Jeff’s Corner

Hey, Hey, Hey, and Happy, Happy New Year

Well, our cat Rio Frio had a memorable first Christmas, and managed to make her way into the dog house big time. She gave Kath THREE really cool gifts, and I got nothing! No cat nip for her for a long time coming.

Anyway, we took some time out (as promised last episode), and enjoyed some quality porch therapy with some older (meaning not current) vintages of GCV wine. I didn’t make “formal” notes, but here are some thoughts the little Elf and I shared regarding some lovely wines.

The 2016 Prosperity was the first vintage of the wine formerly known as Cabernet/Syrah. It has flourished and gracefully evolved from its name-changing identity crisis. It shows classic characteristics of Syrah-driven white pepper and spice up front, and finishes with rich, dark fruit from the Cab. This is perfectly true-to-style for one of my favorite GCV wines.

One night we pulled the cork on a 2016 Mosaic, and it’s developing beautifully since I last wrote about it 5-24-18. Sometimes my crystal ball works; the depth and complexity I alluded to, given some time in the bottle, is definitely paying off.

Then, we opened the legendary ’15 Mosaic. Aye Caramba! Upon its release, I thought it might be one our best wines ever. Aromas and flavors are deeply layered, richly textured, and weave across the palate for a perfectly balanced, sensual finish.  To me, it may just be the most intriguing Grape Creek wine I’ve ever tasted. 

Being able to taste the ’15 and ’16 Mosaic next to each other was a real treat; we don’t get to do that very often. The ’16 is drinking well, but could benefit from another year or two in the bottle. The 2015 might be peaking, but it’s hard to say. I have a couple more bottles, but I’ll definitely drink them within the next two years.

Once again, Happy, Happy New Year!

“Hope springs eternal in the human breast”
Alexander Pope “Essay on Man” 1734