Wine Last Sold on: January 1, 2013
James Family Cellars
Featured Wine:
2008 Stony Point Vineyard Pinot Noir
| Varietal: | Pinot Noir |
| Vineyard: | Stony Point Vineyard |
| Region: | California: Sonoma Coast |
| Avg. Price: | $34.99 |
| Wine Spies: | $26.25 |
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2012 WINE INTRIGUE AWARDS WINNER:
Operatives’ Choice: Top Small Production Winery of 2012
Welcome to day sixteen of the 6th Annual Wine Spies Wine Intrigue Awards. Every year, our Operatives and our Agents choose their favorite wines of the past year. Today, we are very pleased to present our Operatives’ top small production winery- of any that we showcased in 2012.
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
We only showcase wines that we love. While our emphasis is on quality first, every now and again we come across a real standout wine that rises above. When we do, we issue alerts like this one.
Mission Codename: Nothin’ Phony About Stony
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- Return to James Family Cellars, a hidden gem, first uncovered by The Wine Spies two years ago. Secure a delicious single vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Winemaker
- Mat Gustafson
Final Assessment
The 2008 James Family Cellars Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a wonderful wine that is drinking very well now, but will certainly improve and evolve in its complexity over the next several years.
Fresh and approachable, with great subtle complexity on both the nose and palate. Well structured but still plush and elegant.
Tasting Profile
Bright and crystal clear ruby red with glistening highlights through its deep hued heart. Along the edges the color lightens to a ruby pink and when swirled, this springy wine leaves random clusters of medium thick fast legs on the side of the glass.
Both ripe and tart red fruit, but primarily red cherry blends with complex exotic and hot spice, sweet oak (vanilla and caramel), subtle earthy and graphite gun flint and finally fresh floral aromas.
Smooth and supple but still well structured with lively acidity. The tannins linger at the mid-palate giving this medium-to-full-bodied dry wine a great feel on the tongue.
Rich fresh and tart red fruit including red cherry, raspberry and hints of strawberry and cranberry are supported by sweet oak and exotic spice. A touch of vanilla caramel and cola linger with this wine’s soft earthy, floral and flinty undertones.
Long and pleasant with this wine’s red fruit lingering and then gently fading leaving behind the tannins and acidity from the mid-palate with hints of spice, earth and sweet oak.
What the Winery Says
Awards & Accolades:
Gold Medal - San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Tasting Notes
Juicy cherry with hints of raspberry flavors pop from the glass along with a breath of roses and vanilla on the nose. Silky caramel, dark cherry and vanilla mingle on the palate while berries and plum grace the finish. Delicious tonight, or enjoy to its fullest over the next 4-5 years. James Family Cellars is proud to have won a Gold medal for this wine at the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
Vineyard:
Stony Point Vineyard is located in a particularly cool area of the famed Sonoma Coast winegrowing region. Situated on the northern edge of the Petaluma Wind Gap and less than sixteen miles from the coastline the vines are influenced by the Pacific Ocean daily. This cool climate creates a low-yielding slow-ripening environment that is perfect for Pinot Noir.
Single Vineyard Pinot Noir:
From the vineyard to the cellar, our goal is to craft wines that are a delight to drink and a distinct expression of our vineyard. This ensures that our site’s singular “fingerprint” is revealed in the wine that we ultimately present to our customers.
Patience is a Virtue For Pinot Noir - James Family Cellars’ grapes are nurtured in the vineyard throughout the year and hand picked based on taste and appearance. In the cellar, we emphasize gentle handling, slow fermentation and lengthy aging to promote a Pinot Noir wine that is both elegant and long lasting. Our patience is rewarded by the seductive flavors and textures of a world-class Pinot Noir.
Technical Analysis:
Cases Produced: 628 cases
Clones: 113, 115
Varietal Composition: 100% Pinot Noir
Vineyard: Stony Point Vineyard
Appellation: Sonoma Coast
Harvest Dates: 10/1/2008
Barrel Aging: 10 months in French Oak (33% new)
Alcohol: 13.8%
About the Winery
We planted our vineyard in 1998 and had our first harvest in 2000. We have long sold our grapes to Schramsburg Winery in Napa County for their premium sparkling wine program. After winning several awards for the amateur wines we produced from our grapes, we decided in 2007 to take the leap and start James Family Cellars.
James Family Cellars is dedicated to reaching the pinnacle of what Pinot Noir can be–a marvelously aromatic and flavorful wine. We are committed to quality and this is reflected in the limited number of cases released.
Our vineyard is located in a particularly cool part of the famed wine growing region of Sonoma County. We are less than twenty miles from the coast and our climate is affected daily by the ocean. This cool climate, combined with the sun exposure provided by our southern-facing hillside vineyard, creates a low yielding, slow ripening environment which is perfect for Pinot Noir.
This is a family enterprise, involving our two sons and other family members. We are all involved and dedicated to the same goals. We enjoy being part of our region’s agricultural and wine businesses and strive to always produce wines which delight our customers.
