Recently I had the opportunity to share in a live video stream with Scott Jordan of Cellars of Sonoma and the winemaker of Joseph Jewell with some twitter friends. It is a weekly event taking place on cellarsofsonoma.com Tuesday nights at 6:00 PM PST. The Joseph Jewell name is derived from two different middle names and the impressive label is a family crest. 

The 2009 Joseph Jewell Russian River Valley Pinot Noir produced just 250 cases. The winemaker Adrian Mann indicated the Floodgate VIneyard name is based upon the area being part of the flood plane but his particular section is hillside of 12 year old vines. Adrian shared his favorite Pinot Noir clones as the Pommard, 115/667/777. 

Adrian shared that he produces this wine partially open top fermented and 100% destemed. He also mentioned the great care that goes into production with cluster/berry sorted and the gravity flow down into the barrels to handle the wine with greater care or gentlness and never pumping. Adrian also mentioned the wine is lightly filtered and built to age over the next eight years.

I may have been the only one that got a fantastic big strawberry rubarb nose and palette. Very well put together and balanced. On day two I picked up a lot more beautiful  cranberry fruit. A very pleasant cinamin and clove followed this velvet Pinot Noir. This was a real treat at just a $33 price point for a Russian River Pinot. Some of the major wine press scored 91 and 92. While I'd simply score it as a buy, or just drink.