08 Jan Jewell Box: January 2019 – Things to Look Forward to in 2019
As we welcome the New Year, we are eager to share with you new projects on the horizon for Joseph Jewell. We added a few new wines to our lineup that we are extremely excited about. In 2018 we created three new wines: a Vermentino from Dry Creek Valley and two Pinot Noirs from Humboldt County.
The opportunity to create a Vermentino from the Raymond Burr vineyard in Dry Creek Valley presented itself last year and we decided to go for it. We have always love light-bodied white wines with high acid. While Vermentino is not a well know grape varietal here in California, and plantings are limited, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to branch out from what is typical of the region and expand our portfolio. This wine was fermented in a stainless-steel tank at very cold temperatures to preserve the aromatics and freshness of the wine. We plan to release this wine later this Spring.
As most of you know, we have been producing wines from Humboldt County grapes since 2008. Vineyards in the region are very limited with only 160 acres planted in the whole county. We personally feel this region is largely untapped and the wines we have produced from the area have received much acclaim from wine critics, as well as a great appreciation from our loyalists. This area remains exciting to us which is why lastharvest we added two new sources: Miller Creek Vineyard and Fruitland Ridge Vineyard.
Miller Creek Vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir. This vineyard is very close to the town of Briceland. The vines were planted in the late ‘90s to two different clones of Pinot Noir: Clone 115, which is a Dijon selection and an unidentified Pinot Noir clone that is similar to Gamay with bigger berries. This site is farmed by William Bosco who has made wine from this vineyard for the past 20 years. We tasted through several of his vintages and we loved the elegance that this site brings to the table. Our wine from the Miller Creek Vineyard will be released in 2020.
Finally, Fruitland Ridge Vineyard is also planted to Pinot Noir. This vineyard is about a mile down the ridge from Elk Prairie Vineyard. Adrian is very familiar with the vineyard and the wines that have been produced from this site for the past 13 years. At one point he even thought about buying this 6-acre vineyard. We are pleased to work with this site which overlooks the Eel River Valley from 1200 feet above the valley floor. It is planted to the Martini Clone and was planted in the early 2000’s. The Vineyard is farmed by Jared Samdifer, who owns a winery called Septentrio in Arcata. The vineyard is amazing and we are sure the wines will be as well. Our wine from this vineyard will be released in 2020.
Along with adding these three promising new wines to our portfolio, we also have a few fantastic events coming up, so mark your calendars!
Save the Date
Jewell Club Pick-Up Party & Open House
Saturday, April 6th, 2018
Join us for our open house as we celebrate our new releases and the Spring 2019 Jewell Club Shipment.
Learn more about our Jewell Club
Winemaker Dinner in Starscape Vineyard
Saturday, July 20th, 2018
Relax among the vines with us as we enjoy a specially curated menu paired with Joseph Jewell wines.