Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
Quality farming is extremely important to the Niners. "We do everything we can do to get the highest-quality fruit," Yeager explains. Sustainable farming is just one of the many tools the owners use to nurture the vineyard. Both Bootjack Ranch and Heart Hill Vineyard are SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certified and the team is working on the certification process for Jespersen Vineyard. For Yeager, sustainable farming "is just the right thing to do." Yeager previously managed ten properties, more than 600 acres altogether, for Flora Springs in Napa Valley before he was offered the job to manage the Niners' estate vineyard properties in 2011. Because the Niners are focused on producing the highest-quality fruit, they have an intensive farming operation from canopy manipulation to fruit thinning to soil fertility. "There's a singular vision of farming ultra-premium wine grapes at all three of our estate vineyards. This not only makes it easier from a vineyard management perspective, but it also brings out the best fruit quality from every block and every vineyard," Yeager says. The 111-acre Jespersen Vineyard was originally planted to 42 acres of Albariño, Chardonnay, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah. This year, Niner Wine Estates is adding 35 acres of vines, most of which is Pinot Noir, with some Chardonnay and Grenache. Although winemaker Amanda Cramer will continue to work with most of the varietals on the property, the Niners chose to hire Jespersen Vineyard's first winemaker, Stephen Dooley, to focus on the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Not only is Dooley familiar with the property, he also has more than 20 years of experience working with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Edna Valley. "The message I got from the Niners was super highquality," Dooley explains. "They gave me the green light for whatever barrels I needed and whatever I needed to do . . . They wanted this to be extraordinarily successful." Niner Wine Estates Vineyard Manager Jason Yeager. He states the Niners always wanted to make an Edna Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and that Jespersen Vineyard was the right place to do it. What to Expect? While the first estate vintage, 2012, is still in barrel, we got a sneak peak of what to expect. The wines are expected to be bottled in the early fall but won't hit the retail market until February 2014. a crisp nectarine. There's is nothing buttery about the palate except for the weight and silky mouthfeel, but it still has a few more months in barrel before being bottled this August. Niner 2012 Chardonnay, Jespersen Vineyard The Chardonnay is barrel-fermented and goes through full malolactic fermentation, and will be left on its lees until close to bottling. Although there is a fair amount of new French oak (35 percent), this is not a buttery Chardonnay. The nose is reminiscent of yellow peach cobbler and sweet pastry with hints of tropical fruit and honeysuckle. The first sip pops with acid, like biting into Niner 2012 Pinot Noir Jespersen Vineyard The Pinot , Noir is a blend of roughly 25 lots on the property. Only free-run juice is used. Roughly 30 percent new French oak was employed, most of it François Frères. Currently, the wine is beautiful and very restrained with bright cherry and rhubarb on the nose, and hints of dusty stone. The palate is silky with notes of maté tea, black cherry pie filling and a well-integrated tannin structure. june 2013 / the tasting panel / 159 TP0613_120-156.indd 159 5/23/13 4:57 PM