Inside Tucson Business – Michael Luria, Dec 16 2011

Tucsonans offered a ‘sneak taste’ of Fox Block Eight pinot noir

For the last seven years, Regan Jasper, director of Hospitality and Beverage for Fox Restaurant Concepts, has orchestrated the creation of a customized private label pinot noir served at all of the company’s restaurants. Known as Fox Block, the eighth vintage is going to be released in the new year. Those interested in a getting a preview, can do so with Jasper from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 23 at NoRTH in La Encantada.

“Our first restaurant was in Tucson, so we want to give Tucson the first taste of Fox Block Eight,” says Fox Restaurant Concepts CEO Sam Fox.
While many restaurants feature private labeled wines, often as their house wine, rarely do they feature the quality and caliber of wines that have been selected for Fox Block. Jasper has worked with some of the best pinot noir producers in the country for Fox Block. For this eighth edition, he has taken his palette abroad to create a wine from Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago, New Zealand.

As the popularity of Fox Block continues to grow, the challenge has been finding quality pinot producers that are capable and willing to commit a significant block of their vineyards to a Fox Block vintage. From producing 140 cases of the initial Fox Block One, Fox Restaurant Concepts will release more than 2,200 cases for the New Zealand Fox Block Eight.
In January Fox Block Eight will be added to the wine lists at NoRTH, Wildflower, Zinburger and Blanco Tacos + Tequila.

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