"It's like being in another world of food and wine." Grape Camp Visits J Vineyards

J Founder & President Judy Jordan Toasts the Grape Campers

Yesterday J Vineyards hosted a unique group of 34 highly educated wine lovers for a special tour and tasting. The tour was a part of Grape Camp — a three-day immersion program offered by Sonoma County Winegrowers. 

Part education, part vacation — Grape Camp is a fascinating deep dive into the world of wine and how it's made. Participants spend three days learning from master winemakers and vineyardists, taking insider tours of wineries and getting hands-on experience — from picking and sorting grapes to blending wine by hand. The program is designed to be both informative and relaxing, so educational segments are punctuated by delicious meals in special locations throughout Sonoma. At the end of each day, participants unwind at the Applewood Inn. 

Yesterday Grape Campers were met at the front door by J Founder and President Judy Jordan and VP of Winemaking Melissa Stackhouse then gave our visitors a tour and tasting. Afterward, everyone headed to lunch at Relish Culinary School in Healdsburg. 

J Winemaker Melissa Stackhouse Chats with the Grape Campers

People who participate in Grape Camp rave about it. One participant said, "No book, no magazine article can capture what the experience is really like." Another described it as an "incredible line-up of first-rate venues and hosts. I really felt like a special insider." 

The 2012 Grape Camp did sell out, so if you're considering participation, we recommend booking your spot early!

Club J | Directions | Event Calendar | Gift Boutique | Wine Shop

This Just In! Special Barrel Tasting Added to Tomorrow's Harvest Party

Great news! We've added a very special pre-release barrel tasting of our 2011 Robert Thomas Vineyard Pinot Noir to tomorrow's annual Harvest Party. This wine won't be released until next fall, so this is a rare preview of what's in store from this exceptional vineyard.

The Robert Thomas Vineyard is located at what's called the "elbow" of the Russian River Valley, which means it's practically a stone's throw away from the Pacific Ocean. As a result, it gets thick coastal fog during the wee hours and although the fog burns off by mid-day, Robert Thomas is still the coolest of all our vineyards by far. This coolness makes for gloriously long hang-time for the grapes, which means that extraordinary, complex flavors are allowed to develop.

Past Robert Thomas vintages have been known for rose petal and violet aromas that give way to complex tiers of berry, plus graceful tannins that carry through to a long, lush finish of caramel and vanilla. How will the 2011 vintage compare? Come to the party and find out!

 
There are still a few tickets available, so grab yours today. The J Culinary Team is busily preparing fantastic food-wine pairings in addition to the barrel tasting. Several of Sonoma County's finest artisan food purveyors will be on hand, too, including Jimtown Store, Friend in Cheeses Jam Company, Merchants & Millers, Bernier Farms, WholeVine Products, and more. 

If you can't make it to tomorrow's party but want to try the 2011 Robert Thomas Vineyard Pinot, we recommend joining Club J -- our wine club -- so you'll get first dibs when it's released next fall. 

Club J | Directions | Event Calendar | Gift Boutique | Wine Shop

Bubble Room Named 'Unique Tasting Room Experience' by 7x7 Magazine

Flip through Spencer Spellman's recent stories for 7x7 Magazine and it becomes immediately clear he's a lover of the unexpected. Whether he's venturing to the state's most unusual accommodations or detailing the quirky attractions of Northern California, Spencer consistently uncovers juicy novelties for a cosmopolitan congregation of Bay Area sophisticates. 

Recently Spencer set himself the task of finding tasting room experiences that really stand out from the crowd, and we're tickled to report his top pick was The Bubble Room, our beautifully appointed full-service tasting salon here on the grounds of J Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg, California. (Here's a 360 degree view of it.)

"Visitors get a much more personalized and tastier opportunity inside the Bubble Room," he writes of the three-course wine and peak season food pairing. "Give yourself a couple of hours for the tasting and consider a lunchtime visit, as the pairing serves as a light meal."  

Reservations are recommended for the Bubble Room. You can make a reservation request online here or just call 707-431-5430.

In other bubble-related news, our Vintage Brut is now a finalist for Snooth's 2012 Peoples' Voice Wine Awards in the "Best Super Premium Sparkling Wine" category. Vote before October 22nd.

Finally, if you're going to be in Sonoma County this Saturday, September 22nd, there are still a few tickets available to our annual Harvest Party, one of the best seasonal events in the region. Get yours today!

Club J | Directions | Event Calendar | Gift Boutique | Wine Shop

J Harvest News from our Winemaker, Melissa Stackhouse, Friday, October 7, 2011

Melissa Stackhouse, J Winemaker

The J harvest of 2011 continues to roll on.  We are nearly finished with Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.  Early sampling of our 2011 Russian River Valley Estate Pinot Noir shows a vintage across the board that is nothing less than exquisite.  Most of the lots are still in tank, on the skins and fermenting.  A few Russian River Valley Pinot Noir lots are already in barrel, having been drained and pressed last week. These wines will be going through malolactic fermentation in barrel, and will be aged for about nine months. We expect blending to begin in early spring.

Melissa Stackhouse Admiring J Estate Pinot Noir Grapes

And happily, we completed our sparkling wine harvest weeks before the rain began to fall.  The sparkling lots are all tucked away in tanks awaiting assemblage. We will begin blending these wines at the end of October for tirage bottling in early February.  The 2011 sparkling wine vintage can be characterized with one word — spectacular!



 Spectacular Night Harvest in Nonny's Vineyard

Our major challenge this harvest, however, has been with Chardonnay.  Chardonnay is always the variety that takes a hit when the Russian River Valley weather becomes marginal.  The seven-day forecast will hopefully bring us warmer and drier weather.  We’re keeping our fingers crossed and hope to finish this year’s harvest by the end of next week.  

J Vineyards Russian River Valley Chardonnay

We will keep you posted on our progress.

Best Regards,

Melissa Stackhouse, J Winemaker

J Vineyards & Winery Bubble Room To Feature Asian-Inspired Cuisine Through February 6

Chinese New Year Celebration

J Vineyards & Winery Bubble Room To Feature

Asian-Inspired Cuisine Through February 6

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, J Vineyards & Winery is offering a special Asian Fusion-inspired wine and food tasting menu in its famed Bubble Room. The festive menu features limited production J Russian River Valley single-vineyard estate varietal wines as well the winery’s vintage sparkling wines.

Executive Chef Mark E. Caldwell will delight guests with such creations as “Eight-Flavor Local Duck” with Shimeji Mushroom and Bok Choy Stir-Fry, and “Vegetable Firecracker” with Spicy Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce.

Reservations are recommended. This Bubble Room tasting is available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from January 7 through February 6. Seating times are 11 a.m., Noon, 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. The cost is $65 per person and $50 for J Wine Club members.

J Bubble Room

For reservations or more information, please call (707) 431-5430 or (707) 431-3646.

J Vineyards & Winery, located on Old Redwood Highway south of Healdsburg, focuses on Brut and Brut Rosé sparkling wines, as well as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris varietal wines, produced from grapes farmed primarily within Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley appellation.

Founded by Judy Jordan in 1986, J Vineyards & Winery is an independently owned Sonoma County winery. J celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. To learn more, or to join the J Wine Club, go to www.jwine.com.

 

ENJOYING FALL WEATHER AT J VINEYARDS & WINERY

ENJOYING FALL WEATHER

AT J VINEYARDS & WINERY

Though winter is a couple of weeks away,

we are still enjoying the late fall colors at

J Vineyards & Winery.

 It’s the perfect time to visit J.

Enjoy these photographs taken around our

Visitor Center and Winery this past week.

Happy Holidays from J Vineyards & Winery!

"James the Wine Guy" Winery Visit to J Vineyards & Winery

Winery Visit: J Vineyards & Winery Company – 9.0 

James Meléndez / James the Wine Guy

I enjoy my visits to J Vineyards and Winery and while I look forward to their still wines—I cannot wait to taste their bubbly. While you can open up any bottle of wine up in your house or another favorite venue—it is a testament to enjoy something that you could enjoy closer to home but instead journey to a winery. Traveling to Healdsburg—or any other winery location can be a lot of effort. But the reason we do is to experience wines that we could access anywhere but to also try wines available no where else.

And further more be in an environment that exceeds our expectation—something feels like you are in a wine country and have a compelling wine country experience. The goal whether far or close from home physically is to be miles away mentally. I do experience that at J Vineyards and Winery. I like their Bubble Room and if you have some extra dollars it might be a nice way to treat yourself to a very nice food and wine pairing. Their food is always creative and well executed

Be sure to enjoy their Rosé and Late-Disgorged Brut.

J Vineyards & Winery

11477 Old Redwood Highway

Healdsburg, CA

(707) 431-3646

www.jwine.com

J Vineyards Pinot Noir is a Standout Varietal from the Healdsburg Area - Jon Bonné of the San Francisco Chronicle!

Link to story details: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/23/FDN11CON5B.DTL&type=wine

J is a Tasting Room Top Stop for a Healdsburg Visit - San Francisco Chronicle!

Link to story details: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/23/FDOL1CRP8G.DTL