J Vineyards, founded in 1986, was established to produce both traditional method sparkling wines and superior varietal wines, including this top-notch Chardonnay. Each J Vineyards vineyard offers a perfect combination of soil and climate, resulting in a fantastic harvest. Once the Chardonnay grapes reach full ripeness in the Russian River Valley, they are all hand-harvested in the morning. Individually inspected, they are then immediately transported to the J Vineyards winery. There, the Chardonnay grapes are crushed and aged for a full three months on the lees. This is followed by further aging in oak barrels. This period lasts nine months, and approximately forty percent of the oak is new, unused. This gives this white wine its creaminess and power.
It's a true feast; as soon as the cork pops, we smell a powerful aroma of tropical fruit and vanilla. As we pour, the Chardonnay climbs the glass and lingers beautifully. The beautiful golden color gives us a warm feeling; this must be something beautiful. And that's exactly what we find on the nose: in the glass, we smell a powerful aroma of roasted nuts and vanilla, with apricots and tropical fruit rounding it all out. On the palate, this J Vineyards Estate Grown Chardonnay takes us on a world tour, as we taste so much, from fresh tropical fruit from the south to various oriental spices. On the back of the tongue, a lovely presence of vanilla, roasted nuts, and some plums completes our evening.
