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J Vineyards, style and elegance in Russian Valley, CA
An Interview with winemaker George Bursick,
Vice President of wine making at J’s

by Simone Zarmati Diament

Click here to listen to an interview with J’s Winemaker, George Bursick

J, a winery Judy Jordan founded in 1987, is one of California’s leading sparkling wine producers. Over the years it has perfected the making of its sparklings using 100% méthode champenoise and traditional French Coquard presses: a rare effort in the United States. What began as a sparking wine project is now producing world class varietals as well.

Champagne, France is one of coolest wine growing region and California’s climate is practically its opposite. Yet, Winemaker George Bursick, now Vice President of wine making at J’s, has made a name in cool-climate wines and is now producing Pinot Noir in a sober yet elegant and complex style that is the most akin to its Burgundian parent.

“J’s inception in 1986 was based on a groundbreaking mission to produce méthode champenoise sparkling wines in the Russian River Valley, and our original yellow logo reflects that vision with style and elegance,” notes Founder Judy Jordan. “It has been 15 years since we started making Pinot Noir, and our knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of the Russian River Valley have grown exponentially. We now know that our vineyards have more soil types than those found in all of France, and through meticulous site-specific winemaking practices, Winemaker George Bursick and his team have leveraged this diversity to elevate our varietal wine program to a luxury level. The new "J Vineyards" packaging pays homage to this attention to terroir and varietal winemaking.”

J farms over 250 acres in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley appellation where Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris varietals thrive. The Russian River Valley is known for its cool, coastal marine fog allowing 115–120 days of slow, even heat accumulation which means longer hang time on the vine to achieve optimal sugar and acid balance. J’s estate acreage checkerboards the Russian River Valley encompassing varying microclimates and over twenty different soil types. This diversity of locations, soils, trellises, rootstocks (9), and clones (15 clones of Pinot Noir, 4 clones of Chardonnay, 2 clones of Pinot Gris) gives winemaker George Bursick a tremendous range of flavor profiles to express his artistry in creating wines of exceptional complexity and grace. J’s first vintage of Nicole’s Vineyard Pinot Noir was released in 1994, and J now produces a total of six different Pinot Noirs, as well as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Viognier and Pinotage.

Releases include Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($38), Nicole’s Vineyard Pinot Noir ($65), Robert Thomas Vineyard Pinot Noir ($65), and Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($40), in addition to three new Pinot Noirs: Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($70), Nonny’s Vineyard Pinot Noir ($70), and Barrel 16 Pinot Noir ($70).

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