Eighty-One went into production in January of 2020, but the grapes were harvested in 2017.
The full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon has a ripe black cherry and cinnamon stick aroma, leading to a palate of plum preserves, dark chocolate and spicy toasted oak.
It pairs well with red meat like steak and lamb.
“It’s very smooth,” Owens said. “I’m very pleased and satisfied with where it is right now.”
It sells for $39.99, but a bottle bearing the autograph of the receiver, who memorably pulled a Sharpie out of his sock to sign a football after scoring a touchdown in 2002, costs $135.
There have been 1,078 — the number of receptions he had during his Hall of Fame career — of those signed/exclusive bottles produced.
Owens sees this label as just the start of a burgeoning wine business.
“If this is a success — and I’m thinking and hoping it will be,” he said, “we’ll transition into some other wines.”
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