在我最喜欢的邻居今天向我展示了他们最新的两款葡萄酒，分别是2020年赤霞珠和2021年最惠国白葡萄酒。这些精美的佳酿由帕索罗布尔斯布克葡萄园的农民酿酒师Eric Jensen精心制作，每一滴都体现出对品质的极致追求。Jensen坚信，即使没有高额价格和自负障碍，也能提供高品质葡萄酒，这正是My Favourite Neighbor所展现出的热情所在。他选用了他所谓“A+ 葡萄园”的果实，这些果实由当地种植者朋友种植，是与亲朋好友分享的一份珍贵礼物。
这两款葡萄酒已经在全国分销网络中销售，包括2020 My Favourite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon（50美元）和2021 MFN Blanc（50美元）。它们最初以纪念Jensen的导师Stephan Asseo为名，Asseo曾称Jensen为“最喜欢的邻居”，这是一个自我实现的预言。
My Favourite Neighbor已成为一个由众多人组成的大型运动，其水果来自著名地点，如Denner、Alta Colina 和 Moonsprings—all planted according to Jensen's strict standards. These wines are produced at the Booker's solar-powered winery without concentration or other common operations.
As Jensen says, "I challenge our team and our grower friends: 'Why can't we do it right, keeping complete integrity in the vineyard and no concentration in the cellar? Why can't we produce a wine that rivals those twice as expensive?' That is what My Favourite Neighbor is about—making world-class wines without shortcuts or compromise."
The 2020 My Favourite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Barbara County) boasts rich flavors of ripe cherry and plum. The palate is enhanced by blackberry and apricot flavors with a hint of tobacco. The extended mineral finish complements the strong structure and richness of tannins. It's composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Syrah, 4% Petite Sirah, 4% Malbec, and 2% Viognier aged for twenty months in French oak barrels at 65%.
The 2021 MFN Blanc (Santa Barbara County) bursts forth from the glass with Meyer lemon, green apple, Asian pear aromas accompanied by a hint of pineapple flavor with notes of flinty stone fruits such as peach pits; there are also hints of clove spices like cinnamon sticks along with fresh sea saltiness on the palate followed by juicy acidity leaving an enduring minerality finish. It’s composed entirely of Grenache aged for eight months in French oak barrels at fifty percent.
From paying homage to one neighbor to becoming a movement embraced by many—the journey has come full circle for my most favorite neighbor—a parting gift from Booker Vineyard in Paso Robles California.
