OIC Founder Gregg Johnson and GM Brent Wittrock along with Trentadue's Miro Tcholakov among some of the old vine plantings that form the backbone of OIC's new GJ Reserve.
Osteria Il Centro is proud to announce the introduction of "GJ Reserve" – a private wine label created exclusively for Osteria Il Centro. OIC Founder Gregg Johnson and General Manager Brent Wittrock have worked diligently for over a year to create the perfect wine to accompany the restaurant's well respected menu. That wine is GJ Reserve and it's now ready for its debut! "Creating our own wine is something we've envisioned for quite a while now. Seeing it come to fruition is a really proud moment for us – we think our customers will really enjoy it," said Gregg Johnson.
Gregg and Brent have long been fans of the wines of Sonoma and specifically Alexander Valley. Working with local wine distributor JP Gilmore, president of Vintegrity Fine Wines, Gregg and Brent narrowed down their search to an Alexander Valley favorite, the Trentadue winery, thanks to their track record for big, rich, age-worthy reds. After multiple tastings and several discussions it was clear that Trentadue was the perfect choice to bottle private label wines not only for Osteria Il Centro, but also sister restaurant Minsky’s Pizza. The Trentadue family has a long history in Sonoma County having purchased 208 Acres in Alexander Valley in 1959. Their vineyards contain a wide range of different varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varietals as well as Old Vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah with additional planting of Italian varietals.Tasti
Gregg and Brent were thrilled to work with Miro Tcholakov, winemaker at Trentadue for over twenty years, and especially enjoyed the collaboration with Miro in creating first vintages of GJ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon for Osteria Il Centro and the Pizza Red blend for Minsky's. According to GM Brent Wittrock, "We created two wines that we felt would match quite well with a wide variety of our our menu items and really elevate the dining experience."
Miro and Gregg identifying specific Cabernet Barrels from the 2019 vintage that may used in future releases of GJ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tasting Notes
The 2018 GJ Cabernet Sauvignon has a dense ruby-purple color followed by abundant varietal aromas and flavors of blueberries, blackberry and black licorice with hint of herbs and ripe olives. The predominately French oak aging contributes aromas of vanilla, cocoa dust and slight toast. The mouth feel is medium dense, fresh and juicy with balanced acidy and very soft tannins for a young wine. The alcohol content is balanced and the acidity is relatively high suggesting excellent longevity for this wine. Drink now or age for 5-7 years.
Harvest:
- End of October, 2018
- Aged for 14 months in 36% new French and other European barrels, the rest in older barrels
Bottled:
- 12.12.2019
- 102 cases made
Blend:
- 85% Cab. Sauvignon
- 11% Syrah
- 3% Sangiovese
- 1% Montepulciano
Try GJ Reserve at Osteria Il Centro today, Cheers!
