06 Dec Jewell Box: December 2018 – A Look in the Library
Jewell Box: December 2018
A Look in our Library
Joseph Jewell began producing wine in 2006 and since then has amassed a collection of meticulously crafted wines that perfectly showcase the longevity of each wine through their ease of aging, as well as their ability to stand with similar wines of the same vintage and reach acclaim.
This month, we take a look in our library and invite you to explore some of our past vintages that have gained both age in the bottle as well as recognition among their peers. We are also including access to larger formats of these wines to showcase the ongoing aging potential that coincides with larger bottles.
Most of the wines produced at Joseph Jewell go through an aging process in French oak barrels (12-18 months) before moving to bottle, where they typically spend two years before release. Time in barrel and in bottle is determined based on knowledge of what each particular vineyard site offers to the fruit and allows for the wine to develop and for the nuances of each wine to really surface and show upon release. This kind of attention and patience lends itself to showcasing the typicity of site and cuvee, making our diversified portfolio both dynamic and unique.
For instance, when tasting a young Joseph Jewell Pinot Noir, the telltale tannins of youth reveal themselves early while the flavors of the fruit are vibrant and have bright acidity through the finish. More years in barrel and bottle allow for the tannins to soften and the acidity of the wine to come into to a tantalizing balance—all while the flavor profile of the wine deepens, which leads to a more elegant play on the palate when the wine is finally released.
A further point of intrigue is the practice of aging wine in larger format bottles. All wines bottled under natural cork will develop over the years due to the cork’s porosity which allows micro oxygenation of the wine. In larger format bottles the corks are relatively the same size as standard bottles, but the volume of wine has increased causing micro oxygenation to happen at a slower rate. Because they are allowed to age more gracefully, larger format bottles are perfect for cellaring and as a gift to cherish for years to come!
We have hand selected a few of our favorite vintages to showcase during the month of December. These will be available for purchase and will also be offered in our special Jewell Box Tasting Flight this month only.