The year of discovery

It's time again for Jeff's ranting and ravings. And to let loose and tell you about the past few months of craziness: harvest, barrel tasting, bottling, new vineyards, family matters and - oh yeah - news of our 2004 new releases and how the vintage of 2005 is shaping up.

It is show time folks!

And what a show it has been since we last wrote. We were just gearing up for harvest and the sparks of the new vintage were in the air. A few winemaking changes did occur during harvest. This was our first complete harvest away from the Rosenblum nest. All wine was cold soaked, fermented, pressed and are being barrel aged at the JC Cellars facility in Oakland. We had the opportunity to use our four new open top fermenters and hydraulic punch down device. This allowed us to do punch downs as we have always done (5 times a day) but in a larger format. Do not fear, half of our production is still being produced using half-ton bin fermenters. I just can't give up on a great thing.

Harvest was a great learning experience for us due to bringing in an intern, Xavier, from Condrieu, France. He was the nicest guy in the world and a workhorse to boot. His family owns land in Condrieu and Cote Rôtie, plus a little winery where they produce beautiful wines. They are very special and difficult to get here in the US. Xavier's added experience helped in our production of both the reds and the whites - but especially the whites - where he showed us different fermentation techniques. We hope the magic touch of Xavier will take us to a new level in the production of our white wines.

By the way, those who purchased (but haven't yet opened) our Roussanne/Marsanne blend, The First Date, are in for a treat. The wine has just started to strut its stuff, with loads of almonds, pineapples, peaches and a touch of honey lightly laced in vanilla cream. A true experience.

We also produced our late harvest Viognier in both 2004 and 2005. They are mind blowing. Always aged in 100% new oak for 14 -16 months, they are rich and golden in color, with the most exotic combination of pineapples, peaches, Crème Brulée and a touch of pear. They're so flamboyant; it's been hard to keep from tasting them. Hey, it's a rough life being a winemaker.

Harvest was crazy. It started wet, got dry, and took forever, then ended wet again. As a producer of cool climate wines, this was enough to make us go insane. The harvest went on forever this past year, but in the end we were able to produce wines that where physiologically ripe, but with lower alcohols, which for me as a winemaker was a first. The results are sure to be outstanding.

We feel this was not totally fair to Xavier, only to see Brix go to 27-28 in California when we are used to seeing 30 at times. He was amazed by the intensity of color, mouth feel and the fact that we use half-ton bins to ferment. Bins that size are nonexistent in The Rhone, although I have a feeling not for long as I think Xavier's suitcase was bulging a bit going home!

The 2005 wines have all been given their only racking and are sitting very comfortably in their barrels, where they will be for the next 16 months, unracked. We will keep you up to date on these wines as time passes. Just remember to make room in your cellars for these beauties. Enough about the future, let's look at the present and the 2004 wines we bottled in early March.

That's what I'm talking about!

At JC Cellars we taste through the barrels every 3 weeks. We want to make sure everything tastes great along the way. The 2004 wines have been a true pleasure to monitor. They are the most terroir driven wines we have yet to produce. Not to say the fruit isn't there; trust me, it is. I am talking big outrageous fruit … fruit that screams, "That's what I am talking about!" These are wines that will be delightful to drink now for sheer pleasure, and to hold onto and enjoy in five or ten years. Some I think will be showing great in 20 or more years from now. As if we won't be tempted to drink them beforehand. If you are, don't worry; we're making more every year. Speaking of making more, just to let you know, we bottled 4,000 cases of 2004 vintage, but don't plan on getting any larger than the 5,000 cases we will bottle next year for the 2005 vintage.

The 2004 Wines

This year, with the exception of the white wines and the 2003 Ventana that was bottled last year, all our wines were bottled unfined and unfiltered. We are very excited to be able to do this and think you will like the results.

Fess Parker's Vineyard Syrah: 2004 takes this Syrah to new heights. As the vineyard has matured, the fruit has also become richer, more layered. Still showcasing the roasted Herbs de Provence and olive notes, but the black cherry aspects are darker and more intense then ever before, followed by subtle cracked black pepper that is both elegant and mysterious.

Philary Vineyard Syrah: It's hard to put it into words, but I'll give it a try. This wine is the color of young raw port. It's aromatics and flavors ooze blackberry jam, smoked wild game, lavender, black olives, and minerals. This is a wine to have with great roasted meats, patés and plenty of time to contemplate. If you are looking for a wine to age gracefully, this is it. We produce so little of this one that we still press it off by hand, using a small basket press. Since we do produce such a small quantity, beginning this year, the Philary Vineyard Syrah is available only to our Wine Club Members. An excellent reason to join our Wine Club!

Ripken Vineyard Late Harvest Viognier: I just happen to be sipping this wine as I write … what's more motivational to a winemaker than spectacular wine. Pineapple and apricot Crème Brulée with a touch of pear and honey in an elegant vanilla cream sauce. Incredibly rich and viscous with just enough acid for beautiful balance. As a winemaker I am always on the hunt for great late harvest Condrieu (Viognier), they are always so exotic, so mesmerizing and so darn seductive. These are the wines that inspire me. Any time the conditions present themselves and the fruit is just right we try to take a stab at our own Late Harvest Viognier Seduction.

California Cuvée Syrah: The 2004 version of this wine is without a doubt the most integrated and most focused thus far. The blend consists of fruit from Santa Barbara, Arroyo Seco, Alexander Valley and Lake County. This blend once again has a touch of Petite Syrah for some backbone and some Viognier to add floral notes and round out the mid palate to this bruting wine. Blackberry jam, and black cherry compote with crushed rock, scorched earth, garrigue and cassis. Almost savage in its aromas and flavor profile.

Arrowhead Mountain Vineyard Zinfandel: 2004 takes off where the 2003 was just starting to strut its stuff. This 55-60 degree slope vineyard produces Zinfandel that tastes as if it has Syrah envy. Black cherry and raspberry soar from the glass followed by a compelling collection of earth, spice and white pepper. The 2004 vintage provided us with a wine with a touch more structure and depth then 2003. This could be a candidate for aging … but why wait. Enjoy it now for its pure expression of vineyard and fruit.

Caldwell Vineyard Syrah: Talking of pure expression of vineyard, the 2004 Caldwell is essence of what this vineyard is all about. The crushed rocks, black and blue fruits, smoked Herbs de Provence and black licorice come across as if they were being made into a reduction sauce. Sweet tannins and beautiful integration of oak make this one of the most intense wines in the portfolio.

A la Cave Syrah: Our newest from the JC Cellars portfolio of Syrah insanity. Another cool climate Syrah from right outside Coombsville. John Caldwell turned us onto this site. This vintage provided us with low yields, mixed with a specially selected clone of Syrah and coupled with growers who want nothing more then to grow great grapes to make great wine. This adds up to a wine of elegance and strength. A beautiful blue/purple robe that is as deep and intriguing to look at, as the wine is to smell. Intense aromatics of blue and black fruits with hints of eucalyptus and cassis with crushed rocks that are laced with vanilla. These aromatics are reflected in the outrageously mouth coating palate that is layered, textured and very concentrated.

Family life: It's such a discovery

Remember never to blink when you have kids, otherwise they grow up so fast you may get gray hair and wonder what the heck happened. As I have said before, children change everything, they make you step back and ask the age-old question: What was I thinking? When all is said and done, it will be your children that will make you realize how precious your time is.

Our two children are as different as two children can be. The oldest, Isabel, 6, is very sensitive and takes everything very seriously, while my youngest, Haley, 3, is as big a clown as one can be. All she needs is a red nose and she could be in Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus. They are the motivation of why Alexandra and I do what we do.

Speaking of Alexandra, my anchor, she is as busy as she has ever been. I am always amazed how she stays focused on the work at hand, between taking care of family matters and JC Cellars. Thank goodness I have a CPA for a wife, otherwise I would spend every dime on new oak and wine at Kermit Lynch. Just remember, this life is a discovery every day, just when you think you have the hang of it, the rules get changed. Take the time to enjoy it.

What the heck am I going to next?

Every year after harvest when all the wines are resting in barrel and the previous year's vintage has been bottled, I ask myself, "What could I have done to make our wines even better?" And every year I always find something.

In 2005 we have started using larger format barrels (90 gallons compared to 60 gallons). These have made some changes in complexity to both the nose and mouth feel in such a positive way that we are now working with 5 different cooperages to develop barrels for JC Cellars that will range in size from 90 to 550 gallons. These larger sized barrels should add layers to the wine that we have not been able to achieve before.

We have also have started using whole cluster and whole berries, instead of crushing. A gentler process that we feel will add more aromatics and richness to the mid palate. Remember, experimentation is key to all we do.

Maybe the most important thing we have changed is that now I'm spending more time at JC Cellars. Yes, you heard me right. This meant resigning at the end of January from Rosenblum as their Winemaker and VP of Operations. Believe me, this was a hard decision to make after having spent 10 full harvests there. Not to fear Rosenblum fans, I am staying on as a consultant. This of course means I have time to be more creative; more relaxed and just enjoy the fact that we should have fun creating the greatest beverage known to man (beer and hot chocolate are a close second). Ultimately, we feel this will help to keep a purer focus on the wines.

That also means traveling to promote the wines. I was in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, LA in mid-March. It was a great trip meeting wonderful people all dedicated to rebuilding the great city of New Orleans. We sold lots of wine and made some new JC Cellars fans.

I will be traveling to Ohio in the beginning of May; Hospice du Rhone the week after; the New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey markets the middle of May and Southern California at the end of May. Yes, it will be a very busy month, but I look forward to finally personally meeting more JC Cellars fans.

In June I will be at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic, which I have heard is a fantastic event; so if you are in Colorado and make it to the Classic in mid-June, be sure to look for me there.

Details

We have made some website changes recently to include a real shopping cart. When you purchase wine, it will ask you to sign up as a customer. This will allow you to view all the orders you have placed. One caveat for Wine Club Members though is that you must first create an account, and then Alexandra will go in and mark you as a Wine Club Member. Then any future orders you place through the Website, you will get your Wine Club discount. So Wine Club Members: please create your account as soon as possible.

We are finalizing our plans for the tasting room, and hope to begin construction in May. Of course, everything takes longer than anticipated, but this is the plan. In the meantime, we have been offering tastings by appointment Monday - Friday from Noon to 4pm. Please just give us a call at least 24 hours in advance.

We just purchased a new POS software system for the soon to be Tasting Room, as well as to handle Wine Club shipments, and we experienced a slight delay with the April shipment, therefore we have combined it with the May shipment. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, but thank you for your understanding our technical difficulties.

Wine Club

• 2004 Fess Parker's Vineyard Syrah (663 cases)
• 2004 a la Cave Syrah (174 cases)
• 2004 Ripken Vineyard LH Viognier (185 cases)
• 2004 Philary Vineyard Syrah (33 cases)
• 2004 California Cuvée Syrah (735 cases)

• 2004 Caldwell Vineyards Syrah (152 cases
• 2004 Arrowhead Mountain Vineyard Zinfandel (431 cases)

• 2003 Ventana Vineyard Syrah (310 cases)
• 2004 Iron Hill Vineyard Zinfandel (179 cases)

• 2004 Rockpile Vineyard Haley's Reserve Syrah (399 cases)
• 2004 Frediani Vineyard Petite Syrah (277 cases)
• 2005 The First Date Roussanne / Marsanne (299 cases)

Wine Club Fun Day

How about a fun quarterly Wine Club event starting in June 2006? Join us for a casual Saturday afternoon "Shoot the wine breeze" with Jeff. The first of these fun, casual events will be held on Saturday June 3rd, 2006 from 2 to 4 pm at our winery in Oakland. This will be a free event for our Wine Club Members only.

Open House

We will be hosting our Spring 2006 Open House alongside Dashe Cellars on Sunday May 7th, 2006 from Noon to 5pm. We will be sampling all of the wines noted here, with the exception of the Philary Vineyard Syrah. In addition, we'll offer the Pourquoi Pas Syrah, our French / American blend.

Entrance is $20 which will include about 15 wines, a Riedel glass, food and local music of Euphonia featuring Paul Kotapish, Sylvia Herold, Charlie Hancock and Chuck Ervin, a café-style acoustic combo, features accordion, mandolin, guitar, and voices, and its repertoire takes listeners on a journey from the sophisticated sidewalks of Paris across the adventurous high seas to the hay-strewn dance floors of rural America. Rhone Ranger, Zap and Wine Club Members entrance is $15.

Well, we had a lot to say this time. I hope you enjoyed reading it all. Thank you again for your continued support of our wines. And remember, "Drink it now, we'll make more."

Jeff & Alexandra Cohn