(August 2016)

“He is Going to the Wine Harvest…The Grape Waits for No Man”
1954 movie “Father Brown The 2016 Grape Harvest is Here!

As the 2016 grape harvest approaches, I find it hard to believe that this will be the third harvest for the J. Cage Cellars Wine-Stained Dream. It seems like just last week Donna and I were giddy at lunch in Healdsburg over the fact that on our 34th wedding anniversary we had just contracted for our first ton of 2014 Pinot Noir grapes. My, how time flies when you are having fun. In 2016, we will harvest over 9 tons for 7 different wines. On the red side, in addition to two single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, 2016 will be inaugural vintage of Zinfandel and Sangiovese. Conch Tasting Chardonnay

So far the 2016 growing season has been nearly perfect. It all started with plenty of winter rain that was so badly needed. Flowering and fruit set went fairly smoothly. While the yields of 2016 will not be as big as the banner years of 2012-2014, they are significantly up from the low yields we saw just last year. The summer has been perfect for high quality grapes. The recent cool weather has slowed ripening to a crawl so the flavors in the grapes can intensify.

Patience is the key now. The scariest decision the winemaker makes each year is when to pick the grapes. Once the grapes are harvested and in the winery there is little we do to influence the outcome of the wine, unlike large recipe wineries. These cool days and slow maturation will allow Conch and me to pull the pick trigger at just the right time. Daily we are in our vineyards tasting and testing. We expect our Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay will be in the winery by week’s end, but that’s up to Mother Nature. I really can’t express how excited we are about the wines we will craft for you this year.

Exciting Partnerships

Wine Spectator Magazine recently published an article 13 World-Class Restaurants in Napa and Sonoma Wine Country. We are proud to say that J. Cage wines are featured at 2 of these amazing dining experiences, Valette in Healdsburg and Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Yountville.

Pinot Noir – 24 Cases Left – Get Yours! Donna Crushing Grapes for Testing

As the summer heat subsides, we will begin shipping again around the country. Our award winning Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier are still available for your end of summer pleasure. If you love our 2014 Nunes Vineyard Pinot Noir…There are only 24 cases left, so order now.

If you have any questions, Donna and I are always available to assist, so please reach out to us by phone or email.

It’s time to head back to the vineyard and taste more grapes…

Roger, Donna, Conch and Whitney Beery

Two Generations…One Passion
…Sharing the Wine-Stained Dream
The Beery Family (March 2016)

J. Cage Cellars 2014 Nunes Pinot Noir – Taking Home Medals

Grand Harvest Competition – West Coast Wine Competition
San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

2015 J. Cage White Wines are in the bottle!! We are excited to announce that our 2015 J. Cage Cellars Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc are in the bottle and adjusting nicely to their new homes. All three wines turned out very well. Those of you that enjoyed our 2014 Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc will find the 2015 vintage similar in style yet a bit more refined.  The Chardonnay from Mary’s Vineyard in the Russian River Valley is a beautiful balance of bright acidity and a creamy luxurious mouth-feel. All three wines are available at our Wine Shop for pre-release purchase. J. Cage 2014 Whites sold-out in just a few months…Reserve yours NOW.

2016 An Important Year for J. Cage Cellars

We will be stepping up production. I am now spending my days meeting with winegrowers and clomping around muddy vineyards to find just the right spots with exceptional vines so Conch and I can continue to craft exceptional wines for you. As of this writing, I can announce that we will be adding an Old Vine Zinfandel from Mounts Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. We have worked with the Mounts family since the start, to craft our award winning Viognier and are thrilled to be adding their Zinfandel to our lineup. In other big news…

We are now working with famed Pinot Noir and Zinfandel winemaker, Adam Lee. Adam is the founder and winemaker for the acclaimed Siduri Pinot Noir and Novy Zinfandel. Since the 2015 harvest, Adam has served as our consulting winemaker, sharing his wisdom and experience. We are lucky to have Adam as part of our team.

Big thanks to our friends and Cage cousins who were kind enough to host a tasting party in their home. Donna and I made many new wine friends and felt honored to share the Wine-Stained Dream. Special thanks to Indulge Wine Bar in Denver for hosting a private tasting of J. Cage wines for their best customers. It was an awesome experience.  If we are in your town, and you have friends interested in acquiring our hand-crafted wines, let’s talk about creating a wonderful Wine-Stained experience for them.

What about the drought…now the rains? The El Nino rains have done wonders in the vineyards. Both the vines and ground cover crops are a picture of health and happiness. In some warmer spots white buds are starting to pop from their vines. Bud break is a bit earlier than normal so there is always the fear of a late frost that could wreak havoc. But according to my handy iPhone weather app…all looks good for the next 15 days…fingers crossed. After years of drought reports, it seems odd to be dealing with predictions of weekend flooding. (photo Christopher Chung/Press Democrat)

Speaking of rain, as you probably know, rain during the wine growing season is not a welcome event. In normal years, significant summer and fall rain is rare, allowing the grapes to concentrate their flavors and not get watered down. In 2015, we received quite a bit more moisture than normal during the bloom-set period in April. So, much as we love the rains today; we hope that by the end of March, Mother Nature will grab her son El Niño by the arm and send him back to his room. The moisture in 2015 resulted in many vineyards only able to yield 60% or less as compare to 2012-2014. So thanks El Niño…but enough is enough!

That’s all from here for this report. We appreciate you and are so happy to share the Wine-Stained Dream with you!

If you or your friends find your way to Sonoma County, please look us up. As you know, we are too small for a tasting room…but we may be able to meet up and share the Wine-Stained Dream in person. Conch, Tyler, James, Whitney, Roger & Donna Grand Harvest Competition

Wow… 2015 was quite the year for the

J. Cage Cellars Wine-Stained Dream!

Jan. 20.2016 -Donna and I spent New Year ’s Eve quietly sipping J. Cage Cellars Viognier and Pinot Noir while we created what we hoped would be the winning black-eyed pea recipe for the William and Chris Winery (Hye, Texas) annual New Year’s Day cook-off. Well, we didn’t win …but it gave us time to reflect on the events of the past year and consider how grateful we are for all that has happened. Much of it, thanks to you.

It’s hard to believe that it was only 18 months ago that our family decided collectively to take a leap of faith and start creating J. Cage Cellars hand crafted wines. What had been our long held wine-stained dream quickly became a reality. We are so glad you have shared the dream with us! Pinot Noir Clusters

2015 proved to be an interesting and complex harvest. A warm winter, a cool damp spring and a summer of drought and heat spikes made for an early and light harvest. Most of our fruit was picked 2-3 weeks earlier than 2014. While fruit quality was high, many vineyards had much lower yields than recent vintages. Fortunately for J. Cage, our grape contracts are by the ton, so we weren’t affected by the lower yields. Wineries with block or row contracts and those with estate vineyards saw yields off as much as 40%-60%.

Today J. Cage wines are resting comfortably in their barrels. Conch, Donna and myself along with our consulting winemaker Adam, last week tested barrel blends of all five 2015 wines and are very excited…we think you will love them. We are anxious to share these beauties with you when the time is right.

It looks like we will bottle our 2015 Mary’s Vineyard Chardonnay, Mounts Vineyard Viognier and Tzabaco Rancho Sauvignon Blanc in March for release in May. All our 2014 white wines won competition medals and have sold out…Be sure to reserve yours soon by becoming a Wine-Stained Dreamer.

The wet predictions of El Nino so far in 2016 have been fairly accurate; giving us much needed drought relief. Personally, I love this time in the vineyards. Some vineyards are pruned while others remain wild and untouched since harvest. The rain has allowed lush green groundcover to take hold in contrast to the bare brown vines. It’s a great time to sit back and take in the beautiful geometry of wine country vineyards. Here’s to a prosperous and wonderful 2016…. Keep those rains coming! Healdsburg Town Plaza

Healdsburg California, in the northern end of Sonoma County, is a mecca for small boutique wineries that produce a wide array of wine styles from many grape varieties. In addition, the town reminds me of what Andy Griffith’s Mayberry would feel like, if Mayberry were in wine country.

In our early days of wine country travel, we would stay somewhere in Napa Valley and visit northern Sonoma. Now when we advise travelers, our advice is just the opposite; stay in Healdsburg and visit Napa Valley. Why, you may ask…two great wine regions, lots of great wines in both? The answer is simple, diversity. Napa is great for Cabernet and Bordeaux varieties along with Chardonnay but Sonoma offers so much more in addition to great Cabernet. And….Napa Valley is only a 45 minute drive through some of California’s most beautiful vineyards.

The town of Healdsburg itself offers any number of tasting rooms and chef-centric restaurants, most within walking distance of the beautiful town plaza. The square often hosts music and culinary events, available to visitors. A few of our favorite events are the Tuesday in the Plaza concert series that runs from late May through August and the late October Pinot Noir extravaganza, Pinot on the River, featuring over a hundred local Pinot Noir producers. Barndiva Restaurant

If you want to stay in town to shop, sip and savor, there are plenty of outstanding tasting rooms from boutique producers. Some of our favorites are Cartograph, C. Donatiello, Banshee, Roadhouse, Blanchard Family, Selby Winery and Hawley. However, there are many more wineries that will satisfy just about any palate. Strolling and sipping can be hard work that calls for some outstanding culinary sustenance. Any good day of wine tsting should start with a hearty breakfast and for that we suggest Costeaux French Bakery where the Croissant Breakfast Sandwich is delicious. When the weather is beautiful, and it usually is, the afternoon may call for a restaurant with both indoor and outdoor dining options. On these days we will head to either the French inspired Bistro Ralph, the elegant Barndiva, the casual Healdsburg Bar and Grill, play a little bocce ball while dining at Campo Fina or visit the lively Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar.

What we love best about Healdsburg is that the town serves as a wine hub, of sorts, with a number of diverse winegrowing regions just beyond the town limits. Wake up in the morning and ask yourself, what kind of wine mood am I in today? If the answer is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, then head out Westside Road into the Russian River Valley, home to some of America’s finest Pinot along with Chardonnay and other varieties. Meander west, toward the Sonoma Coast and stop in to many of the small producers. Many families have farmed the land and vineyards for generations. Some of the smaller producers welcome guests on an appointment-only basis. Don’t let that deter you, give them a ring, you may just end up at the winemaker’s home enjoying a glass of wine along with a vineyard view to die for. Inman Family tasting room

There are so many excellent small producers in the Russian river Valley; it could take days just to make a dent. That said, some of the Russian River Wineries we love are (closest to farthest from Healdsburg) J Vineyards, Matrix Winery, VML, Bacigalupi Vineyards, Bucher Vineyard, Arista Winery, Thomas George Estate, Russian River Vineyards, Lynmar Estate, DRNK Wines, Inman Family Wines, DeLoach Vineyards, and McPhail Family Wines.

Or maybe you wake up with a hankering for some amazing old vine Zinfandel, just head out Dry Creek Road into the beautiful Dry Creek Valley. There you will find any number of smaller wineries specializing in Zinfandel from vineyards planted before prohibition. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Sangiovese and others are also planted in the Valley, resulting in a wide variety of sumptuous wine choices. While in the Dry Creek Valley don’t miss out on Mazzocco Winery, Ridge Lytton Springs, Papapietro Perry, Uniti Vineyards, Truett Hurst, Estate 1856, Dutcher Crossing, Cast Wines and Sbragia Family Vineyards. Dry Creek is full of smaller wineries, so be sure to explore to find your hidden wine treasure. For those who want a luxury experience, check out Ferrari Carano and Michel Schlumberger. Jordan Winery

And for those who believe Cabernet is King, a short jaunt north out Healdsburg Avenue and in minutes you’ll find yourself in the Alexander Valley where can visit the jewel of Alexander Valley, the Chateau at Jordan Winery (advance appointment required). Even though Jordan has been around since the 1970’s and their Cabernet and Chardonnay are amongst the most popular restaurant wines, Jordan Winery is still family owned and second generation vintner, John Jordan lives on the property. Other wineries we enjoy visiting in Alexander Valley include Stuhlmuller Vineyards, Stonestreet Estate (also a tasting room in H’Burg), Stryker Sonoma, Trione Vineyards, and Ramazzotti Wines. In addition to winery visits, stop in for a fabulous poolside lunch at the opulent Francis Ford Coppola Winery.

Healdsburg has it all. It’s a quaint town that sits smack in the middle of three diverse and equally delightful wine regions. It’s really up to your wine imagination to create the perfect day or days of tasting, everything you could ever want is just minutes away.

Read Part 6 of  Starting J. Cage Cellars –  A Family Winery Series

Back at the end of September, we finished barreling our wines so they can mature and rest comfortably. Donna and I then headed back to Denver. A Halloween party invitation and the wonderful Pinot on the River event in Healdsburg were enough excuse to bolt from Denver for a long weekend back in Sonoma to taste our three J. Cage Cellars wines. Conch getting J. Cage Cellars Pinot Samples

I recall watching Conch and Whitney when they were young kids participating in sporting events and wondering if they might develop into world-class athletes. Of course nearly every parent does when their child kicks that first soccer goal or in our case glided down the ski racing slopes of Breckenridge. I was sure Conch was destined for the PGA when he got a hole-in-one at age 13…. But alas… it didn’t happen. A parent can dream…and probably should.

The wines that we struggled so hard to get right are, like those soccer kids, growing up and it was a pleasure to taste them after a month of maturity. Conch samples barrels almost weekly and keeps me apprised. The whites are nice and crisp and should be ready for the summer patio season. But it’s the five barrels of Pinot Noir that I’m emotionally focused upon.
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