As any avid wine drinker knows, the changing seasons are like pleasant Outlook reminders about what is happening in the vineyard, tasting room, and cellar. Wines put down in oak some 12 to 24 months ago are finally being released to excited palates (like the 2009 ISOSCELES...what a stunning vintage), while wines bottled quickly to capture the fresh, zesty flavors present at harvest are released only a few short months after crush, like our 2011 Sauvignon Blanc. Welcome to Spring at JUSTIN....
I've had the luck to work in the wine industry for over ten Springs now. While I do love to see the vines seemingly erupt back to life after a long winter nap, there are two things that really get my attention in May at JUSTIN. First, if we make it to May with the vines and buds intact, the specter of a possible frost wiping out a vintage is all but gone (Quick...knock on wood! A stubborn spouse's head will do!). Second, May is when Winemakers all over California start emerging from their cellars after months of working at the blending bench. Like mad scientists bursting out of their laboratories with a breakthrough they exclaim, "Behold! I shall give you a fleeting glimpse of what shall be anointed vintage 2010!"
This particular May marks the first time that the mad scientist behind JUSTIN's blends is none other than Scott Shirley, our new Winemaker. This week I had the opportunity to get a preview of where these wines were going with Scott now steering the ship, and I have to tell you, I am very impatient to get to our destination - AKA: the release of the wines (Insert whiny backseat voice, "Scccoootttt! Are we there yet")?!?!
This frames our team's first glimpse at the 2010 vintage of JUSTIN's most important wines. The tasting was attended by Fred Holloway (VP of Winemaking, Viticulture, Production, Interplanetary Time Travel, etc), Jim Gerakaris (beloved JUSTIN Som, tour specialist and wood fire pizza Jedi) and Craig Williams: trusted advisor and the winemaker behind 10+ vintages of Joseph Phelps' INSIGNIA. Scott took us through a blind tasting of 3 proposed blend ideas each for vintage 2010 ISOSCELES Reserve, ISOSCELES, JUSTIFICATION and FOCUS.
We tasted each flight of 3 proposed blends, ranked our personal favorites from 1-3, then tallied the group's POV. Like golf, lowest score was the favorite. At this point in the wine's life cycle, however, the ranking does not result in a binding decision. Instead, it sparks a spirited discussion about what the destination could look like. The prototype blends were compared, contrasted, defended or disparaged (politely). Varieties, vineyards, blocks, time, wood are all considered and reconsidered in mapping the next 12 month journey to the Promised Land. What was consistent throughout was that at least two different blends in each flight had one or more strong advocates at the table. This is a testament to both what was a good year in the vineyard, but even more so to how Scott's talent was already apparent in his rookie outing. Look for these exciting wines starting with the release of the 2010 JUSTIFICATION this Fall (set your Oulook reminders now!).
One last observation: Anytime wine tasting occurs among extroverted and opinionated wine geeks, at least one new word is forcibly added to the King's English as a descriptor for something indescribable. My favorite proffered in this particular tasting was "flauncy". I have absolutely no idea what this word was intended to mean. It was just kind of thrown out there in front of 4 confused faces for a while. So: Do your best to drop a "flauncy" in a conversation over the next month or so, and let us know what you decided it meant!
David K. Bowman
VP MKTG, DTC, EMEA, REO, EIEIO
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