Jeff’s Corner 8-26-22

Hello, and Howdy!

Today we’ll take a look at our thrilling new 2021 GCV Texas Rosé of Pinot Noir. That’s right, Texas Pinot Noir. This is the first time ever for a Pinot Noir to sneak into our Grape Creek portfolio, and I’m excited to get to taste and write about it.

Along with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir is one of the three great “noble” red grapes. It thrives in Burgundy, France, and has been grown there for over 2,000 years. It is genetically unstable, and mutates easily. It has spawned over 1000 clones, with Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Meunier being the best known.

Being lighter in color and having thinner skins than many red grapes, Pinot Noir is relatively low in phenolic compounds (color and tannin), which makes it an excellent candidate for a rosé. However, we see very few being produced that are still wines and not sparkling. Once again, Grape Creek is setting trends.

In 1975, Sutter Home turned the wine world upside down and introduced White Zinfandel, and several generations of new wine drinkers were weaned on this very sweet style of rosé. It wasn’t until around 2015 that America “discovered” what are now very trendy, and stylish, dry rosés.

Jason and GCV didn’t miss a beat. In 2016, we released the 2015 Rosé of Sangiovese, and it jumped to the top of the charts. Needing our Sangiovese for Bellissimo, we introduced our first Rosé of Malbec (the 2016) at our 2017 Tank Tasting.

This leads us to one of the more frequently asked questions during wine tastings, which is “Where does the color come from, and how are they made?” Nearly all rosés are produced one of three ways: blending, minimal skin contact with the juice, or “bleeding” off must early during fermentation. Ours is produced by the more traditional way of limiting the time of skin contact with the juice to about 16 hours. For more info on these three techniques, see Jeff’s Corner dated 8-13-21.

Finally, onto our charming new 2021 Texas Rosé of Pinot Noir. The color is an enchanting pale salmon with a bright, translucent rim. The ABV is 13.0%. Sometimes aromas in rosé wines can be difficult to identify, but to me there are subtle hints of cranberry, raspberry, and bright red cherry with some elegant floral notes of pink and white carnations.

The palate is very well-balanced, and the wine is clean as a whistle from front to finish with plenty of crisp acidity to make this wine very refreshing and very food-friendly. I like this wine a lot! Let’s serve it well-chilled (between 40-45*), and pair it with a Crab Louie salad.

We’ll see ya soon…