Sit down — this is going to take a minute to explain. Last week I was invited to an press opening of a new winery in La Jolla, California — an exclusive coastal town in San Diego County — for an introduction to a whole new concept in a winery tasting room. Owners Lowell and Anne Jooste came to California in 2012 after a twenty-year stint managing the family vineyards (not just any vineyards, but Capetown, South Africa’s Klein Constantia) with a unique idea: What if you could taste directly from a wine barrel in a tasting room without the hassle of climbing the barrel racks, pulling bungs and thieving wine, followed by topping off of the barrel, etc.? To that end, Lowell designed what we’ll call a patent pending apparatus for now. It’s a system that allows tasting from the barrel without oxygen exposure to its contents, not to mention no mess, no hassle. I tasted several barrels, and found fine quality from each wine that I tasted, including this Pinot Noir, made by winemaker Alison Greene-Doran, who just wrapped up her 41st harvest. It’s got a toasty nose, with black cherry, cola, deep earth and brown spice aromas which translate nicely to palate flavors. Great acid balance props up a long finish where exotic spice notes come forward. Sold in a 1 liter growler. This is a winery — and an actual green/sustainable concept — to keep an eye on.
LJ Crafted Wines, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir 2015
By Rich Cook