Please note: These are older newsletters and are meant to give you an idea of what we are doing in our live newsletters. All Purchase buttons and other live features have been removed for your safety. To receive our newsletters:
Join Newsletter here to stay up to date
Do not miss out on current updates and releases. Please see the link above and at the bottom of this article to get yours and select the topics you are interested in!
From Cellar to Glass: Exclusive Library Wine Release
In late October I had the pleasure of sitting down with the representative for J. Christopher wines…
We tasted through a planned release of five library wines; wines laid down for safekeeping after the completion of production.
I keep library release wines on hand as I think enjoying wines that have already been properly stored and matured brings a much deeper understanding to another aspect of wine appreciation and enjoyment.
When acquiring mature wines from the winemaker themselves, you do not have to wait years for them to age properly; it has been done for you. They have been stored at their place of origin under ideal conditions, and the provenance and condition are not in question.
Library wines originate almost exclusively from Old World regions. The newer, younger wineries of America’s West Coast are often too busy feeding the cash flow monster to hold back large portions of production. Today is different.
Wine and Vintage Notes From the Winery:
Produced in Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley, the range of J. Christopher Wines follows a patient winemaking approach that clearly expresses the unique character of their cool-climate roots. Owned by the renowned Mosel winegrower, Ernst “Erni” Loosen (of Dr. Loosen), the wines are hand-crafted in small lots and are sourced from some of the finest sustainably managed vineyards in the area.
The goal of J. Christopher Wines is to showcase the Old-World finesse and elegance that Erni has always pursued in his German wines. As he puts it, “We want to make wines that have a fine balance of fruit, acidity and texture, while expressing their individual origins.” The key to this is unhurried winemaking, which allows the wines to evolve at their own pace, with a minimum of intervention.
Two of the predominant influences on the style of the wines from the Eola Hills are the shallow soils and the cool ocean winds that come through the Coast Range via the Van Duzer Corridor. This lowers temperatures dramatically, especially during late summer afternoons, which helps to retain firm acidity in the fruit. This cuvée is from three vineyards in the Walnut Hill area, at the northern end of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA: Dubay, Three Angels and En Gedi. The warmer, lower-elevation Dubay vineyard gives a touch of lushness to the wine, whereas the adjacent but slightly higher-elevation Three Angels vineyard gives it a firmer structure. The 2012 has a gently enveloping fruit aroma, but with a fine mineral edge. On the palate there is a nervy tension from the fruity structure that is simultaneously weighty and lifted. The finish is long and warm. 10% whole-cluster fermentation. Native yeast fermentation; 20 months in barrel.
THE 2012 VINTAGE: A long, dry summer led to an early harvest of very ripe, healthy fruit. The wines are fleshy and fruit-dominant, with dark fruit flavors and soft, rounded tannins. The vintage is similar to 2009, but with a firmer, denser structure. The wines don’t have the fine delineation of terroir that you get in a cooler vintage, like 2011, but these are delicious wines that reflect the nature of the vintage.
This is a recent library release directly from the winery after aging in their cellars. It is not the “normal” 2012 release that has been sitting on somebody’s refrigerator since release. It is pristine and drinking stellar!
Ethereal and elegant with surprisingly fresh cherry, raspberry character, cranberry, cola, earth, baking spice and a hint of peppered cured meats and forest floor. CLASSIC Tasted 10/20/24
Join Newsletter here to get the latest offerings, news, and allocations:
Join Newsletter here to stay up to date
For these great wines and more, visit us in person.
RHC Selections Wine Shop in Bend Oregon