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| J. Davies Winery is located at the historical Schramsberg Winery in the Diamond Mountain appellation just south of Calistoga. Schramsberg is their sister winery and J Davies is named after Jack Davies, who founded and restored the modern day Schramsberg. This is one of the oldest wineries in Napa Valley, originally founded in 1862 right during the Civil War. For many years Schramsberg has been noted for their Internationally famous sparkling wines. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay had been planted on their estate for many years but this site is in fact best for growing red Bordeaux varietals. In 1994 the first red wine grapes were planted. Most wineries after planting vineyards will jump at the chance to take advantage of the first harvest 3 or 4 years after planting. Not so with J. Davies. They waited 7 years before releasing their first commercial vintage in 2001! They were producing wine during this time, just not commercially as it was for their own experimentation and knowledge. In addition, they kept tweaking blocks in the vineyard and layout, types of rootstock, clones and varietals. Today J Davies produces one wine each year, always a Bordeaux style blend. We tried their 2005 vintage which is a blend of Cabernet Sauivgnon, Malbec & Petite Verdot. It is a very dark inky wine that is unfined and unfiltered for maximum color and flavor. This is a medium bodied wine, with a smooth mouth feel, rich in blackberry and cloves with just a touch of toasted oak towards the finish. The tannins are soft and do not overpower. Bordeaux style is what they are shooting for here, not the huge flashy fruit forward wines that you often find in the Napa area. This wine is produced in extremely small quantities and their 2004 vintage sold out very quickly. Depending on quantities, it sometimes is available for tasting at Schramsberg winery (ask during your tour). Based on the release date, the best chance of tasting this at the winery is in late fall. Visit: www.jdavies.us |  |
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J. Moss is a small winery specializing in high end hand crafted single vineyard Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. This winery was started by James Moss. His wife Janet has her winemaking degree and also worked at an area winery for a number of years. James is the winemaker for J. Moss, but it is always nice to have a spouse to bounce winemaking ideas off of. He has worked as a wholesaler in the wine industry for many years, getting his start in Dallas Texas. Considering the industry, James would often take business and educational trips to the Napa Valley and it didn't take long before the Napa Allure kicked in. He pulled up roots from Texas and moved out to the Napa Valley. He soon found himself volunteering to help his friend at a local winery and initially was put to work doing what would be fairly mundane winery tasks for industry veterans. However, when you are new to winemaking you need to start at the bottom, everything is new, hence interesting - and even mundane functions such as manual punch downs, moving hoses, and rackings can pique ones interest for a while. Over time he began to pick up more and more of the winemaking side of the operations and for several years made "garagiste" home wine for friends and family.
Coming from an industry where James often tasted wine and had many years to build up his palate's repertoire, he knew what types of wine he enjoyed. His wines are vineyard specific and he tends to use the same vineyards for a number of years which builds terroir consistency in the wines. They are high in fruit flavor, not over the top with alcohol but rather balanced from start to finish. All wines are fermented in small open top fermentors and the free run juice is kept separate from the pressed juice throughout their aging, until the final blending decisions are made. This is where James' trained palate really helps. He is looking for smooth mouth feels, delicate tannins, rich flavors with fairly long finishes. The wines are bottled unfiltered for maximum color and flavor. James has even planted the hillside part of his backyard with 400 vines of Merlot. This is one of the first true residential subdivision Napa vineyards we have come across on this project - but with the backyard space and terroir not far from the cooling influence of the San Pablo Bay, this is a perfect location for a small vineyard. Just ask any of the successful Napa wineries who have vineyards planted in this area (well south of the town of Napa). With a vineyard this tiny you can really micro manage each and every vine. James plans to create a very limited production single vineyard estate Merlot in the future. Stay posted for this wine to be released in the upcoming years. We tried a 2004 and also a 2005 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon from the Spicer Vineyard located in the heart of Stag's Leap district. This is prime terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon, nearby vineyards include Shafer and Pine Ridge. James has sourced grapes from this vineyard since his first commercial release in 2001. Both wines have amazing fruit and continue to change and evolve over time in the glass both in aroma and flavor. The 2004 has a sweet fruit driven elegant nose with aromas of blackberry, earthiness, baking spices and just a faint hint of vanilla. The mouth feel is super soft, yet rich in flavor. It is an explosion of blackberry, black cherry, dark chocolate, cloves and other spices with nuances of toasted oak - the oak is subtle but adds a nice complexity to this rather lengthy finish. The tannins are firm yet delicate. Both wines have excellent acidity and bright fruit. The 2005 which we tried just after its initial release, saw a bit more French Oak during its aging than the 2004 - it has lively fruit (all natural acidity), and with an alcohol level at a rather reasonable 14%, it makes for a very enjoyable food wine. These wine are certainly well structured to drink young, but have the backbone and acidity to also age for a number of years. As of press time J. Moss makes three different 100% Cabernet Sauvignons - all produced in quantities under 200 cases, and all come from some of Napa's best known Cabernet Sauvignon producing appellations. Most of his distribution is direct - visit their website to join the mailing list. They also make large format bottles and can put together specially packaged wine boxes (which make great presents by the way). J. Moss has good distribution in California and Texas. You can also find their wines locally in Napa at Backroom Wines and at the Gustavo Thrace Tasting room near Copia. Visit: www.jmosswines.com |
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The tasting experience is relaxing with very knowledgeable and friendly staff and is held indoors at the tasting counter or at tables outside, weather permitting. As of press time all their wines are 100% varietal. We started with their 2006 Chardonnay which sees minimal Malolactic Fermentation and oak aging; it is crisp and full of fruit flavors including some apple and pear. Its extremely hard to find a 100% varietal Malbec in Napa (think Mendoza, Argentina), but James Cole does a very nice job with this wine. It is a winner! We tried their 2005 made with fruit from the Oakville district. It is a concentrated wine with great color - very dark and inky in the glass. We tasted some licorice and cherry on the palate - this is a good wine for aging. Their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium bodied wine but not overly huge as with some area cabernet's made in this style. The nose is very earthy with dominating notes of black cherries and the mouth feel is full bodied and smooth. Lastly for a wine you will *not* find anywhere in Napa Valley much less the rest of the world, try their Jaden Pinot Noir Icewine from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. This is a rare wine that is made in extremely small quantities, James Cole only received 75 cases of the 2004 vintage. Jaden is run by James and his brother. This is a wine that is quite difficult to make for many reasons. The grapes hang on the vine well after the normal harvest often until the end of December and they have to be netted to keep out all the hungry birds and other animals. By regulation, the temperature for 3 consecutive nights must be -8C or lower and then what little juice you can get from these desiccated grapes comes from pressing them right in the vineyards. The Brix (sugar level) is usually in the upper 30's low 40's. This wine is then aged in small Acacia wood barrels which help to impart a honey spiciness into the wine. Their 2004 vintage has a great nose with some hints of flowers including apple and roses and the feel on the palate is crisp and not overly sweet. This is definitely one of the highlights of the desert wines that we have tasted on our Napa winery odyssey. More info about Jaden here. Their barrel room contains a large sit down table and they have been known to show movies from the projector on site. They like Rolling Stones music so this is most often what you will hear playing at the winery! This is a neat boutique winery that as of press time has not yet been discovered. Furthermore their wines are only available at the winery - future plans include some local distribution. They are developing a mailing list. Website in progress. Visit: www.jamescolewinery.com |
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All wines are made at a nearby winery and most everything is done by hand during the winemaking process. The grapes are hand sorted so only the highest quality fruit is used. Hand punch downs are done 3x a day during fermentation and the skins are left with the juice (maceration) for extended periods to help soften the tannins. After tasting with nearly 400 wineries in the Napa area we can say that while the selection is limited, these two wines are among the top five quality to price values in the Napa Valley. Where else can you find such hand crafted Napa red wines for under $30/bottle? We tried 2005 vintages. As soon as the Zinfandel was opened we smelled it from across the table; it has incredible exotic aromatics full of fruit and spices. The palate is very smooth with flavors of black berries, it is not at all jammy, no residual sugar and the finish is full of fruit with a touch of vanilla. The Cabernet Sauvignon is a soft smooth wine with a very pleasant nose. The longer you let this wine open up the greater the flavors. It is full of black cherries, spices including cloves, some vanilla and a super velvety finish. This is a great everyday Cabernet and pairs well with steak - incidentally this wine is very popular in Oklahoma and Texas. You can also find it locally at JV wine in the town of Napa and the Wine Garage in Calistoga. Visit: www.jamescreekvineyards.com (website coming soon) |
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Jana Winery has been producing wines since 2003. For such a new winery they have come a long way in just a few years. The owner Scott Harvey has been making wines since the mid 1970's and he brings a lot of knowledge and wine experience to Jana wines. He owns and operates two other labels; Scott Harvey which is Amador County based and has a tasting room in the small town of Sutter Creek - and InZINerator which are Zinfandel wines geared towards a younger generation. Scott was instrumental in building Foliex a Deux Winery before they were sold to the Trinchero Family. Jana wines are named after Scott's wife. There are only three vineyards in Napa county at press time that we know of producing Riesling and Jana Wines has access to one of those. Today only a handful of wineries make Rieslings in the Napa area. The Jana version is made in the European style as Scott was influenced by this style at a winemaking school he attended in Germany. It is a very dry wine - the unique label even shows a scale ranging from dry to sweet so you know right away what type of wine this will be. The grapes are picked at a low brix (18.5), there is great acidity and low alcohol in this wine. Their 2006 vintage has a pleasing honeysuckle nose which fills the glass and a flavors of pears and other tropical fruits coat the palate.
The 2005 Zinfandel also has a scale on the label between "judging wine" and "European" more food friendly styled wine - with the bar on this wine being close to the "judging wine" side. The grapes are from a 100+ year old vineyard. This is a rich full bodied Zinfandel with a very aromatic nose and hints of mint and black cherries. Their Cathedral was named for Cathedral Rock in Sedona Arizona and is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with Petite Verdot and Cab Franc - although the overall blend changes every year. Their 2004 version is a very elegant European style Bordeaux blend - the fruit is not picked so ripe that the final wine produces too much fruit. This wine has a slight hint of pyrazines which is one of the components in bell peppers and other vegetables (some people enjoy this aspect - some people may not) - but in any case, it does not overpower as this wine is very well balanced. Jana also produces the "One Last Kiss" Label - which are two wines, a Red & White. This label is a tribute to a group of wild women from Arizona who during a visit to the Napa Valley were convinced to leave their kiss marks all over a poster board. Their kiss marks were memorialized on the labels of this wine! If you find yourself in the foothills of the Sierras in the town of Sutter Creek stop by the Scott Harvey Tasting room or if you are in the Napa area look for their wines at Silenus Vintners, south of Yountville. www.janawinery.com |
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The tasting is held on a large stone covered table which seats no more than 10 people in a very well lighted tasting cavern. Tastings and tours are limited to under 10 people. Their focus is reds but they do produce several high end chardonnays. Our favorite red is their Lake William Blend - its great with steak, lots of fruit up front in the nose; its a very soft wine with a velvety mouth feel. We also tried a great Merlot with a very long finish and some plums on the nose. Our guide actually uses this wine as an after dinner wine - its the first we've heard of a Merlot used in this fashion (its not sweet), but has lots of chocolate overtones. Of note as well, is their Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve which is only made from the best juice (which isn't available every year for various climatic reasons). The Jarvis's also founded the Jarvis Conservatory, based in Napa. Its a great source for the arts, music and opera. Their well-known winemaker has been with Jarvis for many years which helps build continuity and consistency in their wine making style. He is Dimitri Tchelistcheff, son of Andre, the famous Napa winemaker and terroir expert. Dimitri has been involved in the wine industry since 1944 making him one of the older Napa winemakers still working the harvests in Napa. Visit: www.jarviswines.com |
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JAX Winery , formerly known as Jackson Ridge has been producing wine since 1996. Our visit with this winery incidentally was a milestone for us, as it was the 400th winery we visited during our Napa Wine odyssey. Yes, we do keep track of these rare milestones that end in 00! JAX owns a small 14-acre vineyard in the far northern reaches of the Napa Valley at the base of Mt. St. Helena. This vineyard was purchased by the Jackson's in 1995 as place to retire and farm the vineyards. Initially some fruit was sold to nearby Chateau Montelena for use in their own wine. The grapes on this vineyard are quite old as they date back to 1968. This vineyard is entirely dry farmed and the tonnage per acre for valley floor fruit is extremely low at around 1.9 tons. The flavors are more concentrated with the thicker skins as these vines have to survive without water through the long dry hot northern Valley summers. Today this winery is entirely run by a brother sister team, Kimberly & Trent. Both are extremely energetic and passionate about the business. They run two labels - one is JAX which is solely a single vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon each year and the Y3 which is a dedication to their grandparents whose cattle brand was a Y3 on their old cattle ranch as well as signifying three farming generations within their family.
Unlike almost all other small Napa wineries we have visited, they employ two winemakers! Kirk Venge, who along with select other Napa winemakers could be known as the "king of Cab" (son of famed Napa winemaker, Nils Venge) runs their JAX winemaking program and Robert Hunter makes the wines under the Y3 label. Wines under the Y3 label are all sourced from area vineyards and their JAX Cabernet Sauvignon is from their small estate vineyard. We tried their 2006 Russian River Sauvignon Blanc - this is a vibrant style wine from the aromas to the palate - very crisp and lean. No malolactic fermentation occurs and it is aged in stainless steel. Some of the fruit for their Chardonnay comes from Atlas Peak which is definitely not the varietal you think of when you hear about Atlas Peak. Their 2005 Syrah is sourced from vineyards that also produce fruit for a select few well-known Napa winemakers. This is a full bodied wine, smooth with great berry flavors, a bit of oak and vanilla, all in all a very delightful taste. Their 2005 JAX Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium bodied wine with lots of black cherries mid palate with some spicy notes on the finish including hints of cinnamon. JAX has received some great publicity recently - their wine appears in a Will Ferrell produced movie called "The Goods" as well as in a popular HBO show. Top restaurants in select markets also feature their wine. Visit: www.jaxvineyards.com and www.y3wine.com |
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The winery is quite new having been initially used during the 2006 harvest. It is a beautiful wooden very functional building. Jericho has a very small production and at press time concentrate on a single high end Bordeaux blend Cabernet Sauvignon with fruit sourced for a Sauvignon Blanc. They however have planted Sauvignon Blanc and as soon as these vines come into production will use this fruit. This is a winery that places a lot of attention to detail both in the vineyards and in their winemaking. When much of one of their hillsides was infected by a leaf virus they pulled out all the vines and replanted. This virus is actually quite common in the wine country - characterized by leaves turning red prematurely. They noticed this was affecting the aromas and flavor of the final product and quickly took action. Once these new vines come into production they will have their higher end Cabernet Sauvignon and their general released Cabernet. They have planted a large number of varietals and in the future may even offer additional wines. Certain blocks in the vineyards are hand picked based on specific parts of the property. We tried several barrel samples in their caves of these blocks, each of which potentially could have been used in their final 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon blend (the first commercial release). It is interesting to note the differences in the taste and structure of these potential blends. As a common thread, rich ripe fruit with good tannin structure were a part of these blends. Parts of their cave were drilled through solid rock - the end of the main cavern was not sealed off so you can see just how thick this rock is. Also note the olives that grow on the property - these are not just for decoration! They make olive oil each year commercially. Visit: www.jerichocanyon.com |
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They do not filter their wines allowing them to move the wine from tank to barrel to bottle directly. This helps retain as much flavor as possible. Their only white is a Chardonnay - its not the buttery creamy style, Malolactic fermentation on this wine is not allowed to complete its course - it is a crisp clean Chardonnay. Their Cabernet Sauvignons are excellent, typically quite smooth with structured tannins on the back end. Their "Table for Four" is a very popular wine and is their only blended wine (Cab Sav, Merlot and Petite Verdot). It is not made every year, as Jessup will only release this wine if they feel the blend and quality is high enough. The 2005 version we tried definitely has some butterscotch flavors. Lastly be sure to try their Zinfandel Port. Zinfandel is probably the most common varietal in the Napa area used for making ports and most wineries fortify their ports with a generic spirits. Not Jessup - Remy Martin used to have a distillery in the Napa area and when they moved Jessup purchased the rest of their high quality alchohal which they use for fortifying their Zinfandel Port - its delicious! Their earlier ports really come together and are drinking quite nice as they age very gracefully. Besides their main walk-in room, they also have a VIP room for private up to 6 people tastings as well as the Premier room for up to 14 people. Visit: www.jessupcellars.com |
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This is an up and coming winery - until the wine press really gets hold of their wines (which they will) Jocelyn is still a mostly undiscovered winery. Brandi Jocelyn is the daughter of the owners and she has jumped into the business full throttle (with considerable passion) over the past few years. This is a family owned winery and your tasting will typically be with her or other family. There are so few wineries who will see visitors in the Atlas Peak Appellation (trust us on this one), that Jocelyn Lonen is one of the few wineries we have tasted with here (by appointment only - visits are for serious wine enthusiasts). They focus on three wines, Chardonnay, several excellent Cabernet Sauvignons and a Founder's Blend which is their highest quality wine and is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvigon and Malbec and is made in memory of Brandi's father who founded the winery. The 2004 vintage is very dark in color with intense concentrated fruit and spice flavors ending with a very long finish. This wine is big, but very well balanced. It doesn't get much better than sitting out on their patio with 180 degree views of the rugged rolling hills of east Napa County, with the Sierra's in the far background and drinking delicious wine- yea! Visit: www.jocelynwines.com Note: Jocelyn Lonen has sold their estate property and no longer will be holding tastings here. We will update this review over time. |
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Jones Family Winery was founded by Sally and Rick Jones, avid wine enthusiasts who developed a passion for drinking wine in the 1970's while they were living in France. Not a bad place to immerse oneself into the culture of old world wines. Sally & Rick moved to the Napa area in 1991 and were able to purchase a very high quality vineyard that was on sale from the nearby Araujo Estate. For several years they sold their fruit to a winery in the Stag's Leap district and they dabbled in home winemaking. They released their first commercial vintage in 1996 and focus on entirely estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon. They employ two superstars in the local Napa wine scene, vineyard manager David Abreu and winemaker Thomas Brown. Both have sterling reputations in the valley for their respective fields, but keep in mind these individuals can only do so much - what it comes down to are top notch vineyards, its cheesy, but as a winery, for the most part, you are only as good as the fruit and in this case, the Jones Family have excellent hillside vineyards.
Today Sally & Rick are still involved, however their two daughters have jumped into the winery business full throttle and run the sales, marketing and general operations. Even their husbands are wine enthusiasts and have been known to help out from time to time on marketing related activities. It is truly a family run affair and hopefully the 3rd generation when of age, will be consumed by the "Napa allure" that is hard to resist when you grow up in a winemaking family in the Napa Valley. We tried their 2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon which as of press time was not even released. Lucky us! This has a wonderful complex nose and tons of fruit all over the palate, but its fruit driven in a refined and elegant way, not too bold. The mouth-feel is rich with notes of spices on the long finish. Jones Family produces a true second wine, appropriately named with the family in mind, called the Two Sisters. This is a Bordeaux style blend made from the same fruit as used in their Estate wine but blended from specific blocks within the vineyard as well as more Cabernet Franc. You can find their wine locally at several high end restaurants including the French Laundry, and select restaurants in New York and London. Visit: www.joneswine.com |
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Joseph Phelps is also known for having excellent wine education seminars in which the topics vary from time to time. Your small group will sit at a large table in their posh wine room and you will listen to the wine guide discuss wines and how to properly taste, identify color, aromas and flavor. This seminar will also provide insights into how wines are made and is a great place to ask lots of questions. One of the most popular seminar topics is the Insignia blending in which you are given the components of what makes the final Insignia blend - you get to create your own blend. Then compare how your blend tastes against the current vintage of Insignia. Their "normal" Terrace tasting experience is by reservation only and is available every half an hour. It is not private as usually several pourers will be on site next to each other serving different groups simultaneously. However, if you need a moment to yourself to enjoy the wine, weather permitting, walk out onto their terrace overlooking the vineyards and nearby hills. Great views! The tasting takes place in their "Terrace" room which is surrounded by empty bottles from Joseph Phelps' private collection. From the size of the collection and quality of the labels it appears he has enjoyed some remarkable wine in his lifetime! Large wooden casks which used to be used in the making of Riesling now sit empty and serve as decoration and conversation pieces only. This room was actually added on as where you taste and the casks sit, used to be out doors. Your tasting will typically include 5 or 6 wines including several whites and some of the Fog Dog wines from their new Sonoma County based winery called Freestone. Their Cabernet Sauvignons are typically big wines with large tannins - we tried the 2004 Insignia which contains the "good juice" from several of Napa's most well known Cabernet Sauvignon producing districts including Stag's Leap, Oakville, and Rutherford. This is a big wine for serious Cabernet Sauvignon drinkers - nice spices and fruit flavors with a more rounded finish than found in their other Cabernet Sauvignons. When you are finished with the Terrace tasting deposit your wine glasses outside in the large copper pot. Phelps donated land for the nearby River Ranch Farm Worker Center which provides housing to seasonal workers. Advance reservations are a must for their wine seminar. Visit: www.jpvwines.com |
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The sit down tasting room is small and elegantly furnished with windows overlooking parts of the vineyard. Their total production is about 3000 cases and for a winery of this size they make a large variety of different types of wines. Some of the wines can only be purchased directly from the winery including several whites, a Rose and a Muscat. A typical tasting will include 5 or 6 wines. All of their fruit is currently sourced with the exception being the Pinot Noir from their estate although they still have Cabernet Sauvignon vintages from a former estate property they owned on Howell Mountain in the north part of the valley. Their Pinot is fairly light in color but rich in flavor. A couple of other wines we really enjoyed are their 2005 Old Vine Zin made from fruit from 75 year old grapevines. There is a lot of alcohol in this wine but the alcohol does not dominate. What dominates is the fruit; it is a well-balanced wine with good acid control. Our favorite is their 2003 Petite Sirah. This is a big wine - as big as some of the Cabernets we have been drinking. It has a fantastic nose full of earthy aromas with even few mossy type characteristics. Despite being a big wine it is drinkable now - with structured tannins and a long finish. Serious wine drinkers should consider asking for a taste of the wine they keep hidden in the "tiki" statue next to the tasting table! Also ask to see their Library Wine list - unlike many wineries in the area you can actually purchase wines up to 10 or 11 years old. Judd is a man of many talents - not only is he a magician, but he plays the ukulele for old-time Hawaiian music in his Maikai Gents band (www.mkgents.com) | www.juddshill.com |
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