A morning with Jay!

Yesterday morning the Dundee Bistro and the Ponzi Wine Bar staff started the day with a visit to Jay Somers’ new winery in Newberg. For those who don’t know, Jay makes fantastic wines under his label J. Christopher here in the Willamette Valley. Up until last year Jay made these wines in a very small facility that was only big enough for half the production he was actually making. Somehow he managed and made incredible wines there for nearly 11 years! This new facility, which is well earned and long overdue, sits atop an absolutely stunning vista which looks over the back of Newberg and the Chehalem Mountain Range. The drive in greets you with the newly planted estate vineyard “Appassionata” and lots of construction. Never fear, the construction should be complete soon and all you will see is the picturesque vineyard and view beyond the stunning new winery.

Once inside, Jay treated us to a tasting of his current white and red wines. While Jay is a phenomenal Pinot Noir producer, his whites hold a special place in my heart. Jay is amongst those in the Willamette Valley who are not excited about producing Pinot Gris as their staple white wine. He has chosen instead to focus on Sauvignon Blanc and where he goes I eagerly follow! Jay creates two serious single varietal bottlings of this fantastic grape as well as a fun, refreshing, dry (and addictive) blend of it along with a small bit of Riesling and yes, Pinot Gris (only because it provides some nice texture in the blend he begrudgingly points out). At $15 a bottle this is one of my go to summer sippers!

Moving into the reds, it is hard not to notice the complexity and texture of these wines. While Jay works with several vineyards from around the valley and bottles a few of them individually with great complexity, it is his Sandra Adele that tends to be my favorite year after year. The Sandra Adele bottling is Jay’s reserve blend from two of the Dundee Hills vineyards he works with and since he named it in honor of his mom, you know it has to be his best! This wine is elegant, red fruited and laced with delicate aromas of violet and earth. He made a mere 220 cases of the 2008 vintage and we have a little bit here in the shop. Contac t us soon if you want some-at $42 a bottle it won’t be around long! (You definitely want some).

J. Christopher Wines Sandra Adele Pinot Noir 2008