J Winery

The story of J Vineyards & Winery begins in 1986, when Judy Jordan followed her dream of starting a winery specializing in sparkling wine.

As a 25-year-old Stanford University graduate in Earth Sciences/Geology, Judy understood the land. Her belief that soil enriches the flavors of the fruit of the vine influenced her pursuit of unique terroir and “a sense of place” for growing wine grapes. This journey led her to Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, known for cool climate grape growing and a great diversity of soils - perfect for Champagne method wines.

After a few years of making critically-acclaimed sparkling wines like her signature J Vintage Brut and J Late-Disgorged Vintage Brut, she came to the realization that her Russian River Valley vineyards would also be ideal for producing site-specific, varietal wines. Judy Jordan, always curious and innovating, launched a single vineyard Pinot Noir in 1994, charmingly named after her eldest child, Nicole. Not one to show sides, soon thereafter she released a second single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Robert Thomas.

With a continuing story that involves a flood as well as new vineyard purchases, the winery has thrived since that first Pinot Noir release. Today, we count estate-grown Russian River Valley Chardonnay and as well as single-vineyard Pinot Gris made from Cooper Vineyard, a location which dates back to 1997, among our wines.

The exploration of terroir in our nine, sustainably farmed estate vineyards, while over two decades in the making, has only just begun. The wide variety of alluvial soils found in our more than 200 acres in the Russian River Valley have been forming for millions of years and are continually revealing their nuances to us. In geologic terms, we are still in the embryonic stage and we look forward to more exploration vintage after vintage.

Please join us on our journey by visiting our modern tasting room in the J Visitor Center, located just south of Healdsburg, California. Opened in 1999, Judy Jordan wanted a place where guests could fully experience elegant wine and food pairings – the first program of its kind in Sonoma County. The Bubble Room, a multi-course culinary affair, has received accolades from innumerable media and customers and delights our guests with each menu. On your next visit to California wine country, please be sure to visit us here at J Vineyards and Winery for exceptional wine and generous hospitality.

J Vineyards & Winery owns nine vineyards in the rolling hills of Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. Diverse soils and cool, coastal microclimates offer our grapes unique growing conditions to maximize flavor expression.

In this ideal region, we grow Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay that bask in the warmth of the sun to develop fruity characteristics and enjoy cool temperatures at night to add acidity and depth.  

Though it is generally agreed in scientific terms that a soil cannot impart flavors to a wine, a soil clearly enhances the character of a grapevine and the fruit that grows on that vine. When all the elements of winegrowing come together — choosing the right grape variety and clonal selection, matching the soil type, and ensuring there is proper moisture content and position to sunlight — a certain magic occurs. In France, winery vignerons have one word to describe this interaction with the environment — terroir.