A favorite pastime of mine is wine shopping. Albeit most find this an
unnecessary activity, but I think selecting that prized bottle is the stuff
rituals are made of. Initially, my boyfriend found my "behavior" to be exciting
attention as strange or odd. I mull about in wine shops, inspect bottles, jot
notes, inquire about the wine staff's "top picks" while discussing menu
options. It was then that Sean developed wine patience; if you can't beat them,
get them to stop….join them! In fact, we were scoping the local Hoboken wine
scene, when we first encountered Justin
Justin is a vineyard located in Paso Robles, California. It is mid-way
between San Francisco and Los Angeles with the Pacific Ocean 20 miles away.
There is a large disparity between day and evening temperatures. Summer days
can reach 100, while nightfall brings much cooler breezes. Becoming familiar
with the Justin family of products: ISOSCELES, OBTUSE, JUSTIFICATION recall the
days of studying for a high school geometry examination or the greatly
anticipated SAT verbal section. I urge you to continue to suppress these
traumatic experiences and focus on the quality that graces these varietals. All
thanks to a most impressive wine-master, Jeff Branco.
Despite being in the middle of the 2001 bottling time, Jeff immediately
accepted the interview with Hobokeni.com. Quite a score for our readership, as
Jeff & Justin Vineyards continue to win awards from the likes of Robert Parker,
The Wine Spectator, and the London International Wines and Spirit Competition.
Speaking of this last competition, the 1994 ISOSCELES won Best Blended Red Wine
Worldwide. Well, they certainly beat out a lot of people!
Up close and personal with Jeff was fun and though a trail of accolades
follow him, he's a super down to earth person. Jeff has been the chief wine
maker at Justin Vineyards since January 1999. Since then he has produced award
wining wines every year. For the full flavor of just how many prestigious
awards this fairly young vineyards has one, visit www.justinewine.com. Was it
serendipity that began Jeff's career?
It certainly seemed to play it's own part...
Click here to read part two of
this article.
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features@hobokeni.com, and we'll be glad to forward them.
