Processing

All grapes at J are hand-harvested into small quarter-ton bins and placed as whole clusters, without de-stemming, into our special Coquard press for a gentle pressing cycle. Grape juice from the various vineyard lots is fermented and kept separately until blending decisions are made in mid-November. The cuvée (blend) was assembled and cold stabilized to remove excess tartrates, then bottled in the spring. The cuvée included 5% oak-cask aged non-vintage wines that were carefully selected for this blend.

Aging

After the secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle, the wines aged for more than three years in our cool cellar. The wines were carefully riddled to remove the yeast sediment responsible for the aging character. Following disgorging, a dosage liqueur of reserve wine and pure cane sugar was added to balance the wine. An additional six months of aging on the cork before release ensured a perfect balance of flavors.

Tasting Notes

The non-vintage J Cuvée 20 “Anniversary Label” gracefully opens up with crisp lemon peel, honeysuckle and delicate yeast aromas. Upon entry, these notes are followed by a mix of Fuji apple, grapefruit and a sweet hint of angel food cake. The mid-palate flavors are interlaced with toast, caramel, warm pear, and almond. The acidity adds just enough liveliness and the citrus zest leads to a lingering lush finish. This is the perfect celebratory wine. Try it with an apricot-glazed country ham over the holidays or pair it with a fresh spring salad of mixed greens, topped with toasted walnuts and drizzled with a light vinaigrette dressing.