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Vineyards

29 Jul

Posted at 22:36h in Events, News, Uncategorized, Vineyards
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Every bottle of our Martini Clone "Old Girls" Pinot Noir represents years of persistence, a little luck, and one very special block of vines. When I decided to start Joseph Jewell Wines in 2007 and 2008, I had one simple goal: make exceptional Pinot Noir. There was just one problem—no one wanted to sell grapes to a brand-new winery. The financial recession had the wine industry on edge, and growers weren’t eager to take a chance on an unknown winemaker. Ironically, that same recession eventually created the opportunities that helped shape Joseph Jewell Wines. In 2009, I began working with Floodgate Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. At the time, there wasn’t much fruit available, and the vineyard manager, Warren, offered me a small corner of the vineyard. It sat in what I...

16 Jun

Posted at 17:39h in Events, News, Uncategorized, Vineyards
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Some wines are born from tradition. Others are born from curiosity. Our Sparkling Vermentino is a little bit of both. Vermentino has always been a favorite grape of mine because it naturally carries a freshness that reminds me of an ocean sea breeze. Even grown here in Sonoma County, it retains a bright, coastal character with citrus, floral notes, and an energy that makes it incredibly refreshing. The fruit comes from Raymond Burr Vineyard, a property I know well. In addition to making the wines, I help farm the vineyard, which gives me a unique connection to every vintage. When you spend time in the vines throughout the growing season, you develop a deeper understanding of the fruit and the possibilities it offers. One year, that possibility looked like bubbles. We produce traditional sparkling wines...

06 May

Posted at 19:54h in Events, News, Uncategorized, Vineyards
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A Hidden Humboldt Gem One of the things I like about growing and making wines from Humboldt is the “undiscovered” aspect. Humboldt County remains a small and largely unexplored wine region. There are only a handful of vineyards, but the possibilities for making great wines are there if you are willing to look for them. My first sojourn to Phelps Vineyard was in 2019, when the owner of Briceland Vineyards brought me there (it’s not exactly a place you could stumble upon). For me, the trip to Phelps Vineyard started with the three-hour drive from my home in Sebastopol to Garberville, followed by another 45-minute drive on a dirt road that climbs from roughly 300 feet to close to 2,500, getting steeper and narrower as it goes. Technically, it’s about four miles...

13 May

Posted at 09:00h in Recipes, Vineyards, Wine
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In 2023 our winemaker Adrian Manspeaker was finally able to get his hands on a small block of Sauvignon Blanc from the Starscape Vineyard in Russian River Valley, from which we source Pinot Noir for both Joseph Jewell and our Jewell Reserve Wines. Every time he would visit Starscape to check on the Pinot, he’d sneak a golden berry from these Sauvignon Blanc vines and revel in their intense flavor.  Adrian has made Sauvignon Blanc in the past (2007-2011, and 2019) from various sites around Sonoma County. He's even experimented with the Musqué clone–a unique mutation of Sauvignon Blanc we’ll introduce you to later in this article. However, the 2023 Starscape Sauvignon Blanc is a new exploration of this lesser-planted variety in the Russian River for him, with the resulting wine...

05 Jan

Posted at 20:30h in Events, Uncategorized, Vineyards, Wine
1 Like

As we begin 2023, we are as equally excited for what is to come as we are for how 2022 went for Joseph Jewell! 2022: Looking Back 2022 was, in many ways, our return to normalcy post-COVID. In February, we were thrilled to reopen our Vineyard Tours after the gloomy winter months and were soon met with glorious Summer-like weather. We hosted an Art & Wine event featuring local artist Michelle Carnes in April, which was well-attended and thoroughly enjoyed by many of you! As we rounded the corner to Summer, Master Somm Evan Goldstein held a panel of 20 winemakers at the annual Russian River Valley Pinot Forum featuring our winemaker, Adrian Manspeaker, as one of the vintners who spoke. Later, in August, we hosted our first Vineyard Dinner in three years...

08 Sep

Posted at 18:41h in Vineyards
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Just outside the town of Healdsburg, the 38 sustainably farmed acres of the Bucher Vineyard produce elegant and nuanced Pinot Noir for our single-vineyard bottling of the same name. Owner and farmer John Bucher has made quite a reputation for himself as a winegrower in the Russian River Valley, with the likes of Williams Selyem lobbying for fruit annually from his Westside Road estate that overlooks the Russian River. Being neighbors with the coveted Rochioli Vineyard to the south, it is easy to understand why the grapes from Bucher Vineyard are held in such high regard. We've been sourcing fruit since 2014 from a steep hillside block on the west edge of the property along with a smaller block towards the bottom of the slope adjacent to Westside Road. Bucher History As a...