Grateful Dead releases wine to mark 50 years

A limited edition wine marking the 50th anniversary of rock band the Grateful Dead has been released by Wines That Rock, in partnership with California’s Mendocino Wine Company.

Limited at 250 cases, the 2012 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has been produced by the Mendocino Wine Company in conjunction with Grateful Dead Archivist David Lemieux.

The wine is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% estate-grown Petit Verdot and 2% estate-grown Syrah aged in a mixture of new American oak and neutral cooperage barrels. The goal was to capture the “joy, spontaneity and uniqueness of a Grateful Dead show”, resulting in a “dark, spacey and cerebral” Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of “black olive, tobacco, black currant and dark plum”. The wine’s label is painted directly onto the bottle and features an image of “Bertha,” the classic Skull & Roses Grateful Dead logo made popular by the band’s live album Grateful Dead.

“To create a collectable worthy of Grateful Dead’s 50th Anniversary, we pulled out all the stops”, said Howard Jackowitz, co-founder of Wines That Rock. “Starting with sourcing premium grapes for this special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, we brought in Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux for a one-on-one blending session at the vineyard with our top winemakers, and wrapped it all up in a one-of-a-kind bottle that brings to life the great essence and personality of the Dead.”

250 cases of the 2012 Grateful Dead Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will be available for a limited time at winesthatrock.com and from Amazon.com for $39.99 per bottle.

The Mendocino Wine Company is owned by the Thornhill family and is based in Ukiah, California. Established in 2004, it owns and operates Parducci Wine Cellars, Mendocino’s oldest winery, as well as Paul Dolan Vineyards and Moniker Wine Estates.