J Vineyards & Winery
11447 Old Redwood Hwy, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Website: https://www.jwine.com/
I wouldn’t have known about this winery if I hadn’t stopped at Rodney Strong. J Vineyards is located to the left of Rodney Strong and is accessible via a walkway from the Rodney Strong parking lot. It is an interesting winery owned by Judy Jordan, the daughter of the owners of Jordan Winery in Sonoma. J Vineyards began producing sparkling wine in 1986 and that appears to remain their main focus today. The winery also produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Viognier still wines.
This winery was founded by Judy Jordan in 1986. Judy is the daughter of Tom and Sally Jordan who started Jordan Winery & Vineyards also in Sonoma. The winery was sold to the Gallo Family in March 2015 and Judy then purchased Chehalem Mountain Vineyard in Oregon.
Pond outside of J Vineyards
The outside of the winery is simple and charming. There is a bridge over a small pond that leads to the front doors of the tasting room. On the left side of the bridge there is a small fountain and terrace. A woman was stationed outside the front of the winery to greet us and inform us about the different tasting options that are available. The basic tasting occurs at the J Signature Bar. They also offer seated food and bubbly tastings inside the Bubble Room or outside terrace. The Bubble Room tasting seemed to be the most popular. It is offered Friday through Sunday at four different times during the day and reservations are recommended. An executive chef creates dishes that pair with six wines. I was really interested in doing this tasting but unfortunately there were no spots open when I visited. I opted for the J Signature Bar tasting instead.
Tasting bar at J Vineyards
The tasting room is very contemporary. There is a dark stone wall from ceiling to floor behind the tasting bar that is lit from behind and designed to look like bubbles rising up from the bottom. Before walking up to the tasting bar, we stopped at a mini tasting table off to left of the entrance to sample a couple of wines and then finished the tasting at the bar. The tasting menu included a couple of sparkling wines and 3-4 still wines for $20. This tasting fee is a little pricey compared to many of the other wineries in Sonoma. My personal favorites were the J Pinot Gris, Russian River Pinot Noir and the J Viognier Hoot Owl Vineyard.
I’m glad that I stopped in because I like discovering new places. Overall the wines were enjoyable and the staff was friendly. I wish I had the opportunity to try more of the sparkling wine though. If I ever return, I would make a reservation for The Bubble Room.