Sonoma Vintners Visit The London West
Hollywood, California
J Winemaker Melissa Stackhouse
The Sonoma
Vintners Association was having a wine tasting event at The
London West Hollywood recently. A good wine showcases a story. While
tasting at The London, I was fortunate to experience superb storytellers and
wines that drew me in completely. I spoke with some of the organizers, wine
makers, and marketers and am delighted to share their profound experience and
passion with you.
Major Sonoma wineries such as the exceptional J
Vineyards and Winery were represented at the event as well. Judy
Jordan, daughter of Tom Jordan (the founder of great California wines and
Jordan Winery), created her own successful brand with J Vineyards and Winery.
They have a unique range of wines and exceptional sparklings.
This day they brought their Sparkling
Rose, which is a masterpiece. The lushness of this sparkling lingers on the
tongue and has balance and elegance combined. To know a good sparkling wine and
or Champagne is its tiny bubbles. J Rose is a standout, it is engaging, lively
with fresh fruit notes and a pleasurable finish that lingers.
J
Pinot Noir is another winning wine under J winemaker Melissa
Stackhouse. This bountiful wine has layers of texture with a rustic quality
that is quite fun to drink. The intensity of fig, dark cherries, dark plum and
cocoa emerge on your palette. J Pinot Noir can be sipped with a variety of
culinary selections, a little chocolate compliments the wines rich character
and it is perfect to drink on its own.
J Chardonnay makes
your mouth water with sensual flavors of lemon-peel and shortbread. The
creaminess and flavors are inviting. J also makes a J
Pear Liqueur that will knock your socks off. The pure pear essence, vanilla
aromas and butterscotch silkiness drape your palette eloquently. It has cognac
tenacity with a feminine touch. Melissa is an exceptional artisan and shares
insight into all things J!
NJ: Speak a little bit as a winemaker as to how it
is when you are creating a wine.
MS: For me winemaking has always been
incredibly collaborative, so it’s not just about one person, it’s about many
people coming together to make a product. That means the vineyard crew, the
winemaking team, sales and marketing and PR, bringing it all together. As far
as winemaking goes I’m more hands-off. We really try to make sure the fruit is
rock solid when we box the wine.
NJ: Let’s hear a little bit about the grapes that
you’re growing and how particular you have to be to create the wines that you
produce.
MS: I think if there’s any time to micromanage my
day it’s in the vineyards
and you also need to have a couple plans. When harvest unfolds you never really
know what you’re going to get, so we usually go in with a plan A, and that’s if
everything works out, and then a plan B, and a plan C if the weather turns
extreme and so we try to just be present in the vineyard, be out there and
micromanage it up front and we hopefully can bring solid fruit in.
J Nicole's Vineyard
NJ: Share a little bit about your wines.
Especially about your Pinot Noir,
about your sparkling
Rose, which is wonderful, and your J Pear after dinner drink which is
superb.
MS: The J
Brut Rose sparkling wine is about 65% Pinot Noir and the balance is mostly
Chardonnay a little bit of Meunier as well. We’ve just put it in a new package;
it’s a sexy little package - clear glass with a swoopy J on the front. It’s a
sexy wine, a brilliant, nice pink color. It’s a wine that’s really vivid in
strawberry, grapefruit, very crisp, very light, and I think a perfect summer
wine.
NJ: You have little bubbles, and that’s one thing
when you’re looking for a good champagne or sparkling, you want little bubbles
bubbling up to the top and that is what J does.
MS: Right, it’s got what we call formability. It’s
got little bubbles and that’s a good thing and it’s not too fruity and really
not too sweet either. And that’s the thing with wine; it can be fruit forward
without being sweet. And the Pinot Noir is, for me mostly plum and cherry, a
little bit of tobacco, just a kiss of rustic-ness. I love Pinot Noir and have
been making it for many many years.
NJ: It’s very popular right now too and I think
California Pinot Noir has more substance than when you think of a light Pinot
Noir of days gone by.
MS: Yeah, especially in the Russian River Valley-
that Pinot Noir is a little more brooding, it’s darker fruit - it’s more of a
Cabernet wine drinker’s Pinot.
NJ: What else would you say regarding J Vineyards and the wines that you produce and being a woman
owned vineyard and a woman winemaker? That also is an exceptional thing.
Judy Jordan, J Founder & President
MS: Well, Judy’s a cool lady. She has owned the
winery for 25 years,
which is amazing to me. She founded the brand when she was 25 years old and I
think back to when I was 25 years old and I can’t imagine being mature enough
to do that. She’s a neat lady and I feel very proud to make wine for her.
Cheers,
J Vineyards &
Winery
