Connoissers' Guide to California Wines:  Rated as Fine example of a type or style of wine. "J's long-production bottling turns out to be very successful in its own right. Its ripe cherryish fruit aromas are tinged with a sweet wisp of lavender and a dollop of creamy oak that stays politely behind the fruit. Medium-full to full in body and particularly well- balanced, it is nicely polished for near-term enjoyment and yet is sure to reward a few years of aging." Oct 2009

PinotFile:  Rated as 2009 Best California Value Pinot Noirs.  "Value Pinot Noirs represent an exceptional price to quality ratio. Generally they are Pinot Noirs priced near or under $30 that offer the drinker varietal correctness as well as appealing aromatics, flavors, and enough complexity to signify a bargain at the wine’s retail price. These wines often make very good daily drinkers. The value Pinot Noirs are designated in my tasting notes by the Pinot Value Icon. The wines below were all sampled in 2009 and with few exceptions (Alesia, JCB, Rivers-Marie), are readily available through the winery or in the retail marketplace. All of them represent plenty of Pinot bang for the buck."  Dec 2009

Winery:  "The 2007 vintage is a plush, full wine exhibiting the expressive character of the Russian River Valley. An excellent growing season provided a wine of great depth with elegantly composed layers. Aromas of violets, rose and wild blackberry fill the glass. As the wine opens there are hints of cocoa, cinnamon and cloves. The traditional Pinot Noir flavors of cherry and strawberry are fully integrated with the subtle oak spice."

Wired For Wine: The possibilities are almost endless for this J Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.  (The "J" stands for Judy, by the way; Judy Jordan, daughter of Tom Jordan of Jordan Vineyard fame. She founded her own vineyard 20 years ago and is impressing winelovers all by herself now...)  Get acquainted with its expressive character when you open your first bottle to enjoy with buttermilk chicken bites with a crispy cornflake crust.  The silky fruit and very subtle oak will be heavenly with the buttery meat.  And now that you're off and running, this Pinot will pair easily with duck, salmon, lean meats, pork loin and much more ( did I hear someone say turkey??).  Access the lovely red fruit in this California Pinot with pan-seared duck breasts with a red wine, raspberry sauce.  If a more meaty choice is what you're craving, make it bison rib-eyes with roasted garlic.  The gentle, earthy nuances of this Russian River red will be delicious with roasted salmon with oyster mushrooms.  What'll it be winelovers?  To close, open another bottle and bring out a mild goat cheese with a dusting of ash on the outside.  Make sure there's plenty of crusty, fresh bread next to it, and you're good to go!

Size:  750ml
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol:  14.3%
Ageing:  15 months in French oak (30% new)
Region:  Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California