The Magic of Inspiration

During the past 6 months since I left Rosenblum Cellars, I have had much time to ponder and look at our winery from the outside in, instead of from inside out. I have spent 10 years focused on making the wines, but don't feel as though I have had a chance to look at the winery as a whole to see what we have become, or more importantly where we are going.

For our 2005 vintage we have produced 14 different wines…in my eyes 14 different children, each with a personality of its own…special aromas, textures and flavors. They continue to evolve, going through different phases throughout the year. As of this writing, I must say these wines are just beginning to strut their stuff, show off their intensity and make themselves known. Layers are beginning to develop in both aromatics and flavors that weren't there before.

As a winemaker on a mission I am never satisfied. After harvest each year, I sit back and think, "What would I have done differently? Where would a small tweak here or there have made a difference?" It's a shame we only get one time a year to get it right. I collect my thoughts. I try a lot of different wines and then speak with the winemakers who have made them either in person or on the phone…calls to France do become expensive. I want to know how they made their wines, from the vineyard through the fermentation process to the barrel aging and finally to the bottling process. These wines are what inspire me, the human aspect that is in touch with each area of the wine. I have the need to know and with my focus now only being on JC Cellars, I have a lot more time to search for answers and taste a lot more wines. In the end I feel this is, and always will be, reflected in the wines we produce.

Time

Time is a special gift and how we use it before, during and after harvest is very important. This harvest, we are going to focus more on each aspect of the vineyards. What can we do to bring even more out of a vineyard? First and foremost, we need to spend even more time in the vineyard, meet with the growers and try out new ideas or even go back to old ones. The bridge between grower and winemaker is an aspect that no special barrel or winemaking technique can create.

Speaking of winemaking techniques, experimentation never ends at JC Cellars. Whether it's the barrels being specially designed by both Meyrieux and Ermitage Cooperages for our Syrah and Zinfandel programs, or our use of larger format barrels that include a few 90 gallon barrels from Seguin Moreau, Saury and Desrieux or our new 600 gallon barrel from Rousseau, each of these will add more depth and layers to our wine. Time will give us the opportunity to increase our use of more whole clusters, ferment a little slower, with longer cold soaks and extended macerations. Each of these steps adds layers and textures aromatically, mouth feel and in flavors. Each action has a reaction. Okay, here comes my science degree or is that just a life experience thing?

I've had a bit more time to focus on my family. The changes in our children reflect our personal growth. As much knowledge and understanding of your surroundings you think you have, I am always amazed at what I learn from my children. No matter how small the scrape or bump, a band-aid always makes it feel better, especially if it has Scooby-Doo on it.…if you mix different colors of play-dough, you can never separate them, but that's okay….foot long hotdogs and garlic fries at baseball games taste better when you share them. It's amazing how our children help keep us in check and remind us just how important it is to enjoy each moment of life.

Holding Back

Our goal at JC Cellars is to produce a wine that truly is an expression of the vineyard and winemaker. Over the years we have come to the realization that many of our wines need a year in the bottle before this expression takes form. This is why we are just releasing our 2003 Ventana Vineyard Syrah this fall and the 2004 Rockpile Vineyard Syrah has not been included on this release….trust me the 2004 Rockpile will be worth the wait! Over the next few releases we will hold back other wines as well. Eventually the majority of our wines will be released one year after they have been bottled.

We are very excited to announce that Sunset Magazine chose our 2002 Ventana Vineyards Syrah as their Red Wine of the Year in their September issue. For last year's Wine Club Members who have not opened their wine yet, look forward to this treat.

"Jeff Cohn's Ventana Vineyard Syrah is smoky, earthy, and a tiny bit gamey, like a Syrah from France's Rhône Valley. Juicy dark blackberries and plums are balanced with black pepper, leather, and tobacco. This wine is lively, long and full of personality."
~ Sunset Magazine, September 2006

New Vineyards on the Horizon

In a never-ending search for the expressions of terroir, we continue to search for growers with great vineyards who share our winemaking philosophy. We look forward to working this harvest with Petite Syrah from Eaglepoint Ranch, Syrah from Stagecoach Vineyards and Syrah from Brosseau Vineyard. It's a true honor to have the opportunity to work each of these sites.

The Wines

Some of you faithful JC Cellars fans have been with us from the beginning, and as much as we promote the fact that we want you to just enjoy the wines now, we always like you to hold back some for a different time down the road. We recently came to that time in the road and tasted the 1999 Bolduc Vineyard Zinfandel. Wow… this wine is at a perfect time in its life, everything is in check. The black cherries, the subtle smoke, hints of cream and raspberries, and roasted herbs de Provence. A wine of pure decadence. So remember, drink it now, we'll make more, but maybe hold a bottle or two for down the road.

As great as the past is looking, the present is looking pretty good too. We have an amazing line up of wines for this fall release.

The 2005 First Date made up of 75% Roussanne and 25% Marsanne is a sultry dance between these varietals that will leave you wanting for more. I love it when a wine draws you in; you become infatuated with its honey, golden apricots and floral aromas. The textures and flavors of this wine take you in many directions from silky honeysuckle with just a dash of apricots, peaches and bees wax to almonds and exotic spices.

The insanely steep hillsides of Bessards and L'Hermite in Hermitage, the awe inspiring slopes of Les Grandes Places in Cote Rôtie and the mesmerizing Reynard Vineyard in Cornas all spark the imagination of a winemaker. The Iron Hill Vineyard creates an image as well. Planted on 55-degree slopes of volcanic rock in an amphitheater setting surrounded by lavender, it fills your senses of what the wine from this special place will be…..a zinfandel like no other! The 2004 Iron Hill Vineyard Zinfandel has a saturated purple color with aromatics and flavors that are like taking in the essences of briary black peppercorns, raspberry and black cherry liqueurs with a injection of mineral, lavender and spice.

The components of the 2003 Ventana Vineyard Syrah have truly come together. The wine is in pure harmony; no one-aspect steps out of sync. Like the finest symphonies, each player providing tempo, rhythm, and melody to a sonata, this wine has developed layers and textures to create its own medley of black cherry, lavender, roasted herbs de Provence and freshly crushed white and red peppercorns with a gentle touch of smoke, earth and crème de cassis.

Sometimes the stars and planets line up just right, sometimes magic happens, and sometimes wines become less about the grape, soil, grower, vineyard, and the winemaker. Sometimes a wine transcends all this. The 2004 Frediani Petite Syrah Cuvée Speciale is a wine experience like none other that I have encountered since starting JC Cellars. This wine took nearly 24 months to finish fermentation in the barrel. Maybe this is why it's so complete, so intoxicating, so integrated, so powerful, yet layered…or maybe the stars and the planets lined up just right.

Stay Inspired and The Magic Will Follow

Once again, JC Cellars would like to thank each of you for your support. The 2006 vintage will mark our 10th year. We look forward to a year of new and exciting events.

We are thrilled to announce we recently hired a Tasting Room / Wine Club / Events Manager, Michael Hooper. In addition to getting the tasting room ready to open towards the end of September, Michael will be busy as he gets out into the market representing JC Cellars. We poured samples at the Oakland Art and Soul Festival Labor Day Weekend. In addition, you can sample our wines at the Montclair Jazz & Wine Festival Sept 10th in Montclair, the 100th anniversary of the Carousel at the Zeum Museum in San Francisco on Sept 14th, the French-American Cultural Foundation Benefit on Sept 16th in San Francisco, The Oakland Rotary "A Taste of California" Sept 17th in Oakland, and Girls Inc. Women of Taste Sept 30th in Oakland. We look forward to meeting you at one of these events or in our new tasting room. Please be sure to check our website for the exact opening date of our tasting room.

We will be hosting a fall open house this year on Saturday November 25th 2006 from noon to 5pm. After you've eaten too much turkey on Thursday and shopped until you dropped on Friday, stop by JC Cellars Fall Holiday Open House in Oakland with your friends and relatives for a relaxing and pleasant afternoon tasting wine on Saturday.

Due to many requests, we have decided to revamp our Wine Club program. New Wine Club sign ups may choose from:

• Level One - 1 bottle of each wine
• Level Two - 2 bottles of each wine
• Signature Reds - 3, 6 or 12 bottles of red wines only
• Wine of the Season - 3, 6 or 12 bottles of each wine
  • Spring (February)
  • Summer (May)
  • Fall (September)
  • Winter (November)

In the past we have sent out periodic emails to let our customers know about wine reviews, and other news. And Wine Club members, we like to email you about your shipments. We plan to continue doing this, however, for many of you we don't have an email address. Please be sure to submit your name with your email address to info@jccellars.com. It's a great way for us to keep in touch with you.

Until next time, thank you again for your continued support! Remember, drink it now, we'll make more.

Jeff & Alexandra Cohn
JC Cellars