December 2004

December 31, 2004

So, the real mind-blowing news about the Jeff Cup is that the Syrah that won wasn’t from California. It was from Arizona! I was tasting it too and I though it was from Washington State , which generally outperforms California with this wonderful grape. On that note, Happy New Year! Let’s hope the New Year heralds more great new wines from great new regions

December 30

Okay, so now you’ve had a chance to check out the results of the Jefferson Cup 2003. It’s not mind-blowing enough that a Syrah won the Jefferson Cup for best red vinifera for the third year in a row. We don’t use exactly the same group of judges each year, though the core is a group of Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine, as well as some candidates for each title. I think the simple truth is that Syrah is a gentl, rich grape that makes wine that can taste friendly and complex upon release. Cabernet takes a lot longer to uncoil itself into someone that welcoming.

December 29

As founder and director of the Jefferson Cup Invitational wine competition, I’ve had some eye-opening experiences with wines from lesser states pitted against the big names in wine from the Left Coast.  But this year takes the cake. The results have just become available on line, so click here to find out what happened.