J. Rickards Winery

At the Northern End of Alexander Valley, on Chianti Road, lies J. Rickards Winery. I was introduced to this hidden gem during Wineroad’s Wine and Food Affair. I had the pleasure of visiting 7 wineries and J. Rickards Old Vine Zinfandel was my favorite sip of the day.

The vines are 106 years old and the wine is 80% Zinfandel blended with Petit Sirah, Carignane, Mataro, Alicante Bouschet, Muscent de Canelli and Golden Chasselas. All are picked and fermented together. The result is juicy, dark fruit and spice with finely integrated tannins. 

I was equally impressed by the 2013 Sémillon. I was informed that this wine “has some elbows” and it definitely did. The fermentation process is 50% stainless steel and 50% neutral oak which give this wine a full melon and honeysuckle flavor with hints of spice.

Both wines won silver medals at the 2014 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. Well worth the trip to taste a J. Rickards wine.

Since the trip happened on the Wine and Food Affair weekend I will also mention DL Catering’s Lamb Shank Cassoulet paired with J. Rickards’ Malbec. While not my favorite pairing of the day, I will mention that in another post, I did enjoy the rich flavors. To find out more about J. Rickards winery visit http://www.jrwinery.com.