JC Cellars News

Outstanding California Wines

New reviews of Syrah, Zinfandel, Chardonnay and more from across the Golden State, each priced under $40

2010 Landy Sweetwater Springs Petite Sirah - 93 pts Wine Spectator.  A huge wine, not for the faint of heart. Offers vivid aromatics of coffee and campfire that give way to dark, rich flavors of toffee-scented blackberry syrup, huckleberry and plum compote. The bold flavors are paired with bold tannins, delivering a long, spicy finish. Drink now through 2019. 112 cases made. –MW Retail: $35, Club: $29.75 Reviewed in the March 1st issue of Wine Spectator

2010 Musci Syrah Alexander Valley - 91 pts Wine Spectator. Intense and potent, offering blueberry and dark berry fruit, with a supple pose that softens some of the chewy elements. Ends with a long, pure, focused finish. Drink now through 2021. 110 cases made.—J.L. Retail: $35, Club: $29.75

2010 The Impostor - 91 Pts Wine Spectator. Loaded with fruit and personality, this offers aromas of spicy cinnamon and smoky wild berry that lead to ripe, jammy and layered flavors of raspberry and toasty vanilla. Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Viognier. Drink now through 2020. 1,080 cases made.—T.F Retail: $35, Club: $29.75 

2010 Landy Sweetwater Springs Zinfandel - 90 pts Wine Spectator. Big and burly, with ripe blueberry and licorice aromas, revealing a dense backbone of tannins and acidity supporting the concentrated boysenberry, mineral and white pepper flavors. Hands off for now. Best from 2015 through 2020. 175 cases made.—T.F. Retail: $38, Club: $32.30 

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93 points Wine Spectator!

2010 Landy Vineyard Sweetwater Petite Sirah

A huge wine, not for the faint of heart. Offers vivid aromatics of coffee and campfire that give way to dark, rich flavors of toffee-scented blackberry syrup, huckleberry and plum compote. The bold flavors are paired with bold tannins, delivering a long, spicy finish. Drink now through 2019. 112 cases made. –MW

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Getting Crabby Can be a Good Thing

It's winter in the Bay Area, which means it's crab season!  Join us for our 3rd Annual JC Cellars Crab Feed. Featuring cracked San Francisco Dungeness crab, premium JC Cellars wine and an assortment of other goodies like side salads & of course dessert. 

When: Saturday, January 26th from 5 - 8pm

Where: JC Cellars Winery - 55 4th Street, Oakland

Cost:  SOLD OUT

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Save on these Select JC Cellars Wines! 

2007 Preston Vineyard Marsanne - Ripe stone fruit, citrus blossom, hints of bitter almond. Rich and racy with plenty of depth. Retail: $32, Special: $16

2006 Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah - (91 pts Wine Spectator, 90+ Wine Advocate) Mountain terroir, graphite minerality and roasted earth components intertwine themselves with blackberry preserves. Retail: $60, Special: $35

2007 Ripken Vineyard Late Harvest Viognier - Roasted almonds with spicy hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Picked at an unbelievable 42 Brix! Retail: $24, Special: $18

Mix and Match: Get your holiday gifting out of the way!  Promotion valid thru Monday, November 26th. 

Do you have out of town guests visiting, and don't want to head to the mall this Friday? We'll be open Friday - Sunday regular hours 12 to 5pm.  See you then!

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Thanksgiving Wines & New Releases!

Now that Harvest 2012 has slowed down for me to catch my breath, let’s talk about the 2010 wines we will be enjoying for Thanksgiving.  This vintage was a very small vintage for JC Cellars. We had some big heat spikes that did major damage to many of the vineyards and some of these had smaller crops then normal.  I think this was just Mother Nature showing us who is boss once again.  Although the crops were small the wines are incredibly intense, concentrated and have great backbone structure that will be great for drinking now, but should age gracefully for some time.

We showcased most of these this past July at our open house party for the new Impostor and Smoke & Mirrors labels, and thus we have limited quantities.  Now would be your opportunity to grab these limited wines before they are all gone.

Another wine we just received in from France is the 2009 Boules Viognier. This is a wine I make with my friend Francois Villard from the Condrieu region of the Rhone Valley. He is considered one of the finest Viognier producers in the world. We work together with fruit from his steep side vineyards to create a wine that is both expressions of two winemakers and the vineyards that it comes from.  His latest reviews from Wine spectator are a testament to this (90-95 pt wines). - Jeff

To insure delivery by Thanksgiving, please place your order by Wednesday, November 14th.   Place your order now!

Jeff's picks for the perfect Thanksgiving Wines: 

2009 ‘Boules’ Viognier - Honey, peach and apricot with a touch of a floral component that soars from the glass.  The palate is so layered your do not know where it starts and where it finishes.  Retail: $40, Club: $34 New Release!

2010 Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel - We call this wine Juicy Dusi! I love Paso robles Zin. It's like you are able to bottle the sunshine in a bottle and taste it in the wine any time. This is the perfect wine for those who love the the explosiveness of wild spicy, brambly head trained Zin. Retail: $35, Club: $29.75 New Release! 

2010 Misc. Stuff Red Blend - This wine has a beautiful purple/black color with aromatics of black cherry and blackberry, with subtle hints of roasted earth. The palate is lush and in a word decadent, loaded not only with fruit, but a great mineral backbone that will keep this wine a live and fresh for years to come. Retail: $45, Club: $38.25 New Release!

2011 Rosé - A blend of Grenache, Syrah, & Mouvedre. It's light pink sunset in color, aromatically focused on wild strawberry and raspberry, with touches of spice and mineral core making this wine exciting to the senses. Retail: $16, Club: $13.60

2010 Lancel Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir - Ruby hued with aromatics and flavors of subtle black plum, black cherry, spicy boysenberry and violets.  Very lush, elegant and sophisticated, this wine is silky and satiny, with a bit of a develish side to it.  Or is it more of a romantic side? Retail: $38, Club: $32.30 Only 3 cases remain!

 Additional Wines that pair perfectly with Holiday meals.  Limited quantities remain on some:

Red Blends:

2010 Smoke & Mirrors - Pureness of fruit is the main focus of this wine, but there is definitely a dark and brambly side that lends intrigue. With notes of wild raspberries and blackberries, a hint of sweet cream and dark cocoa powder, this wine is complex enough to confound while remaining approachable and easy to drink. Retail: $25, Club: $21.25 Only 4 cases remain!

2010 The Impostor - Broodingly dark in aromatics, flavors and appearance. Yet there is brightness to the wine, exotic in nature, with its compote of black and blue fruits. All highlighted by minerality that gives structure to a whirlwind of aromas and flavors, ranging from ground red peppercorns, lavender and bittersweet chocolate to freshly baked raspberry tarts. Retail: $35, Club: $29.75  New Release!

Syrah:

2009 Musci Vineyard Syrah - Blackberry pie filling, rounded out with garrigue don’t just soar from this inky purple, wine stained glass, but truly explode out of it. Very fruit forward, with layers of French vanilla bean, roasted earth and smoked white pepper. Retail: $35, Club: $29.75 Only 5 cases remain!

2009 Rockpile Syrah - (93pts Wine Spectator) Black cherry and dark chocolate swirled with blueberry and wet stone in the mix. A true experience in not just Syrah, but Rockpile Syrah, from beginning to end. Retail: $60, Club: $51 

Petite Sirah:

2008 Sweetwater Springs Vineyard Petite Sirah -  (91+pts Wine Advocate) What I love most about this Petite Sirah is not the incredibly dark opaque color, or the intense aromatic nose that screams blackberry dipped in a warm chocolate sauce and served on a vanilla wafer crisp, or that the flavors of blackberry and Australian Licorice explode on your palate like a booster rocket on the last shuttle flight. No this is not what this wine is all about, well actually it is, and a whole lot more, but you have to try it, to really get a grasp of it. Retail: $35, Club: $29.75

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