J Vineyards & Winery Wraps Up 2012 Wine Harvest With A Flourish

HEALDSBURG, Calif., Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- J Vineyards & Winery concluded its 2012 grape harvest on a high note.  Fifteen tons of Chardonnay from the Dutton Mill Station Vineyard was delivered to the winery last Thursday just before the first substantial rainstorm of the fall season arrived.  The last load of grapes will become a component of the 2012 J Vineyards Russian River Valley Chardonnay.

Most producers, growers, and wine critics agree that 2012 has turned out to be one of the best vintages for Sonoma County wines in decades.  A near perfect flowering and set in the spring, with a moderate to warm summer free of rain and mildew, contributed to stellar growing conditions.

"We're very pleased with the course this harvest has taken," said Melissa Stackhouse, J Vice President of Winemaking.  "The quality of the juice is stunning, but the unexpected prize of this year's harvest is the additional tonnage beyond our early estimates, up about 17% more than what we planned."

"This year makes up for the last two," said John Erbe, Viticulturist at J.  "Sugar levels on both our sparkling and varietal wines were spot on and the pace of the harvest was, for the most part, free of any vineyard issues."

Pushed along by warm, sunny weather, J's 2012 sparkling wine harvest began back on August 14 and quickly transitioned into varietal Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris by mid-September.  "I can't think of a more perfect way to celebrate our 25^th harvest than with the 'perfect' harvest of 2012," said Stackhouse.

ABOUT J
J Vineyards & Winery is located at 11447 Old Redwood Highway south of Healdsburg.  The winery focuses on Brut and Brut Rose sparkling wines, as well as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay Estate varietal wines, produced from grapes farmed primarily within Sonoma County's Russian River Valley appellation.

Founded by Judy Jordan in 1986, J Vineyards & Winery is an independently-owned Sonoma County wine producer and celebrated its 25^th Harvest this year.  The winery is Certified Sustainable through the California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance.  To learn more, or to join the J Wine Club, go to www.jwine.com.

SOURCE J Vineyards & Winery