Market Watch, January 2020

54 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM JANUARY FEBRUARY 2020Petit Verdot and Syrah and marks the first wine from Jensen that falls below 75 a bottle We made this wine because it has the abil ity to touch more Americans and show them true price quality potential Jensen says Harvey Harriets inaugural run consists of 2900 cases Later this year Jensen is set to expand even further with the debut of a 100 Cabernet Sauvignon label which will initially be available via direct to consumer channels in limited quantities The Booker Wines portfolio meanwhile is intended to compete favorably alongside luxury wines from Napa and other prestigious Califor nia appellations The top performing wine in the lineup is Oublié 80 a 750 ml a blend of Grenache Counoise and Mourvèdre that ranked No 10 on Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of 2017 Oublié and portfoliomate Fracture a 100 Syrah comprise around 3500 cases each Across all wines Booker currently stands at around 8000 cases with other expressions including Ripper a 100 Grenache made only in select years Vertigo a GSM blend and Tempranillo Located near Booker is Tablas Creek Vineyard a longtime champion of the Paso Robles wine industry The winery was born out of a partnership between Robert Haas and Jacques Perrin of Château de Beaucastel who started exploring Cali fornia wine regions in 1985 with the intention of finding an area that would enable cultivation of Rhône varietals They felt there was such a small footprint for Rhône wines in Cali fornia says Tablas Creek partner general manager and second generation Haas family member Jason Haas So they searched for areas where Zinfandel which is originally from the coast of Croatia where the climate is almost identical to that of the southern Rhône was planted as they thought it would be a marker for those areas that would do well with Rhône varietals Rhône And BeyondOn a smaller scale and from a different perspective Eric Jensen is also placing more emphasis on Cabernet Sauvignon with the advent of two new releases Jensen known first and foremost for Booker Wines which is focused on upscale Rhône style red blends has recently expanded beyond Booker with two standalone brands that have potential for much greater volume The first My Favorite Neighbor 80 a 750 ml is Jensens response to cult Cabernet Sauvignon iterations from Bordeaux and Napa Valley Comprised primar ily of Cabernet Sauvignon the wine is rounded out with Syrah and Petite Verdot Last year the label hit 12000 cases and is set for further expansion this year The newest addition to Jensens stable is Harvey Harriet which launched in June 2019 Retail priced at 50 a 750 ml the Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blend is also made with Rhône varietals are the main focus for both Tablas Creek winery top and TH Estate Wines lineup above Tablas Creek born out of a partnership between Robert Haas and Jazques Perrin of Château de Beaucastel was instrumental in making Paso Robles the epicenter of California Rhône varietal production