Fresh starts

First and foremost, THANKS! to all of you who attended our Grand Opening Open House. More than 450 of you enjoyed wines from JCCellars and our winery-mates Dashe Cellars, along with great music and wonderful food. What an amazing way to introduce everyone to our new digs. Don't miss our next Open House, scheduled for Sunday November 6th, 2005, noon until 5 p.m. Mark your calendars.

As I am writing this newsletter, the anticipation of harvest makes me both a little nervous and a little relieved. I get these jitters every year, like a runner waiting for the starting gun.

A change of scenery and doing things differently

This will be a year of many changes and many challenges.

To begin with, we have completely left Rosenblum Cellars and will be producing our wines at our new facility from beginning to end. With a new facility comes new equipment such as a new crusher, must pump, press and cold soak and white wine room. And don't forget the new catwalk and open top tank farm with a hydraulic punch down tool. We'll be using two five ton and two eight ton open tops tanks. These tanks have been designed to mimic what we achieve in half-ton bins, but only in a larger format. To help us add depth and complexity, we will continue to use ½ ton bins in small quantity, which should complement these larger tanks.

Great wine and an ugly coat

Earlier this year I spent some time on the road showcasing our wines and as always one of my favorite stops is the Hospice du Rhône in Paso Robles. A gathering of winemakers and wine lovers from all over the world, coming together just to taste, talk about wines and maybe bowl a game or two.

Every year the event kicks off with a blind tasting called the Syrah Shoot Out. Winemakers from all over the world participate. This year there were 37 different wines and 73 wine makers there. The tension was high and the stakes even higher. Last year JC Cellars came in first place with the 2001 Rockpile Vineyard Syrah Haley's Reserve, and we were hoping for a repeat. One of the prizes awarded is a very ugly 70's style brown, red, and yellow plaid jacket to which each winner has added paraphernalia. Last year Alexandra added a red superman style cape with the HdR logo on it.

The jacket is kept for a year during which time it is worn where you dare, and then passed on to the new winner the next year. I was not ready to give it up. So imagine my thrill when our 2002 Rockpile Vineyard Syrah Haley's Reserve triumphed once again. It's the greatest compliment to a winemaker, to have your peers not only like your wine, but also pick it as their favorite.

Who got lucky?

This year Alexandra also took a road trip, but she got to go to Las Vegas. Hey, what's wrong with this picture? Okay, it was July and it was 106 in the shade but it was still Las Vegas, home of nightlife and amazing restaurants. She mixed a little business with pleasure. She spent time with our Nevada distributor, pouring wines, shaking hands, eating some great food and drinking great wines (thank you Brian Ogden), doing a little gambling (the unlucky part) and seeing a Celine Dion show (the lucky part). I often remind her my road trips are not the same caliber as hers.

To stay with the theme of fresh starts, new beginnings, doing things different and the eternal question of why, here are the wines in the Fall Release.

2003 Iron Hill Vineyard and 2003 Arrowhead Mountain Vineyard Zinfandels
We are excited to add two new Zinfandel wines to our portfolio. In 2003 I stumbled upon two vineyards in Sonoma, each planted in very rocky earth. In fact, there is no dirt to speak of. The Iron Hill Vineyard is planted on approximately 50-degree slopes and the Arrowhead Mountain Vineyard on 60-degree slopes. Vineyards like this you would think would be planted with syrah, but not these vineyards. Both Pat and Kathy Regan of Iron Hill Vineyard and Bob and Ruth Elster of Arrowhead Mountain Vineyard decided to plant Zinfandel.

It was love at first site for me; what could a guy who dreams of rocky hillside vineyards and who has a passion for zinfandel as I do, do. If you said, "contract those vineyards," you guessed right. From the beginning, I had a gut feeling these vineyards would not only produce great wine, but also give me the opportunity to take Zinfandel to the next level. Both of these wines remind me of what a Zinfandel would be if grown in the Northern Rhône Valley. The Iron Hill would be a combination of Cornas and Hermitage, but of course with a zinfandel heart pounding hard, and the Arrowhead Mountain would be a combination of Cornas and Côte Rôtie. These are the Zinfandels I have always wanted to make for myself. They are outrageously concentrated but also have a sense of balance and finesse. Both are very limited, and truly amazing.

2003 Rockpile Vineyard Syrah - Haley's Reserve
Once again it is a great honor to offer the Rockpile Vineyard Syrah. As always this wine is one of our most spellbinding, both in aromatics and flavors. A combination of blackberries, boysenberries, lavender and mineral all wrapped up in smoky creamy finish. The purest expression of what Syrah should be.

2002 Ventana Vineyards Syrah
While this wine was officially released a year ago, we find that as with most things in life we learn from experience. We have drawn a conclusion about our wines, although they taste great on release, a year in the bottle really brings all the components together to present their true potential.

This is most observed with our Ventana Syrah. Last year we held back some cases to offer a year after release. What a difference a year in the bottle makes. All the white pepper, black fruits, lavender, violets, roasted herbs de Provence, dried meats and smoke have all developed into what I would call the essence of cool climate Syrah, a wine of pure seduction from the beginning to the end. Please note: this wine will be shipped to Wine Club Members who have not received it in the past year.

Look for the 2003 Ventana Vineyard Syrah to be released in the fall of 2006, so you may have the opportunity to experience how special this wine becomes with time. Those who have purchased our Ventana Vineyards syrah in the past will agree, patience is a virtue, when a bottle of Ventana Vineyards is in the future.

2003 Pourquoi Pas Syrah
For those who were fortunate to buy the 2001 Gaillard Cuvée, you have been truly rewarded. What a great experience this wine has become in the bottle. The combination of the Ventana Vineyards syrah and the Clos de Cuminaille Vineyard syrah in St Joseph has become a fascinating expression of two terriors that belong together. Well, Pierre Gaillard and I wanted to take it up a notch, to take it to the next level. I mean blow your socks clean off to the Northern Rhône itself. We took the best barrels of Rockpile Vineyard Syrah and the best barrels of Pierre Gaillard's Côte Rozier from the Côte Brune of Côte Rôtie and blended them together. It's a Syrah that has no comparison. This wine was so special we developed a whole new package (new bottle, new label and a waxed top finish). Click here for more information about this wine. Please note: this wine will not automatically be shipped to Wine Club Members. You must contact us if you would like to have this wine as a November Wine Club shipment.

2004 The First Date Rhône Blend
My love for the Northern Rhône has brought me back to making whites. Some of my favorite whites come from the St Joseph and Hermitage region of the Northern Rhône, where the marriage of Roussanne and Marsanne have provided me with many fascinating experiences. I have created a blend of 75% Roussanne and 25% Marsanne that reminds me of new world style St. Joseph, loaded with apricot, peaches and pears which is very floral, extremely rich and has an underlying minerality. This wine is very provocative, alluring to the eyes, nose and mouth. But you won't know unless you go on your first date. We hope this is the start of a new romance. Please note: this wine was added as an October Wine Club shipment. See revised schedule at bottom of Shipping Charges page on back of Order Form.

Family update, or why we do this

As with our wines, our lives have fresh starts, new beginnings and change over time as well. And as with wine, we should take time to enjoy them. My family is the most important reason I do what I do. Without them, my passion and life would not be complete.

So indulge me for just a second, and hear what's happening with our family. This year, our oldest daughter Isabel, who will be 6 at the end of October, started first grade. She has passion and excitement (plus her very first loose tooth) that I wish I could bottle and share with everyone. Haley, who will be 3 at the beginning of December, helped dad pull grape samples for the very first time. To see a child run carefree between two rows of vines truly makes your heart skip a beat.

My daughters remind me of the joys of what life has to offer and the discoveries each of us should have on a daily basis. Alexandra continues to astound me with her abilities to balance the family and the business. She continues to inspire me, and warn me that I spend too much money. Thank goodness I married a CPA.

Oh, and myself, well, I have kept my promise of visiting the vineyards more often and tasting through the barrels more frequently. I really am looking forward to bottling the 2004 vintage because the expression "that wine is rockin" doesn't even come close to what is coming up.

So in closing, I want to thank you for your continued support and look forward to tasting wine with each of you one day. Remember: "Drink it now, we'll make more".

Jeff & Alexandra Cohn