo’s concern regarding his surname of Montague. Would Silver Oak be equally attractive if its name was Snail Slime? Would GCV’s Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend be more desirable named Prosperity?

Jeff’s Corner 2-15-19 I was surprised last week when Dougabie told me to write about the release of the 2018 Cabernet Blanc; it seemed like just a few months ago we were checking out the ’17. Well, guess what, that’s because it was. Alas, the 2017 has melted into legend, taking with it a Gold Medal from the SFCWC. Another great one, however, is on the way… This is where I’m going to get on my soap box for a second when it comes to sweet wines being a matter of taste. Duh! It’s okay not to like them, but it’s really not okay to look down on them. I hate liver, but I don’t look down on people that (gasp!) love it. Besides, Jason and crew make damn good sweet wine!

Jeff’s Corner 12-7-18 Today is “a date which will live in infamy” and these words spoken by FDR should ring as true as ever on the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Right now there is nothing more for me to write about this, our job is to remember… I am, however, supposed to write about wine, so here we go. GCV produces few wines that are more beloved and festive than our Cabernet Blanc. Today we’ll take a peak at the new 2017, and since this style of sweet rose was born from holiday tradition, let’s check out some cool history.

Jeff’s Corner 11-30-18 Today is Cuvee Day, so how about a big HEY HEY HEY for the new 2017 Cuvee Blanc?

Jeff’s Corner 11-15-18 Once upon a time, in the southern part of the Rhone Valley in southeastern France, the flavor of wine was ruled by rival grape gangs. They were many in number and took pride in their vicious malevolence towards one another. They were ruthless and would do anything to control our entire palate.

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.

Jeff’s Corner 10-19-18 Wowser! After commentating last week that it was “a slow news week”, Jeff’s Corner is suddenly cluttered with lots to talk about. We will be releasing five new vintages in the next few weeks, so I’ve got a ton of brutal tasting and typing in my future. In the next few episodes, we’ll check out our 2017 Muscat Canelli, Cabernet Blanc, Cuvee Blanc, and the ’16 Rendezvous.

Here we go, go, go… Last year, on September 8th, I wrote about our double-gold winning ’16 Pinot Grigio, and here I am, almost exactly one year later, writing about the release of the new 2017. Once again, Jason and Brian’s forecasting skills are uncanny. Anyway, the 2017 is a lovely, delicate wine. Before we take a more in-depth look, however, let’s review the history of this very old grape.

Jeff’s Corner 8-10-18 Hello, Hello, Hello, and a Howdy just for fun! Today we’re going to take a peek at our new 2017 Grand Rouge. Grand Rouge is one of our most insanely popular wines, but first a vintage update.

Jeff’s Corner 6-21-18 “Hello, Merlot. Is there anybody in there?Just nod if you can hear me.Is there anyone at home?”

Jeff’s Corner 6-7-18 Howdy Howdy Howdy A major goal in my wine career has been to demystify it and make it simple, approachable, and enjoyable for everyone on any level.  I’ve also waged constant war on the elitism and snottery (a new word) that is often associated with this wonderful beverage. Sometimes this isn’t easy, especially with the incredibly intimidating names of grape varieties and wine regions.  We have all struggled with pronouncing words like Pouilly-Fuisse, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Mourvedre, Gewurztraminer, and, of course, Viogner.

Jeff’s Corner 5-24-18 Hey, Hey, Hey, Today is Mosaic Day!!! It’s been several vintages now that Mosaic has been my favorite GCV wine, so much so that it’s gotten to the point that I’ve been trying to trade my Serendipity and Bellissimo to other staff members for their Mosaic.  This is kind of like trading a Micky Mantle rookie card for a Hank Aaron, it really come down to whose your favorite because they are all great players. All our proprietary wines have really cool names, but once again Mosaic is my favorite.  (I wonder if that’s true with most of us, Is our favorite wine also our favorite moniker?)  So, before we take a look at the new 2016 Mosaic, let’s check out the word itself.