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The Wines of Jarvis
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon, The King of Wines, is the flagship wine here at Jarvis. This sought after wine is not blended with other varietals as is often done, but is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from estate grown grapes and is aged for a minimum of 24 months in 100% new French Haute Futaie oak barrels. This wine is released after about 5 years of aging in the perfect conditions of our cave. A wine of superior balance, you can taste the care that this wine has received making it not only age worthy, but enjoyable when released.
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Dimitri Tchelistcheff, our long time consultant, feels that the designation of “reserve” should only be given to wines that are truly special. Winemaker Ted Henry thus considers each vintage of Jarvis Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon to be a nearly perfect wine. Aged over two years in 100% new French Never oak barrels and an additional 3 plus years of bottle aging in our cave prior to release, these wines are incredibly elegant and smooth. They represent the best from Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lake William
Winemaking is full of successes—but it started with a mistake. William Jarvis made a big mistake in 1993 when, during a midnight pump-over, he accidentally pumped a third of a tank of Cabernet Franc into a tank of Cabernet Sauvignon. The experience was devastating, but after the fermentation completed, Dimitri Tchelistcheff, the winemaker, said that the new blend turned out “not that bad.” In fact, it kept getting better with age! It was enjoyed so much in the tasting room it became a sold-out product, and this blend has been made every year since 1996. The grapes used in the blend come from vineyards that are cooled by the breezes off Lake William, so that is what the wine was named. The varietal content of the Lake William varies somewhat from vintage to vintage depending on the Winemaking Team’s tastings that year.
Merlot
The Merlot is so desired that it is our first wine to deplete, so get yours early! It is barrel aged for a minimum of 18 months in new French Haute Futaie oak. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered delivering flavors and aromas of dark cherries, chocolate, cassis and exotic flowers.
Reserve Merlot
One small part of our Merlot vineyard consistently produces a wine so special that it is often set aside as a Reserve wine.
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc has long been the favorite grape varietal of William Jarvis. He says it does exceptionally well in Napa, and it is brought to its best in our winery. The wine is barrel aged for a minimum of 19 months in 100% new French Haute Futaie oak and is bottled unfined and unfiltered contributing to the aromas of toasty vanilla, lavender and cassis. A delightful combination of spicy blueberry and black cherry flavors linger elegantly throughout the finish.
Will Jarvis’ Science Project
A science lab project, commenced in the eighth grade, is the basis for this exciting wine from Jarvis. Will Jarvis, son of the owners, picked the grapes and made a typical Jarvis wine for his school project. Since it was an experiment he made just enough for a small barrel. When the wine had bottle aged 10 years and Will was finally old enough to taste it, he noted that its unique fruity taste had been retained all these years. Will repeated his experiment in the controlled Jarvis winery cave environment again using a smaller than usual barrel. The fruity flavor so astounded Dimitri Tchelistcheff, our winemaker, that a new product was born.
Petit Verdot
Petit Verdot is a finicky little grape packed with a lot of power. It is usually the last to ripen during harvest. Petit Verdot contributes a beautiful deep color and black fruit flavor to our Lake William blend. Also, a small amount of the crop is bottled 100% varietal. This provides you a unique tasting experience of a varietal not commonly seen unblended.
Tempranillo
Our Tempranillo wine is in honor of Dimitri Tchelistcheff, our long time mentor and valued contributor to our winemaking. He has a special feeling for Tempranillo and thought it would do well here. He suggested planting just an acre to compliment our other wines. Tempranillo is our first red grape to ripen. Its’ very name means “early” from the Spanish word “temprano”.
Estate Chardonnay
The Estate Chardonnay is fermented and aged sur-lie in 100% new Burgundy French oak barrels that are stirred weekly to create subtle nuances of toasty vanilla with honeysuckle aromas and a long, creamy finish. This wine is perfect for enjoyment when released.
Finch Hollow Chardonnay
The Finch Hollow Chardonnay is made of grapes from a special plot in our Chardonnay vineyard called Finch Hollow. Before we started bird netting in 1996, the grapes in this plot were largely “harvested” by flocks of finches and blackbirds. This plot is characterized by particularly shallow soil with exceptional drainage. Dimitri Tchelistcheff noted that the distinct terroir of this specific plot led to intense tropical fruit character in the grapes and chose to bottle this section of the vineyard separately which we have been doing ever since the 2000 vintage.
Unfiltered Finch Hollow Chardonnay
This Unfiltered Finch Hollow Chardonnay is made of grapes from the Finch Hollow Vineyard. Our winemaker takes this special selection of Chardonnay grapes one step further by pulling off the top half of the barrel of Finch Hollow Chardonnay to be bottled unfined and unfiltered. By not fining or filtering, we are able to retain even the most delicate nuances of its varietal character. The rich mouth filling flavors of this opulent Chardonnay lingers throughout its long finish.
Jarvis wines are limited in supply. Many varietals are available in various formats.
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