Wines

2021 Jonive Russian River Valley Estate Pinot Noir: Harvested at night by hand seven times over 14 days, sorted in the field and again at the winery where we included 20% whole clusters. Fermented naturally, with no additions, for up to three and a half weeks, pressed gently into barrel where secondary fermentation was allowed to occur naturally for the next two months.

The resulting wine has a brilliant Burgundy color with a deep brooding nose that jumps out of the glass with aromas of orange peel, shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, dried leaves and autumn berries. The wine is a great balance between red and black fruit notes that exploded on the pallet with earthiness, wood spice, fennel, dried citrus peel, and black tea. It is bright and fresh as well as deep and autumnal. The wine is expansive, but with restrained alcohol (13.5%) with an amazingly complex and long finish that brings you back for another sip, another glass and another bottle.

896 cases produced

Harvested September 14^th, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th, 19^th, 26^th & 27^th

20% whole clusters

14-month barrel aging in 73% new French oak barrels, 3% once used and 24% neutral

47% clone 115; 26% clone 777; 13% clone 667; 9% Pommard clone; 3% clone 828; 2% DB Selection

13.5% alcohol

Bottled December 13^th

2022 Vintage Notes: Ample winter rain set up the 2022 growing season for a nice crop and healthy vines. As in many recent years we had budbreak a week to 10 days earlier than “normal”, bloom was about 10 days early as was veraison. Weather from May through August was mild, as is normal in our section of the Sebastopol Hills, with more days with high temperatures in the 70’s versus the 80’s or 90’s, with only six days in the 90’s. There was a major heatwave starting September 1st and lasting through the 9th with temperatures over 100 on three days and topping out at 113.2 degrees, unprecedented in our vineyard! This caused us to harvest in a hurry to preserve the integrity of the fruit. We harvested our six different clones of pinot noir on seven different nights from September 1st through the 11th.

Winemaking Techniques: At Jonive we try to allow our grapes to speak for themselves and not get in the way. We harvest at night and process the fruit first thing in the morning. We destem 85% of the fruit into open-top fermenters and include 15% whole clusters. No water or acid is added and an ambient “natural” yeast fermentation is allowed to happen. We cap the fermentation temperature at 88 degrees with two punch-downs during the heart of the fermentation and one per day on each end. The free-run juice goes directly to barrel and the solids are pressed lightly and kept separate for aging. The wine stays unracked in barrel on their gross lees for 15 months.

Tasting Notes: The wine has a beautiful dark Burgundy color with youthful magenta at the rim. The wine has exotic aromas of shiitake mushroom, soy sauce, leather, red and black berries, and citrus. The mouth fills with a deep richness, warmth and brightness. The flavors of blood orange, mushroom, toasted walnuts, blackberries and Asian spice. The wine is warm and autumnal as well as bright and deep.

Soil Type: Goldridge (Moon Dust) soil over clay loam.

Age/Exposure of Wines: Our six clones of pinot noir were planted in 2007, making them 16 years old for this vintage. Our pinot noir vines have a gentle eastern, southern and western exposure.

Certifications: CCOF certified organic.

Varietals: 100% pinot noir: 38% clone 667, 26% clone 777, 16% clone 115, 11% Pommard clone, 5% David Bruce selection, and 4% clone 828.

Aging: 15 months in 100% French oak with 59% new. 100% of all oak is from 30-month or more air-dried staves.

Yeast: 100% ambient natural yeast fermentation with no malo-lactic culture.

13.4% ABV; 0.34g/L RS; 6.89 TA; 3.49 pH

Limited Production; bottled unfined and unfiltered

2021 Jonive Russian River Estate Chardonnay: Harvested the night of September 20^th with the two clones kept separate. The clone 95 was pressed into tank where it was chilled, settled and racked, then allowed to ferment naturally for 12 days when it then went to barrel. The primary and secondary fermentations lasted in barrel until April 20^th, some seven months. The wine remained on its original lees until just prior to bottling. The clone 17/Robert Young chardonnay was pressed into tank and allowed to brown naturally before a natural fermentation occurred. This lasted for 15 days before going to barrel where it finished the last 12 days of primary fermentation and six weeks of secondary fermentation and it too rested on its original lees until just prior to bottling.

The wine has a typical straw color and complex aromas of lemongrass, nutmeg, Meyer lemon and a touch of passionfruit. It has an enveloping mouthfeel that is at once tart and linear as well as rich and expansive, a very unusual and beguiling combination of textures and mouthfeel. The browning of the clone 17 enables the wine to be rich, but at a lower alcohol (13.3%) and the clone 95 contributes beautifully fresh acidity. The pallet shows jasmine, honeydew melon, tarragon and lemongrass with a nice kiss of high-quality French oak. The extended lees contact gives the wine amazing length, energy and vitality.

353 cases produced

Harvested September 20^th

14-month barrel aging in 67% new French oak barrels, 20% once used and 13% neutral

61% clone 17/Robert Young and 39% clone 95

13.3% alcohol

Bottled December 14^th

2022 Vintage Notes: Ample winter rain set up the 2022 growing season for a nice crop and healthy vines. As in many recent years we had budbreak a week to 10 days earlier than “normal”, bloom was about 10 days early as was veraison. Weather from May through August was mild, as is normal in our section of the Sebastopol Hills, with more days with high temperatures in the 70’s versus the 80’s or 90’s, with only six days in the 90’s. There was a major heatwave starting September 1st and lasting through the 9th with temperatures over 100 on three days and topping out at 113.2 degrees, unprecedented in our vineyard! This caused us to harvest in a hurry to preserve the integrity of the fruit. We harvested both clones of chardonnay on the night of September 6th.

Winemaking Techniques: Our Jonive chardonnay is made quite differently from most other people’s chardonnays. Most people want to keep oxygen from getting to their wine from the time they pick it until the time it finishes fermentation. They add sulfur dioxide when pressing their grapes, put the juice in a closed top fermenter, chill it, add inert gas, diammonium phosphate and commercial yeast all to avoid oxygen getting to their juice/wine. We don’t do any of that. No sulfur dioxide, open-top fermenter, no inert gas, no diammonium phosphate and no commercial yeast. This allows the juice to turn slightly brown prior to starting a natural fermentation. We then do not use any malo-lactic fermentation culture, we allow it to happen naturally. This technique allows us to make chardonnay with a richer mouth-feel at a lower alcohol. We bottle the wine unfined and unfiltered as to not change it in any way. The wine stays in barrel on its gross lees unracked for 15 months.

Tasting Notes: The aroma jumps out of the glass with notes of hazelnut, toast, tarragon, and Meyer lemon. Is the wine tart and bright or rich and unctuous? It is both! The pallet explodes with mouthwatering flavors of brioche, brown butter, toasted pinenuts, tarragon, and warm lemon tart. The finish is amazingly long, rich and bright.

Soil Type: Goldridge (Moon Dust) soil over clay loam.

Age/Exposure of Wines: Our two clones of chardonnay were planted in 1996, making them 27 years old for this vintage. The chardonnay vines have a gentle eastern and southern exposure.

Certifications: CCOF certified organic.

Varietals: 100% chardonnay, 53% clone 17 (Robert Young) and 47% clone 95.

Aging: 15 months in 100% French oak with 57% new. 100% of all oak is from three-year air-dried staves.

Yeast: 100% ambient natural yeast fermentation with no malo-lactic culture.

13.5% ABV; 0.31g/L RS; 7.15 TA; 3.39 pH

Limited Production; bottled unfined and unfiltered