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Pinot Noir is well-known for being able to pick up and express subtle differences in microclimate and soils. Therefore, with access to estate-owned and grower vineyards at several locations in the Russian River Valley, the team at J Vineyards can craft an appellation wine that’s bright, aromatic, and deeply layered. No less than 40 individual lots, wines representing unique vineyard blocks or clones, went into crafting this complex and pleasing wine. The wine opens with dark cherry, plum, and ripe raspberry, while hints of earth, cocoa, and clove add depth and nuance to the smooth, layered palate. This juicy and nicely-textured Russian River Pinot would pair well with pork tenderloin stuffed with dried fruit and rosemary.
J Vineyards and Winery produces highly-acclaimed sparkling wines as well as varietal wines in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. As the daughter of Tom Jordan, founder of Jordan Winery, Judy Jordan was raised amidst the hustle and bustle of an influential rising star in Sonoma County’s wine industry. Rather than join the family business, however, she struck out to pursue a passion for sparkling wine and to establish the Russian River Valley as a premier location for sparkling wine.
With a foggy cool climate as well as a wide range of complex volcanic and alluvial soils, the Russian River Valley has been attracting vintners of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay seeking the holy grail of a perfect Burgundian terroir. The qualities are similarly advantageous for sparkling wine producers though not for quite the same reasons. Unlike the maker of still wines, the sparkling wine producer is typically not interested in capturing the essence of a particular vintage or vineyard but in creating a delicious and consistent house style. Blending the base wines (that will then be bottled with some sugar and yeast for the secondary fermentation) is key to the art. In early spring, the finished Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier wines from different vineyards will be sitting in dozens of tanks. From these lots, the winemaker will painstakingly assemble the base wines, possibly adding in some reserve wines from earlier vintages for additional complexity. J Vineyards, with 10 estate vineyards spread out across the AVA, is assured of a great diversity from which to assemble great and complex base wines. The cool climate of the Russian River Valley also offers J Vineyards an advantage because they can begin the harvest a bit later than in warmer areas and still get the high acidity and low sugar necessary for high quality sparkling wine.
While J Vineyards started out as a sparkling wine producer, it became clear over time that, with so many vineyards in prime Russian River Valley locations, the opportunities for making distinctive varietal wines were there for the taking. Today only about 35% of J Vineyards’ total production is devoted to sparkling wine with the rest divided between single vineyard and blended bottlings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Appellation(s) | Russian River Valley (Sonoma) |
| Winery | J Vineyards & Winery |
| Vintage | 2019 |
| Color | Red |
| Varietal(s) | Pinot Noir |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bottle Size | 9.0 x 29.5 |
| Case Size | 36.0 x 27.5 x 30.5 |
| Alcohol | 14.3% |
| Product Code | JJ19RRP |
| UPC | 724624115017 |
93 points – James Suckling; 90 points – James Dunnuck; 90 points – Wine Spectator.
Cherries, plums, blood orange, and notes of forest floor provide aromatic delight. Hints of earth and clove play off the ample red and blackberry flavors. Elegant and balanced, soft tannins and lightly toasted oak give nice weight and structure to the wine.
Grapes were destemmed and fermented as whole berries in open-top fermentation tanks and transferred into 29% new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. Barrels representing individual blocks and clones were kept separate until blending before bottling.