Winery Focus

J. Christopher
J. Christopher Wines is a small winery located in Oregon's Northern Willamette Valley. Their wines are hand crafted in small lots and are sourced from some of the best vineyards in Oregon.

J. Christopher specializes in Pinot Noir from the Dundee Hills made in the traditional style of Burgundy and highly aromatic stainless steel fermented white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay that reflect the terroir and varietal from which they are produced.

What's Available

	J. Christopher Pinot Noir J.J 2011 Price $18.00  $18 / bottle This is the single most stuffed, terrific bottle of wine I've had for $18 in a long, long time. The J.J is "declassified" juice from J. Christopher winery, where the normal way of things is to bottle all the juice in a series of $45 - $60 single-vineyard wines. You remember this winery - the first time they submitted samples to Robert Parker for the '09 vintage, they got FOUR 94-point scores! The wine is plenty dense and nicely textured on the palate, with an expansive and palate-coating character and fruit flavors of the ripe blackberry persuasion with blue fruit highlights. There's bright acidity to help balance all the fruit, and little to no tannin - the wine goes down well even at this young age. It's a bit of a fruit bomb that deserves a higher price tag. Is it better than some of the $15 bargains we featured in recent months? Oh, yes. Folks, if any other winery had this juice, they'd bottle it up and sell it for $25 - $30. This is one killer steal on a great Oregon pinot noir from a winemaker who is finally receiving the kind of attention he has long deserved. Don't miss this one. Read More...	Available 153 bottles Qty
	J. Christopher Pinot Noir Lia's Vineyard 2010 Price $50.00  $50 / bottle In the olden days, Jay Somers made wine in a garage and sold it by hand to individual retailers for a crazy low price. Things have changed a lot for Jay and his partner / wife Rhonda. They are ensconced in a big modern winery, for example, and their relationship with Ernie Loosen has opened up world-wide distribution channels. Oh, and their '09 vintage scored a string of 94-point scores from The Wine Advocate, launching their brand into the wine buying consciousness in a new, potent fashion. Jay's '09s were quite good, but the fact is, his '10s are a better batch of wines. They are lower in alcohol, and have more developed phenlolics, and as a group possess that aromatic / fruit-oriented / balanced thing that makes the '10s so good. The Lia's Vineyard bottling is my favorite of the lineup of a half-dozen single-vineyard wines, thanks to the intense, silky-textured red-fruit character instilled by the old vines on that site. The reviews of this batch of wines will be written by a new writer at The Wine Advocate, and will tell us a bit more about HIS palate -- at least compared to my palate. The vineyard is a key element of this wine. Lia's Vineyard was formerly known as part of the Jacob-Hart Vineyard, and produced the flagship product of Rex Hill Winery back back before Paul Hart sold the brand and winery to A to Z. In those days, it was emerging star winemaker Lynne Penner Ash who made the wine, and got some big scores with it -- almost twenty years ago. Now, grape grower Todd Hansen manages the vineyard (and produces his own version of Lia's Vineyard pinot noir, too). The wine is approachable now, but once again, the '10s can be focused in these early days. Decanting is suggested, and drinking the wine over a two-day period is not an unreasonable tactic to follow its development with aeration. Cellaring will be rewarded. Read More...	Available 18 bottles Qty
	J. Christopher Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2008 Price $28.00   Read More...	Available 0 bottle Qty
	J. Christopher Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2010 Price $28.00  $28 / bottle Jay Somers of J. Christopher Wines really hit the wine press big-time with his stellar '09 bottlings. With a series of 94-points scores, he was clearly the breakout story of the vintage. The newfound fame is good for Jay and his team, but perhaps not so good for those of us who have been following his wines from day one . . . used to be, we could get all the wine we wanted. Now, everyone wants them! This pretty 2010 pinot noir shows excellent fruit character, balance, and length. Like many of the 2010s, it has a fantastic aroma that is impossible to resist. It's lovely to drink now due to the purity and balance, but even a few more months in the bottle and it's gonna get even better. Another great deal. Read More...	Available 0 bottle Qty
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