J VINEYARDS & WINERY 2010 HARVEST KICKS INTO HIGH GEAR

J VINEYARDS & WINERY 2010 HARVEST KICKS INTO HIGH GEAR

HEALDSBURG, CALIFORNIA— (August 25, 2010) — With the arrival of warmer weather along Sonoma County’s coastal hills and valleys, the 2010 grape harvest at J Vineyards & Winery kicked into high gear. Harvest crews were busy picking Pinot Noir grapes from J’s “Nicole’s” and “Robert Thomas” Russian River Valley estate vineyards throughout the early morning hours, arriving just in time for a short “Blessing of the Grapes” ceremony at the winery.

Heavy coastal fog and low clouds shrouded the region in June, July, and most of August, pushing the annual grape harvest back about three weeks. Temperatures, however, began to spike warmer this week, pushing the coastal clouds offshore and helping grapes destined for sparkling wine to mature to their desired ripeness and bright acidity. The varietal wine harvest throughout J’s ten Russian River Valley estate vineyards is expected to begin by mid-September.

“We finally hit our optimum sugar levels for sparkling wine,” said J Viticulturalist John Erbe. “We will continue concentrating on sparkling wine for the next three weeks, and then follow up with a three-week harvest of our grapes bound for varietal wines.”

With the harvest delayed due to the unusually cool weather, both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay appear to be ripening on a parallel path. Such a compressed, rigorous harvest can push a winery to its limits. At J Vineyards & Winery, a complex “battle plan” has been put in place by winemaker George Bursick to make both the sparkling wine and varietal wine harvest transition smoothly.

“J’s ‘two wineries under one roof’ production concept comes naturally to our team,” said George Bursick, Vice President of Winemaking. “Everyone has a key role — whether making sparkling wine or varietal wines — to ensure that the grapes John Erbe has nurtured are turned into extraordinary wines.”

“Mother Nature definitely threw us a curve ball this year; however, the extended grape hang-time has allowed for some stunning flavors to develop. Everyone at the winery is excited about vintage 2010’s quality,” Bursick added.

The 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.

The winery, founded by Judy Jordan in 1986, will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary next year.

To learn more about the winery, or to join the J Wine Club, please call (707) 431-3646, or go to www.jwine.com.

Pam & Alan Bergstrom in support of Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute with J Vineyards Cycling Jerseys!

Pam & Alan Bergstrom

A quick note to thank J Vineyards for the quick delivery of the bike shirts. We wore them during the Pan Mass Challenge, a 2 day bike ride to support Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute in Boston, MA. We were asked many questions about the winery from fellow riders, so hopefully you got some good publicity too!


Attached is a picture of us at a rest stop during the ride.  Thank you again!
Kind regards,


Pam & Alan Bergstrom
Mountain Stream Farm
New Jersey


Livestrong Cycling Jersey - J Vineyards
The Lance Armstrong Foundation is a registered non-profit organization located in Austin, TX which was established in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist, Lance Armstrong. The LAF unites, inspires and empowers people with cancer.

90 Points & Very Highly Recommended! - California Grapevine for J 2009 Pinot Gris, California

Judy Jordan is blazing her own trail through J Vineyards & Winery in the Russian River Valley

By

  

Taking over a successful family business sounds like a cush job most people dream of…key word being “most!” Judy Jordan, daughter of Jordan Winery founder Tom Jordan, decided to take a different path, founding her own business, J Vineyards and Winery, in 1986. Her intention was to honor her family’s heritage and capture the essence of California’s Russian River Valley through the production of world class sparkling and single varietal wines.

Judy Jordan, J Founder & President

Approved as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1983, the highly acclaimed Russian River Valley is found along the Western side of Sonoma County before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The region is blessed with long, steady growing seasons thanks to its proximity to the ocean and cooling effects created by a blanket of fog that blankets its vineyards in the morning hours. These conditions have allowed the Russian River to build a name for itself with the Burgundian varietals, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Presently the Russian River Valley has approximately 15,000 acres under vine, is home to about 150 wineries and over 200 growers. This competition has led to some stiff competition among Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers, and J Vineyards has risen to the challenge.

For almost 25 years, J Vineyards had been focusing on producing their signature, sparkling wines. Recently, however, they’ve added a new collection to their varietal-series of wines, including an Alsatian specialty, Pinot Gris. I recently had the pleasure of receiving a sampling of these new releases.

2009 J Vineyards California Pinot Gris: This crisp, refreshing white is 100% Pinot Gris sourced primarily from the Russian River Valley. Whole grape clusters are gently pressed to minimize the extraction of harsh components from the skins and seeds. This wine had a delightfully citrusy nose and zesty lemon-lime on the palate with great acidity and tart, refreshing mineral finish. Fermented in stainless steel to preserve its fresh flavors and varietal character, this bottling is conveniently sealed with a Stelvin closure. This is the ideal wine to pair with oysters, grilled shrimp or a beautiful plateau de fruits de mer.

2007 J Vineyards Russian River Valley Chardonnay: This elegant expression of Russian River Valley Chard is 100% barrel-fermented and aged in 60-gallon Burgundian oak barrels (40% new). A six-month malolactic fermentation is then carried out, resulting in a creamy, rich, sur lie character. Enticing aromas of butterscotch, tropical fruit and toasted hazelnuts were followed by rich, complex layers of fruit, spice and minerality with a creamy mouthfeel and long, lingering finish. Pair this full bodied wine with decadent dishes such as Lobster Mac and Cheese dusted with freshly grated nutmeg and you are all set!

2007 J Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir: While the Russian River Valley is known for its fabulous Chardonnay, Pinot Noir is its hallmark! A variety of Pinot Noir clones were used to produce this wine in order to convey a comprehensive expression of Russian River Valley Pinot. Aged for 15 months in French oak barrels (30% new), this wine spends another six months in the bottle prior to release. In the glass, this wine was a classic, translucent ruby red color with alluring aromas of ripe cherries, violets and earth. On the palate, ripe black cherries, cassis and cocoa mingled with a sexy, earthy spice that was executed in an elegant, yet restrained style. Executive Chef for J Vineyards & Winery, Mark Caldwell, recommends pairing this delicious Pinot Noir with Wild Mushroom Duxelles or Seared Lamb Loin with Black Truffle Tapenade – I’d do what the man says!

Ranging in price from $16-$35, these new offerings from J Vineyards and Winery represent lovely expressions of Russian River Valley terroir. Better yet, these can be found at an approachable price, whereas much of their neighbor’s wines have seen their prices soar. This winery also subscribes to the philosophy that food and wine are meant to be enjoyed together (gotta love that).

Cork'd Link: http://content.corkd.com/2010/08/11/judy-jordan-is-blazing-her-own-trail-through-j-vineyards-and-winery-in-the-russian-river-valley/

Very Highly Recommended! The Augusta Chronicle for J Cuvée 20 Brut NV, Russian River Valley

5 Stars - Sparkler with the Wow Factor! Deacnter September 2010 Best of California Guide

THE 2010 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY GRAPE HARVEST DELAYED BY COLD WEATHER

The summer of 2010 has been an exceptional year for growing redwood trees and rhododendrons; however, the unusually cold weather has proved to be a challengefor wine grapes.

Those who farm Sonoma County vineyards along the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley have seen temperatures hover in the 60s and 70s, as opposed to 80s and 90s, for most of the growing season. At this point, the unusual weather pattern has had only positive effects on the quality of the fruit slowly growing on the vines. The late start to grape maturation, however, has growers concerned about wrapping up the harvest before the fall rains appear in October.

While much of the nation wilts under high temperatures, a low-pressure weather system has been parked off the North Coast of California, pumping moderating air and coastal fog into the hills and valleys of Sonoma County throughout June and July.

“We pride ourselves on growing grapes in the cool climate of the Russian River Valley,” says J Viticulturalist John Erbe, “but this cold summer weather has put the brakes on a harvest that typically would have already started.”

John Erbe, J Viticulturalist

“Verasion is taking place in most of our Pinot Noir vineyards, and that generally means we will begin harvest in about 30-45 days,” says Erbe. “Our concerns will ease should a warmer summer weather pattern arrive. At this stage, we expect to be picking grapes for our sparkling wine just before Labor Day, a good two to three weeks late.”

Verasion in Nicole’s Vineyard

J Vineyards & Winery is one of the few producers in California to make both sparkling and varietal wines. Located on Old Redwood Highway south of Healdsburg, J focuses on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, farmed on its ten estate vineyards sprinkled throughout the Russian River Valley. In recent years an emphasis has been placed on developing a varietal wine program uniquely separate from its famed sparkling wines.

The winery, founded by Judy Jordan in 1986, will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary next year. To learn more about the winery, or to join the J Wine Club, please call (707) 431-3646, or go to www.jwine.com.

Visit J Vineyards & Winery

J VINEYARDS & WINERY DEBUTS TWO NEW CYCLING JERSEYS TO SUPPORT CANCER CURE EFFORTS

J Vineyards & Winery introduces two new colorful cycling jerseys that will benefit ongoing efforts to fight breast and blood cancer.

“Cycling is an important charitable fundraising tool in the fight against cancer,” said Founder and President, Judy Jordan. “When you combine this with the fact that Sonoma County has become an important global destination for cycling enthusiasts, it seemed only natural for us to be involved.”

One of J’s cycling jerseys has been designed to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which supports bike races and public cycling tours in California and across the country. The other, a bright pink jersey, benefits the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, an organization that sponsors numerous national “bike rides for life” to raise funds for breast cancer research.

                  Lymphoma & Leukemia Cycling Jersey                     

This is the fourth year that J Vineyards & Winery has produced a cycling jersey for charitable purposes. Each features the winery’s distinctive brushstroke “J” logo, as well as the charitable organization’s logo.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Cycling Jersey

The jerseys are made for cycling enthusiasts and are quite stylish, yet functional. Designed to evaporate moisture, the jerseys feature a mid-level collar, a 20” hidden zipper, and three spacious rear pockets.

The jerseys are available at the Winery’s Visitor Center, or online at www.jwine.com. They are $115 each, with 10% of the proceeds going to the respective organizations.

Visit J Vineyards & Winery

Founded in 1986 by Judy Jordan, J Vineyards & Winery is an independently owned producer of elegant Russian River Valley sparkling and estate varietal wines. The winery will celebrate its 25th harvest in 2011.

The J Winery and Visitor Center is just a quick bicycle ride south of downtown Healdsburg at 11447 Old Redwood Highway. For more information, please call (707) 431-3646, or go to www.jwine.com

   

Kathryn Lindstrom of J Vineyards & Winery Honored for Women in Business 2010

Women in Business 2010: Wine: Kathryn Lindstrom

By Jeff Quackenbush, Business Journal Staff Reporter, June 25th, 2010

Finding the perfect balance of finance, art, values at J

 

KATHRYN LINDSTROM
General manager and chief financial officer
J Vineyards & Winery
11447 Old Redwood Highway
Healdsburg 95448
707-431-5400
www.jwine.com

HEALDSBURG – Passion and pragmatism drew Kathryn Lindstrom to apply her lifelong love of mathematics to navigating a number of luxury-tier wineries through their turbulent organizational and economic times over the past two decades.

At the helm since 2006 as general manager and chief financial officer, Ms. Lindstrom has been carrying out founder and Chief Executive Officer Judy Jordan’s goal starting in 1999 to create separate sparkling and varietal wine operations under one roof.

“I wanted a balance of strong fiscal responsibility with a drive for quality production and service here at J Vineyards & Winery,” Ms. Jordan said about selecting Ms. Lindstrom from other candidates.

At the same time, Ms. Lindstrom has been putting to use accounting, finance, operations and management skills developed over the years to keep the ventures moving during a challenging market for fine wines in the past two years.

“Now, for every dollar you need to get a significant return on assets and get the investment back at a higher rate,” she said.

Yet adjusting the momentum of a winemaking business, in which it can take four to six years from vine planting to bottle filling, is tricky, particularly when the economic currents shifted as quickly as they did in 2009, according to Ms. Lindstrom.

“It caught most of us in the industry by surprise,” she said.

Yet as challenging as financial forecasting is these days, J’s continuing transformation plus an increasing array of winemaking and sales metrics is helping the company stay on a more even keel, Ms. Lindstrom said.

For example, winemaking software now supplies even small wineries with information helpful in tracking costs and make precise adjustments. Also helping are computerized point-of-sale systems in tasting rooms as well as customer transactions and commercial banking both over the Internet. Decreasing costs for depletion data give operable information on a timely basis even to the small winery.

“Kathryn has risen to the occasion working toward finding new and innovative ways that we as a winery can continue our path of quality wine production and excellent service while driving fiscal responsibility and accountability through our winemaking operations,” Ms. Jordan said.

One necessary part of cost containment in challenging times is contract negotiation.

“You’re not always in a position of power, but you still need to go through with it and maintain relationships,” Ms. Lindstrom said. “Right now, there are short-term needs, and I need to balance them with long-term relationships.”

Key long-term bonds with growers of grapes are integral to the brand’s reputation. While working with Dick Arrowood at Arrowood Vineyards & Winery in Glen Ellen, she learned from him the importance of those relationships. Sometimes the winery needs flexibility from growers on contract terms to meet bottle sales, and sometimes the growers need similar help from the winery.

In fact, Mr. Arrowood is among her key career mentors, which also include Vic Motto and Mike Fisher, now with St. Helena investment bank Global Wine Partners.

“I worked hard to make choices that fit my career to get to this point,” she said.

Accounting and finance have been growing career fields for women since she started. In the wine business, many money-related departments have a large female representation. Ms. Lindstrom’s career used managing money as a course toward managing companies.

She graduated cum laude with an undergraduate business administration degree from Humboldt State University in Arcata. A top mathematics contestant in high school, she opted to concentrate on accounting in college rather than engineering or architecture, though she studied building design also.

After college she spent three years as a senior auditor in Deloitte & Touche’s Santa Rosa office in the early 1990s. From there she progressed to become an audit manager at wine-focused accounting and consulting firm Motto Kryla & Fisher in St. Helena, now called Frank Rimmerman & Co.

In 1995, she decided to learn more about running a luxury wine business, joining Peter Michael Winery in Calistoga as controller.

That led to her first management position, vice president and chief financial officer of Arrowood in 1998. She developed the management team and a marketing-heavy long-range plan.

Mr. Arrowood gave her a list of new disciplines to master, including the artistic side of the business. The allure of the luxury wine business is what attracted her to pursue wine accounting.

“The wine industry is a perfect blend of art and science,” she said.

Yet she found herself at first having more in common with growers, whose pragmatism had been honed over decades of agricultural variability.

In 2000, she was involved in the negotiations with Robert Mondavi Corp. for the acquisition of Arrowood.

At that time she was given the role of general manager of finance and operations of Arrowood.

In 2002 she was appointed as director of finance and administration for Oakville’s Opus One Winery, started in 1980 as a joint venture between Robert Mondavi Corp. and Baron Phillip de Rothschild S.A.

The professionalism brought with Robert Mondavi Corp. went up with Opus One, in having to report to an international board of directors, according to Ms. Lindstrom.

Constellation Brands acquired Robert Mondavi Corp. in 2005. A year later Ms. Jordan recruited Ms. Lindstrom to lead the remaking of J. Part of that included winding down a custom-winemaking contract with Remy for the 100,000-case-a-year Piper-Sonoma sparking wine.

That move worked well to position J for the 2009 crash in fine wine sales, because the extra capacity was put into producing a $20-a-bottle Cuvee 20 bubbly brand to reach a new sweet spot in ultrapremium wine pricing.

At J, Ms. Lindstrom heightened her food-and-wine sensory skill set through the chef’s creations. Such elegance, exemplified in the Bubble Room tasting salon, was one of the core values she worked with Ms. Jordan to develop. One of Ms. Lindstrom’s favorite parts of the job is communicating those values to the staff and then using those values as performance metrics.

“It’s about building momentum of the company culture,” she said. “It’s always been there, but now it is more structured.”

Link to Kathryn Lindstrom video interview: http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/22320/women-in-business-2010-wine-kathryn-lindstrom-video-remarks/

Dry Creek Kitchen Presents Winemaker George Bursick of J Vineyards & Winery at the Sonoma County Wine Pioneers Series on July 17 ~ SONOMA COUNTY SPARKLERS

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Very Good Pinot Gris! - PinotFile for J 2009 Pinot Gris, California

Very Good Pinot Gris!

A superb food wine and the best example of Pinot Gris produced in California.

2009 J California Pinot Gris

Sourced from the Russian River Valley, Monterey County and the Sacramento River Delta region. Fermented in stainless steel tanks with no MLF. Winemaker George Bursick.

Slight frizz upon pouring. Attractive aromas of tropical fruits, bananas, and lemon meringue tart. Bright and tasty with crisp flavors of yuzu, lemon curd, lychee, pear and pineapple. Very creamy in the mouth with a slightly tart finish.

Truly Exceptional Pinot Noir! - PinotFile for J Vineyards 2007 Barrel 16 Pinot Noir

Truly Exceptional Pinot Noir!

2007 J Vineyards Barrel 16 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

16 special barrels chosen by the winemaker, George Bursick. 100% destemmed. Aged 12 months in 30% new French oak barrels and 3 additional months after blending.

Nicely composed array of aromas including red berries and cherries, sassafras and oak spices. Wow! Delicious berry melange nicely spiced with hints of mocha, sassafras and melon. Almost a spiced muffin flavor. A unique wine of modest intensity with a silky smooth texture, mild fine-grain tannins and admirable finesse. Decant if you pop the cork now.

A special occasion Pinot Noir.