La Jota Vineyard Co.

La Jota Vineyard Co. was founded in the 1890s by Frederick Hess, an immigrant from Locarno, Switzerland, who established a German-language newspaper in San Francisco. No doubt influenced by other European immigrants involved in California's nascent wine industry, Hess purchased 327 acres of a Mexican land grant—Rancho La Jota—high on Howell Mountain for his vineyards. In 1898 he built the winery from volcanic ash rock quarried right on the pro...

Our 28.05 planted vineyard acres on the La Jota estate include 20.58 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.24 acres of Merlot, 2.88 acres of Cabernet Franc and 1.35 acres of Petit Verdot. These are divided into 16 micro-blocks.

Hill Vineyard

• 9 acres
• Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
• Planted: between 1978 and 2007 (grafted 2008)
• Rootstocks: Riparia Gloire, 101–14 and 3309
• Trellising: bilateral cordon ...

Harvest

The complexity within our 28-acre vineyard estate requires row-by-row evaluation of grape maturity. We walk the vineyards and taste the grapes constantly until full flavor, tannin development, and the right "crunch" of the ripened grape seeds tell us it's time to start handpicking. The grapes are harvested into 30-pound boxes and then hand-sorted before gentle destemming and light crush.

Fermentation

Still cold from the n...

Voice of Place, A Unique Expression of Howell Mountain

"I find the sweet herbal complexity, minerality, spice and red fruit of La Jota wines to be very similar to the wines of Bordeaux," says Winemaker Christopher Carpenter. "Our cooler, high-elevation climate and extended hangtime develop this layered, complex expression."

Mountain Virtues

Cool wind sweeps up the canyon from Lake Hennessy, preventing a cold blanket of air from s...